Together with Transparency International (UK) and the Centre for the Democratic Control of the Armed Forces (DCAF), and with the support of NATO as well as the Swiss Government, the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP) hosted the first workshop of institutional and inter-governmental practitioners in “Building transparency and reducing corruption related to defence establishments” in Geneva from May 5 to 7, 2008. This workshop is part of a new, developing body of knowledge and practice that seeks to promote best practice and address problems caused by corruption in defence establishments.

It is part of ongoing initiatives to counter corruption in defence, launched by NATO International Staff with Swiss support. Over 50 experts from institutions around the world participated. These institutions ranged from development banks and international think tanks and centres of expertise, to military institutions and governments sharing the same goals of an open, transparent and accountable defence and are working on ways to reduce corruption risks that threaten such aims. The workshop was also one of the first occasions ever, where NGOs, Governments, International Organisations and Defence agencies engaged in dialogue and planned future developments.

Your paper entitled, "Peace Operations and Organised Crime" was recently listed on SSRN's Top Ten download list for CS: Conflict Resolution/Prevention/Management (Topic) and INT: Other (Topic).

To access my Social Science Research Network (SSRN) author account, click here.

Together with James Cockayne from the International Peace Institute I authored the conference report of GCSP's last Peace Support Operations seminar held in Geneva last November. Thanks to James' fantastic work and contribution, it was decided to use this report as the first of the newly created Geneva Papers series.

The paper focuses on the challenges posed by the intersection of organised crime, state fragility and armed conflict for the existing international, multilateral, mechanisms for maintaining global order in general and for UN-led and mandated peace operations in particular.

For those interested, the pdf-version of the publication can be accessed here.

Since summer 2007 I have been involved in the project of developing an Advanced Distance Learning (ADL) course on building defence insititutions. In January 2008 the course has gone online and can be used by anyone free of charge. It contains factual, conceptual and procedural information on how democratically responsible defence insitutions are set up and run.

The project just went in its second phase and we will keep on making it better. 

You can access the course and more information here.

In September 2007 I was asked to report on a roundtable discussion on "Terrorism, Just War and Sri Lanka's Struggle for Peace", chaired by Ambassador Tanner who welcomed the Minister Professor Gamini Lakshman PEIRIS, former Chief Negotiator in the Government of Sri Lanka's Peace Process and Professor Rajiva WIJESINHA, Secretary General of the Secretariat for Coordinating the Peace Process (SCOPP).

You can read the short report here.