Peacebuilding is ever more relevant today, be it from a perspective of crisis prevention, crisis management, humanitarian aid or development cooperation. It is characterised by involvement of a multitude of actors and complex interaction of many issues and challenges in volatile environments. Equipping professionals with new skills and knowledge to better apprehend this was one of the key objectives of the 5th edition of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC) Course on Peacebuilding, which took place recently in Stadtschlaining, Austria.
The Arab-Israeli conflict has proven to be one of the most protracted and bitter struggles of modern times, and has been extraordinarily resilient in the face of all efforts to resolve it. On 19 June, the GCSP hosted the book launch for "Arabs and Israelis: Conflict and Peacemaking in the Middle East". Written by a distinguished team of authors comprising an Israeli, a Palestinian, and an Egyptian presenting a broader Arab perspective, this textbook offers a balanced and nuanced introduction to this highly contentious subject.
Next Wednesday, 22 July, the 22 participants of our New Issues in Security Course (NISC) will attend their graduation ceremony and receive their certificates, for which they have worked hard since the course started on 9 April. Before they all go back to their respective occupations, we asked two of them, Ms Alison Forrester, from the UK Ministry of Defence, and Mr Moses Riet Dak, from the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Ethiopia, to tell us about their experience.
GCSP Associate Fellow Ambassador Jean-David Levitte draws on his 40+ years of experience in the French Foreign Service to share lessons on diplomacy he thinks can apply to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine:
Listen carefully to the other side and understand what they really mean.
Start dialogue immediately and don't stop.
Be clear about the positive and negative consequences of the outcome of a proposed solution.
Think about the global picture.
Be prepared for a number of difficulties in the implementation of an agreement.
You need a good team.
Don't hesitate to take risks.
ACTION POINT >> Can some of these lessons be applied to crisis situations that you or your organisation have had to deal with?
