[wanabidii] SIPRI Update October 2015: Afghanistan's private sector, peacekeeping fatality trends, Yearbook translations and more

Message not displaying correctly? View the online version. SIPRI Update: Global Security & Arms Control           October 2015         UPCOMING EVENTS RECENT NEWS SIPRI IN THE MEDIA NEW PUBLICATIONS Neglect of the Afghan private sector could further destabilize the country The Afghan Government is largely preoccupied with the country’s security situation. However, it cannot afford to neglect the economy, of which the private sector is a fundamental part. If it were to remain in its current form, the effects could damage perceived government legitimacy and possibly even further destabilize the country. How, then, should the Afghan Government, the international community and other stakeholders proceed? Read the essay by SIPRI's Richard Ghiasy. Peacekeepers under threat? Fatality trends in UN peacekeeping operations A new SIPRI report on fatality trends in United Nations peace operations reveals that the rate of peacekeepers dying while in the service of the UN has steadily fallen over the past 25 years. The report, released to coincide with the summit on UN peacekeeping in New York last month, provides a timely counterpoint to the popular perception that UN peace operations have become increasingly dangerous. Read more and download the report. Breaking the Afghan private sector’s deadlock SIPRI and the International Council of Swedish Industry present one of the most comprehensive reports on the Afghan private sector to date. Funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the report is the product of a one-year field and desk research study of the status of the private sector in Afghanistan and its connection to issues of development and security. Read more, download the executive summary and the complete report. Russian translation of SIPRI Yearbook 2014 out now SIPRI is pleased to announce that the Russian version of SIPRI Yearbook 2014 ‘Armaments, Disarmament and International Security’, including an English-language Special Supplement compiled by experts from the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO RAN) is available now. SIPRI would like to thank all those involved at IMEMO RAN for their efforts. Read more about the launch event and access the Special Supplement. Out now: 2015 Yearbook summaries in Dutch, German and Italian SIPRI continues its long tradition of making key findings of the SIPRI Yearbook available to as many individuals as possible. Thanks to the kind support of SIPRI’s translation partners, the summary of SIPRI Yearbook 2015 is now available in Catalan, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Swedish. Access the summaries. Nobel Peace Prize, Syria, NATO and Refugees—what’s new on SIPRI’s blog WritePeace? -The Tunisian spring and the Nobel Peace prize -Syria: grasping the nettle of negotiation -What are NATO Special Forces doing in Kunduz? -Refugees: links in the chain of disaster and response Read the WritePeace blog. UPCOMING EVENTS 17 November 2015, Brussels, Belgium The future of nuclear (dis)armament—Yearbook summary launch event Following the publication of the Dutch and French translations of the summary of the SIPRI Yearbook 2015, the Flemish Peace Institute and GRIP (Groupe de Recherche et d’Information sur la Paix et la Sécurité), in collaboration with SIPRI, are organizing a seminar on the topic of nuclear disarmament. SIPRI Director Dan Smith and Programme Director on Disarmament, Arms control and Non-Proliferation Tariq Rauf will be speaking at the event. Register interest in the event. 2 December 2015, London, UK SIPRI co-hosts workshop on violence affecting healthcare delivery SIPRI, in cooperation with the British Royal Society of Medicine and the Conflict and Health Research Group at King's College London, is hosting a workshop on violence affecting healthcare delivery. The event will be held on 2 December 2015 in London and is funded by the British International Studies Association. Contact Dr Rachel Irwin for more information.  RECENT EVENTS 21 October 2015, New York, USA SIPRI event on disarmament, international security and the continued relevance of the recommendations of the Blix Commission SIPRI and the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted an event titled Perspectives on Disarmament and International Security: The Continued Relevance of the Recommendations of the Blix Commission’s Report ‘Weapons of Terror’ at the UN in New York. Speakers included H.E. Dr Hans Blix, Chairman of the Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Commission, and Dr Irma Arguello, Founder and Chair of the Non-Proliferation for Global Security Foundation. Concluding remarks were given by H.E. Ms Margot Wallström, Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs. Read the event announcement and contact SIPRI Programme Director Tariq Rauf for further information. 15 October 2015, Vienna, Austria Nuclear Forensics in Nuclear Security, Safeguards and Other Frameworks—SIPRI book launch The Vienna Center for Disarmament and Non-Proliferation in cooperation with SIPRI hosted a seminar during which SIPRI Senior Researcher Vitaly Fedchenko presented the findings of a book entitled The New Nuclear Forensics: Analysis of Nuclear Materials for Security Purposes. Read more and contact Vitaly Fedchenko for further information. 1–2 October 2015, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan SIPRI and partners host conference on evidence-based policymaking with focus on Kyrgyzstan SIPRI co-hosted the inaugural Life in Kyrgyzstan Conference together with the University of Central Asia, the International Security and Development Center, and the World Bank. During the two-day conference, more than 40 international and regional speakers gathered to exchange research and promote evidence-based policymaking. Read more and contact SIPRI Head of Project Dr Damir Esenaliev. 29–30 September, Stockholm, Sweden SIPRI hosts intergovernmental expert seminar on Article 36 reviews and autonomy in weapon systems SIPRI convened an intergovernmental expert seminar entitled Implementing Article 36 of Additional Protocol I in Light of the Increasing Autonomy in Weapon Systems. Funded by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany, the seminar included the participation of ministry representatives from France, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Over two days, state representatives discussed the procedural, legal and technical challenges associated with the legal review of automated and autonomous weapons. The discussion was facilitated by SIPRI, the International Committee of the Red Cross and experts from the Stockholm academic community (the Swedish Defence Research Agency, the Swedish Defence University and the Swedish Red Cross). Contact SIPRI Researcher Dr Vincent Boulanin for further information. A SIPRI publication covering this topic will follow. STAFF NEWS AND VACANCIES SIPRI expert to assist European Union Risk Mitigation Centre for the Gulf States As of this month, SIPRI Senior Researcher Dr Peter Clevestig will provide technical on-site assistance and expertise for the newly established European Union Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear Risk Mitigation (CBRN) Centres of Excellence Initiative’s Regional Secretariat for the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries in the United Arab Emirates. The initial support phase will last 12 months. SIPRI is currently looking to fill three positions -Senior Researcher, Head of China Programme -Grants Manager/Project Controller -Redovisningsekonom (in Swedish) SIPRI IN THE MEDIA >> SIPRI Director Dan Smith spoke to, among others, the Norwegian news agency NRK in connection to the announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize. SIPRI Deputy Director Jakob Hallgren spoke to the Swedish news agency TT on the same topic. >> Dan Smith also gave an interview with Reuters on the potential link between conflict and climate change. The interview was picked up by Euronews and TeleSur, among others. Swedish Radio also covered the story. >> SIPRI Researcher Richard Ghiasy spoke to the Financial Times on the recent developments in Kundus, Afghanistan. >> SIPRI Senior Researcher Pieter Wezeman commented to The Express Tribune on China’s role in helping Pakistan to acquire armed drones. >> SIPRI Programme Director Tariq Rauf published an article on the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Nuclear Fuel Bank with the Arms Control Association. He also gave an interview with Kazakh television on the same issue. >> SIPRI Researcher Ekaterina Klimenko published an opinion article on Russia’s military build-up in the Arctic with the World Policy blog. >> More SIPRI in the media ... LATEST PUBLICATION The New Nuclear Forensics The New Nuclear Forensics provides a survey and an analysis of the scientific discipline of nuclear forensic analysis, and the way it is applied to specific issues of international peace and security, from the 1940s to the present day. This book describes the various methods used in nuclear forensics, giving first a general introduction to the process followed by details of relevant measurement techniques and procedures. In each case, the advantages and limitations are outlined. It uses a language and methodology that opens the issue of nuclear forensics and its potential applications to a non-specialist readership. Read more. OTHER PUBLICATIONS SIPRI Programme Director Dr Sibylle Bauer published a chapter on international assistance in Weapons and International Law: The Arms Trade Treaty (Larcier 2015). SIPRI and the Open Society Foundations (OSF) issued a new working paper and policy brief on community perceptions along the Tajik–Afghan borders as part of a collaboration to promote better understanding of key security developments in Central Asia. Access the earlier policy briefs and read a blog piece by one of the authors. SIPRI Researcher Richard Ghiasy published an article on the Afghan economy with Routledge. Read more about the print edition and the Europa World online subscription portal. SIPRI’s Senior Fellow Robert Kelley assessed the military dimension of the Iran nuclear programme and speculated on the missing explosive chamber at the Parchin military complex near Tehran. Read the new entries and access the whole assessment series. FEATURED PUBLICATION SIPRI Yearbook 2015 The 46th edition of the SIPRI Yearbook is a compendium of data and analysis in the areas of security and conflicts; military spending and armaments; and non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament. It covers developments during 2014, including: aspects of the ongoing conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Ukraine; regional military-security trends in East Asia; military spending in the USA; the continued negotiations regarding Iran's nuclear programme; and the entry into force of the Arms Trade Treaty. Download a summary of SIPRI Yearbook 2015. Browse the contents page. RECENT PUBLICATIONS Trends in world military expenditure, 2014 Trends in international arms transfers, 2014 The SIPRI Top 100 arms-producing and military services companies, 2013   © SIPRI 2015. ISSN 1654-8264. Contact SIPRI by email: sipri@sipri.org; telephone: +46 8 655 97 00; or post: SIPRI, Signalistgatan 9, SE-169 70 Solna, Sweden. Visit us online at www.sipri.org. This message was sent to wanabidii@googlegroups.com. If you would prefer not to receive emails from SIPRI simply unsubscribe.