The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood and the spectacle of Hama

The Syrian Muslim Brotherhood has been a key diplomatic player in the current Syrian uprising; a role that stands in stark contrast to its reputation among Western authors. This article argues that this chasm between the Brotherhood’s practice and reputation is a legacy of the 1982 Hama massacre. The slaughter has become a “spectacle,” as per the theory of Guy Debord, leading Hama to take on an exaggerated significance in portrayals of the Brotherhood.

Expansion of congested railway capacity using triple-track line operation based on hourly passenger demand

This paper proposes a method of improving level of service in congested urban railways by means of a triple-track line operation for a highly dense urban area with special travel demand characteristics. Where the future travel demand forecasts show sluggish growth or no growth at all, there is little to no incentives for heavy railway investments like quadruple-track extension and construction of new railway routes to alleviate current railway congestion problems. In such a situation, triple-track line operation can be the best alternative due to its moderate investment cost and ease in land acquisition for just an additional single track along the existing tracks. Our simulation investigation in one of the congested railway lines in Tokyo showed that triple track line operation increases railway capacity by 26% and shortens travel time by 38% in peak direction during morning peak hours. These results are encouraging and are useful for removing current railways problems in Tokyo and in similar urban situations elsewhere.