Comment & Analysis - January 23, 2012

A Quiet Diplomat for Challenging Times

Ban Ki-moon was appointed to a second five-year term as Secretary-General of the United Nations in his typical style: quietly. In a time of divisive power plays in the Security Council, all 15 members supported him and, a week later, the General Assembly gave its unanimous consent. No other candidate had been put forward and no fuss was raised among Member States.  

Speaker Events - January 20, 2012

Moreno-Ocampo: "I Follow Evidence, Not Politics"

“I follow evidence. I’m a criminal prosecutor, I’m not a political analyst,” Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), told an IPI policy forum on January 20, 2012. Mr. Moreno-Ocampo was responding to a question about why the court prosecutes certain people and not others. “Maybe you don’t like it, but I will not prosecute people for political reasons.”  

Policy Papers - January 06, 2012

Preventive Diplomacy: Regions in Focus

Over the past few years there has been a resurgence of interest in employing preventive tools to thwart the outbreak and escalation of violent conflict. This paper looks at the state of and challenges ahead for preventive diplomacy in four different regions of the world: Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Northeast Asia.  

Meeting Notes - December 06, 2011

Meeting Note: The OSCE-Mediterranean Partnership and the Arab Uprisings

This meeting note summarizes discussions at an IPI workshop in Vienna, held on October 25, 2011, about how the uprisings and changes in the Arab world affect the partnership between the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and its Mediterranean Partners for Co-operation (MPCs). 

Meeting Notes - November 17, 2011

New IPI Meeting Note: Elections and Stability in West Africa

This meeting note summarizes the discussions at a conference organized by the United Nations Office for West Africa (UNOWA) in Praia, Cape Verde on May 18-20, 2011. The conference addressed the need for a sustained effort to strengthen electoral processes in West Africa as a means to consolidate peace and democracy in the region.  

Policy Papers - October 26, 2011

The UN Security Council and Conflict Prevention: A Primer

In September 2011, the office of the UN Secretary-General released its first report focused specifically on preventive diplomacy; the report was subsequently discussed at the Security Council. This paper aims to contribute to these ongoing discussions by providing a primer on the UN’s work on conflict prevention and ideas for improvement.  

Panel Discussions - October 25, 2011

The OSCE-Mediterranean Partnership and the Arab Uprisings

On October 25th, IPI’s Vienna office hosted a discussion on how the changes in the Arab world affect the OSCE-Mediterranean partnership, and whether the time is ripe to intensify a dialogue on strengthening security and cooperation in North Africa and the Middle East. 

Speaker Events - September 23, 2011

Lamberto Zannier: Why We Need the OSCE

Lamberto Zannier, the new Secretary-General of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) told an IPI audience on September 23rd that one of the questions he has been asked since assuming his post on July 1st was why the OSCE was needed when Europe already has the European Union and NATO.  

General Announcements - August 15, 2011

African Junior Professionals Fellowship Program at IPI

The fourth annual African Junior Professionals Fellowship Program at IPI brought six African scholars to New York for a month-long (July 1-28) familiarization with the United Nations and the related think tank community.  

Conferences - July 02, 2011

Turkey, IPI Hold Security Council Retreat in Istanbul

For the second consecutive year, IPI collaborated with the Government of the Republic of Turkey in holding an informal retreat of the United Nations Security Council in Istanbul on July 2-3, 2011.