The Difficulties and Dilemmas of International Intelligence Cooperation
Stéphane Lefebvre is a former Strategic Analyst at the Canadian Department of National Defence and a former Marcel Cadieux Policy Planning Fellow at the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. The views expressed here are the author's and do not necessarily reflect the views of any governmental or nongovernmental organizations with which he is or has been affiliated. An earlier version of this article was presented at the Colloque Renseignement et Sécurité internationale, Laval University, Quebec City, Canada, on 20 March 2003.
Legal Considerations of Intelligence Operations in Countering Transnational Organised Crime
The paper is focused on the application of intelligence operations in coun- tering transnational organised crime (TOC) and reviews the accompanying legal as- pects and effects. The purpose of this qualitative paper is to assess the topic from a global viewpoint and establish methodology for examining, evaluating and addressing the execution of intelligence operations, as performed by the global, regional, national, law enforcement or military intelligence entities. The collection of intelligence and the use of liaison may have political or foreign affairs' consequences, hence the im- portance of considering the existing and applicable legal frameworks or constraints. Some operational approaches cause policy and human rights concerns; however these may be the result of the lack of international or internal cooperation and/or available legal instruments providing for alternatives. The topic is not a time-stamped snapshot but is instead a subject to constant changes in terms of shifting environments and con- tributing viewpoints for assessing its status, and therefore in need of continual updat- ing.
Cambodian refugee health care beliefs and practices.
Since 1975, when refugees from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia first began coming to the United States, many articles have been written about Southeast Asian or Indochinese refugees and health care. A careful review of the literature shows that most of these articles have one thing in common: they are written primarily about Vietnamese and do not address the unique health care beliefs and practices of Lao or Cambodian refugees.1 Although some beliefs and practices are common to most Southeast Asians, many are not. Understanding at least that differences exist, and hopefully what some specific differences are, will allow nurses and others to give better care to the various people commonly grouped together as Southeast Asians. This article will introduce readers to some Cambodian beliefs and practices related to health care. Of the principle refugee groups admitted to the U.S. since 1975, the Cambodians are presenting the greatest challenges to health care providers. Cambodians are usually poorly understood by Americans, their health status statistics are hidden among the broad category of "Asian-Pacific Islanders" or "Indochinese Refugees," and cultural and institutional barriers combine to make access to care an overwhelming problem. The end results, of course, are more problems and more expense for the Cambodians, increased stress placed on an already terribly overstressed people, and ultimately greater demands and expense placed on the health care system. One of the most common misunderstandings about Cambodians is that they (and Lao) are basically the same as the Vietnamese. "They speak the same dialect don't they?" There are some similarities, but there are also very significant differences.