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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Summer Workshop participants are selected from varied academic backgrounds-international relations, international law, and other social sciences. The objectives are:

• Training: young scholars and policy staff get sustained, one-on-one contact with guest experts and co-directors.

• Bridge-building and knowledge exchange: the workshop is founded on a commitment to interdisciplinary discussion across geographical and professional boundaries. The workshop gives researchers direct access to leading experts and UN policy staff with first-hand knowledge of Global PPP implementation. UN staff working in the emerging policy area of Global PPPs gain access to cutting edge research that can inform their policy choices.

• Advancing research: the experience of each participant allows him/her to advance his/her own individual project. Collectively, we will disseminate and publish the results of our discussions, which will focus on assessing existing Global PPPs, deducing lessons for policy areas where such arrangements are only now appearing, and drawing theoretical conclusions about the origins and implications of Global PPPs for effective, accountable governance.

• Informing policy: participants coming from a policy context leave the workshop with new ideas and fresh perspectives. In addition, our collective analysis of the successes and failures of existing Global Public-Private Partnerships will provide valuable input for those who participate in, monitor, and regulate such efforts.

Each workshop is made up of some sixteen to twenty participants drawn from the target groups listed above; and each workshop is led by directors drawn from international law and international relations. This core is supplemented by invited participants from these disciplines who serve as resource staff and lecturers.

The workshop typically runs for ten days, giving participants an extended period during which to interact with each other, with the workshop co-directors, and with the expert guest speakers. Each participant has an opportunity to present his/her research to the group and receive collective feedback. The ten-day format also allows ample time for each participant to have sustained, one-on-one attention from the co-directors and unparalleled access to the expert guests, a format that has proven very effective for training and networking purposes.

Among our past supporters are the Ford Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.