December 2010

The African Union mission in Somalia: decision time

Paul D. Williams

SIPRI to draft official OSCE template end-user certificate for small arms and light weapons exports

SIPRI Senior Researcher Dr Paul Holtom has been officially commissioned by the OSCE to develop a template end-user certificate for the export of small arms and light weapons (SALW). The template is intended to assist OSCE participant state's efforts to reduce the risk of diversion of SALW to illicit markets, thereby contributing to the OSCE's efforts to tackle illicit and destabilizing transfers of SALW. Read more about the OSCE and small arms here and for further information contact Dr Paul Holtom.

SIPRI's EthicalCargo Training Expanding

SIPRI's EthicalCargo project continues to expand its training of humanitarian organizations to make informed risk assessments when arranging for the air transportation of relief supplies. On the heels of its risk assessment trainings in Denmark and Kenya in November, EthicalCargo will be running sessions for over 15 organizations in 3 more countries. Participants include MSB (Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency) in Sweden; Handicap International, CARE France, Doctors of the World and Action Against Hunger in France; and Norwegian Church Aid, Norwegian Refugee Council, NORAD and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Norway. 
Read more about SIPRI’s EthicalCargo project here or contact Caroline Säfström for more information.


Upcoming SIPRI events and activities

Recent SIPRI events and activities
2-3 Dec. Brussels		European Security Strategy to address long-term security threats SIPRI Senior Researcher Dr Sibylle Bauer chaired the break-out session on CBRN risk mitigation at a conference aimed at contributing to the defining of the priority areas for the 2012-13 strategy of the Instrument for Stability (IFS) in the field of transregional threats and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) risk mitigation. Read more about the IFS here and contact Sibylle Bauer for further information.
2 Dec. London		SIPRI Yearbook Issue Seminar: nuclear weapons in Europe – Podcast out now! SIPRI and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) hosted a discussion on key questions related to nuclear weapons in Europe with Shirley Williams and Des Browne of the Top Level Group of UK Parliamentarians for Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament and Non-proliferation. Listen to the podcast from the event here and for further information contact SIPRI Communications Director Stephanie Blenckner.
23-24 Nov. Brussels		COARM meeting discusses the EU Common Position and the Arms Trade Treaty SIPRI Researcher Dr Susan Jackson attended the annual COARM-NGO (Council Working Party on Conventional Arms Export--Non-Governmental Organizations) conference organized by the Belgian Presidency of the EU, Saferworld and GRIP (Groupe de recherche et d'information sur la paix et la securite). The meeting focused on clarifying, harmonizing and improving implementation of criteria 7 and 8 of the EU Common Position. The EU response to contentious issues regarding the ATT was also discussed. For further information contact Susan Jackson.
23-24 Nov. Kuala Lumpur		Customs seminar on strategic trade controls Close to 100 Malaysian customs officials and representatives from various agencies attended a seminar supported by customs experts from SIPRI, Malta, the Netherlands, the UK and Germany. The event, which is part of the EU Project "Assistance in export control of Dual-use goods", highlighted the importance of Malaysia’s new Strategic Trade Act and the role of customs in its enforcement, and welcomed current and future cooperation with the EU on implementing the STA. For further information contact SIPRI Senior Researcher Dr Sibylle Bauer.
23-24 Nov. Belgrade		Regional Arms Exports Information Exchange Process SIPRI Senior Researcher Mark Bromley attended a workshop organized by SEESAC (South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons). The workshop brought together government officials from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia to discuss issues relating to arms export controls. Bromley presented the results of a study commissioned by SEESAC on the production of national and regional reports on arms exports by EU member states and states in South Eastern Europe. Read more here and contact Mark Bromley for further information.
17-18 Nov. Kyiv		Regional Seminar on Arms Export Control SIPRI Senior Researcher Dr Paul Holtom attended a EU COARM (Council Working Party on Conventional Arms Export) Regional Seminar on Arms Export Control in Kyiv. The seminar was funded by the EU and organized by the German Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA) in cooperation with the Ukrainian Government. Dr Holtom chaired a workshop session on outreach to industry. Contact Paul Holtom for further information.
15-18 Nov. Burundi		African Union support to the Somali peace process SIPRI Researcher Dr Olawale Ismail attended a conference convened by the African Union (AU) Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) titled ‘The African Union support to the implementation of the Djibouti Peace Process for Somalia’ and hosted by the Government of Burundi. Participants included the Somali Transitional Federal Government, AU, IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development), UN, civil society organizations, African peace support training institutions and countries contributing to AMISOM. For further information, contact Olawale Ismail.

SIPRI in the media

SIPRI Director Dr Bates Gill commented on China's position towards the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize winner for Bloomberg News, picked up by Business Week.

SIPRI Senior Researcher Linda Jakobson and SIPRI Research Assistant Dean Knox were quoted in The Economist’s ‘A special report on China's place in the world’. In the same issue, SIPRI Senior Researcher Dr Sam Perlo-Freeman commented on China's military expenditure.

SIPRI Senior Fellow Siemon Wezeman commented on the Korea conflict to Swedish Television SVT. He was also interviewed by the Wall Street Journal on China’s copying of Russian combat aircraft and by Bloomberg News on India's arms purchases.

SIPRI Senior Researcher Shannon Kile commented on Iran's nuclear activities to Reuters.

SIPRI Senior Researcher Hugh Griffiths gave US public service radio WBEZ91.5 of Chicago an interview on arms trafficking and EthicalCargo.

No current vacancies or staff news
Please check out the vacancy section on our website regularly here.

Recent publications

		SIPRI Monograph Governing the Bomb: Civilian Control and Democratic Accountability of Nuclear Weapons edited by Hans Born, Bates Gill and Heiner Hänggi ISBN 978-0-19-958990-6 With a special emphasis on civilian control and democratic accountability, Governing the Bomb seeks to illuminate the structures and processes of nuclear weapon governance of eight nuclear-armed states: the USA, Russia, the UK, France and China as well as Israel, India and Pakistan. It examines the theoretical as well as practical functions and structures of those who possess the power to make nuclear decisions and those who have the practical means and physical opportunity to execute those decisions. Read more and order the book here.
		SIPRI Fact Sheet International transfers of combat aircraft, 2005–2009 Siemon T. Wezeman Stories like the USA's planned sale of combat aircraft to Saudi Arabia, Israel's and Canada's selection of the US Joint Strike Fighter, and ongoing competition for large orders from India and Brazil are making headlines in the media. This SIPRI Fact Sheet shows that combat aircraft together with related weapons and components accounted for one-third of worldwide arms transfers in the past five years and highlights concerns about the economic and security consequences of these transfers. Download the Fact Sheet here.
		SIPRI Background Paper Arms flows and the conflict in Somalia Pieter D. Wezeman The combination of conflict and weak governance in Somalia has had a devastating impact on civilians as well as exacerbating regional tensions and facilitating the rise of piracy. This Background Paper examines recent arms supplies to Somalia and to other African countries that have directly supported the various Somali armed actors, both government and opposition. It discusses the effects of the United Nations arms embargoes on Somalia and Eritrea and presents the risks involved in supplying arms to the various actors. Download the Background Paper here.
		SIPRI Background Paper Arms transfers to the Democratic Republic of the Congo: assessing the system of arms transfer notifications, 2008–10 Mark Bromley and Paul Holtom The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been subject to a United Nations arms embargo since 2003. In 2008 the UN Security Council lifted the last remaining restrictions on arms acquisitions by the Congolese Government, but maintained a requirement that states supplying arms notify the Sanctions Committee on the DRC prior to delivery. Ensuring that the Congolese system works as intended is important for improving the situation in the DRC but also has implications for the use of such systems in other conflict zones. Download the Background Paper here.
		SIPRI Fact Sheet Military spending and arms procurement in the Gulf states Carina Solmirano and Pieter D. Wezeman In September 2010 it was reported that Saudi Arabia had sought the US Government’s permission to purchase large numbers of combat aircraft and helicopters from US companies. This was just the latest indication that Saudi Arabia is planning a new arms-purchasing spree similar to that in the 1990s, raising questions about the possible impacts of military build-ups in the Gulf region. This SIPRI Fact Sheet combines data on known military spending and recent and planned arms imports in the Gulf states. Download the Fact Sheet here.
		SIPRI Insights on Peace and Security no. 2010/5 The limitations of European Union reports on arms exports: the case of Central Asia Paul Holtom and Mark Bromley All European Union member states are required to submit information on arms export licences and arms exports for inclusion in the EU annual reports on arms exports. The example of Central Asia—Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan—shows that the data in these EU annual reports has only a limited utility for monitoring exports of arms and military equipment. This SIPRI Insights paper recommends specific steps can be taken to improve the annual reports and to extend their utility. Download the Insights paper here.
		SIPRI Policy Paper no 26 New Foreign Policy Actors in China Linda Jakobson and Dean Knox The dynamic transformation of Chinese society that has paralleled changes in the international environment has had a direct impact on both the making and the shaping of Chinese foreign policy. The international community needs to understand the complex nature of these changes in seeking China’s engagement and cooperation. Uniquely informed by the authors’ access to individuals across the full range of Chinese foreign policy actors, this SIPRI Policy Paper reveals a number of emergent trends, chief among them the changing face of China’s official decision-making apparatus and the direction that actors on the margins would like to see Chinese foreign policy take. Download the Policy Paper here.
		SIPRI Yearbook 2010: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security The 41st edition of the SIPRI Yearbook includes coverage of developments during 2009 in major armed conflicts, multilateral peace operations, military expenditure, arms production, international arms transfers, world nuclear forces and fissile material stocks, nuclear arms control and non-proliferation, reduction of security threats from chemical and biological materials, conventional arms control, controls on security-related international transfers and multilateral arms embargoes. Read more here. To order a copy, click here.
		Other publications Hagelin, Björn, ‘Krigsmaterielexport, import och offset tre sidor av samma mynt’ [Arms exports, imports and offset: three sides of the same coin], PAX, no. 5 (2010). Read the article here. Holtom, Paul, Book review of ‘Tanki augusta: Sbornik statei’ [Tanks of August: A collection of articles] by Barabanov, Mikhail, Lavrov, Anton, and Tseluiko, Viacheslav, The Journal of Slavic Military Studies, vol. 23, no. 4 (Oct. 2010), pp. 713-16.