Newsletter
October/November 2011
October/November 2011 - Vol 1, Issue 9
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Highlight
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GCSP and the Swiss Confederation
The GCSP is proud to have an excellent working relationship with the Swiss Confederation. Switzerland initiated the GCSP as its contribution to the Partnership for Peace in 1995, and since then has remained a key supporter as the Centre has grown to include now 41 other member states on its Foundation Council.
In the context of this strong partnership, the GCSP had the honour to welcome the President of the Swiss Confederation Micheline Calmy-Rey on Monday 24 October, together with GICHD and DCAF. The President toured the GCSP premises, seeing GCSP training courses in action, followed by a meeting with the Directors of the three Geneva Centres. The programme ended with the ceremonial laying of the first stone of the new Maison de la Paix building with the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.
Two Swiss Parliamentary visits also occurred during this period. We were very pleased to have the opportunity to host the Security Policy Committee of the Council of States on 27 and 28 October at the Centre and will meet with the Sub-Committee 2 (FDFA) of the Finance Committee of the National Council in Geneva on 3 November.
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News
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GCSP Training Course for the Middle East and North Africa
The GCSP continues its focus on the Middle East and North Africa this Autumn with a one-week training course on new issues in international security for participants from this region. The GCSP New Issues in Security Programme course is also open to those from outside the region who are likely to be assigned to security policy functions at a bilateral or multilateral level in the MENA region. The course concluded on Friday 28 October with 25 participants taking part from 17 countries, including Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. For the first time this year the GCSP was very pleased to welcome two participants each from Sudan and South Sudan. Afghanistan is also participating. In addition to interventions by academics and practitioners, the course included a study visit to the Swiss capital, Bern, and a simulation exercise on identifying strategic priorities. Over 250 officials have taken part in this course since it began in 1998. Opening of the 26th International Training Course in Security Policy
 The 9-month International Training Course in Security Policy (ITC) began on 12 October 2011, with an opening lecture by Professor François Heisbourg, Chairman of the GCSP Foundation Council, on "Primacy, Power Shifts and Interdependence: Understanding International Security". The ITC trains mid-career officials and members of the wider security community on the most important aspects of current international security policy. Through the ITC, participants also have the opportunity to enrol in the Master of Advanced Studies in International and European Security (MAS), carried out jointly by the GCSP and the European Institute of the University of Geneva (IEUG).
30 participants coming from 26 different Foundation Council and partner states across four continents are taking part in the 26th ITC. For the first time the GCSP is welcoming participants from Belarus, Iraq, Nepal, Seychelles and Tanzania. Egypt, France, Russia, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States are also represented, among other countries. |
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Training
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Upcoming Courses
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).
12-19 November 2011: Training Course in Diplomacy and Security Policy for Military Personnel (Amman). Training module for defence officials working in a multilateral environment from Jordan and other countries of the Mediterranean Dialogue (MD), Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI), Partnership for Peace (PfP) and NATO. For the fifth time it is run by the GCSP in partnership with the Royal Jordanian National Defence College (RJNDC).
14-18 November 2011: Global Challenges - Leadership and Cooperation in Complex Environments. This course is designed to connect senior leaders from armed forces and international organisations, and focuses on challenges in crosssector relationships and international humanitarian frameworks. It is run in partnership with the Global Public Policy Academic Group (GPPAG) of the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS).
21-25 November 2011: Senior Afghan Leadership Workshop. A select group of Afghan officials and officers will be hosted in Geneva in order to provide a private opportunity for professional exchanges with senior practitioners who know firsthand the problems of leading transition in the Maghreb, the Balkans, the South Caucasus, Latin America and Africa.
23-25 November 2011: Strategic Planning and Analysis Seminar. During three days, the GCSP and the Swiss Armed Forces will jointly organise and hold the 11th Strategic Planning and Analysis Seminar. The focus of this seminar is on the Western Pacific Area Situation, and it will bring together about 30 participants, including analysts and specialists from the Swiss Armed Forces and Foreign Ministry as well as other countries.
12-16 December 2011: Weapons Law and the Conduct of the Legal Review of Weapons Course. This course is designed to provide military lawyers and other officials, either currently involved or likely to be involved in legal reviews, with the necessary detailed understanding of the law to ensure their states' compliance with the law. The GCSP is unique globally in providing such a course. The course is being funded by the Swiss Government and is supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross and by the International Institute for Humanitarian Law (Sanremo, Italy).
Past Courses
24-28 October 2011: 13th Annual Middle East and North Africa Training Course on International Security: New Issues (see summary in the News section).
 7-14 October 2011: GCSP - European Security and Defence College (ESDC) Course on Peacebuilding. The course was jointly organised by the GCSP, the Austrian Ministry of Defence and Sports, and the Austrian Study Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution. It was 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. The 19 participants came from 12 different countries including Austria, France, Georgia, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Nigeria, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.
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Events
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Upcoming Events
4-5 November 2011: The International Institute of Humanitarian Law, in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration, is organising a seminar on "Conflict situations and migration flows in the Mediterranean area", which will take place in the inspiring setting of Villa Ormond, Sanremo (Italy), with the financial support of the Italian Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior. The seminar is addressed to experts and officials operating in the field both at policy and implementation levels. For more information, contact Ms Sara Rossi, sara.rossi@iihl.org.
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 in Geneva and the Permanent Mission of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in Geneva.
10 November 2011: VIP Luncheon with Swiss State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Dr Peter Maurer, together with a select group of Ambassadors, to discuss Swiss policy towards the United Nations.
11 November 2011: Public Discussion: "Nuclear Disarmament, Security, and Safety: Remembering Japan and Global Challenges Ahead", special guests include the mayors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and a hibakusha (victim of the bombings). Panelists include Professor Shunichi Yamashita, Adviser to the Governor of Fukushima Prefecture on Health Risk Management from Nuclear Radiation, Japan, and Mr Rashid Khalikov, Director, OCHA Geneva, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. The discussion will be chaired by Mr Marc Finaud, Special Advisor to the Director, GCSP.
25 November 2011: Official Visit of the Deputy Defence Minister of Georgia, Nodar Karshiladze.
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
 27 October 2011: Visit of the Security Policy Committee of the Swiss Council of States (la Commission de la politique de sécurité du Conseil des Etats (CPS-E) (see News section above).
 24 October 2011: Official Visit of Micheline Calmy-Rey, President of the Swiss Confederation, in the context of a meeting with the Directors of the three Geneva Centres (GCSP, DCAF and GICHD) and the ceremony of the laying of the first stone of the Maison de la Paix (see News section above).
 17-20 October 2011: 12th Annual Partnership Training and Education Centres Commandants' Conference (PTC CC). The Conference gathered 40 participants from Partnership Training and Education Centres, NATO HQ and NATO School. Colonel Mark D. Baines (Chairman of the Conference and Commandant, NATO School, Oberammergau), Ambassador Fred Tanner (Director of the GCSP) and Brigadier General Peter Soller (Chief of Staff of the Chief of the Swiss Armed Forces) opened the Conference. Ambassador Georges Martin, Deputy State Secretary of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs delivered the keynote address at the official dinner.
 13 October 2011: Official visit of General Charles-Henri Delcour, Chief of Defence and Aide de Camp to the King of Belgium. This was the first visit of a Belgian military authority of General Delcour's rank to our Centre. The General, together with a small delegation from the Belgian military, was given a briefing on the GCSP's activities. He was particularly impressed by the great diversity of participants in the Centre's courses. The productive, frank, and clear discussions also served to identify a number of possible concrete areas for future cooperation.
 13 October 2011: Lieutenant General (Retd) Luc Fellay, Senior Advisor at the GCSP, was awarded the French Legion of Honour during an emotional ceremony that took place at the French ambassador's residence in Bern. Our colleague, former chief of the Swiss Army, was awarded the highest decoration of the French Republic, established by Napoleon Bonaparte as "a distinction honouring both military bravery and civil merit".
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Research and Publications
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New Publication
The GCSP is proud to present the following new Policy Paper:
Policy Paper N°22: "South Caucasus: What Prospects after Twenty Years of 'Managed Instability'?"
by Alain Guidetti
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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Visiting Fellows
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Visiting Fellow Profile
Testimonial
"I am privileged to have an opportunity to participate in the work of the Geneva Centre for Security Policy. The GCSP is not only an 'Impartial, Inclusive and Influential' training centre, but it also represents a unique entity that can meet different needs and interests all over the world. It provides the rare chance to integrate comprehensive academic and pragmatic methods to tackle the numerous challenges of a modern, diverse and dynamic world. I have a unique incentive to share my experience of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina and its aftermath in order to promote a more constructive approach to cooperation, as well as to prevent others from experiencing similar atrocities". - Selmo Cikotić
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