Newsletter
January 2013
January 2013 Vol 3, Issue 1
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Highlights
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 Former UN-Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced last Thursday in Accra, Ghana, the creation of the Commission on the Impact of Drug Trafficking on Governance, Security, and Development in West Africa. Among the ten members of the Commission - chaired by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and sponsored by the Kofi Annan Foundation - is Dr Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou, Head of the Regional Capacity Development Programme at the GCSP.
 This discussion will explore the momentous political, social and economic transformations taking place on the southern rim of the Mediterranean, providing the views of eminent personalities from the region. The GCSP is very honoured to welcome H.E. Mr Hedi Ben Abbes, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs for the Americas and Asia of Tunisia, H.E. Mr Hisham Badr, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral Affairs of Egypt, and H.E. Ms Assia Bensalah Alaoui, Ambassador at large of Her Majesty the King Mohamed VI of Morocco on this occasion. The discussion will be chaired by Dr Mohammad-Mahmoud Ould Mohamedou, Head of the Regional Capacity Development Programme, GCSP.
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News
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 The Keynote Speaker, Ambassador Eileen Chamberlain Donahoe, U.S. Representative to the UN Human Rights Council, spoke about the nature and scope of the U.S. role within the framework of the Geneva-based body, and reflected on lessons learned during the first term of President Barack Obama. The discussion was chaired by Ambassador Fred Tanner, Director of the GCSP.
 This year, the ETC has brought together twenty-three participants from twenty-one countries for this eleven-week course examining European security in a global context. The participants come from the ministries of foreign affairs, defence, security, justice, and internal affairs of their respective nations, and include two representatives of the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy. As in previous years, the participants represent countries not only within the Euro-Atlantic area but beyond such as Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia.
 On 1 January 2013, nine new members of the United Nations Advisory Board on Disarmament Matters began their three-year term, following their appointment by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on 19 December 2012. Among them is the Director of the GCSP, Ambassador Fred Tanner.
14 December: In Abu Dhabi, Swiss Foreign Minister Didier Burkhalter stresses GCSP's role in Switzerland's contribution to democratic transformation and fight against terrorism
In his address at the Third Ministerial-Level Plenary Meeting of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) in Abu Dhabi, Mr Didier Burkhalter, Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland, welcomed the opening of the Centre of Excellence for Countering Violent Extremism in the UAE capital. "The Centre will be an important tool to prevent terrorism," he said. He continued: "Switzerland offers the support by the Geneva Centre for Security Policy which can draw on years of experience in research and training." Welcoming also the creation of the International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law in Tunisia, Mr Burkhalter declared: "The Institute will be able to play a critical role in Northern Africa and beyond, maximizing its output in close coordination and cooperation with existing institutions and programmes in the region. Here again, Switzerland could contribute through the Geneva Centre for Security Policy."
 Following the conclusion of his two and a half years as Senior Fellow and Head of Alumni Affairs, the GCSP would like to extend its deep gratitude to Dr Antti Kaski, seconded by the Finnish government, for his extensive and valuable contribution to the Centre and its activities. Some of the highlights of his tenure include his leadership in the conceptualisation and successful delivery of the Security Policy Conference "On the Cutting Edge of International Security", hosted in Geneva in October 2012. He also led the creation of the Alumni Advisory Group and the Annual GCSP Alumni Award, and made important contributions to many courses, e.g. the annual Junior Swiss Diplomats course. Until his departure, Dr Kaski led the programme development process and project team of the large-scale and influential International Security Forum (ISF) 2013. We wish Dr Kaski great success in his next assignment. He will be replaced by a new Finnish staff member at the GCSP in the near future. The GCSP would like to thank and emphasise its great appreciation to the Finnish government for its commitment and valuable support to the Centre, and looks forward to continue strengthening these ties in 2013 and beyond.
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Training
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8 January - 22 March: 17th European Training Course in Security Policy: "European Security in a Global Context". The course provides comprehensive training in European security within a global context. It is designed to provide civilian and military officials from national ministries with a comprehensive and analytical overview of security trends in Europe and its neighbourhood.
25-28 February: 9th Defence Attaché Orientation Module. This Annual Training Module is dedicated to training of defence officials working in a multilateral environment. The module develops a link between international security policy and the practical responsibility of a Defence Attaché.
TRAINING MODULES: 25 February - 1 March 2013
25 February: UN Sanctions. This module will probe the issue of UN sanctions: the evolution from comprehensive to targeted sanctions and the challenges of increasing their effectiveness.
26 February: Humanitarian Arms Control. The training module addresses those issues of arms control that are not related to the classical inter-state body of arms control or to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, such as landmines, cluster munitions, and small arms and light weapons.
27 February: Leadership for Peacebuilding. Participants in this module will identify the specific brand of leadership required for sustainable peacebuilding. Emphasis is on knowing yourself and collaborative leadership, rather than on managing others.
28 February: "Diplomacy 2.0" - The International System and the Transformation of Diplomacy. This training module looks at the main trends in the transformation of diplomacy in the contemporary international system and discusses their impact on the objectives, methods and practices of multilateral diplomacy.
28 February - 1 March: Western Balkans. The Western Balkans are analysed as a complex case of post-conflict peace-building and political reconciliation. Economic, political, inter-ethnic and arms control aspects of the region's development are presented.
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Events
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Forthcoming Events
 The GCSP will host the 10th edition of the ISF, a conference sponsored and co-organised by the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport and the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs as an official Swiss government contribution to the Partnership for Peace. The biennial conference offers the international security community high-level cutting-edge analyses, briefs, and debates on the most relevant topics of international security.
Past Events  The discussion focused on two significant strategic challenges which will shape NATO's future: NATO-Russia relations and the impact of NATO's transition in Afghanistan. The speakers were Professor John Kriendler, Professor of NATO and European Security Issues, George C. Marshall Center, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, and Professor Julian S. Lindley-French, Professor of Strategic Studies, Leiden University and Eisenhower Professor of Defence Strategy, Netherlands Defence Academy, Alphen, Netherlands. The discussion was chaired by Colonel (GS) Arnold Teicht, Course Director, European Training Course in Security Policy (ETC), GCSP.  This visit provided an opportunity to present the Centre and its activities and look into areas of mutual cooperation in the field of peace and security - including disarmament issues - between the Republic of Korea and the GCSP, following the signing of Memoranda of Understanding between the GCSP and the National Defence University of the Republic of Korea in November 2012 and the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS) of the Republic of Korea in May 2010.
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Research and Publications
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GCSP is proud to present the following new publications:
GCSP Policy Paper
2013/1
Securing the West in a Post-Western World Order: NATO's Third 'Transatlantic Bargain'?
by Graeme P. Herd
GCSP Geneva Paper
Research Series n°10
The Security Implications of the Arab Spring
by Mr Eberhard Kienle
GCSP Geneva Paper
Research Series n°9
Taking the Rule of Law Seriously: More Legal Certainty for UN Police in Peacekeeping Missions
by Dr Thomas Fitschen
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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Expert Testimonial
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Mr Maarten Merkelbach
Head, Leadership in Conflict Management Programme
 "The Leadership in Conflict Management Programme examines security challenges in a world that is increasingly characterised by complexity, and is rapidly changing and often unpredictable. It aims to contribute to informed policy debate, decision-making for effective conflict management and sustainable resolutions in a multinational threat and security environment. The relatively broad remit of the Leadership in Conflict Management Programme allows for constructive synergies with the other two GCSP Programmes - Emerging Security Challenges and Regional Capacity Development - that were highlighted in recent newsletters. The Programme combines a traditional, state-centric view of security with a 'human security' perspective. Furthermore, apart from the conceptual and institutional dimensions, it puts specific, and gendered, emphasis on individuals, i.e. the capability, competencies and skills of practitioners, policy shapers and actors. It underlines the importance of the 'collaborative leadership' that is necessary to address multi-dimensional challenges and responses, inter-cultural perspectives and the risks of entrenched identities."
- Mr Maarten Merkelbach
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