Diplomacy & Defense Think Tank News

DT 4/2016 - 11/03/2016
Eunsook Yang
Es necesario potenciar y modernizar la imagen de España en Corea, pues el desconocimiento mutuo es uno de los principales obstáculos a la intensificación de los vínculos de cooperación entre los dos países.

à 19h30

Organisée par l'Association des Jeunes Internationalistes

Amphithéâtre Descartes - Université Paris-Sorbonne (Paris IV) - 17 Rue de la Sorbonne - 75005 Paris



Denis Mukwege, gynécologue en République démocratique du Congo devenu figure de la défense des droits des femmes, sera à la Sorbonne le 10 mars. Venez échanger avec ce personnage engagé et reconnu (prix Sakharov, prix des droits de l'homme des Nations Unies, nomination au prix Nobel de la paix...) et auquel le réalisateur Thierry Michel a consacré son film "L'homme qui répare les femmes" sorti en France le 17 février dernier.

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Lebanon has long been a model of relative stability in the Middle East, but with economic, political and security strains on the country, Sigrid Kaag, United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL), said that stability is very fragile.

“I often get very worried when we applaud and recognize Lebanon’s resilience,” she said, speaking at a March 15, 2016 event entitled “How to Keep Lebanon Stable in an Unstable Region.” “That doesn’t mean we can take our eye off the ball for a very split second.”

The international community, and Europe in particular, cannot ignore the mounting crisis in Lebanon, as it is a keystone of regional stability, she said.

She emphasized the importance of investing in Lebanese institutions. “If you do not want further problems to come your way, invest… in Lebanon’s stability and security, including through assistance for refugees, but not only,” she said. “Take stabilization as an ambitious agenda and build that.”

Ten years on from UN Security Council Resolution 1701 on Lebanon, Kaag emphasized that unlike previous UN mandates, which had only given the UN authority in the Southern border area, today, “We don’t split a country, we look at it holistically.”

“We’ve adopted, with the support of the Security Council, a whole of Lebanon approach, and that requires a whole of system support mechanism with international support,” she said.

With international attention for the Middle East primarily focused on the failure to find a political solution to the Syrian civil war, and the resulting refugee crisis, Lebanese leaders need to “focus on managing affairs of state by their own hands,” she said.

After nearly two years without a head of state, her first recommendation on stabilizing Lebanon at IPI March 15th 2016, was for the country to “elect a president without fail.” The parliament has failed 35 times to attract a quorum to hold a vote.

“We need to create all prospects for national elections in 2017,” she said.

And Lebanon needs to act on its own, she said. “Do not wait for anyone from the region, shield your own country from regional tensions.”

Without a chief executive, key aspects of Lebanon’s public sector cannot function, she explained. “Decisions do not get adopted, laws do not get passed, politics has become more and more fractured, and there is a delay in executive life of the state,” she said. “You can erode your own country without violence, and that’s what we see in Lebanon.”

The absence of a political process is making the population restive, she said. “As you know, the less you have elections, the more the gap between political elite and class,” she said.

Disenfranchisement of Lebanon’s large refugee community poses acute challenges, she said. Lebanon hosts approximately 50,000 Palestinian refugees, and an additional 1.3 million Syrian refugees followed last year.

“Refugees which came from Syria are twice or three times displaced,” when they reach Lebanon, she pointed out. “It is a repeat lifecycle of displacement.”

The UN Refugee Agency, (UNHCR), reported that with further refugee flows anticipated, the country’s “exceptional hospitality will be extremely stretched.”

Answering a question about Lebanon’s Palestinian refugees, she said, “The more marginalized you are, the less access you have to opportunities and assistance.”

While being careful not to make generalizations about any one ethnic or socioeconomic refugee group, she did acknowledge that the most desperate among these refugees might be prone to narratives that lead to thier radicalization by extremists.

Kaag said that the goals of addressing the refugee crisis, and improving stability in Lebanon, go together. However, to achieve both, there must be a shift in mindset.

“We need to look at creating employment opportunities for the Lebanese, and under certain conditions, the Syrian refugees,” she said. “Syrian refugees are an asset, they don’t have to be a liability. The more we invest in education, the more we can employ where possible, Syrian refugees.”

Reflecting on the failure of European institutions to meet the needs of the migrants flowing to the continent, Kaag praised Lebanon’s institutions for giving refugees rights and dignity in their country.

“There is no OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)-DAC (Development Assistance Committee) country that could manage 400,000 children, as new school arrivals, [with] language deficits, and war traumatized, in a five-year period,” she said. “This is a tremendous achievement, with all the obstacles, but that is to be expected. The achievement is tremendous, and that is really to Lebanon’s credit.”

The event was held as part of IPI’s Special Representatives of the Secretary-General (SRSG) Series.

IPI Senior Adviser for External Relations, Warren Hoge, moderated the conversation.

Watch event:

On Thursday, March 17th, IPI co-hosted a policy forum event to discuss how the Women, Peace, and Security and Youth, Peace, and Security agendas complement and mutually reinforce each other.

Click here to view the event video on YouTube>>

The UN Security Council’s (UNSC) adoption of Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security in December 2015 was a historic milestone in realizing young people’s contribution to the maintenance and promotion of international peace and security by acknowledging the central role they play in global peace efforts.

This resolution complements and reinforces the Women, Peace, and Security agenda (including UN Security Council Resolution 1325) by supporting the work of young peacebuilders and helping raise the voices of girls, boys, young women, and young men working for peace and stability, while also reminding decision makers of the role of civil society in sustaining peace throughout the world. Effective implementation of UNSC Resolution 2250 can create more space for youth to directly contribute to reducing the drivers of fragility in their communities—including by supporting gender equality and inclusive development, as well as the promotion of a culture of peace.

Speakers discussed how the Women, Peace, and Security community can support the Youth, Peace and Security community in monitoring and implementing UNSC Resolution 2250, taking into account the lessons learned from the implementation of UNSC Resolution 1325.

This event was in partnership with the Permanent Missions of Italy and Jordan to the United Nations, the UN Peacebuilding Support Office, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA); UN Women; the United Network of Young Peacebuilders (UNOY Peacebuilders); Cordaid; the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP); and the Working Group on Youth & Peacebuilding.

Welcoming remarks:
H.E. Benedetto Della Vedova, Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for Italy
H.E. Dina Kawar, Permanent Representative of Jordan to the UN
Video Message: Ahmad Alhendawi, UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth

Speakers:
Hajer Sharief, Together We Build, Libya, representing UNOY Peacebuilders
Sölvi Karlsson, Leading Coordinator, UNOY Peacebuilders
Hon. Betty Ogwaro, member of the National Legislative Assembly of the Republic of South Sudan and representative of the GNWP
Laura Londén, Deputy Executive Director, UNFPA

Moderator:
Youssef Mahmoud, Senior Adviser, IPI

The Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP) in cooperation with the European Stability Initiative organized on 3rd of March 2016 a roundtable discussion with Mr. Κnaus Gerald, Chairman of European Stability Initiative (ESI) on the theme of “Houdini” Greece? Reflections on Greek options -seen from Berlin, Vienna and Ankara- on the eve of Brussels meeting with Davutoglu.

The discussion was held at ELIAMEP’s offices with the participation of researchers, technocrats and journalists.

The report is available here.

 

 

 

 

ARI 26/2016 - 10/3/2016
Javier Pérez y Miriam Segovia
A pesar de la intensa actividad parlamentaria llevada a cabo en materia de desarrollo sostenible y lucha contra la pobreza durante la X Legislatura, el desempeño general del Congreso de los Diputados ha sido deficiente.

Entgegen vieler Hoffnungen markierte das Ende des Kalten Krieges nicht den Anbruch einer neuen, friedlicheren Weltordnung. Stattdessen lassen heutige sicherheitspolitische Herausforderungen klare Ordnungsstrukturen vermissen. Die Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung und das DialogForum Sicherheitspolitik luden zu ZEITZEUGEN-Gesprächen.

Die Türkei nutzt die Flüchtlingskrise, um daraus Kapital zu schlagen, sagt Günter Seufert von der...

La Fondation pour l’innovation politique souhaite relayer la première édition des Journées du Cinéma Politique de Sciences Po. Ces journées, qui montreront la politique dans tous ses états, s’ouvriront le 16 mars 2016 au soir par un débat à Sciences Po (Amphithéâtre Émile Boutmy, 27 rue St Guillaume, Paris 7è) puis se poursuivront, les 17 et […]

Cet article 16, 17 & 18 mars 2016 : Journées du Cinéma Politique de Sciences Po est apparu en premier sur Fondapol.

You can read here the article on the EU and the refugee crisis, which was written by Director General of ELIAMEP Dr Thanos Dokos. This commentary was published in the Greek daily Kathimerini on 9 March 2016.

Postdoctoral Fellow of ELIAMEP Dr Dimitris Skleparis commented on the cooperation between the EU and Turkey in the context of the refugee crisis in an interview with TRT World. The interview was given on 8 March 2016. The video is available here.

Zwei Trends bei den Verfassungsreformen haben seit den 1990er Jahren das plebiszitäre Moment in den lateinamerikanischen Präsidialsystemen gestärkt: die verbreitete Einführung der Option einer Wiederwahl sowie der Ausbau direktdemokratischer Mechanismen, zu denen auch das Abberufungsreferendum gehört – mit dem eine weitere Flexibilisierung der Amtszeit einhergeht. In der politischen Praxis entfalten diese Elemente eine besondere Dynamik und sorgen gleichzeitig für größere Kontinuität in der Exekutive. Diese Kombination ist heute in drei Fällen besonders gut zu erkennen: Während es Evo Morales in Bolivien beim Plebiszit vom 21. Februar 2016 misslungen ist, die zweifache konsekutive Wiederwahl verfassungsrechtlich zu verankern, drohen Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela ein Abberufungsreferendum und Dilma Rousseff ein Impeachment-Verfahren im brasilianischen Parlament.

Eine Gesellschaft, die von den Erfolgen der Wissenschaft sehr stark abhängig ist, benötigt eine gut informierte Bevölkerung. Nachrichten aus dem Bereich Wissenschaft werden zunehmend von den Forschungseinrichtungen selbst verbreitet – über gedruckte Magazine und online via Soziale Netzwerke. Der digitale Wandel der Medienwelt ist insbesondere für den Wissenschaftsjournalismus eine Herausforderung. Stiftungsmodelle und Science Media Center könnten hier möglicherweise Beiträge zur Sicherung der Qualität und der Unabhängigkeit liefern.

La Fondation pour l’innovation politique : 1er THINK TANK POLITIQUE FRANÇAIS au classement mondial du 2015 Global Go To Think Tank Index de l’Université de Pennsylvanie.

Cet article La Fondation pour l’innovation politique : 1er think tank politique français est apparu en premier sur Fondapol.

Opinión - 7/3/2016
Carlos Malamud
La comparecencia de Lula conducido por la Policía ante los instructores del caso Lava Jato ha levantado una tormenta política y mediática en Brasil. Las repercusiones internas y regionales son múltiples.

Les auditeurs de la 28e session européenne des responsables d’armement (Sera), se sont retrouvés ce matin 7 mars pour leur première semaine de cours qui se déroulera à l’École militaire...

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Date: Lundi 07 Mars 2016Résumé: Henri de Castries, président de l'Institut Montaigne sera sur le plateau de Ruth Elkrief sur BFM TV pour présenter le rapport Le numérique pour réussir dès l’école primaire.

Direction-Démocratie sociale (SMER-SD), dirigée par le Premier ministre sortant Robert Fico, est arrivée en tête des élections législatives le 5 mars en Slovaquie, mais sans obtenir de majorité. Il a recueilli 28,28% des suffrages et remporté 49 des 150 sièges (- 34 par rapport au scrutin...