(2008). Peacekeeper and Scholar Is Killed in War Zone. Chronicle of Higher Education, v54 n43 pA1 Jul. In the summer of 2003, the "Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists" published an essay warning that the United States was on the verge of losing the peace. Dozens of similar arguments appeared that year, but this one, written by Michael V. Bhatia, a 26-year-old graduate student, was as devastating as any of them. In 2007, to the surprise of some of his friends, Mr. Bhatia joined one of the U.S. military's most visible efforts to fix its mistakes. In October he flew to Afghanistan to join the Human Terrain System, a controversial program that places social scientists in Army brigades. This article provides a profile of Michael V. Bhatia, a peacekeeper and scholar who was killed by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan while participating in the Human Terrain program. Friends and colleagues are still trying to come to terms with Mr. Bhatia's death. At the age of 30, he had already published one book and completed work on another. He had several other projects in the works, and he… [Direct]
(2009). War News Radio: Conflict Education through Student Journalism. Harvard Educational Review, v79 n1 p94-103 Spr. In this essay Emily Hager presents an example of conflict education through student journalism. War News Radio is a student-organized and student-produced program developed at Swarthmore College in which participants produce for a global audience nonpartisan weekly radio shows and podcasts focused on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Hager shares her experiences of reporting for and producing War News Radio and explains how these experiences have helped her learn skills, attain information, and develop responsibility while growing in her understanding of the complexity of and humanity behind armed conflict…. [Direct]
(2007). Muslim and Western Influences on School Curriculum in Post-War Afghanistan. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, v27 n1 p27-40 Mar. In Afghanistan, education has largely been destroyed, partly in the name of Islam, by the wars fought on its behalf, or by different ethnic groups vying for control of this Islamic country. Similarly, curriculum has been used to promote political and/or religious viewpoints and to strengthen positions of power. War dominated the language of curriculum to such an extent that it became part of the discourse on Islam and education in Afghanistan. In what might be called post-conflict Afghanistan, the new Life Skills curriculum for primary schools promotes ideals of peace and social justice that are inherent in Islam, while being influenced by Western concepts of pluralism and civil society. This paper considers past sociopolitical influences on language and content of textbooks, and examines Islamic and civil society principles espoused in the new curriculum framework as reflected in the Life Skills curriculum. Finally, it considers the convergence of universal themes and Islamic… [Direct]
(2013). Child Care and Other Support Programs. Future of Children, v23 n2 p79-97 Fall. The U.S. military has come to realize that providing reliable, high-quality child care for service members' children is a key component of combat readiness. As a result, the Department of Defense (DoD) has invested heavily in child care. The DoD now runs what is by far the nation's largest employer-sponsored child-care system, a sprawling network with nearly 23,000 workers that directly serves or subsidizes care for 200,000 children every day. Child-care options available to civilians typically pale in comparison, and the military's system, embedded in a broader web of family support services, is widely considered to be a model for the nation. The military's child-care success rests on four pillars, write Major Latosha Floyd and Deborah A. Phillips. The first is certification by the military itself, including unannounced inspections to check on safety, sanitation, and general compliance with DoD rules. The second is accreditation by nationally recognized agencies, such as the… [PDF]
(2012). The New Leader of the Free World. Academic Questions, v25 n1 p105-113 Mar. On January 20, 2009, Dr. Manmohan Singh, the prime minister of India, became the leader of the free world. The free world's attention was focused elsewhere: Senator Barack Obama, who on that day became President Barack Obama, quietly abdicated the role now taken up by Dr. Singh, having run an election campaign premised upon the ever-present but never-quite-articulated proposal that the interests of the United States would be best served by such an abdication. Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, global jihad, global financial crisis, Europe declining, China rising: It was all too much for a country whose aging population was beginning to press heavily upon its finances and institutions, public and private, a situation attested to by the fact that Bill Clinton, once synonymous with youthful vigor (with an excess of youthful vigor) was by that time eligible to begin collecting Social Security benefits. India–poor, illiterate, violent, corrupt, backward, unstable, within living memory the… [Direct]
(2010). The New Geopolitics of Educational Aid: From Cold Wars to Holy Wars?. International Journal of Educational Development, v30 n5 p453-459 Sep. The paper explores shifts in the nature, volume, trajectory and content of aid to education in the wake of post-9/11 Western preoccupations with the rise of Islamic radicalism. The paper develops a framework for understanding the dynamics of how educational aid appears to be becoming increasingly politicized in strategic conflict and post-conflict countries. The approach links up with broader debates within the field of development studies on the "militarization of development" while attempting to shed light on the specificity of how "educational aid" becomes caught up in these processes. The paper argues that particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan educational aid is becoming submerged under the counterinsurgency strategy of the Western occupying forces with detrimental effects not only for long-term development progress but also for the personal security of development workers. (Contains 2 figures.)… [Direct]
(2011). Implementing Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for PTSD with the Newest Generation of Veterans and Their Partners. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, v18 n1 p120-130 Feb. As the newest generation of veterans returns home from the fronts in Afghanistan and Iraq, increased attention is being paid to their postdeployment mental health adjustment as well as the interpersonal sequelae of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental health conditions. The Department of Defense has begun to invest in relationship-enhancement programs to ease the burden on both service members and their families across the deployment cycle. However, when there is the presence of PTSD, a disorder-specific conjoint treatment may be needed to address both PTSD and associated relationship difficulties. Cognitive-behavioral conjoint therapy (CBCT) for PTSD is a disorder-specific, manualized conjoint therapy designed to simultaneously improve PTSD symptoms and intimate relationship functioning. This article reviews knowledge on the association between PTSD and relationship problems in recently returned veterans and provides an overview of CBCT for PTSD. We then present a… [Direct]
(2011). Responding to the Psychological Needs of OEF-OIF Military: A Commentary on Progress in Treatment Development. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, v18 n1 p144-148 Feb. America's involvement in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq (i.e., OEF-OIF) is entering its 9th year with casualties exceeding 5,000 American deaths and many times that number with serious physical injuries. Epidemiological surveys and mental health screening concurrent with service and at the point of discharge provide us with important information on the psychological status of those directly involved in the military action. Support to mental health professionals coming primarily from the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the National Institutes of Health provided an important catalyst in the development of psychological treatments aimed specifically at the presenting problems of service men and women and their families. This special series highlights the impressive growth in treatments developed for OEF-OIF military and demonstrates the wide-ranging nature of the treatments that are now available for testing and use in assisting those most affected by… [Direct]
(2008). A Progress Report on Women's Education in Post-Taliban Afghanistan. International Journal of Lifelong Education, v27 n2 p169-178 Mar. This article examines the relative progress and major setbacks in the education of Afghan women from the end of the Taliban regime until the present, focusing on government and NGO reconstruction efforts. It is argued that these projects promote the agendas of the state and of NGOs over the needs of women and girls. The adversities arising from recent waves of violence affect the female population most acutely. Just when the education sector was making tentative progress, with some girls' schools being built and operating, the current security realities pose major hurdles to post-conflict reconstruction and rebuilding. This is the environment in which Afghan women continue to struggle against the misogynist and fanatically militant elements that have threatened any areas of progress within the rebuilding of the country. As such, security and a reorientation of state and NGO policies are essential preconditions for women's educational attainment…. [Direct]
(2010). Determinants of Second Language Proficiency among Refugees in the Netherlands. Social Forces, v89 n2 p515-534 Dec. Little is known about the language acquisition of refugees in Western countries. This study examines how pre- and post-migration characteristics of refugees are related to their second language proficiency. Data are from a survey of 3,500 refugees, who were born in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, former Yugoslavia and Somalia, and who resided in the Netherlands. The analysis shows that speaking and reading skills are better among refugees who received more pre-migration schooling, who migrated from a major city, and who arrived in the host country at a younger age. Post-migration characteristics are also important. Language skills are better among refugees who only lived in a refugee reception center for a short while, who completed an integration course, who received post-migration education, who intend to stay in the host country, and who have fewer health problems. (Contains 4 notes and 3 tables.)… [Direct]
(2010). Soldiering on. Community College Journal, v81 n1 p28-32 Aug-Sep. As community colleges welcome an influx of veterans returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, administrators must focus on helping these soldiers–many who are pursuing higher education for the first time–obtain the knowledge and skills necessary to thrive in a changing economy. The process starts the moment these men and women set foot on campus. Academic advisers and counselors are often the first to greet these students. It's their job to help returning soldiers understand their educational entitlements under the Post-9/11 GI Bill. That includes knowing how to help veterans translate professional experience into experiential college credit and taking advantage of the funding available to them. It also means providing access to support systems to deal with the lingering emotional and psychological effects of war. This article discusses how community colleges and universities' administrative commitment and targeted programs help returning veterans succeed in their educational… [Direct]
(2009). What Counseling Psychologists Can Do to Help Returning Veterans. Counseling Psychologist, v37 n8 p1076-1089. The purpose of this article is to describe the needs of service members and their families who have fought or are fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and who have sustained psychological and/or physical injuries and how counseling psychologists can help. The focus is twofold: (a) to help the reader better understand those who have served and how what counseling psychologists have to offer may be especially unique and valuable and (b) to describe several programs consistent with the traditions of counseling psychology that those at the Life Skills Center have developed. One program, F.R.E.E. 4 Vets, will be described in some detail. (Contains 2 notes.)… [Direct]
(2008). Beyond Individual War Trauma: Domestic Violence against Children in Afghanistan and Sri Lanka. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, v34 n2 p165-176 Apr. To date, research on the psychosocial consequences of mass trauma resulting from war and organized violence on children has primarily focused on the individual as the unit of treatment and analysis with particular focus on mental disorders caused by traumatic stress. This body of research has stimulated the development of promising individual-level treatment approaches for addressing psychological trauma. In contrast, there is virtually no literature addressing the effects of mass trauma on the family and community systems. Research conducted in Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, two long-standing war-torn societies, found that in addition to multiple exposure to war or disaster-related traumatic events children also indicated high levels of exposure to family violence. These findings point to the need for conjoint family- and community-based programs of prevention and intervention that are specifically tailored for the context of the affected society. In particular, programs should take… [Direct]
(2010). Preparing Pre-Service Teachers for Multicultural Classrooms. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, v35 n2 p35-48 Mar. Cultural diversity is evident throughout schools in Victoria, Australia. Many students are new arrivals from war-torn countries including Sudan, Afghanistan and Iraq. To what extent do teacher training courses in Victoria prepare pre-service teachers to cater for the needs of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) students? This paper reports findings from a qualitative study on pre-service preparation for teaching CALD students in mainstream secondary schools. It investigated ways in which CALD student needs are addressed in secondary teaching courses in Victoria. Data included course outlines, questionnaires completed by forty-one final year pre-service teachers, and interviews with four final year pre-service teachers. Findings revealed that the majority of pre-service secondary teachers feel that their teacher education courses lack a focus on cultural and linguistic diversity in schools. Course content analysis supports this. Courses need to be updated to address the needs… [PDF]
(2012). Postdeployment Battlemind Training for the U.K. Armed Forces: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, v80 n3 p331-341 Jun. Objective: Combat exposure can increase the risk of subsequent psychological ill-health in armed forces (AF) personnel. A U.S. postdeployment psycho-educational intervention, Battlemind, showed a beneficial effect on mental health in U.S. military personnel exposed to high combat levels. We evaluated the effectiveness of an anglicized version of postdeployment Battlemind. Method: Battlemind was adapted for the United Kingdom. The main amendments were to sections about carrying weapons, driving, and alcohol misuse. The anglicized Battlemind was compared with the U.K. standard postdeployment brief in a cluster randomized controlled trial. At baseline, 2,443 U.K. AF personnel returning from Afghanistan via Cyprus completed questionnaires about their combat experiences and mental health. Of these, 1,616 (66%) completed 6-month follow-up questionnaires. We used the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist (PCL-C) to measure probable posttraumatic stress disorder and the General Health… [Direct]