Newsletter
September 2011
September 2011 - Vol 1, Issue 8
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Highlight
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The GCSP's Euro-Atlantic Security Programme
The Euro-Atlantic Security Programme is active in three principal areas: 1) Education and training, 2) Dialogue and outreach activities, and 3) Research and policy analysis. The programme's overarching goal is to enhance the capacity of governments, international organisations, and civil society to address international security challenges impacting the Euro-Atlantic area and its neighbourhood.
The programme's flagship course is the annual European Training Course in Security Policy (ETC). The forthcoming ETC-16 will run from 10 January to 23 March 2012. Participants interested in the course may also enrol directly through the Certificate of Advanced Studies in European Security (CAS) programme. The Programme also contributes to the training activities of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC). The next collaborative activity organised under the auspices of the ESDC is an 8-day Peacebuilding Course to be held in Stadtschlaining in mid-October together with the Austrian Ministry of Defence and Sports and the Austrian Study Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution.
With respect to dialogue and outreach activities, the Euro-Atlantic Security Programme will organise a seminar on the Western Balkans in November and a Missile Defence seminar in December. The programme cooperates with a number of institutions and think tanks, and it is continually seeking new avenues for collaboration with interested partners. In this regard, most recently the GCSP was very pleased to sign a Cooperation Agreement with the Royal High Institute for Defence in Belgium (RHID).
Finally, the programme conducts research and policy analysis within the domain area of Euro-Atlantic security. On-going research activities include the evolution of the European Security Strategy, the implications of missile defence, and the challenge of ensuring cyber security.
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News
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Policy Papers now available in French and German
The GCSP is delighted to announce that it has published the following selection of Policy Papers in French and German in its aim to extend its readership to an ever greater public:
GCSP hosts the 12th Partnerships Training and Education Centres Commandants' Conference
The GCSP has the honour to host the 12th Annual Partnerships Training and Education Centres Commandants' Conference from 17-20 October 2011 in Geneva. This event brings together the Commandants of 23 Partnerships Training and Education Centres to strengthen both higher security awareness and practical military cooperation in the area of training. The centres all have PfP-related education and training activities that are made available to all NATO Allies and Partners. The Chair of the Conference is Colonel Mark D. Baines, the Commandant of the NATO School in Oberammergau, Germany. In the context of this conference, the GCSP will have the pleasure to welcome Lieutenant General Karlheinz Viereck, the NATO Deputy Chief of Staff Joint Force Training (SACT). He will deliver the opening keynote address to the conference participants on a "Global Approach to Education and Training".
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Training
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Upcoming Courses
11 October 2011 - 13 June 2012: International Training Course in Security Policy (ITC). Prepares participants for leadership roles in government as well as international and non-governmental organisations. Offered through a Master of Advanced Studies in International and European Security carried out jointly by the GCSP and the European Institute of the University of Geneva (IEUG).
7-14 October 2011: GCSP - European Security and Defence College (ESDC) Course on Peacebuilding. This course is jointly organised by the GCSP, the Austrian Ministry of Defence and Sports, and the Austrian Study Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution. It is aimed at relevant experts and institutions of the EU, its member states, and EU candidate countries engaged in crisis prevention, crisis management, humanitarian aid and development co-operation at the strategic level.
24-28 October 2011: 13th Annual Middle East and North Africa Training Course on International Security: New Issues. Primarily conceived for participants from the Middle East and specialists on Middle Eastern issues. The course fosters a better understanding of the changing context of international security and the new challenges it poses for states - presented through topical issues relevant to the Middle East.
6-9 November 2011: 3rd Senior Level Peacebuilding Training Course: Enhancing Leadership for Peacebuilding. This three-day course provides current and potential leaders an opportunity to enhance their understanding of effective peacebuilding and leadership styles. It is run in partnership with Interpeace, on behalf of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and with the support of the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).
10 January - 23 March 2012: **Now accepting applications** for the Certificate of Advanced Studies in European Security (CAS). The CAS prepares participants for leadership roles in government and international organisations. The programme provides intensive training in European security and transatlantic relations through a balance of knowledge transfer and skills development. The programme is carried out jointly by the GCSP and the European Institute of the University of Geneva (IEUG).
Past Courses
12-14 September 2011: The GCSP hosted the 4th Annual Senior Officers' Seminar (ASOS) for Flag Officers from NATO, PfP, Mediterranean Dialogue and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative Countries, as well as for South Asian, East Asian, and African countries. This year, the seminar brought together 23 representatives 18 countries.
29 August - 2 September 2011: Programme Design, Monitoring and Evaluation for the Security & Development Sectors. This training workshop, organised by DCAF through its International Security Sector Advisory Team (ISSAT), the Small Arms Survey (SAS), the GCSP and the GICHD, in partnership with the International Programme for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET), provided a unique opportunity for those working in security and development fields to learn design, monitoring and evaluation concepts, processes and methods as well as to assist security and development officials and practitioners in assuming enhanced roles in the evaluation function (e.g. commissioning, designing and/or conducting evaluations).
28 August - 9 September 2011: 12th Swiss Peacebuilding Training Course. This course took place in Stans, Switzerland, at the training centre of the Swiss Armed Forces International Command (SWISSINT). It welcomed 24 participants active in the field of peacebuilding and affiliated with government ministries, international organisations, non-governmental organisations and field missions in Sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, North America, the Middle East, East Asia, Asia and greater Europe.
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Events
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Upcoming Events
13 October 2011: Official visit of General Charles-Henri Delcour, Chief of Defence, Belgium.
24 October 2011: Official visit of the President of the Swiss Confederation, Micheline Calmy-Rey.
27 October 2011: Visit of a Swiss Parliamentary Commission (la Commission de la politique de sécurité du Conseil des Etats (CPS-E).
9 November 2011: Seminar on "The Western Balkans: Prospects for Stability and Security". This event is organised by the GCSP with the support of the Permanent Mission of Montenegro to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva and the Permanent Mission of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the United Nations Office and Other International Organizations in Geneva.
9 December 2011: A seminar on "Developments and Implications of Missile Defence" will be held at the GCSP. Its main aims are to: identify recent developments in missile defence initiatives; assess the potential consequences of missile defence on regional and global security trends; evaluate the possible impact of missile defence developments on existing and future disarmament activities, including unintended consequences; and, identify key issues that policymakers should be aware of as missile defence evolves. This event is organised by the GCSP with the support of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
Past Events
29 September 2011: As a run-up to the 2012 Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) of the 2015 Review Conference, the Second NPT Action Plan Seminar focused on the "Non-proliferation of nuclear weapons". Two background papers - a monitoring report and an assessment paper - reviewing the implementation of the Action Plan were presented. The Geneva disarmament community, as well as representatives from international organisations, civil society and relevant industry attended this seminar.
27 September 2011: Public Discussion on "India-China Relations in an Era of Power-Shifts and Interdependence", with Major General (Retd.) Ramesh C. Chopra, Professor Lanxin Xiang and chaired by Dr Graeme P. Herd.
19-23 September 2011: 2nd CIISS-GCSP Security Policy Seminar. A delegation of six participants, led by Lieutenant General (Retd.) Sun Zhiqiang, CIISS Senior Advisor, traveled to Geneva. In addition to the seminar, the delegation visited some of the international organisations and the Permanent Mission of the People's Republic of China. On 23 September, the delegation had meetings in Bern at the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS).
12 September 2011: Public Discussion "Ten Years After September 11: What Impact on International Affairs?" with Professor Fawaz Gerges, Dr Peter Neumann and chaired by Dr Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou.
8-10 September 2011: The 34th IIHL Round Table on Current Issues of International Humanitarian Law: "International Humanitarian Law and New Weapon Technologies" was held in Sanremo, Italy.
Visits and New Partnerships
14 September 2011: Visit of the Director and Deputy Director of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies (GCMC)
13-14 September 2011: GCSP formalised its cooperation with two training institutions: Royal High Institute for Defence (Belgium) and l'Ecole de guerre, Paris
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Research and Publications
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New Publications
The GCSP is proud to announce the following new publications:
GCSP Policy Papers
 Policy Paper N°21: "Transition in den Arabischen Staaten: Zeit für einen 'EU-Master Plan'"
by Walter Feichtinger
Policy Paper N°20: "Shadow Networks: The Growing Nexus of Terrorism and Organised Crime"
by Christina Schori Liang
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 publications@gcsp.ch. |
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Alumni
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GCSP Alumna Profile
Testimonial
"A GCSP Faculty Member once remarked at the very beginning of the 23rd International Training Course in Security Policy (ITC, 2008-2009) that the forthcoming year in Geneva would become a 'life-changing experience'. He was right in many ways since both the knowledge acquired and the friendships made at the GCSP left notable marks in our professional lives. The remarkable success stories of ITC alumni attest to the quality of training even more than the information one finds in promotional materials. Clearly, what distinguishes the ITC is its cutting edge approach to the study of security issues covering all dimensions of this very dynamic area, its excellent choice of lecturers and literature, the composition of the participants combining military and civilian professionals coming from all over the world and, certainly, the GCSP Faculty whose guidance throughout the course makes the whole journey extremely insightful. My journey from the GCSP, as an ITC graduate of the Master of Advanced Studies in International and European Security (MAS), brought me back to the OSCE as a Junior Professional Officer to later become an OSCE Mission member in Serbia. I say it brought me back because I came to the GCSP as the Central Asia scholarship holder and graduate from the OSCE Academy in Kyrgyzstan, where I also served as Rapporteur to the first GCSP-OSCE Academy 'Central Asia Seminar 2008' (see GCSP Geneva Paper 7), only this time I brought back with me an invaluable toolkit of academic and professional knowledge that the ITC provided me with a few years ago." - Selbi Hanova
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