On 25 December this year, the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) will enter into force, after reaching the threshold of 50 ratifications just last week. In order to respond to the demand for capacity building, particularly in developing and conflict-affected regions, the ATT Network - of which the GCSP is one of the founding members - has launched a series of training courses (both in English and French) to train officials from the signing and ratifying states for the effective implementation of the treaty obligations. The first edition will take place at the GCSP from 6-10 October with 23 participants from 18 countries.
Ms Souad Mekhennet is an investigative journalist for the Washington Post and Associate Fellow at GCSP. She has spent time working in Iraq and Syria and has spoken with members of top ISIS leadership, such as Abu Yusaf, the Senior Security Commander, who is close to ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi. In between a VIP luncheon and a public discussion on ISIS at GCSP, she shared with us her insights and analysis on the group.
GCSP is very pleased to welcome Dr Carl Ungerer as the new Head of our Leadership, Crisis and Conflict Management Programme. He brings along over 20 years of experience as both a practitioner and academic in international security affairs, not least as Senior Adviser to the Australian Foreign Minister (2012-13).Carl joined us just last week and has shared with us why he chose to come to GCSP and what he was up to before.
Lawrence wrote in 1917, now nearly a century ago, when he commented on British involvement in the Middle East, adding: "It is their war, and you are to help them, not to win it for them." Today, these insights receive renewed but much more global attention, as highlighted in the ongoing UN Senior Mission Leaders Course:
Local ownership has become a main premise for both the military and civil efforts in conflict resolution;
Socio-cultural dimensions are fundamental to analysis, response and resolution, to counter-insurgency as well as peacekeeping and peacebuilding;
State and institution building take time, cannot be 'one size fits all', and must be supported but cannot be delivered by the international community.
