SIPRI Update: Global Security & Arms Control

Issues, events and publications in international security, arms control, non-proliferation and conflict

June 2009

In this issue:

Bates Gill takes stock of international security (essay)
Global military expenditure set new record in 2008, says SIPRI
SIPRI's new visual profile
Final news update from the EU-CONSENT Project
SIPRI events and researchers activities
SIPRI in the media
Job openings
New publications

ESSAY

Taking stock of international security

Bates Gill, SIPRI Director

Perceptions of threats to security are both individual and shared. Currently, many people share concerns about recent developments in Iran and North Korea, while many also see in the new approach of the United States a glimmer of hope. SIPRI - with its mandate to 'contribute to an understanding of the conditions for peaceful solution of international conflicts' - aims through its Yearbook to provide a basis on which threats can be assessed and to deliver the most relevant facts for the debate.

In the newly released edition of the SIPRI Yearbook, more than 20 authors from more than a dozen countries detail the increasing threats to security, stability and peace in nearly every corner of the globe. And on top of everything, the effects of the global financial crisis will likely exacerbate all of these challenges as governments and non-governmental organizations struggle to respond effectively. What general global developments are we facing? And how do recent events indicate where we are heading?

Global military expenditure set new record in 2008, says SIPRI

On 8 June SIPRI launched the 2009 edition of its Yearbook on Armaments, Disarmament and International Security.

According to new figures released in the Yearbook, worldwide military expenditure in 2008 totalled an estimated US$1464 billion. This represents an increase of 4 per cent in real terms compared to 2007, and an increase of 45 per cent since 1999. The USA accounted for the majority (58%) of the global increase between 1999 and 2008, with its military spending growing by $219 billion in constant 2005 prices over the period. Even so, it was far from the only country to pursue such a course. China and Russia, with absolute increases of $42 billion and $24 billion respectively, both nearly tripled their military expenditure over the decade. Other regional powers - particularly India, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Israel, Brazil, South Korea, Algeria and the UK - also made substantial contributions to the total increase. Read the full release here.

NEWS

SIPRI's new visual profile

With this new edition of the SIPRI Update and the new-look website, www.sipri.org, going live this month, SIPRI has completed the implementation of its new visual profile. The website has undergone a thorough reorganization of information with the aim of giving SIPRI's audience all over the world as easy access as possible to all SIPRI information, databases and publications. Another key aim is to present research in a more coherent and more easily accessible way. Please send feedback and comments to SIPRI Communications Officer Stephanie Blenckner.

NEWS

Final news update from the EU-CONSENT Project

The four-year EU-CONSENT project involving 53 institutes and more than 200 researchers has come to an end. A particular focus of the project, in which SIPRI has been deeply engaged, was to study the relationship between the widening and deepening of the European Union and to reflect on the Union's capacity to enlarge. In the project's final newsletter are details of the closing events, the latest publications and the outcome of a survey on what the project has meant to the individual participants.

Read the final EU-CONSENT newsletter here. For more information, contact SIPRI researcher Gunilla Herolf.

EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

SIPRI events and activities

28 Sept Brussels	SIPRI Yearbook 2009 Launch in Brussels ISIS Europe will host a seminar for European parliamentarians, the public and media to present key findings of SIPRI Yearbook 2009. Details to be confirmed. To register your interest, contact SIPRI Communications Officer Stephanie Blenckner.
25 June London	SIPRI Director Dr Bates Gill gives testimony before the British House of Lords Dr Bates Gill, SIPRI Director, was invited to present testimony before the Brittish House of Lords Subcommittee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Development Policy on the issue of China-Europe relations. His appearance was part of a series of hearings held by the subcommittee on this issue in May and June 2009. Transcripts of the hearings can be found here. Dr Gill's remarks will be posted shortly.
24 June London	Taking Stock of International Security: London Launch of SIPRI Yearbook 2009 A presentation on Afghanistan and regional security trends by General Sir David Richards, Commander in Chief of British Land Forces and former Commander of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan was the highlight of the London launch of SIPRI Yearbook 2009. The event was co-hosted by the London School of Economics Centre for the Study of Global Governance. Chaired by Prof. Mary Kaldor, SIPRI Board Member and Co-director of the Centre, the event attracted a broad audience of members of the international security community and the media. For more information, read here. Download the podcast of the event here.	Launch event in London.
8 June Stockholm	Stockholm Press Launch of SIPRI Yearbook 2009 The 40th edition of the SIPRI Yearbook was launched in Stockholm with an engaged audience of media, diplomats, researchrs and others. Distinguished speakers including Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi and Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala, SIPRI Board members, addressed some of the highlights of the 2009 Yearbook. A video stream from the press conference is available here. To read more, download sample chapters and order SIPRI Yearbook, click here.	Press Conference in Stockholm.
3-4 June Albania	SIPRI informs on arms export control in Albania SIPRI researchers Mark Bromley and Ivana Micic took part in a Regional Seminar on Arms Export Control in Tirana, Albania. The seminar was co-hosted by the Czech and Albanian governments and was attended by officials from states in southeastern Europe. It is one of a series of seminars being organized by the Council of the European Union with the assistance of the Council Secretariat under Council Joint Action 2008/230/CFSP. The seminars are aimed at promoting the criteria and principles of the EU Common Rules on Arms Exports. Read more here and contact SIPRI Researcher Mark Bromley for more information.
2 June Stockholm	Economic dimensions of conflict SIPRI Researcher Ruben de Koning participated in a seminar organized by Ethix SRI Advisors, Oxfam and Insight Investment entitled 'Operating in sensitive countries: the role of business and institutional investors in poverty alleviation and development' where he addressed the economic dimensions of conflict in general, and particularly the role of natural resource sectors in so-called war economies, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a current example. For more information, contact SIPRI Researcher Ruben de Koning.
25 May Geneva	Verifying a fissile material cut-off treaty: technical issues and political choices SIPRI organized a seminar at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) in Geneva, Switzerland on potential modalities and principles for effective verification of the proposed fissile material cut-off treaty (FMCT) could be verified, in accordance with the negotiating mandate adopted by the Conference on Disarmament. Attendees included representatives of local diplomatic missions and civil society organizations. The seminar was funded by a grant from the Norwegian Ministry for Foreign Affairs as part the project 'Achieving concrete, near-term progress towards nuclear disarmament'. For more information, contact SIPRI Senior Researcher Shannon Kile.

SIPRI IN THE MEDIA

SIPRI in the media

More than 2300 media outlets in more than 83 countries worldwide covered the launch of the SIPRI Yearbook 2009. Read some samples of the coverage by Al Jazeera, BBC, NDTV, AP, AFP, IPS, Reuters, DW-TV, Le Monde, Pravda, Reliefweb and more. Video clips of the press event in broadcast quality can still be downloaded here. For more details, please contact Stephanie Blenckner

SIPRI Researcher Pieter Wezeman commented on the German company Heckler & Koch in Wirtschaftswoche.

SIPRI Researcher Dr Ekaterina Stepanova was interviewed on the Global Peace Index by Radio Free Europe

SIPRI JOB OPENINGS

SIPRI job openings

Programme Leader SIPRI Armed Conflict and Conflict Management Programme
The study of armed conflicts has been a central pillar of SIPRI's work since the institute's foundation in 1966. Today, the Programme on Armed Conflict and Conflict Management provides the main platform within SIPRI for critical research, analysis, and recommendations in relation to the nature, major actors, and overall trends in conflict and armed violence, peace operations, and post-conflict peacebuilding activities. SIPRI seeks a high-profile, dynamic and experienced individual to lead its Programme on Armed Conflicts and Conflict Management. Read more here.

Researcher/Research Assistant, SIPRI China and Global Security Programme
SIPRI is seeking a Researcher/Research Assistant to join its newly established China and Global Security Programme. The Programme seeks to advance contemporary China studies with a particular emphasis on China's role in global, non-traditional and transnational security. Through comprehensive research, analysis, policy-relevant publications and other outputs, including work with Chinese partners, the Programme will analyse China's increasingly important position in international security affairs, and help policymakers, opinion leaders, scholars, businesses and the general public to more fully understand the foreign and security policy implications of China's role. The position will be based at the SIPRI headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden. Read more here.

PUBLICATIONS

New publications

		SIPRI Yearbook 2009: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security The 40th edition of the SIPRI Yearbook include coverage of developments during 2008 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, reducing 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.
		New SIPRI Policy Brief Addressing Drugs and Conflicts in Myanmar Dr Ekaterina Stepanova This Policy Brief explains the parallel processes of conflict management and significant reduction in opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar's north-east during 1996-2006. Myanmar's success in this regard stands in sharp contrast to the surge in the opium economy in Afghanistan since 2001. Myanmar is now at a critical juncture. The decline in its opium economy could be reversed, to the detriment of regional and broader international security, without massive foreign investment in alternative development in the former poppy-growing areas. The Policy Brief argues that China would be the optimal donor. Read more here.
		New SIPRI handbook Applied Biosecurity for Life Science Laboratories Biosecurity covers a broad spectrum of potential risks and threats, from criminal activities to bioterrorism and espionage. This handbook focuses on the laboratory-related activities and basic components of applied biosecurity that are relevant to all laboratory employees. The role played by laboratory managers and principal investigators in safeguarding laboratory assets and the employees under their supervision is also highlighted. The handbook provides guidance for personnel who work with infectious pathogens and toxins that may affect the health of humans, animals and plants. It aims to engage scientists, laboratory employees and students in laboratory biosecurity, and to provide practical advice that will ensure the secure handling and storage of biological materials. To order the handbook or download the PDF, click here.
		New SIPRI Background Paper Arms Transfers to the Americas United Nations member states are currently discussing the feasibility of an arms trade treaty (ATT) that would seek to create better controls on international arms transfers. This Background Paper is one of a series produced by SIPRI to inform these discussions. Arms transfers to the Americas, particularly to South America, have risen sharply in recent years. Illicit transfers of small arms and light weapons can have a particularly destabilizing effect on all states in the region. A number of transparency and confidence-building measures have been developed. Read more and download the pdf here.
		Other publications SIPRI Researcher Chin-hao Huang contributed to an online discussion forum for the International Affairs Forum, with a short op-ed piece on the issue of China-Africa relations. Stepanova, E., Book review: Terror and Consent: The Wars for the Twenty-first Century, by Philip Bobbitt, International Affairs (Chatham House), vol. 85, no. 4 (2009), pp. 849-50.
		Addendum SIPRI would like to add that the Chinese translation of SIPRI Yearbook 2008 announced in the April edition of SIPRI Update is funded by the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport, which also funds the translations of the Yearbook into Russian and Ukrainian. Read more about all the translations of the SIPRI Yearbook here.