Newsletter
January 2012
January 2012 - Vol 2, Issue 1
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Highlight
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GCSP at the Service of International Geneva
In addition to its core training activities, the GCSP provides many opportunities for exchange and dialogue on international peace and security issues throughout the year. These activities take the form of public discussions, publication launches or smaller meetings, and draw on the presence in International Geneva of a wide variety of experts and of the frequent high-level visitors to this city.
The Centre began the new year by hosting the Secretary General of the OSCE, Ambassador Lamberto Zannier, and the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Mr Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, for a Public Discussion on partnerships among international and regional organisations in confronting contemporary global and regional security challenges. In the coming months Public Discussions will be held on Libya, global governance, Russia, and US-China relations.
The Centre is also honoured to be welcoming back former Swiss President and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mrs Micheline Calmy-Rey for a visit in February with a number of distinguished guests.
In terms of fostering dialogue, the GCSP will host for the third year a roundtable on European security bringing together actors from the US, Russia, Europe and international and regional organisations (such as NATO and the OSCE). Other roundtable meetings in 2012 will be held on Middle Eastern and North African security issues and on the Asia Pacific region. Lastly, the GCSP continues to offer opportunities for exchange on disarmament related topics, in an unofficial setting and often together with other key partners.
Please consult our website regularly for announcements of new events and for summaries of all activities.
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News
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Opening of the 16th European Training Course in Security Policy (ETC)
 The European Training Course in Security Policy (ETC) opened on 10 January, welcoming 22 participants from 21 different countries. The participants include representatives of not only the Euro-Atlantic area but also the Middle East, North Africa and South America. The ETC is a 3-month course which focuses on the European and transatlantic security agendas while taking into account the international security environment. Later this month the ETC will travel to Brussels, together with the participants of the 9-month International Training Course in Security Policy (ITC), for their annual study trip. As part of the programme, a GCSP Alumni Dinner will be held with the cooperation of the Royal High Institute for Defence (RHID). On this occasion the GCSP will have the honour to welcome Ms Louise Arbour, President and CEO of the International Crisis Group, as the keynote speaker. She will be introduced by the Chairman of the GCSP Foundation Council, Professor Fran�ois Heisbourg. 2012 Course Schedule
 The GCSP is delighted to present its 2012 Course Schedule. It presents a rich programme of training courses on security and peace related topics, both in and outside of Geneva, many of which are open to external participants. The document is available in PDF on the GCSP website and the course listings are continuously updated on the online GCSP calendar. Please check back regularly for updates and information on registration. The first offering in 2012 is a series of Expert Training Modules to be held between 27 February and 2 March 2012 at the GCSP in Geneva. Click here to apply! Deadline: 20 February 2012. Topics range from European Multilateral Arms Control to the Transformation of Diplomacy and Leadership for Peacebuilding. |
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Training
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Upcoming Courses
27 February - 2 March: 8th Defence Attach� Orientation Module. This Annual Training Module is dedicated to training of defence officials working in a multilateral environment (such as Defence Attach�s). The module develops a link between international security policy and the practical responsibility of a Defence Attach�.
27 February: European Multilateral Arms Control. This training module offers an introduction to arms control generally followed by an analysis of the post-Cold War evolution of Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) and other instruments of European arms control from perceived major significance to the current stalemate and irrelevance.
27 February: Humanitarian Arms Control. This training module addresses the issues of arms control that are not related to the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, such as landmines, cluster munitions, and small arms and light weapons.
1 March: Leadership for Peacebuilding. Participants in this training module will identify the key factors that have contributed to the success of post conflict peacebuilding in particular countries with a special focus on the leadership dimension.
2 March: Arms Transfers, Defence Industries & Agencies. The weapons used in these wars are produced by defence industries traditionally located in the industrialised world. The contenders in today's wars are reliant on the acquisition of foreign-produced weapons. This training module focuses on arms transfers as an essential component of the international military landscape.
Past Courses
12-16 December 2011: Weapons Law and the Conduct of the Legal Review of Weapons Course. This course was 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 course was funded by the Swiss Government and was supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross and by the International Institute for Humanitarian Law (Sanremo, Italy). It gathered 22 participants from 14 countries and one international organisation.
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Events
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Upcoming Events
13-14 February: Advanced Seminar on Migration, Refugees, Climate Change, and Law. Co-organised by the GCSP, the International Institute for Humanitarian Law (IIHL) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the overall aim of this seminar is to take stock of existing normative and legal gaps and responses. The Advanced Seminar will bring together 15-20 participants, combining government officials from countries where 'environmental migration' is expected to become a significant policy issues with representatives from relevant Geneva- and European-based organizations and experts from academia and government.
16 February: Public Discussion: "The UN Panel of Experts on Libya: Challenges and Opportunities", with Mr Salim Raad, Coordinator and Heavy Weapons Expert; Ms Savannah de Tessi�res, Light Arms Expert; Mr Simon Dilloway, Finance Expert; Mr Yousef Serhan, Maritime Expert; Mr Theodore Murphy, Regional and Humanitarian Expert; Dr Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou, Head of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Programme, GCSP, and Visiting Professor, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies; and Dr Khalid Koser, Academic Dean and Head of the New Issues in Security Programme, GCSP.
24 February: Public Discussion: "Sustainable History, Human Nature and the Future of Humanity", with Dr Nayef Al-Rodhan, Head of the Geopolitics of Globalisation and Transnational Security Programme at the GCSP; Professor Eibe Riedel, Swiss Chair of Human Rights at the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and Judge at the Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration; and chaired by Dr Khalid Koser, Academic Dean and Head of the New Issues in Security Programme, GCSP.
29 February: Visit of Mrs Micheline Calmy-Rey, former President of the Swiss Confederation and Federal Counsellor.
26-27 March: Facing Realpolitik: Decision-making Challenges, Constraints and Dilemmas in Humanitarian Operations. The workshop aims to present and highlight a number of operational issues, challenges and dilemmas that a UN Head of Mission and/or a Commanding Officer of a peacekeeping force may be faced with, and the responses which need to be informed by relevant and pertinent legal and normative frameworks that underline the issue.
Past Events
 20 January: Third International Research Seminar: "The 2010 NPT Review Conference Action Plan: Implementation and Operationalization - Nuclear Disarmament". A monitoring report and an assessment paper were presented, along with a presentation report on the Moscow Seminar organised by the PIR Centre (Russian Centre for Policy Studies). Representatives from 25 Geneva-based Permanent Missions, including several Ambassadors to the Conference on Disarmament attended the meeting.
 19 January: Public Discussion: "The Changing Nature of International Partnerships: Perspectives of the Heads of OSCE and UNOG", with the Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Mr Lamberto Zannier and the Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Mr Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and chaired by Ambassador Fred Tanner, Director of the GCSP.
 9 December 2011: A seminar on "Developments and Implications of Missile Defence" took place at the GCSP bringing together 53 participants including senior governmental officials, experts on the topic, representatives of international organisations, and Geneva's diplomatic community. Its main aims were 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. The seminar was organised by the GCSP with the support of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.
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Research and Publications
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New Publications
The GCSP is proud to present a new Geneva Paper and a new Policy Paper:
 Geneva Paper - Research Series N�4: "Great Expectations: UN Peacekeeping, Civilian Protection, and the Use of Force" by Alan Doss
 Policy Paper N�24: "EU-Maghreb Counter-Terrorism Cooperation: The Need for a More Holistic Approach", by Lisa Watanabe
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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Associate and Visiting Fellows
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Associate Fellow Profile Professor Dr Sven BiscopProfessor Dr Sven Biscop is Associate Fellow to the Euro-Atlantic Programme and Director of the Europe in the World Programme at Egmont - Royal Institute for International Relations in Brussels, and teaches at Ghent University and the College of Europe (Bruges) Testimonial
"For many years now, I have had the pleasure of working with various colleagues at the GCSP, as a guest speaker in the excellent courses, and sitting together in the Executive Academic Board of the European Security and Defence College. Recently, collaboration with the GCSP has shifted into the next gear, organising joint events in Brussels, and convening a joint research project. The latter led to a policy paper on EU crisis management strategy that was presented at a CSDP seminar of the Polish EU Presidency in July 2011. Nothing but very positive experiences, so it is only logical that we are already planning the next joint research project and event".
- Sven Biscop
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