The New Security Beat: PODCAST - Trade, Aid and Security

The New Security Beat has an interesting podcast on Trade, Aid and Security: An agenda for peace and development. From their post:



'Current approaches to trade and aid often fail to stem poverty, promote stability, or prevent conflict in the developing world. According to Trade, Aid and Security: An agenda for peace and development, existing policies are poorly designed and benefit rich countries, denying developing nations access to vital financial markets. Lifting people out of poverty requires a secure environment and effective trade and aid policies can promote the preconditions for peace and stability. Oli Brown, Project Manager and Policy Researcher at the International Institute for Sustainable Development and one of the editors of Trade, Aid and Security, discusses current development strategies and the conditions for wider political and economic stability.'

Confusion in the Margins: Narrow or Wide? Saving Lives or Building peace?

An insightful piece by Antonio Donini, Senior Researcher at the Feinstein International Center.

He looks at the question of how wide the definition of humanitarianism should be- a narrowly defined niche only for civilian do-gooders who prize neutrality and independence? Or, as he succinctly puts it:

"Thus, humanitarianism is in the eye of the beholder. It is self-defined. The term is ambiguous in that a diverse range of actors claim to operate under a banner that is used to justify a multitude of interventions. There is no formal standard to which organizations, who see themselves as humanitarian, can be held to account. This is one of the problems: there is not one humanitarianism; there are many. And, quite naturally, there is a range of views on whether humanitarian action should be narrowly defined or broad in scope."

Antonio presented this paper at the ICVA Conference: A Contribution to the Debate, in Geneva, Switzerland, 2 February 2007.

Event- The Role of Civil Society in Security

RUSI will be hosting the following event of the Global Facilitation Network for Security Sector Reform (GFN-SSR) on the 28th of June in London:

'It is generally acknowledged that a vibrant civil society is important for sustainable and meaningful development. Security is often cited as a priority concern by the poorest and most marginalised, and the provision of a safe and secure environment for development is a vital function for governments worldwide. However, there is little substantive discussion or clear meaning behind how civil society actors can influence decisions on security and defence involving the military, police, intelligence services and judiciary. Some would argue that the role of civil society is little understood by the military and defence sectors, which have traditionally been resistant to public input. Others would state that civil society doesn’t have either the necessary expertise or interest needed to provide an informed input into what is a uniquely specialised policy area.

This half-day seminar aims to begin addressing this issue by broadening the parameters of the current debate to explore grassroots civil society perspectives and participatory approaches to the provision of security.'

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