Skeletal evidence of the ethnic cleansing actions in the Free City of Danzig (1939-1942) based on the KL Stutthof victims analysis

In the early days of World War II, many of the prominent and influential people of Polish nationality from the Free City of Danzig were arrested by the Germans and sent to the nearby concentration camp KL Stutthof. Nearly a hundred of them died within the next seven months upon their arrival, and were buried in a clandestine mass grave in a nearby forest. However, the exact nature of their death is unknown, as it is unclear what the attitude of the aggressors was toward the victims. We do not know whether there was only one executioner or there were several assassins, nor if the killing methodology was consistent with the other state-regulated executions.The studied material represents the commingled remains of a minimum thirty-four people, possibly all male, aged from under eighteen to over sixty at the time of death. Perimortem traumatic lesions are shown mainly on the skull bones. We asked whether the perimortem trauma lesions visible on the victims’ skeletons could be informative on the cause and manner of their death.Our results show the prevalence of the perimortem trauma inflicted by a blunt object are on the parietal bones above the Hat Brim Line (HBL), which is commonly associated with a violent attack. The gunshot trauma was usually localized on the occipital bone or posterior parietal, which could indicate a shot to the back of the head, and this was commonly encountered during executions. No signs of defensive injuries can be explained either by restraining of the hands or by a surprise attack. The abundance and variability of the trauma type can be evident of multiple assailants. Moreover, the multiple impact points detected on several crania prove unnecessary overkill and brutality, which reflects the personal attitudes of the executioners towards the victims.     

The March Towards Post‐Democracy,Ten Years On

Events since I published my book Post‐democracy in 2004 suggest that democracy continues to decline in effectiveness in those parts of the world where it has been most strongly established. The global financial crisis, the consequent euro crisis, the likely shape of a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and growing evidence of the political power of giant mass media corporations all suggest that the dominant forces in today's politics are not those of democratic will. Movements like Syriza in Greece possibly suggest a democratic reawakening, but that is too early to determine. Meanwhile, it is important also to be aware of democracy's limits, and to try to resolve the problem of post‐democracy by extending its reach beyond its competence.     

日本的皇位继承制度与《皇室典范》

《皇室典范》是基于宪法制定的天皇皇位继承等有关皇室事务的法律。明治时代出于建立天皇专制主义政权的需要,于1889年颁布的《皇室典范》结束了皇位继承混乱无序的历史,作为与宪法具有同等效力的最高法规,确立了天皇至高无上的地位。第二次世界大战结束后,根据新宪法制定的新《皇室典范》,天皇的地位和性质发生了本质变化,但在皇位继承制度方面依然沿袭了明治《皇室典范》的基本原则。这一战后改革不彻底的后果,束缚了皇室的发展,也是当今日本皇室出现继承危机的根源。     

The “Double-Battle”: women combatants and their embodied experiences in war zones

Our study contributes to the ongoing debate about women in combat by exploring women combatants’ experiences of war through interviews with women soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces who served as combatants or in combat-support roles in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. We proffer that the bodily experiences of women combatants disturb conventional international relations and hegemonic masculine war metanarratives that either abstract or glorify combat. These otherwise silenced narratives reveal juxtapositions of feelings of competence and vulnerability and shed light on the women’s struggle for gender integration in the military. We conclude the article with a reflection on the challenges facing researchers investigating war and terrorism.     

国际武装冲突法及其相关概念辨析

目前,学界使用战争法、武装冲突法、战争与武装冲突法、国际人道法和国际人道主义法等词汇表达类似甚至是相同的法律体系。笔者认为国际武装冲突法及国际人道法是目前并行的两种法律体系,国际武装冲突法可以囊括国际人道法,但国际人道法却不能替代国际武装冲突法。其称谓不同,反映的是传播、研究者的职能需求及立场不同。     

论指挥员在作战行动中的战争法意识

现代战争法或日武装冲突法是规范交战国及其武装部队之间的关系和作战行动的原则和规则的总称.战争法能否得到遵守和执行,关键取决于双方军队的军人,尤其是各级指挥员.如何根据军事行动的具体任务,在战争法基本原则的框架内,将作战指挥与战争法要求结合起来,是我军适用战争法的前提,为此,各级指挥员必须了解战争法,强化依法指挥的意识.     

Remembering A Year of Anniversaries, 2015

2015 was a year of significant anniversaries and commemorations related to the Commonwealth, Magna Carta, World War II and the United Nations. In this article the author reflects on these events, on his personal participation and on the media coverage of the events.     

The United Kingdom and International Peacekeeping: 1960–2014

Abstract

The UK has continued to regard itself as a world power despite the reduction in its capability for intervention overseas. Its armed forces pride themselves on professionalism, competence and adaptability. In practice their involvement in peacekeeping operation has been sporadic given different priorities, defence cuts and public unease about military intervention overseas. The UK’s current involvement is minimal and the UK is likely to remain a marginal player for the foreseeable future.     

抗战前夕广东洋米免税风潮述论

抗战前夕广东洋米免税风潮是广东省米谷歉收和积谷备荒、国外和外省米源减少、广东币值下降等多种因素综合演变的结果。这次风潮经历了三个阶段,从国米输粤到100万担洋米半税,再到400万担洋米谷完全免税,一波三折。免税风潮集中反映了粮食产销间的矛盾,以及国民政府在协调冲突时的两难境遇,也留下了宝贵的经验教训。     

抗美援朝战争中的停战谈判决策研究

本文重点探讨中国的"战争局部化"战略、志愿军作战目标的制订及其变化等因素--对停战决策的影响。中国军队入朝作战后进行的五次战役都伴随着停战谈判的考虑,有关停战的设想和条件也是不断变化的。有关的各种意见和决策始终联系着对"战争局部化"战略的理解、背离或贯彻。探讨停战谈判决策与探讨军事决策一样,都必须比较准确地理解中国决策层有关"战争局部化"的概念。