| SIPRI Update: Global Security & Arms Control | November 2008 |
Welcome to the November 2008 issue of SIPRI Update: Global Security & Arms Control. This monthly newsletter is your source for the latest developments in international security, arms control, non-proliferation and conflict, including recent SIPRI activities and publications.
In this issue:
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Comparing regionalism in Asia and Europe: what can the regions learn from each other? |
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Evan S. Medeiros, Senior Political Scientist, Rand Corporation
The myriad differences in interstate relations between Asia and Europe are more commonly discussed than are their similarities. This is especially true regarding the dual processes of regional integration and multilateral cooperation, where each region’s experiences reflect their distinct histories, diverse approaches and current realities. However, comparing their experiences yields important insights into the evolution of regionalism in Europe and, especially, Asia.
| SIPRI Yearbook 2008: summaries available in seven languages | Back to top |
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In addition to the English summary booklet, SIPRI Yearbook 2008, is now available summarized in Catalan, Dutch, French, German, Spanish and Swedish. More on SIPRI Yearbook 2008, including ordering information, is available at yearbook2008.sipri.org. |
| Release of new FIRST database on international security | Back to top |
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A new version of FIRST—Facts on International Relations and Security Trends—an online database on international security has just been released. FIRST provides a comprehensive and authoritative database on:
FIRST is a joint project between SIPRI and the International Relations and Security Network at the Center for Security Studies at ETH Zurich. To date, more than 400 research institutes, universities and international organizations worldwide have established links to FIRST. The database also offers a multilingual interface through partnerships established with Hiroshima University and the Gulf Research Center. FIRST can be accessed online at first.sipri.org. For more information, contact Gerd Hagmeyer-Gaverus. |
| Upcoming SIPRI event | Back to top |
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4 December |
Peace Operations: Trends, Progress and Prospects This roundtable will disseminate the main findings of a recently published book on the future trends in peace operations. The study was jointly conducted by researchers from Georgetown University, SIPRI and the Fund for Peace. Contact the co-editor of the book, Sharon Wiharta, for more information on this study Click here for more information on the event |
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| Recent SIPRI events | Back to top |
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12–13 November |
The Future of European Foreign Policy SIPRI, in partnership with the Centre for European Reform, the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the Swedish Parliament, the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Swedish Institute of International Affairs, co-organized a seminar assessing the future directions in European foreign policy. Senior policymakers including Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, Czech Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra and Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Hryhorii Nemyria participated in the event. Contact the SIPRI Euro-Atlantic and Global Security Programme for more information |
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12 November |
Creating the Conditions for Further Disarmament The Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, in consultation with SIPRI, convened an expert working group meeting and a public conference on nuclear disarmament and policy implications for NATO. Ambassador Rolf Ekéus, Chairman of the SIPRI Board, delivered a keynote speech and Ian Anthony, SIPRI Senior Fellow and Arms Control and Non-proliferation Programme Leader, presented the main findings of a SIPRI study on ‘The Future of Nuclear Weapons in NATO’. SIPRI Director Bates Gill led a panel discussion on NATO’s role in the future prospects for nuclear disarmament. Contact the SIPRI Arms Control and Non-proliferation Programme for more information |
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10 November |
Preventing the Proliferation of WMD: The Role of Export Control of Dual-Use Goods SIPRI and the Centre for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies (EDAM) co-organized a seminar on the current status of the European Union and Turkish national legislation to control the export of dual-use goods. Participants at the seminar emphasized that all parties along the chain of custody of sensitive and controlled items must play their proper roles and called for closer cooperation, coordination and communication within and between countries to strengthen the effectiveness of export control systems. Contact the SIPRI Arms Control and Non-proliferation Programme for more information |
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4 November |
Trends in War, Peace and Arms Speaking at the launch event of SIPRI Yearbook 2008 at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Minister of State in the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office Lord Malloch-Brown commented on the usefulness of the findings contained in the SIPRI Yearbook for those engaged in ‘practical foreign policy’. SIPRI Director Bates Gill and SIPRI Military Expenditure Programme Senior Researcher Sam Perlo-Freeman presented the major findings of this year’s SIPRI Yearbook. SIPRI Governing Board Member Professor Mary Kaldor chaired the event. Click here for more information on the event |
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| SIPRI in the media | Back to top |
SIPRI Director Dr Bates Gill commented to The Australian on the motivations behind Asian governments’ expanding interest in military modernization and the race to space.
SIPRI Researcher Hugh Griffiths gave an assessment of the impact of EU air safety regulations on the activities of air cargo operators that are suspected of being involved in destabilizing arms transfers in Financial Times Deutschland (in German).
SIPRI Senior Researcher Dr Paul Holtom discussed the policy implications of Ukrainian arms exports in Kyiv Post.
SIPRI Senior Fellow Dr Ekaterina Stepanova spoke on the recent developments in the growing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in an interview with UN Radio.
Figures from the SIPRI Arms Transfers Database and the SIPRI Military Expenditure Database were cited in a report by the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, RIA Novosti, and Izvestia (in Russian), among many others.
| SIPRI fact of the month | Back to top |
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Rapid increase in Asian military spending and armaments |
Asian military expenditure increased by 7.9 per cent in real terms in 2007 and reached $200 billion. Military spending in the region has increased by 25 per cent since 2003 and by 53 per cent since 1998. Over the last decade, the average annual rate of increase has been 4.8 per cent. China, India, Japan and South Korea are the four largest spenders in Asia, with expenditures in 2007 of $66 billion, $28 billion, $40 billion and $26 billion, respectively. Combined, these four countries account for 80 per cent of the regional total. These findings can be found in SIPRI Yearbook 2008 and are based on the SIPRI Military Expenditure Database. |
| SIPRI’s latest publications | Back to top |
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Chemical and Biochemical Non-lethal Weapons: Political and Technical Aspects SIPRI Policy Paper no. 23 Ronald G. Sutherland Published by SIPRI November 2008 Download from http://books.sipri.org/ |
Non-lethal weapons are intended to incapacitate personnel or materiel without injuring people. This Policy Paper describes and analyses biological and chemical substances that have the potential to be used as weapons or can improve the efficacy of other, more traditional, weapons. Potential loopholes in the international prohibitions against chemical and biological warfare are presented together with practical, politically feasible and technically useful policy options.
Chemical and biological substances may be used to incapacitate or influence human behaviour and can be used in both wars and other conflict situations, including for peacekeeping and some counterterrorism operations. The possible applications of science and technology for developing such agents are also expanding. This Policy Paper strikes the right balance between scientific detail and reader-friendliness to inform both the specialist and the generalist on this emergent and complex issue.
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South Ossetia and Abkhazia: placing the conflict in context SIPRI Policy Brief Ekaterina Stepanova SIPRI | 4 pp. | November 2008 Download from http://books.sipri.org/ |
International discourse related to the August conflict in and around South Ossetia has been dominated by comparisons between Kosovo and South Ossetia and the Russia–West ‘strategic rivalry’ framework. This Policy Brief argues for the need to go beyond these simplistic frameworks. Instead it focuses on some of the less publicized but no less important local, regional and broader international developments. These include the role of the North Caucasian context in Russia’s decision to intervene in support of South Ossetia; the unexpected implications for the frozen conflicts in the region; and Turkey’s growing mediation role. At the international level, this Policy Brief argues that special attention must be paid to the failure of the conflict to escalate into a broader confrontation and the limited impact on the rest of the world.
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Stemming destabilizing arms transfers: the impact of European Union air safety bans SIPRI Insights on Peace and Security no. 2008/3 Hugh Griffiths and Mark Bromley SIPRI | 20 pp. | October 2008 Download from http://books.sipri.org/ |
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Resource–conflict links in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of the Congo SIPRI Insights on Peace and Security no. 2008/2 Ruben de Koning SIPRI | 20 pp. | October 2008 Download from http://books.sipri.org/ |
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The private military services industry SIPRI Insights on Peace and Security no. 2008/1 Sam Perlo-Freeman and Elisabeth Sköns SIPRI | 20 pp. | September 2008 Download from http://books.sipri.org/ |
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SIPRI Yearbook 2008 Armaments, Disarmament and International Security Stockholm International Peace Research Institute Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of SIPRI ISBN 978-0-19-954895-8 ISSN 0953-0282 hardback 604 pp. £85/$150 Order from the OUP website (UK or USA) or from all good bookshops and online booksellers |
For information on SIPRI’s other recent and forthcoming books, visit the SIPRI Publications website, books.sipri.org
Other recent publications by SIPRI authors
Tim Foxley, ‘How to take the media battle to the Taliban’, NATO Review, September 2008. Read the article here
John Hart and Peter Clevestig, ‘Spores of war: biosecurity in the United States’, Jane’s Intelligence Review, vol. 20, no. 11 (November 2008), pp. 48–51. Read the article here (requires subscription)
Chin-hao Huang, ‘China’s renewed partnership with Africa: implications for the United States’, China into Africa: Trade, Aid and Influence (Brookings Institution Press: Washington, DC, 2008), pp. 296–312. Read more here
Ekaterina Stepanova, ‘Islamist terrorism as a threat to Europe: the scope and limits of the challenge’, Political Violence, Organized Crime, Terrorism and Youth (IOS Press: Amsterdam, 2008), pp. 141–58. Read more here