SIPRI Update: Global Security & Arms Control

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

November 2009

In this issue:

Amb. Wolfgang Ischinger writes on the European security architecture two decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall (essay)
China's emergence in peacekeeping a major boost to UN capabilities: SIPRI report
New multilateral arms embargoes imposed
SIPRI events and activities
SIPRI in the media
Job openings
Recent publications

ESSAY

The European security architecture two decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall: can Russia be integrated?

Amb. Wolfgang Ischinger, SIPRI Board Member

Twenty years after the end of the cold war, the need for a sincere and critical effort to review the European security architecture is increasingly recognized on both sides of the Atlantic.

Europe's existing order was constructed in the 1990s, after the reunification of Germany, the retreat of Soviet forces, and the end of the Soviet Union. Several important decisions were made at the time. While the Warsaw Treaty Organization (Warsaw Pact, WTO) disappeared, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) continued to prosper and soon began to respond to requests for membership, including from former WTO states. Simultaneously, efforts were made to develop meaningful and cooperative relationships between the European Union and Russia and between NATO and Russia.

Continue reading...

NEWS

China's emergence in peacekeeping a major boost to UN capabilities, says SIPRI

(Stockholm/Beijing) The international community should encourage and support China's current drive to dramatically increase its involvement in United Nations peacekeeping operations, concludes a new SIPRI report launched this month. SIPRI Policy Paper no. 25, China's Expanding Role in Peacekeeping: Prospects and Policy Implications by SIPRI Director Bates Gill and former SIPRI researcher Chin-hao Huang, argues that China's new engagement in peacekeeping presents a potentially win-win situation for China, the UN and countries emerging from conflict. The report was launched at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of China on 3 November.

Read the press release here. Download the full report and an executive summary in Chinese here.

NEWS

New multilateral arms embargoes imposed

On 17 October 2009 the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) imposed an arms embargo on the Republic of Guinea, under the ECOWAS Convention on Small Arms and Light Weapons, in response to the killing of over 150 demonstrators by Guinean security forces the previous month. This was the second arms embargo ever imposed by ECOWAS. Ten days later, on 27 October, the European Union (EU) followed suit, imposing an arms embargo under Council Common Position 2009/788/CFSP in response to the same events and concerns about the general political situation in the country. In the same session, the EU Council decided not to extend the EU arms embargo on Uzbekistan, which had been imposed in response to the Uzbek Government's refusal to allow an independent international inquiry into the 'excessive, disproportionate and indiscriminate use of force by the Uzbek security forces during the Andijan events' of May 2005.

Access the SIPRI arms embargoes database to find out more about embargoes imposed by the UN, the EU and other regional and subregional organizations and to link to relevant documents. The database is maintained by the SIPRI International Arms Transfers Programme.

EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

Forthcoming SIPRI events and activities

16 Dec. 14:00 SIPRI	SIPRI Lecture: Nuclear disarmament from a nuclear-materials perspective Frank von Hippel is Professor of Public and International Affairs and Co-chair of the International Panel on Fissile Materials. He will speak on the central importance of controlling and eliminating plutonium and highly enriched uranium and the means of their production in nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and the prevention of nuclear terrorism. To register for the event, contact SIPRI Communications Assistant Clarissa Dierang.	Frank von Hippel
Recent SIPRI events and activities
19-20 Nov. Ghana	SIPRI African Security and Governance Project meeting with civil society organizations The SIPRI Project on Security and Governance in Africa, which is funded by the Open Society Institute, held its first meeting with African civil society organizations (CSOs) at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Accra, Ghana, this month. The meeting, which included CSOs from six African countries, discussed and defined the forms that future cooperation will take. Please contact Elisabeth Sköns for further information.
17 Nov. Brussels	SIPRI participates in Security and Defence Day Associated Senior Research Fellow Dr Stephanie Blair participated in the annual Security and Defence Day organized by Security and Defence Agenda and CEIS with the support of the Swedish EU Presidency. The event gathered key actors with civilian and military backgrounds to discuss the future of the European Security and Defence Policy, with particular focus on civil-military cooperation. Read more about the event here and about the SIPRI project on the Civilian Contribution to Peace Operations here. Contact Stephanie Blair or Sharon Wiharta for further information.
9-13 Nov. Ankara	SIPRI briefs NATO on history of biological and chemical warfare SIPRI Researcher John Hart delivered two lectures on historical aspects of chemical and biological warfare at a training workshop on Defence Against Terrorism at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Centre of Excellence-Defence Against Terrorism (COE-DAT) in Ankara, Turkey. Contact John Hart for further information.
11 Nov. Stockholm	SIPRI presentation on European peacekeeping and the Responsibility to Protect SIPRI Researcher Sharon Wiharta gave a presentation on why European countries are deploying fewer troops to United Nations peacekeeping operations and the possible implications for the Responsibility to Protect at a seminar organized by the Swedish United Nations Association, the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, the Swedish Institute of International Law (SIFIR) at Uppsala University, and the Swedish National Defence College. The keynote speaker at the seminar was the UN Special Adviser to the Secretary General on the Responsibility to Protect, Dr Edward Luck. Swedish parliamentarians joined the final panel debate. For more information read here or contact Sharon Wiharta.
27-28 Oct. Tbilisi	SIPRI participates in seminar on export controls in Georgia SIPRI Senior Researcher Paul Holtom took part in a regional seminar on export controls entitled Transparency, Responsibility and Efficiency, in Tbilisi, Georgia. The seminar was organized by the Swedish Agency for Non-Proliferation and Export Controls (ISP) and was attended by officials from states in the southern Caucasus and Moldova. It is one of a series of seminars being organized by the EU Council under Council Joint Action 2008/230/CFSP aimed at promoting the criteria and principles of the EU Common Rules on Arms Exports. Contact Paul Holtom for further information.
27-28 Oct. Stockholm	SIPRI addresses Chinese delegation on enforcing dual-use export controls The Head of SIPRI's Export Control Project, Sibylle Bauer, addressed a Chinese delegation during the Swedish leg of their European study tour on the subject of trends and challenges in enforcing export controls on dual-use items. The visit was organized by the German Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA) in cooperation with the customs authorities of Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany, and was funded by the EU. Contact Sibylle Bauer for further information.
22-23 Oct. Rome	SIPRI presents projects on trafficking of small arms and light weapons SIPRI researcher Hugh Griffiths gave a presentation to the Club of Budapest on upcoming projects related to the illegal trafficking of small arms and light weapons at a two-day conference held at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Club of Budapest is composed of EU member states and agencies active in the fields of open-source intelligence and early warning and is funded by the European Commission. Contact Hugh Griffiths for further information.
22-25 Oct. Wilton Park, UK	Meeting on deterring and penalizing export controls violations In October SIPRI co-organized a meeting of European and US experts and officials on the role of law enforcement instruments in combating nuclear proliferation and nuclear terrorism, entitled New Approaches to Nuclear Smuggling. This is believed to have been the first time that prosecutors and investigators involved in bringing such cases to trial from both sides of the Atlantic have come together to compare experiences and examine best practices. The conference was organized by Wilton Park in partnership with SIPRI, the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey Institute of International Studies, the Georgetown University Institute for International Law and Politics, and the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency. Read more about the meeting and contact SIPRI Programme Director Dr Ian Anthony for further information.

MEDIA

SIPRI in the media

The launch of the SIPRI Policy Paper on Chinese peacekeeping was reported by, among others, the Global Times, which published a long interview with Dr Bates Gill, the Washington Post and Reuters, which included extensive comments by Chin-hao Huang. Both authors were also interviewed on Chinese peacekeeping developments by the Financial Times.

Vitaly Fedchenko commented on technical aspects of uranium enrichment in Iran in the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta. Shannon Kile commented on the same issue for Radio Free Europe.

Dr Zdzislaw Lachowski was quoted on the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty in International Affairs.

Dr Ian Anthony commented on Turkey's nuclear weapons for the Turkish English-language daily Hurriyet Daily News.

Carina Solmirano discussed the South American arms race for the Brazilian Opera Mundi. She also commented on military expenditure in South America for R7 International in Brazil.

SIPRI JOB OPENINGS

SIPRI job openings

Programme Director for the SIPRI Programme on Global Health and Security
SIPRI has secured the support of a major donor to establish a Programme on Global Health and Security. SIPRI will take a leading position in this field, defining and advancing research, analysis and policy guidance to address the many complex challenges at the nexus of health and security. SIPRI seeks a highly regarded, dynamic and experienced individual to build and lead the programme. Read more here.

Fellowship for an African Researcher, Practitioner or Activist in the field of Security and Governance in Africa
SIPRI invites applications for a three-month fellowship for young Africans (male or female) in the project Security and Governance in Africa. The fellowship will be residential at SIPRI in Stockholm, Sweden. The successful candidate(s) will be expected to develop and complete a research or policy-relevant paper addressing aspects of external actors' role in security and governance in Africa; to assist in coordinating and planning activities for the security and governance project; and to participate in SIPRI research activities, especially in gathering African military expenditure data. Read more here.

PUBLICATIONS

Recent publications


		SIPRI Policy Paper no. 25 China's Expanding Role in Peacekeeping: Prospects and Policy Implications Bates Gill and Chin-hao Huang China has dramatically increased its participation in UN peace operations in recent years. This timely Policy Paper offers new insights into the development of China's engagement in multilateral peacekeeping and the factors and debates that underlie it. The report also examines what these new trends mean for multilateral peacekeeping and for China's major security partners. Finally, it makes policy-oriented recommendations on how China and the international community can build on this unique opportunity to strengthen multilateral peacekeeping and to firmly establish a new, more positive international role for China. To download the Policy Paper click here.
		Map of Multilateral Peace Operation Deployments, September 2009 This SIPRI map presents a snapshot of multilateral peace operation deployments worldwide in September 2009. Using data drawn from the SIPRI Multilateral Peace Operations Database, it shows where missions are taking place, how large they are and which organizations and coalitions are conducting them. The map is in A3 format. To download the map click here.
		SIPRI Background Paper The EU non-proliferation clause: a preliminary assessment Lina Grip The European Union introduced the non-proliferation clause in 2003 as a way to encourage its non-EU partners to enhance their participation in and implementation of multilateral non-proliferation instruments. This paper examines how the EU has fared--and sometimes failed--in its efforts to include the WMD clause in agreements with third countries. To download the Background Paper click here.


		SIPRI Yearbook 2008 in Ukrainian The Ukrainian translation of SIPRI Yearbook 2008: Armaments, Disarmament and International Security has now been published and is available from the Razumkov Centre-Ukrainian Centre for Economic and Political Studies (UCEPS), Kyiv. The translation was funded by a grant from the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport, which also supports Chinese and Russian translations. For more information, contact the Razumkov Centre. For more on translations of the SIPRI Yearbook and the Yearbook summary, click here.

		SIPRI Background Paper Artisanal mining and post-conflict reconstruction in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Ruben de Koning For at least two decades mineral resources have been a curse rather than a blessing for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Although the civil war there formally ended in 2003, armed conflicts continue in the east of the country while the DRC as a whole remains highly militarized. Re-establishing civil control over militarized mining areas must be a top priority for the Congolese Government. To download the Background Paper click here.


		SIPRI Policy Brief Building Air Traffic Capacity in Africa: Options for Improving Security and Governance Hugh Griffiths Air transport development programmes in Africa have the potential to significantly improve security and governance in regions affected by conflict and transnational organized crime. This paper brings together SIPRI's pioneering work on air transport-safety links and its ongoing study on weapon and raw material flows in the DRC, which is funded by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. To download the Policy Brief click here.

		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.

© SIPRI 2009. ISSN 1654-8264. Contact SIPRI by email: sipri@sipri.org; telephone: +46 8/655 97 00; fax: +46 8/655 97 33;
or post: SIPRI, Signalistgatan 9, SE-169 70 Solna, Sweden, or visit us online at www.sipri.org