Since the end of the Cold War, it has become commonplace to assert that peace and development are intimately linked and that the United Nations (UN) and other international actors need to address the twin imperatives for security and development through integrated policies and programs. Shedding its early definition as “post-conflict reconstruction,” the term “peacebuilding” has broadened its scope in the 1990s to encompass the overlapping agendas for peace and development in support of conflict prevention, conflict management and post-conflict reconstruction.
Topic:
International Relations, Security, Peace Studies, and United Nations
Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame
Abstract:
This report provides an independent assessment of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC). It coincides with the “revitalization” process in the CTC following adoption of Security Council Resolution 1535 (2004) that led to the creation of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED). The following findings and recommendations reflect the project's intended goal of ensuring that changes to the CTC support structure are undertaken in a manner that strengthens the successful elements of the committee's work to date, while effectively meeting the challenges ahead.
Topic:
Security, Foreign Policy, Terrorism, and United Nations
When I set foot on American soil, I had finally reached the land of liberty, the land of peace, and I had a strong feeling of gratitude toward the Most High who had allowed me to escape death and to reach a life of freedom…. After completing my statement [at the airport]…[an] officer arrived with handcuffs. Then he handcuffed my wrists, but I sincerely thought this was a case of mistaken identity. Later on he explained to me that this was the established procedure. We left for [a county] prison. They put me in a cell where it was really cold, and I had no blanket with me. The idea of a land of liberty was beginning to be cast into serious doubt in my mind.
There are two very different stories that can be told about EU security policy during 2003. On the one hand, some argue that the deep division among important EU countries in relation to the Iraq war is a final confirmation of the absence of an EU security policy. On the other hand, some argue that the last year has been a year of considerable intensity in relation to EU security policy–despite the fact that EU cannot yet be characterised as a unitary actor. One of the reasons for these very different stories is that they are based on fundamentally different ideas and theories about the basic mechanisms in international relations. In this paper Pernille Rieker will contrast how two different approaches, namely Rationalistism and Social constructivism would analyse EU security policy. The paper starts with a short presentation of the meta-theoretical foundation of these approaches. The second part discusses how each of them views the conditions for multilateral cooperation and security. In the third part these perspectives on EU security policy will be discussed and some empirical data that support each of them will be presented. Finally, the paper ends on a discussion concerning whether these approaches must be seen as being alternative or complementary approaches.
Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes
Abstract:
On behalf of the Partnership for Peace Consortium of Defense Academies and Security Studies Institutes, I am pleased to present the report of the Consortium's 7th Annual Conference held from 13 to 15 June 2004 in Bucharest and co-hosted with the Romanian Ministry of National Defense.
South Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons
Abstract:
This report summarises the main findings of a research study implemented by Strategic Marketing and Media Research Institute (SMMRI) on behalf of SEEASAC / UNDP Serbia and Montenegro from 27 July to 06 August 2003 in the South Serbian municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja. The purpose of the research was to clarify the attitudes and perceptions of ordinary citizens regarding small arms, in order to better judge whether a SALW collection project would prove successful. In addition to providing valuable information about perceptions of SALW, the survey results also shed light on related matters, including the state of inter-ethnic relations, public perceptions of international agencies working in the area, the developmental needs of communities, and levels of trust in security providers.
Topic:
Security, Arms Control and Proliferation, and Civil Society
South Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons
Abstract:
Until the mid-1980s, almost all surplus and unserviceable munitions and propellants (energetic materials (EM)) were either dumped at sea or destroyed by open burning (OB) or detonation (OD). These disposal techniques were chosen because of their simplicity, low cost, effectiveness and safety. As our knowledge and understanding of the chemical and biological processes essential to the health and well-being of humans and ecosystems expanded, the perception arose that the dusty, brown plumes produced by OB and OD could endanger human health and the environment (HH).
Topic:
Security, Arms Control and Proliferation, and Civil Society
South Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons
Abstract:
It is an understatement to say that the presence of small arms and light weapons is a significant problem in the Balkans. Guns contributed significantly to the violence, death, and destruction that surrounded the inter-ethnic conflicts of the 1990s and early 21st century. Since the conclusion of hostilities, the effects of violent conflict persist in the area, as does the circulation of many SALW. In fact, these weapons continue to cause civilian injuries and deaths, constrain social and economic development, enhance criminal capability, and contribute to ethnic and societal tensions that may incite future conflicts throughout the Balkans.
Topic:
Security, Arms Control and Proliferation, and Peace Studies
Since the 1999 edition, the Department of Defense has used its consolidated real property inventory (the Facilities Analysis Database) as the basis for the annual publication of the Base Structure Report. This report contains a comprehensive listing of installations and sites owned and used by the Department. It summarizes the current facilities inventory and provides other basic information, such as information concerning the site locations, names of the nearest city, and, where available, includes personnel authorizations.
We assess the impact of credit ratings on the pricing of structured financial products, using a sample of more than 1300 changes in Moody's or Standard and Poor's (S) ratings of U.S. asset-backed securities (ABS). We find that rating downgrades tend to be accompanied by negative returns and widening spreads, with the average effects stronger than those that have been reported in prior research on corporate and sovereign bond ratings. A portion of the negative implications of ABS downgrades are anticipated by price movements ahead of the rating action, although to a lesser degree than has been found for bond ratings. Accordingly, ABS market participants appear to rely somewhat more on rating agencies as a source of negative news about credit risk. Nevertheless, because ABS rating downgrades are relatively rare events, their effects account for only a small fraction of the variance of returns. In contrast to our results on downgrades, market reactions to ABS rating upgrades are virtually zero, on average. Together, the results imply even greater asymmetry in the value-relevance of ABS rating changes than has been found in event studies of changes in bond ratings.
Topic:
Security, Economics, and International Trade and Finance