Upcoming SIPRI events and activities 4 Sep.
SIPRI, Stockholm
| | Rose Gottemoeller: revitalizing conventional arms control in Europe
While the United States continues to work on the next steps in arms control and non-proliferation, it remains mindful of the importance of European security overall. As the US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, stated in 2010: '[a] strong Europe is critical to our security and our prosperity. Much of what we hope to accomplish globally depends on working together with Europe.’ Acting Under Secretary Gottemoeller will speak about her experiences spearheading US efforts to help revitalize conventional arms control in Europe. Since 2009, Rose Gottemoeller has worked as US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance. Read the full invitation here. Please confirm your participation by emailing Cynthia Loo with your name and full affiliation no later than Monday, 3 September 2012.
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Rose Gottemoeller (photo: US State Dept) | | 28–29 Aug.
New York
| | SIPRI seminar on monitoring illicit arms flows: sanctions, networks and capacity building
This expert seminar, co-organized by the European Union and SIPRI, will be on the subject of illicit arms flows and sanctions monitoring. Read more about the event, or contact Edin Omanovic.
| | | Recent SIPRI events and activities | 2–27 July
New York
| | SIPRI at the arms trade treaty negotiations
SIPRI Senior Researcher Paul Holtom, Director of the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme, and SIPRI Senior Researcher Mark Bromley attended the United Nations Conference on an arms trade treaty (ATT) in July 2012. At a side event on 12 July organized by the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and SIPRI, Dr Holtom launched a new SIPRI publication on implementing an ATT. The paper maps existing efforts aimed at strengthening transfer controls and provides lessons for rendering international assistance to states wishing to implement an ATT. Holtom presented the main findings of the paper, with presentations on international assistance provided by experts from Australia, the EU, Japan and the United States. On 17 July Dr Holtom attended a second side event, organised by the EU and the UN Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). Dr Holtom presented a paper on options for reporting international arms transfers under an ATT, focusing on challenges and solutions for reporting on transfers of ammunition and parts and components. At the conclusion of the negotiations, Dr Holtom also published his reflections on the way ahead in an article for the IPI Global Observatory. Read more about SIPRI’s work towards an ATT. Read Dr Holtom and Bromley's essay in the SIPRI June update on the prospects of an arms trade treaty. Contact Paul Holtom or Mark Bromley for more information.
| | | 23–24 July
San Diego | | SIPRI co-hosts workshop on security and technology cooperation with China
SIPRI, in cooperation with the University of California’s Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC), hosted a two-day workshop on China’s technology trade and investment. Participants presented cases studies on security and technology cooperation and technology transfers from Brazil, Japan, the European Union, Israel, South Korea and Russia. SIPRI’s Director, Dr Bates Gill, as well as SIPRI Senior Researcher Bernt Berger and SIPRI Researcher Oliver Bräuner, participated in the workshop. Berger gave a presentation on EU–China trade and investment relations, while Bräuner’s presentation focused on scientific cooperation. Read more about the IGCC, or contact Bernt Berger for further information.
| | | 16–17 July
Islamabad | | SIPRI co-hosts regional dialogue workshop in Pakistan
SIPRI, in collaboration with the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad (ISSI), organized a two-day workshop entitled 'Pakistan and Afghanistan in an evolving regional order'. Workshop participants included authoritative experts from Pakistan, who presented their insights on how Afghanistan and the wider region will evolve following the expected Western military drawdown in 2014. The participants shared their perspectives on Pakistan's interests, policies and role in respect to achieving long term peace in Afghanistan. The workshop was the first of a series of meetings that will be led by SIPRI in the Wider Central Asia region. The next meeting will be held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in September 2012. For more information about the Wider Central Asia project contact Theresa Höghammar.
| | | 9–12 July
Dar es Salaam | | SIPRI researcher participates in African security symposium
SIPRI Researcher Edin Omanovic, project coordinator for SIPRI’s Countering Illicit Trafficking–Mechanism Assessment Projects (CIT–MAP), participated in the 5th US Africa Command (AFRICOM) Academic Symposium in Tanzania. The event, which brought together over 45 senior academics with an interest in African security issues, aimed to enhance understanding of AFRICOM’s role in Africa and solicit feedback from participants on how it can improve this role. Read more about the event or contact Edin Omanovic for further information.
| | | 5 July
Gotland | | SIPRI researcher discusses nuclear security issues at Almedalen
Lina Grip, Researcher with the SIPRI Arms Control and Non-proliferation Programme, participated in a panel on nuclear weapons and security at Almedalen, an annual forum for Swedish politics. Josefin Lind from the Swedish Section of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War and Dick Clomén from the International Red Cross also participated in the panel, which was moderated by Linda Åkerström of the Swedish United Nations Association. Read more about Almedalen, or contact Lina Grip for more information. You can also view a webcast of the panel (in Swedish).
| | | 2–3 July
Chongming Island
| | SIPRI researcher presents at dialogue on Taiwan
Beijing-based SIPRI Senior Researcher Dr Mathieu Duchâtel presented a paper at the 9th track II dialogue on EU–China relations and the Taiwan issue at Chongming Island, near Shanghai. The Shanghai Institutes of International Studies (SIIS) and the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) jointly hosted the dialogue. Dr Duchâtel’s paper focused on cross-Strait relations since the re-election of Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou. Read more about the work of the SIIS and the SWP, or contact Mathieu Duchâtel for further information.
| | | 26 June
Vienna | | SIPRI senior researcher delivers keynote speech on women and security
SIPRI Senior Researcher Dr Susan Jackson, head of the SIPRI Arms Production Project, delivered a speech at a Gender Breakfast held in cooperation with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Security Days and the OSCE Annual Security Review Conference. The theme of the breakfast event was ‘Women and security: an approach to inclusiveness’. Dr Jackson’s speech argued that gender practitioners need to counter the idea that national security is equated with force, which leads to a militarized idea of security. Read more about the event or contact Susan Jackson for further details.
| | | 25 June
Beijing
| | SIPRI researcher gives presentation on maritime security cooperation
SIPRI Senior Researcher Dr Mathieu Duchâtel presented a discussion paper on developing EU–China cooperation in the maritime security sphere at the Common Security and Defense Policy group meeting of the delegation of the European Union to China, which brings together European defence attachés on a regular basis to discuss Chinese military modernization and Europe–China security cooperation. For more information, contact Mathieu Duchâtel.
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| | | | MEDIA |  | SIPRI in the media Hugh Griffiths was quoted in the Financial Times in an article on Iranian tankers and sanctions. He also spoke to Time Magazine about the arms trade to Syria.
Pieter Wezeman spoke to Associated Press about the use of air power in the Syrian conflict.
Dr Neil Melvin discusses the potential consequences of international intervention in Syria for Dagens Nyheter.
Dr Paul Holtom was quoted in numerous news outlets on the subject of the ATT, including Sydsvenskan, and the Swedish agency TT (picked up by Dagens Nyheter, among others), as well as in Time, Deutsche Welle and Tagesspiegel.
Siemon Wezeman was quoted in an article in The National on German battle tank exports to Qatar. He also spoke to Austria's Der Standard about unmanned vehicles, and participated in a programme on the arms trade treaty hosted by Swedish Radio.
John Hart was quoted in Der Standard on Syria's chemical weapons. His expert comment on the issue has been re-published by Strategic Defence Intelligence and others.
Shannon Kile spoke to Reuters about Iran's nuclear programme. Pieter Wezeman's comments to Reuters on Iran's submarine plans were republished in Trade Arabia and other news outlets.
Carina Solmirano spoke to Radio Nederland Latinoamerica about trends in arms imports in Latin America in the context of the arms trade treaty negotiations in New York. An audio version of the interview is available online (in Spanish).
Dr Sam Perlo-Freeman spoke to Globalpost about military budget cuts in the UK.
Dr Elisabeth Sköns spoke to Swedish Radio in the context of Saab's revised budget for its new Jas Gripen model.
SIPRI's recent publication on the Arctic policies of Canada and the United States, by Kristofer Bergh, has been covered in Arab News and other outlets. Extracts from Bergh's publication were also reprinted in Diplomatie.
| | SIPRI STAFF NEWS | | Dr Bruce Koepke appointed new Senior Researcher with the SIPRI Armed Conflict and Conflict Management Programme
SIPRI is pleased to announce that Dr Bruce Koepke has been appointed as a Senior Researcher with the SIPRI Armed Conflict and Conflict Management Programme. Dr Koepke has been working on and in Afghanistan for the last 15 years. Prior to joining SIPRI, he was employed with the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), initially based in North Afghanistan and Kabul and later in Tehran where he headed UNAMA’s liaison office. Most recently, he worked in the Joint Analysis and Planning Unit in the Office of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Kabul. Dr Koepke will work on SIPRI's Wider Central Asia Initiative, with a particular emphasis on Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan and the role of the international community and the United Nations.
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Bruce Koepke | | PUBLICATIONS | | Recent publications  | | SIPRI Yearbook 2012: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security
The 43rd edition of the SIPRI Yearbook includes coverage of developments during 2011 in 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 or order a copy. | | | | |  | | SIPRI Insights on Peace and Security
Implementing an arms trade treaty: mapping assistance to strengthen arms transfer controls
Paul Holtom and Mark Bromley
It is widely recognized that many states parties to an arms trade treaty (ATT) will need assistance to fulfil their treaty obligations. The creation of an ATT will require the expansion of existing assistance programmes as well as the development of new approaches and efforts specifically designed to assist states with treaty implementation. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of existing assistance could help to ensure that mistakes made under other instruments are not repeated and enable actors to draw on existing good practices. This paper therefore maps existing assistance efforts aimed at strengthening transfer controls for conventional arms, dual-use goods or small arms and light weapons (SALW). Download the Insights paper.
| | | | |  | | SIPRI Insights on Peace and Security
The Arctic policies of Canada and the United States: domestic motives and international context
Kristofer Bergh
The melting polar ice creates a fundamentally new geopolitical situation in the Arctic that warrants attention at both national and international levels. The ability and willingness of Canada and the United States to address the mix of social, economic and military challenges facing the region will be dependent on a range of domestic conditions and processes. While the USA is just waking up to these changes, Canada has made the Arctic a top political priority. This paper explores the domestic motives for the Arctic policies of Canada and the USA and their impacts on the two countries’ foreign policies. It describes the Arctic foreign policies of the two states, outlines the complex relationship between domestic politics and Arctic foreign policy in each country and discusses the ways in which the two countries' Arctic policies interact in the international political and diplomatic arenas. Download the Insights paper.
| | | | |  | | SIPRI Policy Brief
Natural resources and conflict: a new security challenge for the European Union
Nicholas Garrett and Anna Piccinni
Conflict over natural resources is likely to pose significant threats to European security, and the European Union therefore needs to elaborate a comprehensive strategy to meet and overcome these threats. This strategy should combine existing instruments and approaches more effectively, while also finding new ways to balance the imperatives of access to natural resources, regulation of markets and conflict prevention, mitigation and resolution. Such an approach requires a better understanding of natural resource-related security and conflict challenges, as well as an analysis of how current policies affect these challenges. The strategy should therefore be based on comprehensive research into the connection between natural resources and conflict financing; the shifting nature of state effectiveness in the context of natural resource agreements; the link between resource conflict and climate change; and the impact of conflict over natural resources on the multipolar global economy. Download the Policy Brief.
| | | | |  | | SIPRI Fact Sheet
Trends in international arms transfers, 2011
Paul Holtom, Mark Bromley, Pieter D. Wezeman and Siemon T. Wezeman
The SIPRI Arms Transfers Database now contains information on all international transfers of major conventional weapons from 1950 to the end of 2011. It is the only publicly available resource providing consistent data on international arms transfers for this length of time. This Fact Sheet describes the trends in international arms transfers that are revealed by the new data. It lists the main suppliers and recipients for the period 2007–11 and describes the changes in regional trends. Download the Fact Sheet.
| | | | |  | | SIPRI Background Paper
Military capabilities in the Arctic
Siemon T. Wezeman
Climate change is making the Arctic region—and its expected natural resources—more accessible. Overlapping claims by the five Arctic littoral states—Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States—have led to fears of future conflict in the region. In recent years all five countries have included increased protection of Arctic territories and claims in their defence policies. All five have also started to increase their military presences and capabilities in the Arctic region by acquiring Arctic-specific equipment, improving military infrastructure or increasing military forces. Download the Background Paper.
| | | | |  | | SIPRI Policy Paper
Maritime Transport and Destabilizing Commodity Flows
Hugh Griffiths and Michael Jenks
Maritime transport flows are the lifeblood of global trade. They are also the dominant means of transporting a range of potentially destabilizing commodities that threaten states and societies throughout the developing and developed worlds. This SIPRI Policy Paper aims to fill an important knowledge gap by—for the first time in a public document—providing a comprehensive mapping and analysis of the ships involved in the clandestine transport of narcotics, arms and dual-use goods essential to the development of weapons of mass destruction. It also offers practical solutions to one of the most important global security challenges for policymakers, civil society and industry in the 21st century. Download the Policy Paper.
| | | | |  | | SIPRI Policy Paper
Transparency in Military Spending and Arms Acquisitions in Latin America and the Caribbean
Mark Bromley and Carina Solmirano
Military spending has risen considerably in Latin America and the Caribbean in recent years and several states in the region are engaged in major arms acquisition programmes. Despite generally positive interstate relations, fears have been expressed about the impact of these developments on regional stability and poverty-reduction efforts. Allaying such fears requires high levels of transparency in military spending and arms acquisitions in order to build confidence among states and permit informed public debates on the appropriate allocation of national resources. Download the Policy Paper.
| | | | |  | | SIPRI Insights on Peace and Security
Budgetary priorities in Latin America: military, health and education spending
Sam Perlo-Freeman
Military expenditure in Latin America has been increasing rapidly in recent years. In a region still plagued by poverty and inequality, with almost no threat of interstate conflict, some have questioned whether Latin American governments' budgetary priorities reflect their countries' real needs⎯and whether a trade-off is being made between military spending and social spending that could promote development and poverty reduction. Download the Insights paper. | | | | | | | | Other publications
Viski, A., ‘The missile technology control regime 25 years on’, World Export Controls Review, no. 13 (June 2012).
Tertrais, B., ‘Pakistan’s nuclear and WMD programmes: status, evolution and risks’, EU Non-proliferation Consortium, Non-proliferation Paper No. 19, July 2012.
Elleman, M., Esfandiary, D. and Hokayem, E., ‘Syria’s proliferation challenge and the European Union’s response’, EU Non-proliferation Consortium, Non-proliferation Paper No. 20, July 2012.
Beauchamp–Mustafaga, N., 'Chinese perspectives: third North Korean nuclear test unlikely (for now)', 38 North, 14 Aug. 2012.
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