Rereading the Public: Isolationism and Internationalism Revisited

This is the first installment in what we hope will be a recurring series of Forums in ISP. In each segment we intend to provide an outlet for peer-reviewed dialogue and debate on important topics in the field and to allow our readers to discuss material previously printed in the pages of ISP. Below are two comments on "Challenging U.S. Policymakers' Image of an Isolationist Public" by Steven Kull and Clay Ramsay published in ISP 1:1. Both comments raise a number of important issues pertaining to the relationship of public opinion and foreign policy, and also address more general questions of domestic impact on foreign policy outputs and several significant methodological questions about approaches to polling. The Forum begins first with comments by Richard Clark and Kenneth Dautrich, is followed by comments from Shoon Murray, and concludes with a response from Kull and Ramsay.     

Negotiating U.S. policy to counter terrorism

Conclusion Terrorists have been active throughout history. Their threat, just like the threat of national warfare, ebbs and flows with events and personalities. To counter this threat, U.S. policy should be mature, honest, flexible, farsighted, publicly known, and consistent with our highest values. At this time, the Bush Administration has a good opportunity to reassess U.S. policy and develop a balanced response to the threat of terrorism.Effective counter-terrorism policy can only evolve from an effective process for evaluating and developing that policy. And the key to successful process is sound negotiation theory. This focus on process, bringing with it a broad view of the problem and a preference for joint activity, creates a workable approach to dealing with the serious threat of terrorism in our world. John S. Murray is President and Executive Director of the Conflict Clinic, Inc., a private not-for-profit organization affiliated with the Center for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030. Mr. Murray's sister is Jean Sutherland, whose husband Tom was kidnapped in Beirut by Islamic Jihad on June 9, 1985.     

Improving Third-Party Decisions at Choice Points: A Cyprus Case Study

Third parties are often required to make process decisions under considerable psychological pressure, within the stressful view of interested parties, often with high stakes and inadequate information, on very short notice, and without an opportunity for extended research or even much reflection. Therefore, a valuable goal in preparing for intervention is to develop the ability to spot patterns or cues in the context of the dispute that can immediately suggest techniques or process options that could be successful. This essay focuses on conditions at important choice points in an intervention and the third-party decisions made in response. It discusses how third parties make decisions on process issues and suggests ways to learn how to make better decisions. Next, it applies this decision framework to an actual intervention, using an effort by a co-author to build interaction between the Greek and Turkish communities in Cyprus during the mid-1990s. Finally, the authors jointly evaluate the Cyprus experience to capture lessons learned for improving third-party conflict resolution practice.     

Methods for physical stabilization of ashed teeth in incinerated remains

Methods for physically stabilizing the extremely fragile ashed teeth that are often encountered in incinerated human remains were investigated. Results of a questionnaire sent to forensic anthropologists and forensic odontologists disclosed that, for these two groups, the most popular methods currently used are impregnation with a solution of polyvinyl acetate or application of cyanoacrylate cement, respectively. In addition, extracted human teeth were incinerated in the laboratory and impregnated with commercially available preparations of either cyanoacrylate cement, clear acrylic spray paint, hair spray, spray furniture varnish, clear fingernail polish, quick-setting epoxy cement, Duco household cement, polyvinyl acetate polymer in acetone, or self-curing clear dental acrylic resin. Every substance tested successfully stabilized the incinerated teeth. Clear acrylic spray paint was judged the most efficacious overall because of its ease of application, availability, inexpensiveness, and rapidity of setting.     

The marriage license as a hitting license: A comparison of assaults in dating,cohabiting, and married couples

There are many studies of marital and dating violence. However, methodological differences between these studies make it difficult to determine differences in the nature and extent of physical assault between marital status groups. This paper helps fill that gap by analyzing data from two surveys: a study of 526 dating couples at a large midwestern university, and a study of a national probability sample of 5005 married and 237 cohabiting couples. The results show that cohabiting couples have a higher rate of assault than dating and married couples. These findings persist after controls for age, education, and occupational status are introduced. Violence is also more severe in cohabiting than dating or married couples. A number of factors may account for the more frequent violence in cohabiting relationships. These include social isolation, the issue of autonomy and control, and the investment in the relationship.