ZIF - Zentrum für Internationale Friedenseinsätze gGmbH’s Post

Dr. Erica Gaston, Head of the Conflict Prevention and Sustaining Peace Programme at UNU-CPR, recently introduced "Assembly for Peace", a user-friendly digital handbook on the UN General Assembly's Charter-based powers and its past practice on peace and security, as part of the UN Dag Hammarskjöld Library's Insight Series: Publication Talks. The publication, launched in September 2024, reviews the Assembly’s role amid rising geopolitical tensions and Security Council gridlock, offering case studies and recommendations to enhance collaboration with the Security Council. The handbook, produced by UNU-CPR for the Office of the President of the General Assembly, United Nations, is the first comprehensive resource of its kind. It serves as a valuable tool for scholars, policymakers and educators studying the UN’s peace and security mechanisms. Dr. Gaston acknowledged the crucial support of the Dag Hammarskjöld Library in shaping this publication and advancing understanding of the Assembly's peacebuilding potential. Watch the full presentation here: https://lnkd.in/gMhpGcq2

📣 Excited to share that my article, "The Maritime Security Implications of the Red Sea Crisis: Deconstructing the Houthi Attacks and the International Response," was selected for publication in the June 2024 edition of the European Studies Review! 🌍 You can access it here, pp. 18-27: https://t.ly/LzQwm 🌐 In this article, I analyse the escalating tensions in the Red Sea, the international response, and the implications for maritime security. I argue that the crisis goes beyond economic impacts, reshaping the current security and geopolitical landscape. 🇺🇳 This topic is of extreme importance now more than ever, especially in light of yesterday's adoption of S/RES/2739(2024), which underscores that the Houthi attacks are violations of international law. The UNSC demands their immediate cessation and the release of the Galaxy Leader vessel and its crew. ⚖️ This work began during my time at the T.M.C. Asser Instituut and would not have been possible without James Patrick Sexton’s invaluable feedback and support. Thank you for your guidance and encouragement! A special thanks to the fantastic editorial team at ESR for their dedication and excellence. I feel honoured to collaborate with them. #MaritimeSecurity #RedSeaCrisis #EuropeanStudies #UNSC

National Security and Energy Security with Dr. Theresa Sabonis-Helf of Georgetown University. Today we had very interesting insights about Georgian national security, its challenges and Armenian-Azerbaijani relations and how these relations influence broader geopolitical stability… #nationalsecurity #georgetownuniversity #gfsis

European Parliament Think Tank (EPTT)--Study Mapping threats to peace and democracy worldwide: Normandy Index 2024 [9 September 2024] https://lnkd.in/gxqSXZCg or https://lnkd.in/gJpSGVRT [full-text, 102 pages] Conflict is rarely confined to the geographical space in which wars take place. The increasingly global effects – human, material and political – of wars and conflicts make a view of the level of threats to peace, security and democracy around the world more important than ever. The 'Normandy Index' has presented an annual measurement of these threats since the 2019 Normandy Peace Forum. The results of the 2024 exercise suggest the level of threats to peace is the highest since the Index began, confirming declining trends in global security resulting from conflict, geopolitical rivalry, growing militarisation and hybrid threats. The findings of the 2024 exercise draw on data compiled in 2023-2024 to compare peace – defined on the basis of a given country's performance against a range of predetermined threats – across countries and regions. A series of 63 individual country case studies To complete the picture of the state of peace today. Designed and prepared by the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS), in conjunction with and on the basis of data provided by the Institute for Economics and Peace, the Normandy Index is produced in partnership with the Region of Normandy. The paper forms part of the EPRS contribution to the 2024 Normandy World Peace Forum.

As the United Nations Summit for the Future draws closer, it is important that we stress the importance of #SecuritySectorReform for #SustainableDevelopment, international peace and security, and #OurCommonFuture. We must provide effective, accountable and inclusive security for future generations and commit to strengthening national #SecuritySectors. #SSRweek Learn more 👉 https://lnkd.in/gAbFhjCE

DG USI's Virtual Meeting with Director SIPRI on USI-SIPRI Collaboration On February 19, 2024, the Director General (DG) of USI, held a virtual meeting with the Director of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) to discuss the collaboration between USI and SIPRI. The meeting focused on the potential for deeper engagement between the two prestigious institutions in areas such as global security, defense policy research, and international peace initiatives. The collaboration aims to leverage both organizations' expertise to contribute to global peacebuilding efforts and strategic defense research.  Key Insights and Highlights Strengthening International Collaboration: The meeting underscored the importance of fostering stronger partnerships between think tanks and research institutes across countries to address global security challenges effectively. Areas of Cooperation: Discussions included potential joint research initiatives, conferences, and publications that could benefit from the combined expertise of USI and SIPRI. Focus on Security and Peacebuilding: The collaboration will prioritize policy research in areas of conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and international defense strategy, contributing to a more secure global environment. Shared Values and Goals: Both organizations expressed a commitment to promoting peace, security, and sustainable development, particularly in regions affected by conflict and instability. #USISIPRICollaboration #GlobalSecurity #PeaceResearch #InternationalDefense #StrategicStudies #DefensePolicy #GlobalPeacebuilding #ThinkTankPartnerships #ResearchForPeace #InternationalCooperation

Core national interests, including state sovereignty, national security, territorial integrity, and economic development, are fundamental to a country's foreign policy. However, these interests are not static; they evolve based on the international context, allowing nations to adapt their strategies and alliances in response to changing geopolitical dynamics, economic pressures, and emerging threats. This flexibility is essential for navigating the complexities of global relations and ensuring the long-term stability and prosperity of a nation.

Systemic nation-state competition is changing the character of conflict. As traditional boundaries between war and peace blur, nations are increasingly operating in a complex space that challenges conventional defence and security apparatus. Proposing a framework (see figure): Grey Zone: 1. The strategic space between peace and war, where nations compete using methods that fall short of traditional armed conflict yet exceed peaceful diplomacy. Sub-threshold Activities: 1. Calculated actions within the grey zone that exploit vulnerabilities while avoiding provocation of conventional military responses, often maintaining plausible deniability. Hybrid Warfare: 1. A blend of conventional and unconventional tactics across multiple domains. 2. This includes the use of diplomatic pressure, economic coercion, cyber operations, disinformation campaigns, and proxy support. These three concepts - Grey Zone, Sub-threshold Activities, and Hybrid Warfare - form a interconnected framework for understanding modern conflict and often overlap and reinforce each other in practice This paradigm demands a holistic approach to security, leveraging all elements of national power. It requires nuanced policy responses that neither escalate tensions nor concede strategic ground. Defence, security, and policy professionals must adapt their strategies accordingly to effectively manoeuvre for strategic advantage. The future of conflict lies not just in kinetic operations, but in mastering the art of competition in the grey zone; some nations are already doing this! We must recognise the necessity of fusing all national levers of power for strategic and competitive advantage. Democratic nations face the critical challenge of fortifying their defences against these evolving threats while preserving their core values and upholding international law. How can we enhance whole-of-government strategies to address these challenges while reducing the impacts of departmentalisation?

🚨 New Issue Alert! 🚨 As the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) commemorates its 20th anniversary, this Policy and Practice Brief, co-authored by Dr. Oita Etyang, Taye Abdulkadir, Claudia Masah, and Tatenda Mapiro, it takes a deep dive into its journey, achievements, and ongoing challenges. By assessing four key variables—relevance, productivity, efficiency, and collaboration—this issue reflects on the PSC's impact over two decades and highlights pathways for future action. Read full PPB here:https://lnkd.in/djfNmHjH