Newsletter
October 2012
October 2012 Vol 2, Issue 8
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GCSP Security Policy Conference: On the Cutting Edge of International Security, 11-12 October 2012
Who moves the world in the 21st Century? States and international organisations, politicians and bureaucrats, CEOs and experts, or consumers and activists? These questions were the focus of the GCSP Security Policy Conference held in Geneva on 11 and 12 October 2012. Perhaps more than ever, various transnational movements have come to affect the everyday lives of citizens, states, and regions.
 Over 150 participants of the conference - composed mostly of GCSP alumni, but also members of the GCSP Foundation Council and Advisory Board, the incumbent ITC course participants and GCSP staff - received an authoritative overview of this global trend and engaged in debates on various pressing issues. Dr Artis Pabriks, Minister of Defence of Latvia, noted in his keynote speech that the 21st Century is a century of opportunities: the free movement of people, intensified trade, exchange of values and rapid flow of information have given new opportunities to pursue greater well-being in different parts of the world. At the same time, state borders have become more blurred, and these changes also pose unprecedented risks. There is an answer, albeit not an easy one: the emerging hybrid challenges require the development of hybrid responses.
 Ambassador Benno Laggner, Head of the Division for Security Policy and Ambassador for Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation, pointed out the fact that the development of relevant international laws has not been able to keep up with these changes poses an additional challenge. The Conference workshops looked into the relationship between transnationalism and international partnerships, new technologies, the Arab Spring and, indeed, the role of expert organisations such as GCSP in international security.
 On the occasion of the conference, Geneva's international community was invited to a public discussion on "Current Financial and Sovereign Debt Crises: Implications for Regional and Global Security". The distinguished panellists, Professor François Heisbourg, Dr Thanos Dokos, Dr John Gault, and Ambassador Luzius Wasescha, demonstrated that the current financial and sovereign debt crises have major implications for regional and global security. Many countries witness rising unemployment, especially among youth, difficulties in providing social services, growing economic and other inequalities among citizens, growing populist and xenophobic sentiments, ethnic conflicts and discrimination of minorities. The situation is not only provoking social unrest, but also accentuating, on a global level, impoverishment and the changing patterns of global trade and investment. For Europe, Professor Heisbourg painted three future scenarios: first, the extension of status quo; second, federal development; and third, disintegration. In all, the general view on world economy was gloomy and the panellists urged rapid measures from both domestic and international actors.
This event also marked the first meeting of the GCSP Alumni Advisory Group (AAG) (see News section below) and the presentation of the first GCSP Alumni Awards to Ambassador Maria Ciobanu and Colonel Guido Maene (see Alumni section below). After the conference, some 45 conference participants enjoyed a relaxing day in Gruyères, learning about cheese production, visiting the historic castle and tasting authentic Swiss cheese fondue.
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News
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Jan Eliasson, UN Deputy Secretary-General, speaks at the GCSP on 25 October
 Ambassador Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations visited the GCSP on 25 October 2012 for a VIP luncheon during which he delivered the keynote speech on "Opportunities and obstacles for international cooperation in today's world and the role of the United Nations". His remarks were followed by an interactive exchange with approximately 30 guests, including GCSP experts and senior representatives from the diplomatic, international organisation, and civil society communities in Geneva and abroad.
A New Programme Structure at GCSP Over the last few months GCSP has undertaken some significant internal reforms, ranging from new human resources policies and regulations, to a reformed Senior Management Team. To the outside world, the most important change has been the reorganization of our activities into three Programmes, namely the Leadership in Conflict Management Programme (LCMP), the Emerging Security Challenges Programme (ECSP), and the Regional Capacity Development Programme (RCDP). The focus areas of these Programmes respond directly to the priorities established for GCSP in our 2011-15 strategy. The heads of these new Programmes have been appointed internally, and are Mr Maarten Merkelbach (LCMP), Dr Gustav Lindstrom (ESCP), and Dr Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou (RCDP). Each Programme combines a range of existing activities in training, research, and public dialogue, and the Programmes are intended to provide for more creative combinations of these three core functions. By focusing the majority of our staff in the Programmes, each also has the critical mass necessary to develop and promote new activities, and forge new directions for the Centre. At the same time synergies between the three Programmes are ensured through a series of Centre-wide activities (such as the forthcoming International Security Forum) and a regular exchange of ideas and talent. There is also continuity within change, and each Programme hosts one of the three Principal Courses at GCSP, the International Training Course in Security Policy (LCMP), the New Issues in Security Course (ESCP), and the European Training Course in Security Policy (RCDP), which continue to be our flagship activities. Our policy research and publications, as well as our growing convening power within International Geneva, will also be maintained, and we believe enhanced, through the new structure. The Director of the GCSP signs MoU with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan  The Director of the GCSP, Ambassador Fred Tanner signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, H.E. Mr. Rashid Meredov on 8 October 2012 in Bern, Switzerland. The signing ceremony was made in the presence of the Swiss President, Ms Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf and the President of Turkmenistan, H.E. Mr Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov. The purpose of the MOU is to promote and strengthen co-operation between the GCSP and the Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.
GCSP strengthens ties with Tunisia  On 5 October 2012, Ambassador Fred Tanner, Director of the GCSP, and Dr Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou, Head of the Regional Capacity Development Programme and Senior Fellow, were received by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs of Tunisia, Hedi Ben Abbes, for a discussion on various areas of cooperation with Tunisia. A day prior to this meeting, the GCSP signed a memorandum of understanding with the Institute for Training and Studies in Tunis, Tunisia. The Director General of the Institute, Ambassador Saloua Bahri, signed the MoU on their behalf. The Ambassador of Switzerland to Tunisia, Pierre Combernous, was also present.
First Meeting of the GCSP Alumni Advisory Group
 The newly founded Alumni Advisory Group met for the first time on 12 October in conjunction with the 2012 GCSP Security Policy Conference: "On the Cutting Edge of International Security". The Group consists of 12 distinguished individuals that reflect the diversity of GCSP alumni as well as the relevant representatives of GCSP staff. The Alumni Advisory Group is chaired by Ambassador Fred Tanner, Director of the GCSP. The Advisory Group had a fruitful discussion and generated many new ideas. The alumni network is an essential asset for the GCSP by providing support for training and intercultural understanding as well as a sustainable platform of contacts and expertise. You will be hearing soon more about our new plans for GCSP alumni!
UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs joins the GCSP Advisory Board
 The GCSP has the great pleasure to announce that Ms Angela Kane, the United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, has joined the GCSP Advisory Board. Ms Kane will bring to the Board her wealth of experience with the United Nations and international peace and security issues. Ms Kane joins roughly 30 other distinguished members of the GCSP Advisory Board who advise the Centre on its strategic direction.
Ms Kane, together with a select number of senior representatives from the disarmament community in Geneva and Ms Micheline Calmy-Rey, Former Swiss Federal Counselor, visited the GCSP for a VIP luncheon on 14 September 2012. During this event, Ms Kane spoke on the challenges and prospects of the disarmament agenda.
The Role of the Arab-Islamic World in the Rise of the West: Implications for Contemporary Trans-Cultural Relations
 New book edited by Dr Nayef Al-Rodhan, Senior Fellow and Centre Director of the Centre for the Geopolitics of Globalization and Transnational Security, GCSP. This book takes a fascinating look at the role of the Arab-Islamic world in the rise of the West. It examines the cultural transmission of ideas and institutions in a number of key areas, including science, philosophy, humanism, law, finance, commerce, as well as the Arab-Islamic world's overall impact on the Renaissance, the Reformation and the Enlightenment. Through this survey of cultural exchange and borrowing, the book challenges received Eurocentric narratives of the rise of the West. It also offers a timely and important discussion of the implications of this shared history for contemporary trans-cultural relations.>>More information
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Training
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Upcoming Training Courses
5-15 November: 3rd Training Course for Afghan Officials: State & Nation Building in Transition, Baku, Azerbaijan. Intended for select Afghan officials from both central and provincial government agencies in key policy areas, this course develops capacity in state building and good governance using the experience of other states or regions which have emerged from war, insurgency, ethnic conflict, invasion or occupation. Click here for information on the 2011 edition of this course.
11-18 November: Defence Attaché Orientation Module for MENA region and PfP countries, Amman, Jordan. 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 sixth time it will be held in Amman as a joint project of the GCSP and the Royal Jordanian National Defence College, supported by the Swiss Confederation.
21-23 November: Strategic Planning and Analysis Seminar. During three days, the GCSP and the Swiss Armed Forces will jointly organise and hold the 12th Strategic Planning and Analysis Seminar. The focus of this seminar is on the situation in the Middle East, 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.
Ongoing Training Courses
Past Training Courses
22-26 October: 14th Annual Course on New Security Issues. This 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. This year the course brought together 18 participants from 15 countries. The MENA region was represented by the Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Oman and Palestine. GCSP Foundation Council countries were also represented. The course curriculum covered topics such as human security, energy security, migration, refugees and IDPs. In addition the course participants were hosted in Bern where they met representatives of the Swiss Government.
 12-19 October: 2nd European Security and Defence College (ESDC) Course on Peacebuilding. Conducted on behalf of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC), in partnership with the Austrian Ministry of Defence and Sports and the Austrian Study Center for Peace and Conflict Resolution (ASPR), this course 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. The course gathered 20 participants from 12 countries affiliated with government ministries of Austria, Ireland and Italy, as well as from UN, EU, OSCE and NATO headquarter offices and field missions. Also in attendance were civil society organizations working in conflict resolution and research, dialogue and mediation activities.
 1-5 October: Defence Attaché Orientation Module for East African Countries, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The GCSP, thanks to funding from the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport - International Relations Defence (DDPS, IR D), conducted a training course for Defence Attachés (DA) in the premises of ACPST / ISS in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 1 to 5 October 2012. It was attended by a wide range of participants from Africa. In total there were 28 participants from 22 African countries.
 24-26 September: GCSP Security Policy Workshop 2012: "The European Union and Crisis Management Operations: Towards More Strategic Thinking". The workshop brought together 14 participants including PhD candidates, post-doctoral fellows and practitioners working on EU security policy, with a focus on inter-institutional cooperation and exit strategies in the broad field of crisis management. The workshop provided a platform for scholarly exchange, giving participants an opportunity to showcase their research and receive feedback on findings and research methodologies. The workshop was sponsored by the European Commission through the COST Action IS0805 on "New challenges of peacekeeping and the European Union's role in multilateral crisis management".
16 July - 16 September: The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and Disarmament Online Course. The GCSP in cooperation with DiploFoundation conducted an eight-week online training course for selected international participants either already working in the fields of non-proliferation and disarmament or that are preparing to enter the field. The course provided interactive training with innovative online methods. It offered comprehensive background information on the historical, theoretical and practical aspects of the non-proliferation regime and addressed the current and future challenges facing non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament. The course offered training to participants from numerous different countries, including Switzerland, India, Brazil, the UK, and Egypt.
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Events
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Upcoming Events
7 November: Public Lunch-time Event: "Can You Get Sued in Switzerland?" The event will present a new paper on Swiss law and employer's obligations with respect to the protection of its employees.
9 November: GPP Annual Meeting: "Operationalizing Resilience in Peacebuilding Contexts: Approaches, Lessons, Action Points". The Annual Meeting 2012 explores the operational experience to achieve higher levels of resilience of communities and institutions, and asks about the action points necessary to strengthen such efforts in peacebuilding contexts.
12-13 November: Cyber Security Seminar. Organised in partnership with the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn (CCDCOE) , the Austrian Institute for International Affairs, and the Swedish Armed Forces Computer Network Operations Unit. NATO's Science for Peace and Security Programme is funding three workshops that will also facilitate the elaboration of a National Cyber Security Framework Manual. Spearheaded by the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, a first workshop was held in Vienna on 12-13 April with the second planned to take place in Stockholm on 16-17 August. The third workshop will take place at the GSCP on 12-13 November 2012.
Past Events
29-30 October: Conference Series on "Francophone Countries and Peacekeeping: Political and Operational Challenges", Addis Ababa. The GCSP, together with the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, the Direction of Security and Defence Cooperation of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Delegation of Strategic Affairs of the French Ministry of Defence hosted in Addis Ababa the first of four seminars on "Francophone Countries and Peacekeeping: Political and Operational Challenges". The theme of this seminar will be "Political and Operational Challenges of Peace in Africa". Three other seminars will be held in 2013, in Dakar, Geneva, and New York.
23-24 October: Expert Seminar: "At the Service of External Action". In partnership with Egmont-Royal Institute for International Relations and the Royal Higher Institute for Defence, the GCSP is co-organising an expert seminar entitled "At the Service of External Action". The seminar will be held in Brussels on 23 and 24 October 2012. The aim of the expert seminar will be to assess the effectiveness of the EU's institutional set-up in the wake of the Lisbon Treaty. Among others, the seminar will examine how successful the EU currently is in making foreign policy, acting early in crisis situations, representing the EU as a whole in other countries and organizations, and making strategy.
 26-28 September: Zermatt Roundtable on Current Security Issues in the North Pacific Region. The Roundtable on Current Security Issues in North Pacific Region took place from 26 to 28 September 2012 in Zermatt, Switzerland. The event, co-organized by the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) and the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), gathered prominent independent experts and officials representatives from China, the US, Japan, and Russia.
13-15 September: 5th GCSP-OSCE Academy-NUPI-NESA-GCMC Seminar "Central Asia 2012". The seminar follows the Chatham House rule and the summary of the discussion will be published as a GCSP Geneva Paper. The seminar was attended by a number of leading experts and governmental officials, as well as the diplomatic and development community in Bishkek. This year the seminar was devoted to the situation in Afghanistan, military cooperation, security service reform, the security strategies of regional players, and the non-traditional threat of organized crime and money laundering.
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Research and Publications
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New Publications
The GCSP is proud to present the following new publications:
Amman Issue Brief: "Arab Civil Societies after the Uprisings: Challenges during Political Transitions", in partnership with the Centre on Conflict, Development and Peacebuilding (CCDP), the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, and the Arab Reform Initiative.
All GCSP publications 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 Awards
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Ambassador Maria Ciobanu and Colonel Guido Maene receive the first ever GCSP Alumni Awards
 The first GCSP Alumni Awards were presented on 11 October 2012 to H. E. Mrs Maria Ciobanu, Ambassador, Permanent Mission of Romania in Geneva, and Colonel GS Guido Maene, European Bilateral Network Officer, Strategy Department, Belgian Ministry of Defence. Now in its inaugural year, the Alumni Award is given annually to a committed alumna or alumnus for her or his exceptional commitment in supporting the work and objectives of the GCSP. The Alumni Awards were presented by Ambassador Fred Tanner, Director, GCSP, together with General Gerd Bischof, Director Academic Planning and Policy, NATO Defence Gollege and GCSP alumnus, at the dinner of the GCSP Security Policy Conference "On the Cutting Edge of International Security".>>More
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Expert Testimonial
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Dr Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou
Head, Regional Capacity Development Programme
 "The restructuring recently enacted by the GCSP will enable it importantly to deepen the influential training, research, and dialogue activities it has been conducting successfully over the past seventeen years. In that context, and on the strength of a rich relationship I have enjoyed with the Centre on joint research projects since my years at Harvard University, I am delighted to take the helm of the newly established Regional Capacity Development Programme. Focusing on national capacity, regional cooperation, and institutional building, this Programme will concentrate on forging partnerships, building skills, and increasing knowledge on security issues with GCSP's vast and influential international network. The Programme's dynamic and committed team and I look forward to engage on these issues at a time when important changes are taking place globally, with, in particular, challenging political transitions, transnational insecurity, and pressing humanitarian questions - all in need of well-informed practical responses which we hope to help devise effectively."
- Dr Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou
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