SIACHEN GLACIER,THE FULCRUM OF THE GREAT GAME: COLONEL ‘BULL’ KUMAR’S PERSPECTIVES

This article, written by Prateek Joshi in close collaboration with Colonel Narender “Bull” Kumar, discusses the development of the conflict over the Siachen Glacier between India and Pakistan. It sets out the Siachen Conflict in the broad framework of the Great Game and explains the crucial role of Colonel Narender “Bull” Kumar's Siachen expeditions in rekindling this old flashpoint in High Asia. Based on Colonel Kumar's two expeditions to the Siachen Glacier region, namely the Teram Kangri expedition in 1978 and the Siachen expedition in 1981, it discusses the perspectives regarding the dispute and its relation to reviving a consciousness of the Great Game. The first perspective discusses Colonel Kumar's expeditions in light of the Indo-Pak conflict as these two visits became the precursor to Operation Meghdoot, following which the Indian Army occupied the Siachen Glacier in 1984. The second perspective discusses a crucial cartographic blank which was filled only after Colonel Kumar's Siachen expedition.     

Apparent partial hanging

A careful analysis of circumstances and investigations of death scene are required before commenting on the manner of death in a case of hanging. Hanging may result from either complete or incomplete suspension of the body. Two cases of hanging are reported where discrimination in eyewitness's account and death scene investigation report was evident regarding type of hanging (complete/partial). The use of term apparent partial hanging is proposed in such cases. Body position in hanging is one of the numerous factors that determine the strength of the neck compression by the ligature and thus should be considered in the evaluation of dying process and pathomorphologic feature of hanging. The cases also put a probable explanation to the higher incidence of partial hangings in different studies. We believe that incidence of true partial hangings may be much lower than that reported in the literature.     

Market-based mechanism and ‘climate justice’: reframing the debate for a way forward

International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics - The Paris Agreement on climate change recognizes, reluctantly albeit, the importance of ‘climate justice’ in its...     

The Expat Gap: Are Local‐Born Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries at a Disadvantage When Seeking Grant Funding?

Donor agencies and foundations use grants to stimulate entrepreneurial growth in developing countries. However, some practitioners have asked whether these grants tend to flow to expatriate entrepreneurs with ties to developed countries (where most grants originate), rather than to local entrepreneurs. This article tackles this question using a data set of 3,434 nascent ventures from 92 developing countries. The authors find that ventures with ties to a developed country are significantly more likely to raise grant financing and in more substantial amounts. Ventures with a founder born in a developed country are the most likely to receive grants, with a weaker effect when considering prior work experience in a developed country. This “expat gap” cannot be explained by differences in education level, prior experience, or ties to other developing countries. Donors seeking to support local entrepreneurs in developing countries should consider ways to make their recruitment and selection processes more equitable.     

Sex Determination from Hand Dimensions of North and South Indians

Abstract:  When dismembered human remains are encountered, the decedent's sex may not be obvious. For these scenarios, techniques for sex determination may play a vital part of the medicolegal investigation. Five hundred hands (230 males, 270 females) from North and South Indian region were studied to investigate sexual dimorphism in hand dimensions (hand length, hand breadth, and palm length). The hand index (hand breadth/hand length × 100) and the palm index (hand breadth/palm length × 100) were derived. The hand dimensions show a higher accuracy in sex determination when compared to indices. Of all hand dimensions, hand breadth has the highest accuracy of sex determination in the study group. The sex differences were found to be statistically significant only for the hand index on the left side. The morphometric parameters of the hand show considerable sexual dimorphism in the Indian population while the hand and palm index remain poor sex indicators. The study thus has medicolegal implications when a dismembered hand is brought for examination.     

Winning Hearts and Minds in Civil Wars: Governance,Leadership Change,and Support for Violent Groups in Iraq

The “hearts and minds” model of combating rebellions holds that civilians are less likely to support violent opposition groups if the government provides public services and security. Building on this model, we argue that a political event that raises popular expectations of future public service and security provision increases support for the government and decreases sympathy for violent opposition groups. To test this argument, we leverage a unique research design opportunity that stems from the unforeseen announcement of the resignation of Iraq's divisive prime minister in August 2014 while an original survey was being administered across the country. We show that the leadership transition led Iraq's displeased Sunni Arab minority to shift support from the violent opposition to the government. In line with our argument, this realignment was due to rising optimism among Sunni Arabs that the new government would provide services and public goods—specifically security, electricity, and jobs.