Human Insecurity in Myanmar: Varied Responses and the Way Forward

The very name Myanmar brings to mind a precarious picture of human insecurity.It is the land where the world’s most persecuted minorities still struggle to survive;and,it is the theatre where the longest-ever civil war in the world has been staged since 1948.Murder of people,rape,violence,and,censorship of the press,etc.,are common scenes in the country.A Nobel laureate(for peace in 1991)Mrs.Aung San Suu Kyi who brought hopes to Myanmar assuring resolution of all such issues through democracy,could not do something substantial,and she is now languishing in detention.Despite international pressure and sanctions,the Military Junta(called Tatmadaw)is still in the seat of power at Nay Pyi Daw dislodging a democratically elected government led by Mrs.Kyi that won the elections held in November last year by staging a coup d’état in February 2021.However,literature in this regard(i.e.human security)is scantily comprehensive and scarcely suggestive of recourses to be taken.Against this background,this paper looks into these developments and suggests the way forward to secure the security for the insecure.This paper argues that Militarism and Majoritarian Nationalism are responsible for this state of affairs in Myanmar.

Historic Achievements in Developing Human Resources and Social Security

Guided by the state policy of reform and opening to the outside world, the Chinese Government has, by dint of hard work over the past three decades, by and large accomplished the task of building up a human resources and social security system. Good enough to serve China＇s goal of developing a socialist market economy, this system has contributed to the national endeavor to ensure and improve people＇s livelihood and to safeguard the stability of the reform-and-opening undertakings.

Rethinking National Security Strategies in Africa

The delivery of security to state and citizens will continue to be the daunting task facing nation states in Africa.Many African countries are becoming increasingly unable to deliver security to their citizens and in some instances;states themselves have become sources of insecurity.This is attributed less to the evolving security threats exacerbated by megatrends but more to the governance deficit manifested in weak social contract and strategic leadership that are short supply in many African countries.Despite a well-articulated security and defense policy of the African Union with a call for its member states to do the same,there is a dearth of national security strategies in most African states.This is largely attributed not only to the lack of effective implementation mechanisms of such policy but importantly to the absence of tools to help member states to craft and implement their national security strategies.There is a convincing wealth of evidence that shows a well-designed and inclusive process of developing national security strategies enables decision-makers to better confront the security threats and improve effective delivery of security to all citizens and state.Such a process provides an invaluable opportunity as well for forging a new social contract between state and its people.This article is an attempt to contribute to rethinking of how security could be perceived,planned,and delivered to the citizens in Africa.

Feasibility study on buoyancy-weight ratios of a submerged floating tunnel prototype subjected to hydrodynamic loads

The research progress of a novel traffic solution,a submerged floating tunnel（SFT）,is reviewed in terms of a study approach and loading scenario.Among existing publications,the buoyancy-weight ratio（BWR） is usually predefined.However,BWR is a critical structural parameter that tremendously affects the dynamic behaviour of not only the tunnel tube itself but also the cable system.In the context of a SFT prototype（SFTP） project in Qiandao Lake（Zhejiang Province,China）,the importance of BWR is illustrated by finite element analysis and subsequently,an optimized BWR is proposed within a reasonable range in the present study.In the numerical model,structural damping is identified to be of importance.Rayleigh damping and the corresponding Rayleigh coefficients are attained through a sensitivity study,which shows that the adopted damping ratios are fairly suitable for SFTP.Lastly,the human sense of security is considered by quantifying the comfort index,which helps further optimize BWR in the SFTP structural parameter design.

A CASE FOR SUSTAINABLE SECURITY SYSTEMS ENGINEERING:INTEGRATING NATIONAL,HUMAN,ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SECURITY

In the wake of the September 11,2001 terrorist attacks, there is a growing sense of insecurity felt by many citizens around the world. Sustainable security, with roots in the sustainable development and human security literature, seeks positive transformations for the co-evolving and mutually dependent human-environmental condition by integrating （and subsuming） national, human, environmental, and energy security concems and capitalizing on opportunities provided by human creativity, diplomatic openings, modernization and environmental change. The field of Sustainable Security Systems Engineering is proposed for protecting, restoring, designing, and implementing a set of integrated natural and man-made processes that equitably and responsibly meet the biophysical needs of human communities, while maintaining long-term security, respecting financial constraints, meeting ecological limits, and improving institutional arrangements for transparent and effective governance. Scenario planning is shown to help promote sustainable security by identifying the preconditions of instability and helping to proactively address them in an increasingly complex and uncertain world. The six papers published in this featured collection cross policy domains, geographic, political, and sectoral boundaries and were discussed at forums sponsored by the Systems Engineering and Global Policy group. Collectively, they demonstrate the quality, breadth and depth of systems engineering methodologies that are used to promote sustainable security.

Analysis on Development of Modern Biotechnology in Ethical Terms

In the paper, application of modem biotech was summarized and accompanying ethical problems were highlighted. In addition, four basic principles for modem biotech development were proposed.

Notions of resilience and qualitative evaluation of tsunami resiliency using the theory of springs

This study revisits the concept of resilience by critically reviewing the contents of previous literature. Furthermore, it explains a new methodology for measuring resilience based on the theory of springs and qualitatively appraises the resiliency of Minamisanriku town as a case study. Minamisanriku is a tiny coastal town located in the northeastern part of the Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. The town was affected by an earthquake on March 11, 2011, with a magnitude of 9.0, followed by a tsunami. According to the authors’ previously proposed conceptual framework, resilience should be considered by dividing it into three components: onsite capacity, instantaneous survivability, and the recovery potentiality of an area. Each component of the framework depends on two or three factors that can be measured using different indicators and sub-indicators. Onsite capacity is the ability of a given place to withstand a tsunami before it arrives, and it has been considered indispensable for the prevention of a tsunami. Instantaneous survivability is the power to be alive at the point of a disaster climax. Returning speed to its normal daily routines once a catastrophe is over is called recovery potentiality. It is understood that strengthening onsite capacity by moving residences to higher ground, building seawalls and paved roads, relocation of fishing industry infrastructure, and land elevation in Minamisanriku town makes it a benchmark for resilient cities.