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GCSP's e-Newsletter
Issue No. 4, 16 April 2014
DISCOVER
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Grasping the Many Facets of Security: Discover GCSP's Centre for the Geopolitics of Globalization and Transnational Security (CGGTS)
The CGGTS has a unique profile within GCSP, going beyond conventional understandings of security and linking up a range of disciplines and approaches (including neuroscience and neuro-chemical interpretations of power - see below). Globalization and the information revolution that has created our hyper-connected world require more inclusive analyses of national politics and international relations, accounting for a wide array of actors, as well as social and cultural relations.
REFLECT
View of Kigali from the Genocide Memorial Centre, 27 July 2012 - Courtesy of Kalyan Neelamraju
Lessons from Rwanda's Genocide: For Better or for Worse, Leadership Matters
Senior Programme Advisor and Senior Fellow Dr Caty Clément draws lessons from the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and its aftermath. A recognised expert on the Great Lakes region, she sheds light on the direct consequences of political leadership and decision-making, both at national and international levels. "Twenty years later, people are still dying daily in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DCR) as a consequence of our collective failure during the Rwandese genocide. [...] Rwanda and the DRC bear testimony to the tragic consequences of political decision-making based on personal networks and short-term strategic goals rather than on early warning systems and objective analysis of long term impacts."
SHARE
Portrait photo of Alexander Hug
GCSP Alumnus appointed as Deputy Chief Monitor of OSCE Monitoring Mission in Ukraine
Alexander Hug, Section Head and Senior Advisor to the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM), was recently appointed to the position of Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine. Mr Hug is an alumnus of GCSP, having participated in the first edition of the Senior Level Peacebuilding Course in 2009.
ACT
Scan image of the human brain
The Neurochemistry of Power
Political power has been studied from many angles, including philosophy and political science. However, at the very basic level, power, just like other human emotions, has neurochemical foundations. It has neurochemical correspondents in the brain, such as dopamine, which is responsible for producing a sense of pleasure. This means that power can be addictive and difficult to relinquish. Absolute power produces intoxicating effects, making transitions or regime change very difficult since those in the positions of power will fight to maintain their power and associated neuronal rewards obtained through it. Only a system of checks and balances can mitigate against the excesses and abuses of power.

ACTION POINT >> Have you ever witnessed the addictive effect of power?