Newsletter May 2011
May 2011 - Vol 1, Issue 5
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GCSP Strategy 2011-2015
The GCSP inaugurated a new strategy for the period 2011-2015. The strategy seeks to capitalise on the GCSP's strengths as a unique professional training centre which welcomes a mix of participants, focuses on long-term courses and uses a blend of training methods. It recognises the complexities and dynamism of the contemporary security environment and the contribution that promoting understanding, enabling analysis and encouraging innovative problem-solving and policy-making can have therein. As such, the GCSP's mission is to equip future leaders to make effective security policy decisions. The GCSP will continue to strive to embody "the 3 Is": Impartial, Inclusive and Influential.
Three targets are identified for training in the next five years: leadership in post-conflict management, responding to emerging security challenges and supporting sustainable capacity development in specific regions. The GCSP will also continue its function as a platform for research and policy dialogue on critical issues related to peace and security. The strategy development process included wide involvement from GCSP staff and faculty, Advisory Board members and members of the 42-member State Foundation Council.
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News
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2nd Baku Course on Good Governance for Afghans
The 2nd Good Governance: Managing Transitions - Training Course for Afghan Officials began in Baku, Azerbaijan on 15 May. The course is being held at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy, with the support of Azerbaijan, Finland, Norway and Switzerland. The course seeks to develop government capacity by training selected Afghan officials in key policy areas, using the experience (good and bad) of other states which have emerged as independent from war, insurgency, ethnic conflict, invasion and occupation. The course includes a mix of case study presentations, group work, participant-led activities and practical exercises.
The GCSP will also continue to support Afghanistan through a Senior Afghan Leadership Workshop to be held this Autumn, and by frequently welcoming Afghans to our core courses in Geneva.
Upheaval and Reform in the MENA Region
The GCSP continues to address the events in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) by offering opportunities for informed policy debate, publishing analysis in the form of Policy Papers and by inviting international experts to contribute to training courses focusing on these events. In addition to the existing Policy Papers on the subject, a new paper has just been published: "The Many Faces of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb", by Dr Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou, GCSP Associate Fellow. Recent GCSP events covering the situation in the MENA include: - A Public Discussion on "The Arab-Israel Conflict and Iran: Prospects for Peace and War", 4 May. Summary and podcast available here.
- A Roundtable on International Engagement with the Middle East and North Africa, 29 April. Further information on this closed meeting is available here.
In terms of training courses, the Centre is proud to have numerous participants from Arab countries in its long-term courses (ITC, ETC and NISC). In addition, the New Issues in Security Course (NISC) will hold a week on the Middle East from 30 May - 1 June. The GCSP is also pleased to be continuing its training course on new security issues for Middle Eastern participants and specialists on the Middle East, in Geneva this October. This is the 13th annual course and it will welcome diplomats and military officers from across the region. For further details and to register, contact Ms Anna Brach (a.brach@gcsp.ch). Lastly, GCSP experts are frequently solicited for analysis and commentary on this subject in local and international media outlets. Their contributions can be found here. |
Training
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Upcoming Courses
26-27 May 2011: The GCSP will run the Expert Training Modules on the Role of Nationalism in Contemporary International Politics; New Frontiers in Intelligence; and Meeting the Cybersecurity Challenge, all of which are open to the public (NB: the admission process is now closed). 11-14 July 2011: The Summer Workshop on "The EU in the World: Towards Global Partnerships in Peace Operations" is targeted to PhD candidates and post-doctoral fellows working on EU security policy, with a focus on inter-institutional cooperation in the broad field of crisis management. 22 August-20 October 2011: 2nd Online Course on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and Disarmament. This eight-week course is designed to familiarise participants with the provisions, history and complexities of the NPT and its relationship to disarmament. 28 August-9 September 2011: 12th Swiss Peacebuilding Training Course. The aim of this course is to provide comprehensive peacebuilding training in order to prepare participants for deployments. 12-14 September 2011: 4th Annual Senior Officers' Seminar (ASOS). This seminar offers a unique professional development and networking opportunity for Flag Officers and high-level experts on contemporary politico-military developments and current trends in multinational operations.
Past Courses
26-29 April 2011: Expert Training Modules on International Migration, Organised Crime and Cybersecurity 2-20 May 2011: The Shifting Geopolitics of the Multilateral System: Actors, Strategies, Policies 4-6 May 2011: Course on Artificial Intelligence and Global Security 9-17 May 2011: Defence Attaché Orientation Module in Dakar, Senegal 16-26 May 2011: 2nd Baku Course on Good Governance: Managing Transitions in Baku, Azerbaijan
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Events
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Upcoming Events
6 June 2011: Policy Briefing on "What Prospects for Côte d'Ivoire?" With Mr Gilles Olakounlé Yabi, West Africa Project Director, International Crisis Group, Dakar Chair, and Dr Caty Clément, Head of the Conflict and Peacebuilding Programme, GCSP.
23 June 2011: Public Discussion on "Drone Attacks, International Law, and the Recording of Civilian Casualties of Armed Conflict". For more information, please contact Ms Asa Granados.
4-7 July 2011: The GCSP will run the 3rd Annual Senior Officers' Security and Law Conference brining together Flag Officers, their senior civilian and police counterparts and senior legal and operational advisers to discuss legal challenges and opportunities presented by the modern strategic environment. The aim of the conference is to offer participants a neutral and agenda-free environment to engage with their peers and with the experienced specialists and experts brought in to lead the discussions.
Past Events
28 April 2011: The GCSP held a Public Discussion on "The Opium Trail: Following the Taliban's Trajectory in Drugs and Crime". The keynote speaker was Ms Gretchen Peters of the Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver, and best-selling author of Seeds of Terror.
29 April 2011: The GCSP convened a Roundtable on International Engagement in the Middle East and North Africa, in cooperation with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA), which brought together diplomats, academics, and practitioners in order to reflect jointly on the international implications of the current changes in the Arab and Muslim world with a view to identify constructive avenues of international engagement.
4 May 2011: The Public Discussion on "The Arab-Israel Conflict and Iran: Prospects for Peace and War". Distinguished speakers included Brigadier General (retd) Shlomo Brom, Senior Research Associate, The Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), Tel Aviv, and Dr Ahmad Samih Khalidi, Senior Associate Member of St. Antony's College, Oxford University. The discussion was chaired by Dr Geoffrey Kemp, Director of Regional Strategic Programs, Center for the National Interest, Washington, D.C.
23 May 2011: The GCSP organised a Public Discussion on "Achievements of the Chemical Weapons Convention and Challenges Ahead". Speakers included Ambassador Ahmet Üzümcü, Director General, Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), The Hague; and Dr W. Pal Sidhu, GCSP.
24 May 2011: Public Discussion on Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations: "After Osama and the US Withdrawal". Keynote speakers included Mr Hekmat Karzai, Director, Centre for Conflict and Peace Studies (CAPS), Kabul; Mr Shuja Nawaz, Director, South Asia Center, Washington DC; and Ms Jasmine Zerinini, Deputy Director, Foreign Affairs Secretary, Directorate General of Political Affairs and Security, Paris.
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Research and Publications
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New Publications
The GCSP is proud to announce the publication of the following Policy Paper:
Policy Paper n°15: "The Many Faces of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb" by Dr Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou
All Policy Papers and Geneva Papers are available for download on the GCSP website. If you would like a hardcopy of a Geneva Paper, please contact us at external-relations@gcsp.ch.
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Visiting Fellows
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Visiting Fellow Profile
Mr Alan Doss Visiting Fellow and Former Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General to the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Testimonial
"I am delighted to be at the GCSP as a Visiting Fellow and to have the opportunity of working with the Centre on international security policy issues. After serving in UN peacekeeping and peacebuilding operations, I welcome the chance to collaborate with a very diverse and stimulating group of colleagues and to contribute to the Centre's research and training programme in these and other areas."
- Mr Alan Doss
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Alumni
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GCSP Alumnus Profile
Ambassador Kari Kahiluoto
Deputy Head of the UN Security, Council Campaign Task Force, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland
Ambassador Kari Kahiluoto is Deputy Head of the Task Force established in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland for the campaign to win a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council for the term of 2013-2014. Previously Ambassador Kahiluoto served as Finland's Ambassador for Human Rights and Democracy posted at the Ministry in Helsinki. In this capacity he was also the Point of Contact of Finland for the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations. Ambassador Kahiluoto was Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament CD from 2005 to 2008 in Geneva Switzerland. Prior to that he served as Deputy Head of Mission of the Mission of Finland to NATO in Brussels between 2000 and 2005. Kari Kahiluoto was Director for Arms Control, Non-proliferation and Disarmament in the Ministry for Foreign Affairs 1996 to 2000. He was responsible for EU-coordination on arms-control, nonproliferation and disarmament issues for two Finnish EU-Presidencies, 1999 in Helsinki and 2006 in Geneva and at the UN in New York. He served in various positions in the field of multilateral arms-control, disarmament and non-proliferation issues, including a period as Senior Adviser at the Nuclear Energy Division of the Finnish Ministry for Trade and Industry 1995-96. Ambassador Kahiluoto was posted to the Finnish Embassy in Beijing, China from 1987 to 1990.
Testimonial
"I had the possibility and the privilege to participate in the second International Training Course in Security Policy (ITC) open to Finnish participation (1990 - 1991), just after the enormous change in Europe that 1989 and the end of the Cold War brought about. Back then, the ITC was still very small: we were only nine participants, two of whom were Finns and four non-Swiss all together. Fred Tanner was the Course Director. The curriculum was very much centered on traditional, "hard" arms control, on the then pristine CFE and on START, and on nuclear-weapons issues overall. At the time, the START I negotiations were under way in Geneva and the huge transformation of Europe was only just emerging. For me, the ITC led directly to a career in arms control and disarmament, including work on export control in Finland and eventually to running two EU presidencies for that portfolio. Later on I continued in other fields of multilateral diplomacy. As Finland's Permanent Representative to the CD in Geneva from 2005 to 2008, I was a member of the GCSP and DCAF Foundation Councils, which was a great honour for me as an alumnus. My ITC experience was a most welcome academic sabbatical which gave me the analytical skills necessary for my diplomatic work. As my ITC was composed of just a few fellow participants, GCSP alumni activities represent for me more of an affection or interest in the Centre, rather than a personal networking experience. I remain grateful to the Swiss Government for this unique opportunity to have spent a full academic year in Geneva". - Ambassador Kari Kahiluoto |
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