Estrategia de intervención militar de Estados Unidos en Medio Oriente: dinámicas y consecuencias del uso de drones en Yemen y Pakistán entre 2009 a 2013

Este es un estudio sobre la estrategia de guerra estadounidense en Medio Oriente basada en el uso sistemático de drones durante el periodo comprendido entre 2009 y 2013. Se busca explicar de qué manera puede considerarse el uso de este tipo de armamento como una práctica basada en la proyección de poder sin mayor vulnerabilidad. Los casos de Pakistán y Yemen son abordados, ya que evidencian las características de las operaciones selectivas por las que ha abogado el Presidente Obama. El estudio se inscribe dentro del realismo ofensivo, haciendo también referencia a sus limitaciones explicativas. Empero, se afirma que las dinámicas y consecuencias de la utilización de drones son intrínsecas a la necesidad estadounidense de combatir actores no estatales mediante prácticas que garanticen su seguridad y pretensiones hegemónicas a pesar de las implicaciones políticas , legales y sociales en las que puede incurrir.

La influencia del derecho universal a la libre autodeterminación de los pueblos en la construcción de las Relaciones Bilaterales entre Palestina e Israel (1993-2004)

Esta monografía se enfoca en el papel que ha tenido el derecho a la libre autodeterminación de los pueblos en la construcción de las relaciones bilaterales entre Palestina e Israel, en uno de los periodos tal vez más fructíferos de la historia de las dos naciones, comprendido entre 1993 y 2004. Por medio del análisis de ciertos eventos históricos y manifestaciones del derecho a la libre autodeterminación de los pueblos durante del periodo de estudio seleccionado, se busca explicar cómo éstos han repercutido en la relación de ambos pueblos. Este análisis hace uso del enfoque constructivista de Alexander Wendt como herramienta que permite una aproximación teórica que considera, que la construcción de relaciones entre los diferentes agentes del Sistema Internacional son las ideas y creencias compartidas y no únicamente las capacidades materiales.

La cooperación internacional como instrumento para la construcción de paz en Colombia. Estudio de caso del proyecto “Fortalecimiento institucional para la atención a las víctimas del conflicto (FORVIC)” (2009-2014)

El presente estudio de caso pretende analizar los alcances de la cooperación internacional en materia de justicia transicional y construcción de paz tomando en consideración un proyecto de cooperación internacional emblemático denominado Fortalecimiento Institucional para la Atención a las Víctimas del Conflicto o FORVIC. Para conseguir esto, se analizarán primero los efectos generados por el Proyecto FORVIC en materia de fortalecimiento del Estado de Derecho y lucha contra la impunidad en Colombia, y a partir de los hallazgos se constituirán y se propondrán una serie de condiciones sobre las que puede pensarse la cooperación internacional como un instrumento genuino para la construcción de paz en Colombia.

The populist moment in American Education.

Se expone la situación de las escuelas públicas norteamericánas. La imposibilidad de los padres de llevar a sus hijos a un colegio que no sea el más cercano a su casa, ha producido un malestar social que reclama un sistema de elección de centros. Mediante la concesión de becas se garantiza que aquellos alumnos con menos medios económicos puedan acceder al colegio que deseen tantos públicos como privados. Además se han creado una serie de colegios públicos llamados 'Charter School' que permiten la libre elección y poseen conceptos nuevos sobre la autonomía y variedad de métodos de enseñanza, contenidos y gestión. De esta forma se intentan establecer mecanismos a través de los cuales la educación americana sea más democrática.

La enseñanza a distancia : posibilidades para la atención individualizada de los alumnos de alta capa.

Resumen basado en el de la publicación. Monográfico con el título: 'Alumnos de altas capacidades : reflexiones sobre educación'

Turismo y sostenibilidad en espacios naturales protegidos: la Carta Europea del Turismo Sostenible en la Zona Volcánica de la Garrotxa y el Plan de Desarrollo Sostenible en Cabo de Gata-Níjar

La tesis se enmarca en la relación entre espacios naturales protegidos, turismo y desarrollo sostenible. Y lo hace desde la óptica de la planificación de las prácticas turísticas, un tema bastante novedoso en nuestro país y que está de plena actualidad. Los objetivos fundamentales de la investigación son los siguientes: Determinar, de manera genérica y en clave de sostenibilidad, el papel del turismo en los ENP españoles. Estudiar con detalle dos instrumentos de planificación del turismo en las áreas protegidas españolas: la Carta Europea del Turismo Sostenible en los espacios protegidos y los Planes de Desarrollo Sostenible andaluces derivados de la Ley 2/1989. Evaluar el alcance de dichos instrumentos en dos territorios concretos: el Parque Natural de la Zona Volcánica de la Garrotxa (Girona) y el Parque Natural Cabo de Gata-Níjar (Almería).

Key strategic issues affecting the airline industry

Scheduled and charter airlines: current issues and future developments - Key characteristics of airline markets - Market penetration of low cost scheduled airlines - Recent developments in the charter sector - Future prospects

A europeização do Direito Constitucional português em matéria de direitos fundamentais – o caso do direito à identidade genética

This article aims to show the Europeanization of the Portuguese Constitutional Right in the matter of the right to one’s genetic identity. The formal recognition of this Right, in the Constitution, was influenced by the actions of the European Council regarding Biomedical Rights and dates back to 1997’s Revision of the Constitution. Not only did the conclusions of the European Council in this matter influenced the Portuguese Constitution but they also affected other documents of international and regional nature like the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. The latter also managed to find its way into our national legislation. Thus, this flow of influences in the matter of the right to one’s genetic identity and the constitutionally of some dispositions of national legislation about medically assisted procreation are the subject of our analysis.

A construção da União Europeia : um olhar sobre a dimensão social do projeto

O Tratado de Roma de 1957 priorizou o setor económico em detrimento do social. Em consequência, cada Estado-membro manteve o seu modelo de assistência social e , deste modo, a diversidade de Estados-providência. Mais tarde, o princípio da subsidariedade legitimou-os no contexto do processo de construção da Comunidade Económica/União Europeia e, por consequinte, a coexistência dos mesmos, particularmente os submodelos de assistência social escandinavo, anglo-saxónico, continental e dos países da Europa do sul. Hoje, graças ao Ato Único Europeu e ao Tratado de Amesterdão de 1997, foi adotada por todos os Estados-membros a Carta dos Direitos Sociais Fundamentais no Conselho de Estrasburgo de 1989, assim como valorizada a dimensão social e o incentivo à negociação coletiva entre parceiros, respetivamente. Assim, sendo, e na sequência do exposto anteriormente, constata-se, nessa nova EUropa em transformação permanente, a emergência de um novo modelo de Estado-providência, centrado essencialmente na compilação, complementariedade e/ou «fusão» do que existe de melhor no conjunto dos quatro submodelos existentes, de acordo com o princípio da unidade a partir da diversidade.

The Court of Justice of the European Union as a fundamental rights tribunal: challenges for the effective delivery of fundamental rights in the area of freedom, security and justice. CEPS Paper in Liberty and Security in Europe No. 49, 29 August 2012

This paper reflects on the challenges facing the effective implementation of the new EU fundamental rights architecture that emerged from the Lisbon Treaty. Particular attention is paid to the role of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) and its ability to function as a ‘fundamental rights tribunal’. The paper first analyses the praxis of the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg and its long-standing experience in overseeing the practical implementation of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Against this analysis, it then examines the readiness of the CJEU to live up to its consolidated and strengthened mandate on fundamental rights as one of the prime guarantors of the effective implementation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. We specifically review the role of ‘third-party interventions’ by non-governmental organisations, international and regional human rights actors as well as ‘interim relief measures’ when ensuring effective judicial protection of vulnerable individuals in cases of alleged violations of fundamental human rights. To flesh out our arguments, we rely on examples within the scope of the relatively new and complex domain of EU legislation, the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (AFSJ), and its immigration, external border and asylum policies. In view of the fundamental rights-sensitive nature of these domains, which often encounter shifts of accountability and responsibility in their practical application, and the Lisbon Treaty’s expansion of the jurisdiction of the CJEU to interpret and review EU AFSJ legislation, this area can be seen as an excellent test case for the analyses at hand. The final section puts forth a set of policy suggestions that can assist the CJEU in the process of adjusting itself to the new fundamental rights context in a post-Lisbon Treaty setting.

Consumer willingness to pay for in-flight service and comfort levels: A choice experiment

In the competitive aviation market as a result of the emergence of low cost carriers, charter airlines have had to reconsider their approach to service provision. Specifically, the reduction in service and comfort levels offered by the low cost airlines provides charter carriers with an opportunity to differentiate their product based on the quality of the offering. To consider this strategic option we employ an on-line choice experiment to examine consumer choices with respect to the bundle of services on offer when deciding to purchase a flight, With these data we use the Bayesian methods to estimate a mixed logit specification. Our results reveal that in principle passengers are willing to pay a relatively large amount for enhanced service quality. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Urban planning under Major: the end of Thatcherism?

This paper explores the urban planning legacy left by Mrs Thatcher. To what extent has Mr Major continued with her approach? Has he developed new directions? This broad question provides the background for an examination of the changes to the planning system since Mrs Thatcher left office. The main themes covered are the new plan-led emphasis, the increase in the coverage of environmental issues, the question of whether a more people oriented perspective has developed with Major's softer touch and the Citizen's Charter and the property-led approach to urban regeneration. The paper concludes that although the contradictions of Thatcherism have led to the relaxation of certain ideological stances to planning, the central themes of Thatcherism - individualism and centralisation - continue unabated.

Comparative biology of mammalian telomeres: hypotheses on ancestral states and the roles of telomeres in longevity determination

Progressive telomere shortening from cell division (replicative aging) provides a barrier for human tumor progression. This program is not conserved in laboratory mice, which have longer telomeres and constitutive telomerase. Wild species that do ⁄ do not use replicative aging have been reported, but the evolution of different phenotypes and a conceptual framework for understanding their uses of telomeres is lacking. We examined telomeres ⁄ telomerase in cultured cells from > 60 mammalian species to place different uses of telomeres in a broad mammalian context. Phylogeny-based statistical analysis reconstructed ancestral states. Our analysis suggested that the ancestral mammalian phenotype included short telomeres (< 20 kb, as we now see in humans) and repressed telomerase. We argue that the repressed telomerase was a response to a higher mutation load brought on by the evolution of homeothermy. With telomerase repressed, we then see the evolution of replicative aging. Telomere length inversely correlated with lifespan, while telomerase expression co-evolved with body size. Multiple independent times smaller, shorter-lived species changed to having longer telomeres and expressing telomerase. Trade-offs involving reducing the energetic ⁄ cellular costs of specific oxidative protection mechanisms (needed to protect < 20 kb telomeres in the absence oftelomerase) could explain this abandonment of replicative aging. These observations provide a conceptual framework for understanding different uses of telomeres in mammals, support a role for human-like telomeres in allowing longer lifespans to evolve, demonstrate the need to include telomere length in the analysis of comparative studies of oxidative protection in the biology of aging, and identify which mammals can be used as appropriate model organisms for the study of the role of telomeres in human cancer and aging. Key words: evolution of telomeres; immortalization; telomerase; replicative aging; senescence.

The Article 51 reporting requirement for self-defense actions

This article examines one legal criterion for the exercise of the right of self-defense that has been significantly overlooked by commentators: the so-called “reporting requirement.” Article 51 of the United Nations (UN) Charter provides, inter alia, that “[m]easures taken by members in the exercise of this right of self-defense shall be immediately reported to the Security Council.” Although the requirement to report all self-defense actions to the Council is clearly set out in Article 51, the Charter offers no further guidance with regard to this obligation. Reference to the practice of states since the UN’s inception in 1945 is therefore essential to understanding the scope and nature of the reporting requirement. As such, this article is underpinned by an extensive original dataset of reporting practice covering the period from January 1, 1998 to December 31, 2013. We know from Article 51 that states “shall” report, but do they, and—if so—in what manner? What are the various implications of reporting, of failing to report, and of the way in which states report? How are reports used, and by whom? Most importantly, this article questions the ultimate value of states reporting their self-defense actions to the Security Council in modern interstate relations.