Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey

The eleventh installment of the series introducing Japanese documents preserved with Bronisław Piłsudski’s archives in the Scientific Library of the PAAS and the PAS in Cracow introduces manuscript photocopies, transcripts, and translation into Polish of two pieces of correspondence from Tokyo addressed to Bronisław Piłsudski in Nagasaki: (1) a post card in German (handwriting today hardly legible even for a majority of native speakers) sent by Tokijirō Katō, a physician and socialist politician, and (2) a letter in English sent by Ms. Kiyo(ko) Endō, a feminist associated with the “New Woman” (atarashii onna) movement and the feminist magazine Seitō ‘Bluestockings’ – both regarding help in finding a Russian-language teaching position in the Tokyo region for Aleksandr Alekseyevskiy (1876–1958), a secondary-school teacher of logic, philosophy, psychology, as well as (probably?) Russian literature, journalist, and a local (Blagoveshchensk, Amur Oblast’-turned “Republic”, Irkutsk) politician, arrested by Bolsheviks for “counterrevolutionary activities”, later an exile in Japan (for a short period – evidently the position seeking efforts failed), and France (1920–1958, killed in a Paris street accident). The material includes also some not readily available biographical information and a brief note on one more letter, from a College in Yokohama, regarding the same matter, preserved in the Library.

Undernutrition and early childhood mortality have been known to vary geographically. And, these geographical variations could influence the synergistic relationship between undernutrition and early childhood mortality. Thus, a spatially explicit structural equation modelling approach adjusted for the spatial dependence was adopted in the study to estimate the relationship between undernutrition and early childhood mortality using aggregate state-level estimates of variables of interest from the National Family Health Survey 2019–21, National Health Profile 2020, Reserve Bank of India Handbook of Statistics on the Indian States 2019–20, Annual Employment-Unemployment Report 2015–16, and National Sample Survey Organisation 2017–18. As the study used data from different sources, the variables were time-detrended and standardised using Blom’s transformation. Results show that a higher prevalence of chronic and acute undernutrition significantly increases under-five mortality, and having a higher prevalence of underweight significantly increases infant mortality. The risk of infant and under-five mortality attributed to undernutrition was observed to potentially vary by geographical region. Inappropriate management of infant, child and maternal feeding practices and poor household hygiene and sanitation significantly increase the risk of undernutrition. The state’s socioeconomic condition also indirectly influences the risk of undernutrition. And, as the relationship between undernutrition and early childhood mortality varies by region, it is crucial to have region-specific interventions with inter-sectoral coordination in the country’s undernutrition management, which will aid in reducing early childhood mortality.

The debate about the origin and development of the language of reason of state has so far ignored the long period between Francesco Guicciardini’s formulation of the expression (1521–5), and Giovanni Botero’s first theoretical approach to the topic (1589). My paper analyses a case study of the language of reason of state in the instruction by secretary Giovanfrancesco Peranda to Papal nuncio Annibale di Capua in 1576, when he was sent on a mission to Venice. It was printed for the first time in 1589 as part of the anonymous collection of occasional political writings titled Thesoro politico, a miscellany published under a false imprint, and in mysterious circumstances. Peranda’s instruction is among a handful of texts that Church authorities decided to prohibit, and thus put the entire Thesoro politico on the Index of Forbidden Books. As for the content, the instruction advises the addressee to do everything possible to avoid any criticism of the Venetian foreign policy during the delicate period following the separate peace agreements between the Republic and the Turkish empire. In order to do so, the author develops diplomatic strategies, where the main issue at stake is the interest of the Church as a state. From a literary angle, the instruction stands between Machiavelli’s diplomatic instruction to Raffaello Girolami (1522), and Torquato Tasso’s philosophical reflection on the role of the diplomat in The messenger (1580–83). From different perspectives and contexts, the three texts touch upon the ethical issue of the acceptance of lying and deceit when acting on behalf of the prince.

Research investigating association between patriarchy and demographic behavior is limited in India. The only study on this subject utilized 1981 Indian Census data to examine associations between patriarchy and fertility. We examined the association of patriarchy, measured using India Patriarchy Index (IPI), with total fertility rate (TFR) and excess female child mortality in India. Additionally, we examined independent associations of the 5 dimensions included in the IPI with the two outcomes. We used univariate and bivariate Local Indicators of Spatial Autocorrelation, multivariable ordinary least squares and spatial error- regressions to examine the associations. Spatial heterogeneity beyond the north–south divide was evident in the spatial association of IPI with TFR and excess female child mortality. Results show positive association of IPI with TFR and excess female child mortality. While son preference and socio-economic domination were positively associated with TFR, domination of men over women and son preference were positively associated with excess female child mortality. This study is the first of its kind to examine the association of a novel measure of patriarchy with TFR and excess female child mortality. As patriarchy is deep-rooted in Indian society, a great deal of effort is needed to shift these traditionally held social norms and practices.

The paper is aimed at investigating the recent trends of Britain’s socio-cultural influence in the former USSR republics. The analysis covers London’s major regional programmes, financing, mechanisms of influence, and implementing organisations. Subregional differentiation of political approaches is established. In Ukraine and Moldova sociocultural in-fluence infrastructures are aimed at direct political influence as well as military and political struggle with Russia. In the South Caucasus London prioritises broadening influence in the interstate dialogue and conflicts as well as anti-Russian information campaigns with the aim of removing Russian military presence. In Central Asia Britain works on broadening regional footprint through technical and socio-economic programmes. The author concludes that preservation of limitrophe status of the former USSR republics constitutes merely one possible mode of British regional policy. The other mode consists of regional order revision which presupposes transition from strengthening a neutral status of post-Soviet states towards instrumentalising their dependencies on Britain’s influence in the ongoing geopolitical contest with Russia. In the face of transition to a polycentric world order Britain’s development assistance and influence programmes evolved in the direction of politicisation and weaponisation. Hence destabilisation risks for post-Soviet states increase. In the context of a “unipolar moment” London was interested in the development of post-Soviet space as a part of global periphery of the Western-centric international system, but not as a part of an alternative geoeconomic pole. Amid the transition to a polycentric world order British system of influence is increasingly coming into conflict with alternative poles hence proliferating destabilisation risks for the former USSR republics.

Introduction Our study examines the relationship between newborn postnatal care and neonatal mortality stratified by maternal antenatal care attendance under a matched case-control framework. Methods Data from the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey was used. A total of 172,079 recent births to eligible women (15–49 years) in five years preceding the survey were included in the study. We used the conditional logistic regression model, a commonly used regression model to fit matched case-control data to examine the effects of newborn postnatal care on neonatal mortality. The mother’s age at birth of the newborn, previous birth intervals, birth order of the newborn, and birthsize of the newborn were included as the matching variables. Results Newborns receiving postnatal care within two days or more than two days of birth are less likely to die during the neonatal period. Preferences for newborn postnatal care were also observed to increase with more maternal antenatal care visits. Our study also found a lower risk of neonatal mortality among those newborns whose umbilical cord was examined within two days of birth, regardless of the number of maternal antenatal care visits. Similarly, the risk of newborn deaths was lower among babies whose body temperature was measured within two days of birth. The tendency to breastfeed their newborns within an hour after delivery was considerably higher among those births that occurred to mothers who had a higher number of maternal antenatal care visits. The risk of newborn deaths was also observed to be lower among those born in public or private healthcare facilities. Conclusion Considering the cohesive nature of the relationship between neonatal mortality and maternal and child healthcare utilisation, strategic planning and management of the existing policies and programmes related to accessibility, availability, and affordability of maternal and child healthcare services is needed to achieve goal 3.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals. Promoting cost-effective measures such as continuous monitoring of the baby’s body temperature and umbilical cord care could also effectively help reduce neonatal mortality.

Background Hypertension, a major non-communicable disease, is responsible for a significant number of global deaths, including approximately 17.9 million yearly. The Global Burden of Disease 2019 (GBD 2019) estimates that 19% of global deaths are attributed to elevated blood pressure. India, with a population of over 1.4 billion, is facing a serious challenge in combating this silent killer. This study aims to analyze the gender-based prevalence of hypertension in India and explore its associated risk factors using data from the fifth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5). Methods NFHS-5 collected data from 636,699 households across all states and union territories. The study includes standardized blood pressure measurements for 17,08,241 individuals aged 15 and above. The data were analyzed using Stata, employing descriptive statistics for the assessment of the prevalence and binary logistic regression to identify predictors of hypertension. Results The study found the overall prevalence of hypertension in India to be 22.6%, with men (24.1%) having a higher prevalence than women (21.2%). Prevalence increased with age, reaching 48.4% in individuals aged 60 and above. Urban residents had a slightly higher prevalence (25%) than rural residents (21.4%), indicating the rapid spread of hypertension across all populations. Regional variations were observed, with the highest prevalence in Sikkim (37.9%) and the lowest in Rajasthan (16.5%). Increasing age, urban residence, belonging to certain religions (Muslim and other than Hindu or Muslim), and being classified as Scheduled Tribes (ST) were associated with a higher likelihood of hypertension. Conversely, belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC) or Other Backward Classes (OBC), being currently unmarried, and having higher education were associated with a lower likelihood of hypertension. Wealth index analysis revealed that those in the richest quintile were more likely to have hypertension. Behavioural risk factors, such as alcohol consumption, overweight, obesity, increased waist circumference, and high blood glucose levels, are positively associated with hypertension. Conclusion Hypertension is a significant health burden in India, affecting both men and women. Age is the strongest non-modifiable predictor for both men and women. However, ageing women have higher odds of hypertension than ageing men, and this distinction becomes much more evident in their older ages. Obese women, based on BMI, have higher odds of hypertension than men. However, hypertension prevalence is slightly higher among men who are overweight or obese compared to women. BMI, waist circumference, random glucose level, alcohol use, and education level emerged as major predictors. Health education and awareness campaigns are critical to control the growing burden of hypertension in India. Policymakers must focus on preventive measures, targeting lifestyle changes and improved healthcare access for both men and women. By addressing these risk factors, India can make significant progress in controlling hypertension and reducing its impact on public health.

Background As the global population ages, understanding the effect of poverty on old-age mortality becomes increasingly important, especially in India, which is undergoing significant demographic and socio-economic changes. Although previous research has established a link between poverty and mortality, there is a critical need for panel studies to investigate this relationship specifically among older adults. This study addresses this gap by using panel data to examine the association between initial poverty status and subsequent mortality among older adults in India. Additionally, it explores the factors contributing to mortality disparities between poor and non-poor older adults. Methods We analyzed panel data from two rounds of the India Human Development Survey. The age-sex standardized old-age mortality rates for poor and non-poor older adults were calculated using direct standardization. Mortality disparities were evaluated through bivariate and proportion tests, as well as multivariable logistic regression analyses. The Fairlie decomposition technique was employed to identify factors contributing to these disparities, with sensitivity analyses performed to ensure the robustness of the findings. Results The age-sex standardized old-age mortality rate for the poor was 31.9 per 100 people, with a 1.15 times higher likelihood of mortality [95% CI: (1.04,1.27)] between round-I to round-II compared to non-poor counterparts. Factors such as household wealth (33.6%), social class (17.1%), education (12%), and occupation (4.3%) were significant indicators of the poverty gap in old-age mortality. Surprisingly, chronic diseases, age, and gender negatively affect mortality disparity, while higher mortality in extended families suggests a weakening traditional support system. Conclusion The findings underscore the importance of addressing ageist attitudes and enhancing social safety nets and affordable healthcare for older adults, who face higher risks of poverty and premature death. The elevated mortality among those in prolonged poverty cycles highlights the need for policymakers to reconsider universal support policies for older individuals. Specifically, if non-poor older adults have longer lifespans, policies centred solely on poor may not effectively address the needs of all older individuals.

The chapter aims to analyse the concept of ‘due regard’ as introduced in Article IX of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and how it is illustrated in the Artemis Accords. The legal definition and the notion of “due regard for the corresponding interests of all other States” are still under debate. In practice, entities conducting space missions hope that no one will interfere with their activities, whether accidentally or intentionally. The chapter focuses on what constitutes the concept of ‘due regard’, for instance through the protection of cultural heritage, and the creation of safety zone. Those elements represent a practical application of the concept and are reflected in the Artemis Accords. In a certain way, soft law instruments, as the Artemis Accords, might lead to the harmonisation of the Law of Outer Space and might contribute to the application of core concepts present in the Outer Space Treaty, such as the principle of ‘due regard’. The development of non-binding instruments, containing principles first introduced in hard law, might lead to the acceptance and application by States and private entities of the main principles of space law, thus contributing to a sustainable lunar exploration and beyond.

In the twenty-first century, the importance of space exploration is increasing in the economic, political, and military spheres of social life. In this article, the author analyses, starting from the twentieth century, the historical experience of gaining access to space in the countries of Western Europe, including its regional integration association, the European Union, by means of launch vehicles. The absence of a detailed study of the role of France in the process of creating the first European launch vehicle in Russian historiography determines its novelty. The source base comprises archives, documents and materials of the French National Assembly, official structures of the EU and the European Space Agency (ESA), research articles, monographs drawing on memoirs. The purpose of the study is to analyze the history of the development and establishment of the French and European space exploration programs using the Ariane family of launch vehicles and the role of France in these processes. The author’s objectives are to identify the historical role of scientists from Germany, defeated in World War II, in the creation of France’s scientific and technical base, which allowed it to become the only nuclear power in the EU in the second half of the twentieth century and one of the world leaders in space exploration; to consider the process of providing autonomous access to space for Western Europe by creating its own launch vehicles with the key financial and technical contribution by France and with the participation of ESA; to analyse the role of space technologies and programmes in ensuring security, organizing reconnaissance from space. An analysis of the sources and literature on the topic leads to the conclusion that the pricing policy in the European space industry and strategic competition with space powers prevents European launch vehicles from strengthening their position in this market and achieving autonomy from third countries in access to outer space. Despite the long experience of post-war scientific and technological research and related advances in space exploration, it is difficult for France and Europe to achieve strategic autonomy in this important branch of human endeavour.

Location information has initiated a multitude of applications such as location-based services, health care, emergency response and rescue operations, and assets tracking. A plethora of techniques and technologies have been presented to ensure enhanced location accuracy, both horizontal and vertical. Despite many surveys covering horizontal localization technologies, the literature lacks a comprehensive survey incorporating up-to-data vertical localization approaches. This paper provides a detailed survey of different vertical localization techniques such as path loss models, time of arrival, received signal strength, reference signal received power, and fingerprinting utilized by WiFi, radio frequency identification (RFID), global system for mobile communications (GSM), long term evolution (LTE), barometer, inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors, and geomagnetic field. The paper primarily aims at human localization in indoor environments using smartphones in essence. Besides the localization accuracy, the presented approaches are evaluated in terms of cost, infrastructure dependence, deployment complexity, and sensitivity. We highlight the pros and cons of these approaches and outline future research directions to enhance the accuracy to meet the future needs of floor identification standards set by the Federal Communications Commission.

We consider the availability of new harmonized data sources and novel machine learning methodologies in the construction of a social vulnerability index (SoVI), a multidimensional measure that defines how individuals’ and communities may respond to hazards including natural disasters, economic changes, and global health crises. The factors underpinning social vulnerability—namely, economic status, age, disability, language, ethnicity, and location—are well understood from a theoretical perspective, and existing indices are generally constructed based on specific data chosen to represent these factors. Further, the indices’ construction methods generally assume structured, linear relationships among input variables and may not capture subtle nonlinear patterns more reflective of the multidimensionality of social vulnerability. We compare a procedure which considers an increased number of variables to describe the SoVI factors with existing approaches that choose specific variables based on consensus within the social science community. Reproducing the analysis across eight countries, as well as leveraging deep learning methods which in recent years have been found to be powerful for finding structure in data, demonstrate that wealth-related factors consistently explain the largest variance and are the most common element in social vulnerability.

India’s strategic behaviourin the Indian Ocean is important, given its geographic location, economic and military power expansion, and growing regional footprint. The Indian Ocean, a critical conduit for trade and energy, with major sea lanes passing through it, is significantly influenced by India’s strategic behaviour and intentions. The mounting sea-based nuclear forces, as a crucial and survivable component of nuclear deterrence, have also emerged as a concern for assessing the state of a credible second-strike platform. Therefore, the significance of naval nuclear forces has stimulated a continual, global focus shift from land to the seas. In this context, South Asia has also developed this major component of national power in the last few decades. This paper discusses the main features of ongoing naval build-up in India and Pakistan, the motivations and aspirations of both India and Pakistan and the ongoing debate on naval nuclear-capable developments in the Indian Ocean region. Also, how will naval nuclear developments be assessed for escalation riskand crisis stability in the maritime domain? The implications of India's naval build-up for the regional strategic environment are profound, influencing neighbouring states' and external stakeholders' policies and actions.

Tribal societies are often considered egalitarian, especially in contrast to the hierarchical caste society. However, tribal societies are not homogeneous, as both matrilineal and patrilineal tribes exist in India. This study examines whether matrilineal tribal women from Meghalaya are more empowered than patrilineal tribal women from Assam. Using NFHS 2015–16 and 2019–21, a revised survey-based women’s empowerment index (SWPER) is created to measure empowerment in four domains: attitude to violence, freedom of movement, decision-making and social independence. Multivariate regression was used for further analysis. The analysis reveals that while both groups of women had positive scores in the attitude to violence domain, patrilineal tribal women were more empowered in this domain. In contrast, matrilineal tribal women were more empowered in freedom of movement and decision-making power. However, in social independence, women from both societies were poorly empowered and the situation was worse for women from patrilineal society. After adjusting for other demographic and socioeconomic variables, societal lineage structure became insignificant in freedom of movement. This study highlights that while matrilineal societal lineage provides a means of descent rights from mother to daughter, this does not necessarily translate to an improvement in overall empowerment across all aspects of life. Empowerment for the tribal women is an interplay of lineage structure, tradition, geography and socioeconomic conditions. Policymakers can address socioeconomic disparities for women from both societies by implementing skill-building and social support networks for women.

Comprehensive spatial planning in international waters is key to achieving ocean sustainability

Through their products and services, businesses have a meaningful impact on their customers’ health. When markets reward products that induce unhealthy behaviors, like poor diet and limited physical activity, they fuel the chronic disease epidemic. For market mechanisms to reward positive, and to punish negative, influences on healthy behaviors, companies’ influences will need to be measured. Inspired by the technique of health impact assessment, we propose an approach to measuring these influences, based on examining usage patterns and the activities that result from a given product or service and then mapping those experiences to a core set of health behaviors.

Background The study explored the levels and associated factors of undiagnosed depression among community-dwelling older Indian adults. It also identified the socio-demographic predictors of undiagnosed depression among the study population at national and state levels. Methods The study employed data from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India wave-I, 2017-18. Based on the data on depression from interviewee’s self-reporting and measurement on Composite International Diagnostic Interview– Short Form (CIDI-SF) and Centre for Epidemiological Studies- Depression scale (CES-D) scales, we estimated undiagnosed depression among older adults (age 60+). We estimated multivariable binary logistic regressions to examine the socio-demographic and health-related predictors of undiagnosed depression among older adults. Findings 8% (95% CI: 7.8–8.4) of the total older adults had undiagnosed depression on CIDI-SF scale and 5% (95% CI: 4.8–5.3) on the combined CIDI-SF and CES-D. Undiagnosed depression was higher among those who were widowed, worked in the past and currently not working, scheduled castes, higher educated and the richest. Lack of health insurance coverage, presence of any other physical or mental impairment, family history of Alzheimer’s/Parkinson’s disease/ psychotic disorder, lower self-rated health and poor life satisfaction were significant predictors of undiagnosed depression on both CIDI-SF and combined scales. Conclusion To improve the health of older adults in India, targeted policy efforts integrating mental health screening, awareness campaigns and decentralization of mental healthcare to primary level is needed. Further research could explore the causal factors behind different levels of undiagnosed depression.