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May 2012
May 2012 - Vol 2, Issue 5
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Research & Publications
Alumni
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Highlight

The 2011 GCSP Annual Report is now available         

 

2011 GCSP Annual Report The 2011 GCSP Annual Report provides an insight into a very active year at the GCSP. Last year, the Centre trained over 700 international leaders in more than 40 training courses conducted in Geneva and abroad. Almost 20 conferences, seminars, and workshops were held and 23 public discussions took place for the benefit of International Geneva. 2011 also marked the first year of the GCSP Strategy 2011-2015 and the growth of the GCSP Foundation Council, with India joining. In response to the transformations in the Arab world in 2011, the GCSP created a new programme on the Middle East and North Africa which serves to consolidate the many long-standing activities and more recent initiatives that the Centre has developed for this region. More details on all GCSP activities in 2011 are available in the Annual Report by clicking here.

News

Conclusion of the International Forum for the Challenges of Peace Operations, Geneva, Switzerland

2012 Challenges Forum From 9 to 11 May 2012 the GCSP, in cooperation with the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport, hosted the International Forum for the Challenges of Peace Operations. The Challenges Forum is a Swedish initiative, based at the Folke Bernadotte Academy, that aims to provide the international community with a dynamic, strategic and broad-based platform for regular debates on peace operations among leading policymakers, practitioners and academics.

 

The theme of the Forum was "Cooperation and Coordination in Peace Operations. United Nations and Regional Organizations perspectives". The Conference gathered some 250 participants from more than 50 countries, among which the five permanent members of the Security Council and the main troop contributors to UN peace operations. It benefited from the financial support of the Swiss Federal Government, the Canton of Geneva and the City of Geneva. The programme and speaker presentations are available here.

 

 

Francophonie at the GCSP / *La francophonie au GCSP  

 

The GCSP is pleased to announce a renewed focus on our offer to francophone countries (and on making the Centre's publications and other content available in French) in order to reach a wider audience.

 

This new initiative concerning the francophonie coincides with the Swiss chairmanship of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), with a recognition of the excellent francophone faculty resources at the GCSP and represents our wish to be of greater service to the entire community in International Geneva and beyond.

 

The GCSP currently offers a number of training courses in French, one example being the recently concluded annual defence attach� training course in Dakar, Senegal, for participants from Western and Central Africa. Recently our publications series - Geneva Papers and Policy Papers - have been extended to French (and German). The most recent example is the latest Geneva Paper on "Politique r�gionale de l'lran : potentialit�s, d�fis et incertitudes".

 

New training activities are now being developed for francophone countries, a dialogue event is being planned for autumn 2012 and partnerships with francophone institutions are being enhanced. Within the next year, the GCSP website will also be available in French.

 

 

*La Francophonie au GCSP 

 

Le GCSP est heureux d'annoncer l'accent qu'il entend porter sur l'offre de service au profit des pays francophones (y compris par le biais de documentations et d'autre types de support disponibles en fran�ais), et ce dans l'objectif de toucher un auditoire �largi.

 

Cette nouvelle vision de la francophonie au sein du GCSP est concomitante de la pr�sidence Suisse de l'Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), tient compte de l'excellence des ressources des membres du corps enseignant francophone et concr�tise le souhait du GCSP d'apporter une offre de services plus �tendue � l'ensemble de la communaut� internationale � Gen�ve et au-del�.

Le GCSP propose d�j� aujourd'hui un certain nombre de formations en langue fran�aise, un exemple �tant le cours d'orientation pour attach�s de d�fense qui vient de s'achever � Dakar, S�n�gal, au profit des participants d'Afrique de l'Ouest et d'Afrique centrale. En outre, r�cemment, nos s�ries de publications Geneva Papers et Policy Papers se sont �largies � la langue fran�aise (ainsi d'ailleurs qu'� la langue allemande). L'exemple le plus r�cent est le nouveau Geneva Paper intitul� : � Politique r�gionale de l'Iran : potentialit�s, d�fis et incertitudes �.

Actuellement, de nouvelles activit�s de formation sont en train d'�tre d�velopp�es au profit des pays francophones, une discussion publique est envisag�e � l'horizon � automne 2012 � et des partenariats institutionnels avec des instituts francophones sont tiss�s. D'ici l'ann�e prochaine, le site GCSP sera �galement consultable en langue fran�aise.

 

Training

 Upcoming Training Courses

27-29 June: Strategic Planning and Analysis Seminar. Over three days, the GCSP and the Swiss Armed Forces will jointly organise and hold the 12th Strategic Planning and Analysis Seminar. The theme of this seminar will be the "Northern Africa Area Situation" and it will bring together about 30 participants, analysts and specialists from the Swiss Armed Forces and the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

2-6 July: Training Course on Disarmament and Weapons of Mass Destruction: Challenges and Responses. This week-long course is aimed at practitioners and professionals interested in all aspects of disarmament and is designed to provide an overview of the past developments and achievements as well as the present and future challenges for disarmament.

16 July - 16 September: The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and Disarmament Online Course.
The eight-week course is designed to familiarise participants with the provisions, history and complexities of the NPT and its relationship to disarmament in particular. Each week of the course is structured around one of the major themes of the NPT, and provides a detailed analysis of the corresponding Treaty provisions.

24-27 September:
GCSP Security Policy Workshop: "The European Union and Crisis Management Operations: Towards More Strategic Thinking". The workshop is targeted to PhD candidates and post-doctoral fellows working on EU security policy, with a focus on inter-institutional cooperation and exit strategies in the broad field of crisis management. The workshop aims to provide a platform for scholarly exchange - giving participants an opportunity to showcase their research and receive feedback on findings and research methodologies. 

 

 

Past Training Courses  

 

Civil Protest to Change 24-26 May: From Civil Protest to Change: Transition and Stability. This training course was organised by the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights (Geneva Academy) and the GCSP. Against the background of recent political transitions in the Middle East and North Africa, the course covered legal and non-legal issues related to the evolution from civil protest to change, and provided participants with a comprehensive understanding of the transitional processes and associated challenges.

 

7-25 May: The Multilateral System in the 21st Century: Actors, Strategies, Policies. Designed for diplomats and other governmental officials already posted or to be posted in a multilateral setting, as well as for those particularly interested in multilateralism, this course brought together approximately 30 participants from numerous countries.

 

Expert Training Modules: The GCSP ran a series of Training Modules covering various topics such as Climate Change (1 May); Food Security (2 May); Global Public Health (3 May); Meeting the Cybersecurity Challenge (24 May); Nationalism and the International (24-25 May).

 

6-18 May: Training Course on Emerging Threats to Human Security in Africa (ETHSA). The GCSP ran the first week of this two week course in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This was the inaugural course of the African Centre for Peace and Security Training (ACPST) which is part of the Institute for Security Studies (ISS).

 

Dakar 7-15 May: 4th Defence Attach� Orientation Module for Western and Central African countries, Dakar (in French). The course was dedicated to training of defence officials working in a multilateral environment (such as Defence Attach�s). It gathered 36 participants from 10 countries including Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cap-Vert, C�te d'Ivoire, Lebanon, Niger, Senegal, Chad, and Togo).

 

Events

Upcoming Events   


5 June: Public Discussion "US-China Relations: between Competition and Cooperation?" with Dr Sven Behrendt, Founder and Managing Director, Geoeconomica Political Risk Management, Geneva; Dr Lanxin Xiang, Professor of International History and Politics, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, Geneva; and chaired by Dr Graeme P. Herd, Head, International Security Programme, GCSP.

 

11 June: Public Discussion "Peaceful Pathways? Democratic Transitions and Security in the 21st Century" with Dr Timothy Sisk, Professor and Associate Dean for Research, Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver; and Dr Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou, Head of the Middle East and North Africa Programme (GCSP), Visiting Professor, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. Chair: Professor Paola Gaeta, Director, Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights.

 

13 June: 26th ITC Closing Ceremony. Ambassador Kari Kahiluoto, who is currently chairing the Conference on Disarmament (CD), will give the keynote address at the 26th International Training Course in Security Policy (ITC) closing ceremony on 13 June. Ambassador Kahiluoto is the former Finnish CD Ambassador in Geneva, former Finnish GCSP Foundation Council and Bureau member and he is also an alumnus of the ITC. 

 

15-17 June: The 10th GCSP-Crown Center-GRC Annual Conference - "The Middle East: Change and Upheaval 2012". Bringing together regional, security, and policy experts in order to assess the current situation in the Middle East, the GCSP, the Gulf Research Center, and the Crown Center at Brandeis University, are once again hosting a conference in Gstaad, Switzerland. During the meeting, an assessment of the Arab Revolutions, the overall geopolitical and regional dynamics as it pertains to the Levant, Turkey, the Arab-Israeli issue and the situation in Iraq, Iran and the Gulf region will be discussed.

  

26 June: Public Discussion "Dark Market: Cybercops, Cyberthieves and You" with Mr Misha Glenny, International Bestselling Author and Free Lance Journalist; and chaired by Dr Christina Schori Liang, Co-Director of the New Issues in Security Course (NISC), GCSP.

 

9-12 July: 4th Senior Officers' Security and Law Conference. Legal considerations are vital in military operations conducted under the comprehensive approach. In the past, the law has tended to be the preserve of the legal adviser, with the commander merely taking legal advice when it is required. Today, the law is an ever constant presence in the commander's mind. Flag Officers, their senior civilian and police counterparts and senior legal and operational advisers meet at the conference to discuss legal challenges and opportunities presented by the modern strategic environment.

 

 

Past Events

  

23 May: Public Discussion "Af-Pak Endgame: The Tragedy of an Exit Sans Strategy" with Mr Shahmahmood Miakhel, Country Director, Afghanistan, USIP, Kabul; Dr Ayesha Siddiqa, Security Analyst, Jane's Information Group, Pakistan; Dr Christophe Jaffrelot, Senior Research Fellow, CERI-Sciences Po, Paris; and chaired by Dr W. Pal Sidhu, Head of the WMD and Disarmament Programme, GCSP.

  

   

Panel 15 May: Public Discussion "New Security Challenges in the Mediterranean" with keynote speaker Dr Mahmoud Gebril, Former Chair of the Executive Board of Libya's National Transitional Council and chaired by Dr Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou, Head of the Middle East and North Africa Programme (GCSP), Visiting Professor, Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies.

  

     

Panel 9 May: Public Discussion "The Arab-Israel Conflict and Iran: Prospects for Peace and War" with Brigadier General (retd) Shlomo Brom, Senior Research Associate, The Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), Tel Aviv; Dr Jalal Al Husseini, Senior Researcher, Institut Francais du Moyen-Orient (IFPO); Dr Geoffrey Kemp, Director of Regional Strategic Programs, Center for the National Interest, Washington, D.C.; and chaired by Dr Pal Dunay, Director of the International Training Course in Security Policy, GCSP. 

  

  

9-11 May: International Forum: Challenges of Peace Operations. See News section above.

 

Research and Publications  

New Publications

 

The GCSP is proud to present the following new publications:  

  

GCSP Policy Paper 2012/5 

 

GCSP Policy Paper 2012/5: "Resource-Fuelled Political Transitions in Africa: The Way Ahead", by Bruno Hellendorff 

 





GCSP Policy Paper 2012/5

GCSP Policy Paper 2012/4 (English version)
: "New Security Challenges in North Africa after the 'Arab Spring'", by Laurence A�da Ammour





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 [email protected].

Alumni 

GCSP Security Policy Conference: On the Cutting Edge of International Security Geneva, 11-12 October 2012

 

The 2012 GCSP Security Policy Conference provides a compact and authoritative update on current developments and future trends in international security. In addition to providing an overview of global trends, the 2012 event focuses on challenges they pose to states' security policies. In particular, the rise of trans-nationalism, which is further empowering various non-state actors, is becoming a game-changer in the international system. Governments face an international environment characterised by ever more complex competition between a range of actors - states, multinational companies and criminal organisations, for example. This complexity challenges the integrity and relevance of established cooperative global and regional multilateral arrangements as embodied by the UN and EU, financial bodies (e.g. World Bank) and groupings (e.g. G20) and institutions of international security in general.

 

The conference programme includes high-level presentations, expert panel discussions as well as interactive workshops which aim to make use of the participants' own rich professional experience. Importantly, the schedule of the 2012 GCSP Security Policy Conference aims to allow sufficient opportunities for effective networking among the participants - which will include GCSP alumni, incumbent ITC-27 participants, Foundation Council representatives, Advisory Board members, and staff.

 

The conference will take place at the GCSP from 11 to 12 October 2012. Deadline for registration is 14 September 2012. For more details and registration, please click here.

 

Testimonial 

Mr Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
Director-General, United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG)

Tokayev



"The GCSP has become a close partner of the United Nations in Geneva, and being a widely known and recognised research centre, provides a most appropriate context for discussions, which focus on the changing nature of partnerships". 

 

 

 

- Mr Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, speaking at the Public Discussion on "The Changing Nature of International Partnerships: Perspectives of the Heads of OSCE and UNOG", 19 January 2012