Civil - Military Relations in Peace Missions
July 19 - 28, 2010
Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), Switzerland

The Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS) and the American Society of International Law (ASIL), in cooperation with the Geneva Centre for Security Policy (GCSP), are pleased to announce the twentieth ACUNS-ASIL Summer Workshop on International Organization Studies.

The workshop is designed for junior professors in international relations and international law faculties, post-doctoral and advanced doctoral level students, young lawyers and practitioners from civil society groups, policy staff from international organizations, and others at similarly early stages of their professional careers.

The workshop seeks to encourage new directions and new ideas in the analysis of international organization(s); to establish and strengthen contacts between international relations and legal scholars and the United Nations practitioners; and to stimulate advanced research and teaching in the specific workshop subject matter.

Program Theme
Conflict management and post-conflict reconstruction have evolved. It is no longer the case that civilian and military actors intervene in isolation from each other. Increasingly, soldiers, peacekeepers, development workers, and others must combine forces in an "integrated" approach. While such an approach arguably produces more effective and holistic peace operations, it blurs the distinctions between the various actors.

At stake is the ability of military and civilian actors to work together in the field without jeopardizing their respective identities, strengths, and capacities.

• How best can military and civilian actors cooperate in the field without jeopardizing their identity, effectiveness, and security?
• What is the added value of the military in humanitarian tasks?
• How do the concepts of "integrated mission" or "comprehensive approaches" influence civil-military relations?
• What lessons do particular cases of civil-military coordination (Afghanistan, Iraq, Darfur, etc.) teach us?
• Are they generalizable beyond their specific context?
• How does the privatisation of some security actors influence the civil-military interface?
• How is the humanitarian-military interface perceived by local populations?

Applicants may propose any research project related to the theme of the workshop. Some participants may be asked to contribute to a workshop publication.

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