September 2009

China at 60: still a daunting challenge

Linda Jakobson, SIPRI Senior Researcher

SIPRI Yearbook 2009: summaries now available in 7 languages

Thanks to the cooperation of partner institutes worldwide, SIPRI is pleased to announce that summaries of SIPRI Yearbook 2009 are now available in

• Catalan, in partnership with Fundació per la Pau, Barcelona
• Dutch, in partnership with the Flemish Peace Institute , Brussels
• English
• French, in partnership with the Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques (IRIS), Paris
• German, in partnership with the Institut für Friedenspädagogik Tübingen e.V., Tübingen
• Spanish in partnership with Centro de Relaciones Internacionales, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City
• Swedish

These summaries are available to download or buy here.

SIPRI events and activities

3 Nov. 14:00 Beijing		Launch of SIPRI report on China's growing role in peacekeeping SIPRI Director Dr Bates Gill and Chin-hao Huang of the University of Southern California will launch their comprehensive report on China's growing involvement in international peace operations, its purpose and implications at the Foreign Correspondents Club in Beijing. Mark the date and contact SIPRI Communications Officer Stephanie Blenckner for further information.
5 Oct. 12:30–14:00 SIPRI, Stockholm		SIPRI lecture: Iran's Middle East Policy—Navigating the Region's Geopolitics Dr Uzi Rabi, Chair of the Department of Middle Eastern and African History and a senior researcher at the Center for Iranian Studies, Tel Aviv University, will address the challenging position of Iran in a regional context. To register for the event, contact SIPRI Communications Officer Stephanie Blenckner.							Dr Rabi
RECENT
24 Sep. New York		SIPRI hosts dialogue for a successful Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review in 2010 As the UN prepared to debate nuclear disarmament, SIPRI hosted a dialogue-dinner meeting with foreign ministers and senior foreign ministry officials from more than 17 non-nuclear weapon states. The dialogue focused on how a greater consensus can be generated among the non-nuclear weapon states on shaping—in cooperation with the nuclear weapon states—a successful outcome to the 2010 NPT Review Conference. The meeting also discussed how to promote concrete progress toward the vision of a world free of nuclear weapons, as called for by four retired US officials and leading statesmen—George Shultz, Sam Nunn, Henry Kissinger and William Perry, who also attended the dinner event. For more information, contact SIPRI Deputy Director Daniel Nord.
21 Sep. Mediterranean Museum, Stockholm		Restore Trust, Rebuild Bridges: outcome from the seminar on Mediterranean relations On the International Day of Peace, SIPRI co-hosted with the Anna Lindh Foundation a one-day event bringing together civil society representatives, experts and media from around the Mediterranean to discuss challenges for intercultural dialogue in the region and to exchange good practice in reconciliation and peacebuilding initiatives. Download the event's press release, the welcome address by Frank Belfrage, Swedish State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, and follow the discussions captured in this liveblog.
4 Sep. Swedish Government Offices, Stockholm		SIPRI Foreign Minister's Roundtable on the Eastern Partnership In conjunction with a meeting of the EU's foreign ministers in Stockholm, SIPRI was pleased to host a roundtable on the future of the Eastern Partnership. The Eastern Partnership is an EU initiative that aims to enhance the EU's relations with its eastern neighbours—Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Among its aims are concluding new association agreements that include free trade agreements, gradual integration of the partners into the EU economy and visa liberalization.
		The Eastern Partnership also tackles issues such as illegal immigration, energy security, democracy and good governance. Download the speeches by Radoslaw Sikorski, Polish Minister for Foreign Affairs Cristian Diaconescu, Romanian Minister for Foreign Affairs Frank Belfrage, Swedish State Secretary for Foreign Affairs							Roundtable discussion

SIPRI in the media

Tim Foxley spoke on the military budget implications of the conflict in Afghanistan on Swedish television channel SvT.

Dr Elisabeth Sköns and Dr Bates Gill commented on global military spending and the cold war peace dividend to Inter Press Service.

Linda Jakobson spoke on the EU budget for global climate support to the G77 group to Swedish Radio.

Dr Gunilla Herolf discussed the challenges for Sweden's EU Presidency on Swedish Radio International.

Dr Paul Holtom commented on the Arctic Sea hijacking incident on Finnish Radio. He was also interviewed by Nezavisimaya gazeta on the sale of US Patriot missiles to Turkey.

Dr Ian Anthony discussed the political and military implications of the Obama Administration's decision to shelve plans to build a missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic in Nezavisimaya gazeta. He also commented on the recent UN resolution regarding the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons to Inter Press Service.

Mark Bromley was interviewed by Nezavisimaya gazeta on the US Congressional Research Service's data on arms transfers and on Russia's arms deals with Venezuela.

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.

Programme Leader, SIPRI China and Global Security Programme
SIPRI seeks a highly regarded, dynamic and experienced individual to lead its rapidly growing China and Global Security Programme. Established in early 2009, the programme aims at advancing contemporary China studies with a particular emphasis on China's role and impact in global, non-traditional and transnational security. The new programme will build on SIPRI's longstanding strengths and its full-time presence in Beijing to be one of the world's leading centers of excellence on questions of China and global security. Read more here.

Recent 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.
		Handbook of Applied Biosecurity for Life Science Laboratories Peter Clevestig 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 or download the handbook, click here.
		SIPRI Yearbook 2008, summary in Arabic A summary in Arabic of SIPRI Yearbook 2008 in now available here. The yearbook is also fully translated into Arabic by the Centre for Arab Unity Studies (CAUS), Beirut, funded by the Swedish Institute in Alexandria (SwedAlex).
		SIPRI Fact Sheets Multilateral Peacekeeping Operations, 2008: Africa, Asia, Europe and Personnel Kirsten Soder This new series of fact sheets gives a snapshot of the current status of UN and non-UN peacekeeping. Three fact sheets cover the three world regions where most operations and peacekeepers are deployed: Africa, Asia and Europe. A fourth looks at recent trends in the types and numbers of personnel deployed worldwide. Read more and download the fact sheets here.
		SIPRI Background Paper Arms Transfers to the Middle East Sam Perlo-Freeman The levels of military expenditure and arms imports in the Middle East have increased in recent years. The region receives substantial major conventional arms transfers relative to its economic size. Many states in the region are modernizing their military equipment holdings. United Nation member states are currently discussing the feasibility of an arms trade treaty (ATT) which 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.Read more and download the Background Paper here.
		SIPRI Background Paper Arms Flows to the Conflict in Chad Pieter D. Wezeman It is estimated that arms imports by Chad were five times higher in 2004-2008 than in 1999-2003. The rebel forces in Chad have obtained weapons from the Sudanese Government and from the large pool of weapons available throughout the region, although accurate information is scarce, especially about transfers of small arms and light weapons. Read more and download the Background Paper here.
		SIPRI Background Paper Arms Transfers to the Americas Mark Bromley 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. One of the series of SIPRI Background Papers prepared to inform discussions on the arms trade treaty. Read more and download the Background Paper here.
		Other publications SIPRI Researcher Vitaly Fedchenko writes on the peaceful use of nuclear energy for the Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law. Read the article here.