Can democracies any longer tolerate casualties? The question has important implications for national decision-making and for international politics. This article examines how and why governments take casualties into account in decisions about military commitments—the casualty factor. This is a phenomenon that goes beyond the normal military desire to reduce losses. The article explores the wide range of popular theories put forward to explain why the casualty factor appears to have become casualty aversion or even casualty phobia in democratic nations. Explanations are classified under four headings: national interest, strategic calculus, internal politics, and long-term social change. Each type of explanation has strengths and weaknesses. Finally, an assessment is made of the overall influence of casualty aversion in democratic decision-making.
Concentration camps have left deep scars on the landscape of Europe. They are the physical testaments to the Nazi ideals of racial superiority, and their approach to annihilating the Jewish Race. Despite the negative connotations associated with the camps, several have become major tourist 'attractions'. Tt is suggested that approximately six million visitors each year visit six of the major museums and former camps connected with the Holocaust. At many of the sites there is, however, little or no interpretation. Tn this respect, this paper discusses and contrasts the developed site at Terezin and the largely ignored site at Lety, both located in the Czech Republic. Terezin's importance is related to its notorious history as a concentration camp which incarcerated Jews, following the Nazi occupation of the Czech lands. Terezin is, however, now a significant tourist and visitor attraction receiving more than 250,000 visitors per year. Tn contrast, the camp at Lety was intended for the internment of 'anti-social' Roma from Bohemia, and around 1,300 prisoners passed through it. Minimal interpretation exists at this site today. Tt is underdeveloped, shows limited investment and its site and buildings have been covered and replaced with a large agricultural plant. This paper will suggest that there are a number of reasons for the varying levels of development at these sites beyond the obvious difference related to whether or not the original buildings are extant.
This article reviews the history of military reserves in Australia with particular reference to the Army Reserve. It shows how the importance of reserves in Australia has waxed and waned across the past two centuries, from an early situation of primacy in the colonial period. The importance of reserves has reemerged in the post–Cold War era, with new forms of reserve organization evolving alongside ‘‘conventional’’ reserve forces. The authors discuss the extent to which these developments need to be accompanied by attention to cultural and personnel management issues and to enhanced reserves–regular integration. Despite the challenge of juggling civilian employment with reserve commitments, most reservists appear to welcome a greater, rather than a token, obligation to serve. There is a viable and meaningful role for the reserves provided that the Australian Defence Force and the government are prepared to devote sufficient effort to them and to assign them appropriate tasks.
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