The Efficacy of Censorship as a Response to Terrorism
This chapter discusses the use of law and intimidation and direct censorship in relation to the purported strategic needs of terrorism and counter-terrorism. It explains the role of the media and the strategic efficacy of censorship in insurgent terrorism, which includes subnational and transnational actors attempting to gain political power. The chapter further explains the role of the media and the strategic efficacy of censorship in state terrorism, where terrorism is deployed to sustain and strengthen political power. The role of the media and the strategic efficacy of censorship in counter-terrorism are also analyzed. The chapter talks about the strategic relationship between insurgent terrorism and counter-terrorism where the media and the efficacy of media censorship are a strategic response against terrorism as opposed to their being a tool of terrorism, which is sometimes the case in state terrorism.
The media and terrorism: A reassessment
The author begins by challenging Michel Wieviorka's dismissal of the claim that there is a symbiotic relationship between terrorism and the media. Terrorists' manipulation and exploitation of the media is shown to play a crucial part in their propaganda war. The article concludes by arguing that voluntary self‐restraint and self‐regulation by the media are the best policy options for a democratic society in regard to the media's response to terrorism, but that the mass media need to work harder at devising measures of self‐restraint that are both appropriate and effective.
Dopamine Release is Involved in Antinociceptive Effect of Theophylline
ABSTRACT The methylxanthines, e.g., theophylline, are widely used for the treatment of bronchial asthma. Additionally, a pain relieving effect of theophylline has been reported in patients as well as in experimental animals. The mechanism of this antinociceptive action is not clear. In this study, involvement of dopaminergic system in theophylline-induced antinociception was evaluated using tail flick test model. Swiss albino mice, (either sex, weighing 25–30 g) with base line tail flick latencies (TFL) between 2.0 and 3.5 s, were used. TFL was recorded before and at intervals of 15, 30, 45, and 60 min. after drug treatment. The experimental protocol was duly approved by the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. To determine the role of dopaminergic system, the mice were pretreated with either D1 or D2 dopaminergic receptor antagonists SCH 23390 and haloperidol, respectively, prior to treatment with theophylline. Another group of animals received apomorphine along with theophylline. The dose of theophylline used, i.e., 10 mg/kg, intraperitoneally (i.p.), had shown a significant increase in TFLs. The theophylline-induced antinociception, 10 mg/kg, i.p., was reversed by pretreatment with both D1 and D2 dopaminergic receptor antagonists SCH 23390 and haloperidol as well as with apomorphine (1 mg/kg) pretreatment. The results suggest that theophylline-induced antinociception is due to release of dopamine.