July/August 2011

In this issue:

• Arctic cooperation must become more inclusive (essay)
• SIPRI news
• SIPRI events and activities
• SIPRI in the media
• SIPRI staff news
• Recent publications

Arctic cooperation must become more inclusive

Kristofer Bergh

SIPRI Yearbook 2011 summary in five languages

Thanks to the generous cooperation of partner institutes, SIPRI is pleased to announce that summaries of SIPRI Yearbook 2011 are now available in: 

• English
• Swedish
• Catalan, in partnership with Fundació per la Pau, Barcelona
• Dutch, in partnership with the Flemish Peace Institute, Brussels
• German, in partnership with Institut für Friedenspädagogik, Tübingen 

These summaries are available to download or buy here. The first ever Italian summary, translated by the Torino World Affairs Institute (T.wai), is coming soon. 

Upcoming SIPRI events and activities

SIPRI in the media

SIPRI Director Dr Bates Gill discussed the implications of China’s rise as a global power in a podcast for the International Relations and Security Network.
Dr Gill also gave an interview on Chinese strategies during the current financial turbulence to the German new agency DPA, which was picked up by El Pais, China Post, Oman Observer and others.

SIPRI Senior Fellow Siemon T. Wezeman commented on the discovery of Saudi production under licence of German G36 rifles for two German TV outlets, SWR and the ARD programme Kontraste.

SIPRI Programme Director Dr Neil Melvin participated in a discussion on the tragic events in Norway, for Voice of Russia’s Red Line programme. He also gave an interview to Voice of Russia on the recent rioting in the UK.

SIPRI Senior Researcher Shannon Kile commented on the Russian bid to revive Iran nuclear talks in a Reuters article that was picked up by, among others, Euronews.

SIPRI Senior Researcher Pieter D. Wezeman commented on Russian arms transfers to Syria in an article by Swedish news agency TT, which was picked up by Dagens Nyheter.

SIPRI Senior Researcher Bernt Berger spoke to Deutsche Welle on China’s launch of an aircraft carrier.

SIPRI Researcher Oliver Bräuner commented on Taiwan's role in recent developments in the South China Sea for Asia Times Online. He also wrote an article on European responses to China's scientific and technological rise for The Diplomat’s New Leader Forum blog. China Daily published a story based on the article.

SIPRI expertise was widely cited in the debate over Germany’s mooted sale of tanks to Saudi Arabia. SIPRI Senor Fellow Siemon T. Wezeman commented to The Economist and Senior Researcher Mark Bromley was quoted in Deutsche Welle. SIPRI data was featured in reports by the New York Times, Time, the German TV stations ZDF and N-TV, Financial Times Deutschland, Süddeutsche Zeitung, Stern and others.

The June SIPRI Update essay on the Arms Trade Treaty Preparatory Committee meeting, by Dr Paul Holtom and Mark Bromley, was republished by DefenceWeb and Sweden’s SVT Debatt.

The short documentary film Clearing the Air produced by SIPRI's EthicalCargo project is now accessible on the European Commission website.

Recent publications

		SIPRI Yearbook 2011: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security The 42nd edition of the SIPRI Yearbook includes coverage of developments during 2010 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.
		SIPRI Policy Paper Implementing an Arms Trade Treaty: Lessons on Reporting and Monitoring from Existing Mechanisms Paul Holtom and Mark Bromley This new Policy Paper provides the first comprehensive overview of existing UN instruments that require states to report on their arms transfers, transfer controls and enforcement measures. It outlines the types of information required to assess compliance with a future arms trade treaty (ATT), extracts lessons learned from the existing instruments and identifies areas of duplication. This report seeks to lay the foundation for a relevant and robust ATT reporting mechanism. This paper, along with the two Background Papers below, was launched at an event at the Third Session of the Preparatory Committee for the UN Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty. Download the Policy Paper here.
		SIPRI Background Paper Transit and trans-shipment controls in an arms trade treaty Paul Holtom and Mark Bromley A large proportion of arms transfers transit through third countries. Therefore transit controls provide opportunities to strengthen state control at a stage when arms shipments are particularly vulnerable to diversion to illicit markets. This Background Paper provides an overview of existing international and regional agreements and best practices for controls on transit and trans-shipment. It discusses national implementation and enforcement of transit controls, paying particular attention to licensing and authorization, record keeping and information sharing as areas where an ATT could contribute to enhancing transit controls and their enforcement. Download the Background Paper here.
		SIPRI Background Paper Import controls and an arms trade treaty Paul Holtom and Mark Bromley Import controls represent a vital tool for helping to prevent cases of illicit diversion. They can also enable importer countries to play their part in preventing arms from being used to fuel conflicts or facilitate human rights abuses. This Background Paper provides an overview of existing international and regional agreements and best practices for controls on arms imports. It discusses national implementation and enforcement of import controls, paying particular attention to licensing procedures, customs controls and the production and issuing of end-user certificates and other similar documentation. Download the Background Paper here.
		SIPRI Policy Paper Conflict Minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Aligning Trade and Security Interventions Ruben de Koning Mineral resources have played a crucial role in fuelling protracted armed conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This new SIPRI Policy Paper examines the the prospects for and interactions between various trade- and security-related initiatives that are aimed at demilitarizing the supply chains of key minerals. It also describes the changing context in which such initiatives operate. Finally, it offers policy recommendations for how the Congolese Government and international actors can coordinate and strengthen their responses in order to break resource–conflict links in eastern DRC. Download the Policy Paper here.
		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.
		Other publications Hart, John, ‘Dumped chemical munitions: an update’, ‘In memoriam, Dr Ronald R. Nelson' and ‘Preparing for the Seventh Review Conference to the 1972 Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention’, ASA Newsletter, no. 141 (27 Aug. 2011). Herolf, Gunilla, 'Multipolar world at the end of the first decade of the 21st century: how about Europe?', Central European Journal of Public Policy, vol. 5, no. 1 (June 2011). Herolf, Gunilla, 'Vart tog Europatanken vägen?' [Where did the idea of Europe go?], eds C. G. Alvstam, B. Jännebring och D. Naurin, I Europamissionens tjänst: Vänbok till Rutger Lindahl, [In the service of Europe: liber amicorum for Rutger Lindahl] (Centre for European Research at University of Gothenburg, 2011).