Do Fences Make Good Neighbours? An Analysis of Israel's Security Policy Choices
Is Israeli security best assured by strategic contraction or expansion? Does Israel's decision to build a security fence and the nation's security policies of contracting, rather than expanding, mark a major strategic shift in policy to make Israel more secure in the long run? Or should more attention be focused on the 2006 invasion of Lebanon as signalling a return to the older security policies based on expansion of the country's security sphere, placing Israel more in context with the American-led war on terrorism, with an emphasis on pre-emption to eliminate short-run terrorist threats? This article analyses Israel's recent security policy choices, especially the decision to erect the wall separating Israelis from Palestinians, combined with the unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in August 2005, followed by the decision to return to Gaza and invade Lebanon in July 2006. Did these events represent the failure of Israeli security initiatives of the early 2000s and a return to old security dynamics of expansion vs. contraction?
Anatomy of human rights violations at the Indo-Bangladesh borderlands
ABSTRACT This study investigates the factors affecting the violations of human rights at the borderlands between Bangladesh and India. It sheds a new light on the question: What are the main reasons behind the border killings between Bangladesh and India? Based on both official data and a field survey, it is argued that the issue of border killings is a gross violation of human rights. This study provides Bangladeshi perspectives on the issue of border killings and deaths. A section of India’s Border Security Force (BSF) is the main violator of human rights at the borderlands between the two countries. The continued culture of border killings hampers the bilateral relationships between India and Bangladesh by creating a climate of fear and mutual mistrust. A conceptual framework is proposed to provide a deeper understanding of border killings. The findings reveal the nature and causes of killings of Bangladeshi people by India’s BSF. Cross-border migrations, illicit economic activities, the Indian fence scheme, border disputes and the BSF’s ‘shoot-to-kill’ policies are, among other factors, principal reasons for border killings. This empirical analysis of Indo-Bangladesh border killings might contribute to the development of a border theory.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF): From a "People's Army" to a "Professional Military"-Causes and Implications
Ever since its establishment in 1948, the Israel Defense Force (IDF) has exhibited characteristics conventionally associated with a "people's army." The composition of its force structure (mainly based on compulsory conscription and reserve duty) has both reflected and reinforced that image. During the past decade, however, the relative weights of the IDF's manpower complement have begun to change. While reserve duty is being reduced and conscription is becoming more selective, the career and professional component is being augmented. This article examines the societal, economic, and operational reasons for those changes. It then goes on to discuss their possible effects on the fabric of relations between Israeli society and the IDF. Specifically noted are the implications for (a) military service as a rite of passage towards full citizenship; (b) the IDF's posture of "military role expansion"; and (c) civil-military relations in Israel.