Conference

From the University of Ottawa's Centre for International Policy Studies: Call for Proposals "Breaking Down Barriers: Challenges of Security and Development.”

http://www.socialsciences.uottawa.ca/cepi-cips/eng/gradconf.asp

The second annual Centre for International Policy Studies (CIPS) Graduate Student Conference will be held at the University of Ottawa on March 25-26, 2010. The theme of the conference will be “Breaking Down Barriers: Challenges of Security and Development.”

The purpose of this conference is to showcase graduate student research and promote debate on topics relating to international security and development, and the nexus between these two domains. Papers may address specific issues or develop more conceptual analysis related to the challenges of security and development. In particular, the conference wishes to:

Address questions related to the barriers (conceptual, physical, legal, etc.) surrounding local, national and global actors in the context of security and development;
Examine the ways security and development are configured in different contexts;
Identify challenges facing actors in both fields (changing roles, traditional and non-traditional actors, etc.);
Discuss the future viability of the current system, including links between conceptualization and practice.
The conference aims to include both theoretical and policy-oriented research.

The conference is organized by graduate students with the support of the Centre for International Policy Studies and is intended to be fully interdisciplinary in nature. The conference aims to include contributions from graduate students in various disciplines such as law, political science, gender studies, geography, economics, and sociology, among others, and from universities across Canada and beyond.

To this end, CIPS is calling for paper proposals in English or French from graduate students at any university. Paper proposals should be no more than 500 words in length and should be submitted along with a biography or CV to cepi.cips.conference@gmail.com . Consideration of proposals will begin on December 22, 2009. Notifications of acceptance will be sent by e-mail at the end of January 2010.

Some financial assistance may be available to defray travel costs of participants coming from outside Ottawa. Please indicate whether you wish to be considered for financial assistance when you submit your paper abstract.

For further information, please contact us at the above email address.

RSVP TO ATTEND: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/502506009

Major General Robert Caslen recently returned from Iraq, where he served as commanding general of Multinational Division – North. This area of operations includes Ninewa, Kirkuk and other volatile areas along the Arab-Kurd fault line.

What are the security implications of impending U.S. withdrawal? What are the prospects for peaceful resolution of the Arab-Kurd conflict, and what will the strategic relationship between the U.S. and Iraq post-2011 look like?

Please join us as Major General Caslen addresses these and other aspects of U.S. drawdown in Iraq. His remarks will be followed by an open discussion moderated by Ambassador William Taylor.

Speakers :

Major General Robert Caslen Former commander of Multinational Division – North in Iraq

Ambassador William B. Taylor, Moderator Vice President, Center for Post-Conflict Peace and Stability Operations, U.S. Institute of Peace

The Center for Stabilization and Reconstruction Studies is pleased to present:

“An Expansive Approach to Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration”

February 21 – 26, 2010 Monterey, California, USA

Inclusion of diverse groups in DDR programs is understood by practitioners to be hugely important for success in the overall transition from conflict to peace. Hence, issues related to special needs groups (including women, children, youth, the disabled, etc.) are treated within the United Nations’ Integrated Standards to guide DDR programs. However, since most DDR programs are under-funded, under-staffed and too short to facilitate effective reintegration, in practice, DDR programs have focused on the most urgent and obvious part of the problem – demobilizing male combatants. Yet, special needs groups pervade into every aspect of DDR and must be addressed to attain success. Given these challenges and pressures, this course will focus on how to effectively incorporate special needs groups into DDR programs even when these programs are under stress from inadequate staff and donor attention.

Why You Should Attend:

Participants will: Review how the Integrated Standards treat issues related to special needs groups and how these ideas were developed. Discuss various examples of how issues related to special needs groups can be incorporated into DDR program design and implementation. Problem-solve collectively with other practitioners to identify innovative ways to overcome the endemic challenges that pressure DDR programs into a narrow, male combatant focus. Expand their professional network among the other communities involved in DDR activities.

Who Will Attend:

Approximately 45 representatives from civilian government agencies, non-governmental organizations, inter-governmental organizations and the armed forces will attend. Participants should be mid to senior level representatives from their communities with policy-making and/or experience working in the field.

Methodology:

The workshop will consist of a series of panel presentations, plenary discussions and role-playing exercises to meet the learning objectives. Additionally, a reception, group meals and a local outing will support professional networking.

Faculty:

Mr. Nicholas Tomb will serve as the Course Director for this event. He will act as the lead facilitator and will be accompanied by subject matter experts from the co-sponsoring organizations, academia, conference participants and the field of DDR.

Specific Dates:

Workshop begins, 6 pm Sunday, February 21 and concludes 12 pm Friday, February 26, 2010.

Travel:

All international and domestic participants should plan to arrive by 5 pm, Sunday, February 21, 2010. All are welcome to arrive early or depart late, but CSRS will not be able to cover additional accommodation expenses. Accommodations: The event will be held at a local hotel (to be announced) where participants from outside of Monterey will be housed.

Cost:

There is no tuition or conference fee. CSRS will cover the costs of lodging at the program site for practitioners from non-governmental organizations, governmental civilian agencies, and inter- governmental organizations. (Representatives of the defense/armed forces community (including civilian employees) must pay their own lodging.) Gratis lunch provided to all on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. CSRS Contact: Nick Tomb, ntomb@nps.edu, (831) 656-1829.

Application:

The application period will close on January 10, 2010. We anticipate that demand for this course will far exceed the number of participants that we can accommodate. Admission decisions will be announced on a rolling basis starting December 15, 2009 until all seats are filled. Applications are accepted via the CSRS online system: http://www.csrs-nps.org/logistica/public/conference_register.cfm

The Center for Complex Operations invites you to join us in welcoming Greg Jaffe to discuss his book:

In THE FOURTH STAR: Four Generals and the Epic Struggle for the Future of the United States Army, David Cloud and Greg Jaffe show how the American military elevates the best and brightest to power. David Cloud, the newly appointed special assistant to the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan (most recently the chief national security writer at Politico.com and formerly the Pentagon correspondent for the New York Times), and Greg Jaffe, the Pentagon correspondent at the Washington Post (who previously held the same position at the Wall Street Journal), obtained full access to Iraq’s most influential generals as well as to their family members and subordinates. The result is a detailed portrait of these remarkable men and the U.S. Army that no newspaper or magazine article could capture and no book, until now, has attempted.

THE FOURTH STAR follows General David Petraeus, General John Abizaid, General George Casey, Jr., and General Peter Chiarelli. Collectively, their lives tell the story of the Army over the last four decades and illuminate the path it must travel to protect the nation over the next century. The careers of this elite quartet show how the most powerful military force in the world entered a major war unprepared and how the Army, drawing on a reservoir of talent that few thought it possessed, saved itself from crushing defeat against a ruthless, low-tech foe.

WHEN: November 19, 2009 -- 5pm-7pm

WHERE: National Defense University, Marshall Hall, Room 155

HOW to Register: Please note the process for registration through our automated registration program. You will receive an automatic registration confirmation. Specific questions regarding this book talk may be addressed to Josh Jones, 202-685-5217, JonesJ23@ndu.edu.

PLEASE NOTE: We ask that you please register for this event. Light snacks and refreshments will be served. Thank you.

Third Annual Homeland Security Conference: Mission Integration
Presented by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics/Homeland Security Program Committee

The purpose of the conference is to provide in-depth content and practical insights to the Mission Integration theme. This conference is a premier forum that allows government and industry to develop synergistic relationships to protect the United States from both terrorists and disasters while securing its borders.

Attendance will be limited. Early registration is encouraged and on-site registration will not be possible due to NPS gate procedures.

Registration, hotel information and a conference brochure/agenda can be accessed at www.physics-math.com/ConferenceFolder/2009HomePage.html