{"title":"The Political Trajectory of Urban Violence: Organized Crime in Michoacán’s Apatzingán","authors":"Fausto Carbajal","doi":"10.5038/1944-0472.16.3.2137","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.16.3.2137","url":null,"abstract":"Contrary to the “narco-centric” explanation of homicidal violence in Mexico, this article proposes “the political trajectory of urban violence” (PTUV) as an additional analytical category to nuance the developmental process of today´s large-scale violence in Mexican urban enclaves. Building on previous research, this article argues that organized crime-related violence in Mexican cities today has unveiled –and exacerbated– intricate power tensions among private actors –both illegal and, perhaps more importantly, legal ones– which need to be explored by considering the historical evolution of these political processes within a given urban context. The PTUV, then, regards recent organized crime-related violence as part of a continuum of the socio-political complex in urban environments, and not only due to criminal conduct or activity per se. Because a concrete case study is central to advance on this research agenda, the article posits that repeated outbreaks of homicidal violence in the city of Apatzingán, Michoacán, Mexico, have been the result of a rooted local conflict over land access, economic hegemony, political dominance and increased urbanization.","PeriodicalId":37950,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Strategic Security","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135459108","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Wide Area Motion Imagery and the Colonial Antecedents of Surveillance","authors":"Dinesh Napal","doi":"10.5038/1944-0472.16.3.2140","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.16.3.2140","url":null,"abstract":"Wide area motion imagery (WAMI) technologies are procured by federal and state security institutions across the United States, due to their capacity to surveil at an extraordinary scale. Innovation in WAMI development seeks to make them more compact or convenient to use and employ in a variety of situations. The increased use of WAMI, particularly through uncrewed aerial combat vehicle (UCAV) systems and operations, is able to render visible people, communities, and behaviors at an unprecedented level. This has implications for individuals’ and communities’ perception of surveillance and the ontology of security. The experience of being secured or kept safe is brought about through the surveillance apparatus, which imposes an unending gaze upon the secured population. This article argues that WAMI technology replicates the totalizing gaze of colonial surveillance architecture, and its deployment in areas such as Baltimore and Dayton, reifies disciplinary boundaries around legitimate behavior in law enforcement and warfare.","PeriodicalId":37950,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Strategic Security","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135459658","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jorge Mantilla, Carolina Andrade, Maria Fe Vallejo
{"title":"Why Cities Fail: The Urban Security Crisis in Ecuador","authors":"Jorge Mantilla, Carolina Andrade, Maria Fe Vallejo","doi":"10.5038/1944-0472.16.3.2147","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.16.3.2147","url":null,"abstract":"Compared to other countries in Latin America, Ecuador was traditionally considered a peaceful territory. However, 2022 was the most violent year in the history of Ecuador with a homicide rate of 25.6. In particular, the littoral city of Guayaquil (46.6) poses extraordinary challenges to Ecuadorian security agencies while criminal governance and firepower of criminal armed groups increased steadily in the past four years. This paper explores the relationship between ports, violence, and governance in the context of criminal wars. Through a process-tracing method, it studies the path through which Guayaquil ended up in a security crisis between 2018 and 2022. Using in-depth interviews, criminal justice data, and direct observations, we argue the relations between states and communities can dramatically change under the perception of state weakness despite the implementation of iron fist approaches as exceptional public safety measures.","PeriodicalId":37950,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Strategic Security","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135459524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Understanding Urban Warfare. By John Spencer and Liam Collins. Hampshire, England: Howgate Publishing Limited, 2022.","authors":"Amos Fox","doi":"10.5038/1944-0472.16.3.2192","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.16.3.2192","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37950,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Strategic Security","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135459532","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Blood and Concrete: 21st Century Conflict in Urban Centers and Megacities. Edited by Dave Dilegge, Robert J. Bunker, John P. Sullivan, and Alma Keshavarz. Bloomington, IN: Xlibris, 2019.","authors":"Michael Burgoyne","doi":"10.5038/1944-0472.16.3.2191","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.16.3.2191","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37950,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Strategic Security","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135459398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Battles of Hue: Understanding Urban Conflicts through Wargaming","authors":"David Burden","doi":"10.5038/1944-0472.16.3.2138","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.16.3.2138","url":null,"abstract":"Recent years have seen increased interest in the professional use of wargames, and wargames are a potential tool to enable a better understanding of past urban conflicts and to plan for future urban security. Whilst access to professional wargames are limited, hobby wargames have been identified as useful and closely related areas to study. Previous work has identified around 214 manual hobby wargames that deal with urban conflict, but only 5 battles are covered by 5 or more wargames, and so provide a reasonable sample for comparative reviews. The battle of Hue battle had many of the hallmarks of a modern urban battle, with both symmetric and asymmetric opposition, combined arms, a civilian and media presence, and the use of innovative technology. This article examines how 5 different wargame designers have approached the Battle of Hue, and how their design choices relate to the key characteristic of the Battle of Hue. The article also identifies where the principal deficiencies are. The article concludes by considering the issues highlighted by these games that wargaming has in representing urban conflict, and how these could be addressed in order to make wargaming a more useful tool to model urban conflict and security.","PeriodicalId":37950,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Strategic Security","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135452056","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Megacities and Urban Warfare in the 21st Century: The City as the Cemetery of Revolutionaries and Resources","authors":"José de Arimatéia da Cruz","doi":"10.5038/1944-0472.16.3.2189","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.16.3.2189","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":37950,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Strategic Security","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135459401","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Desperate and Opportunistic: CBRN Terrorists and Civilian Radiological Material","authors":"Oliver Mihell-Hale","doi":"10.5038/1944-0472.16.2.2067","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.16.2.2067","url":null,"abstract":"Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) terrorism has long been a threat that has concerned policy makers. This paper highlights the factors which determine when a group is likely to use CBRN weapons given the numerous constraints on their use. A group which is desperate, small, and innovative is most likely to resort to their use as the taboos which constrain groups under normal circumstances become an incentive. These characteristics also determine what type of CBRN weapon will be used, a basic radiological weapon. A radiological weapon is relatively easy to develop compared to other options, and the material for it can be easily acquired. Using International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reports, this research explores numerous shortcomings in sectors using radiological material both past and present. Significant failures have occurred in, and continue to occur in the medical, scrap metal, energy, and industrial practices. These are shown to provide ample opportunity to a resource poor group to carry out a successful CBRN attack.","PeriodicalId":37950,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Strategic Security","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43225800","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Extended Space Deterrence: Providing Security Assurance in Space","authors":"Kiseok Michael Kang","doi":"10.5038/1944-0472.16.2.2095","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.16.2.2095","url":null,"abstract":"Many U.S. allies are increasingly dependent on space-based platforms for their military and economic activities. At the same time, the counterspace threats from U.S. adversaries such as China and Russia are rapidly intensifying. The United States has provided extended deterrence to its allies through its overwhelming nuclear and conventional capabilities for decades. The question arises as to whether the time-tested logic of extended deterrence is applicable in the space domain. This research argues that U.S. extended deterrence in space—relying on the traditional mechanism of deterrence-by-punishment—is ineffective due to the unique nature of outer space.","PeriodicalId":37950,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Strategic Security","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"70478997","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"How Putin's Cyberwar Failed in Ukraine","authors":"Austen D. Givens, Max Gorbachevsky, Anita Biernat","doi":"10.5038/1944-0472.16.2.2099","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.16.2.2099","url":null,"abstract":"As Russian military forces surged across the Ukrainian border in February 2022, cybersecurity analysts shared predictions about the ways in which the Russian government would use cyberattacks to thwart Ukrainian defenses. Some government agencies and private sector organizations forecast that the Russians would launch a blitz of devastating electronic attacks against Ukrainian critical infrastructure targets, such as electrical power plants and air traffic control networks, crippling the country. While Russian cyberattacks have played a role in the conflict, their effects to date have been significantly less than what some analysts anticipated. But why? This article examines how analysts’ most extreme predictions about Russia’s use of cyberattacks in Ukraine missed the mark, links these findings to the literatures on military and intelligence forecasting, and offers recommendations for additional research.","PeriodicalId":37950,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Strategic Security","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48198582","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}