The Centre for Civil-Military Relations (CCMR), civil society organisation from Serbia, would like to invite you to take part in the international conference "How Can Independent Research Centres (Think-Tanks) Be Successfully Involved in Security Politics". The conference will take place in Belgrade on 4-5 December 2008 in the
premises of Belgrade City Administration (Street 27. marta, No. 43-45, hall 2). Please find bellow the Draft Agenda with detailed overview of suggested topics for discussion.
With this conference, the Centre aims to provide forum for discussion of the successful management strategies of security think-tanks in a consolidated democracies and to critically assess the achievements, challenges, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and limits of security think-tanks in the Western Balkans. It will also be an opportunity for the exchange of best practices among independent civil society organizations (CSOs) and state-funded academic institutes from the Western Balkans and Western Europe, as well as the organizations that support the work of think-tanks or that are using their intellectual products, such as government agencies, regional and international organizations.
The reforms initiated in security sector and integration into international security organizations increased the demand for independent security policy research and development. In almost all Western Balkan countries, new civil society organizations (CSOs) were established with special focus on security research. There are also
many CSOs and academic institutes that focus on security policy as one of their activities. Therefore, the primary target group for this conference is think-tanks, civil society organizations and public academic institutes from the Western Balkans specialized in research of security policies. The event is intended both for the new
organizations who are only starting programmes related to security policies and for more experienced organizations that carry out security policy research for more than 5-10 years. We also expect participation from major potential donors which sponsor the work of think-tanks.
If you are interested in participation in this event, please register by sending an e-mail to office@ccmr- bg.org. For any further details about panel, travel and accomodation arrangements feel free to contact Gorana Odanovic, office coordinator tel/fax 38111 3287 226 or at office@ccmr- bg.org
Kindly,
Sonja Stojanovic
Director of the Centre for Civil-Military relations
Gundulicev venac 48, 11000 Beograd
Tel: +381 11 3287 334; Fax: +381 11 3287 226
Web: www.ccmr-bg. org
www.bezbednost. org
DRAFT PROGRAMME
International Conference
HOW CAN INDEPENDENT RESEARCH CENTRES
(THINK-TANKS) BE SUCCESSFULLY INVOLVED
IN SECURITY POLITICS?
Time: 4-5 December 2008
Venue: Belgrade City Administration, wing A, 27. marta Street No.
43-45, room 2
Organiser: Centre for Civil-Military Relations (www.ccmr-bg. org)
DRAFT AGENDA
THE FIRST DAY, 4 December 2008
09:00 – 09:20 Opening Remarks:
1. Sonja Stojanovic, Director of CCMR, Serbia
2. Ståle Ulriksen, Head of Department of Security and Conflict
Management, the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI),
Norway
09:30 -11:00 Session I HOW ARE THINK-TANKS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER
ORGANIZATIONS? HOW TO MEASURE SUCCESS OF THINK-TANKS?
• Are/How are think-tanks different from NGOs?
• How are think-tanks different from academic institutes?
• Who should be target audiences of think-tanks? In which order of
priority?
• What should be primary role of think-tanks: research, advocacy,
education and information campaigns, something else? Could the
organization be successful with focus on one type of activity?
• How is the success of think-tank defined and measured? Media
visibility, policy impact, something else?
• How is policy impact/change monitored?
• What is a good standard of research for a think-tank? How much of
academic standards should be obtained and how much policy relevant it
should be?
Keynote speakers (10 minute-long presentations) :
• Representative of Balkan Trust for Democracy (TBC)
• Goran Buldioski, Program Director, OSI Think-Tank Fund, or PASOS
Network (TBC), potvrdio
• Jadranka Jelinči& #263;, Executive Director of Fund for Open Society,
• Expert on Serbian civil society or think-tanks: Žarko Paunović ,
Miljenko Dereta or representative of domestic think-tank (TBC)
11:00 – 11:20 Coffee Break
11:20 – 13:00 Session II THE FEATURES OF SECURITY POLITICS – THE VIEW
FROM CONSOLIDATED DEMOCRACIES
• What are the specific features of security politics that make them
different from other policy areas? (`high politics', difficulties of
getting access to information, confidentiality, how to build trust and
maintain healthy distance from politics….)
• How do independent organisations get involved with security politics?
• How is `demand' for security research and advocacy identified?
• Who are `the users' of products made by security think-tanks?
• What are successful strategies to influence security politics?
• What are the differences when researching defence or internal
security or regional security?
• What is the ideal profile of human resources employed by think-tanks
specializing in security issues? How does an organization build
capacity for research in security politics? How do you build in-house
civilian expertise for security matters?
• Is independent and non-partisan research possible in regards to
security politics?
• Are there `independent' research centres? Independent from whom?
• How advocacy endeavors of think-tanks influence the perception of
their research products? How securitizing moves by think-tanks
influence the reception of their products?
• How is the funding of think-tanks influencing policy of think-tanks?
E.g. are state-funded institutes able to protect their independence?
• How to maintain sustainability of funding but keep `healthy
distance' from politicized funds (e.g. party affiliation) , military
industry complex, private security interests etc.)?
• What is the ideal model of funding for successful independent
research centre/think- tank?
Keynote speakers:
• Ståle Ulriksen, Head of Department of Security and Conflict
Management, the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI)
• How to research police related topics? Tor Tanke Holm, Head of Law
Enforcement Department, the OSCE Mission to Serbia
• The view from the U.S. /U.K.Amadeo Watkins
13:00 – 14:00 Lunch
14:00 – 15:30 Session III THE EXPERIENCE OF WESTERN BALKAN THINK-TANKS
IN SECURITY POLITICS
• When the interest for security policy research and advocacy appeared
in particular countries of the Western Balkans? Why then?
• What was the profile of founders of security think-tanks? How did it
influence perception of think-tank by policy community?
• What are the difficulties that think-tanks in Western Balkans face
when researching security politics?
• Which topics are most frequently researched by organisations in the
Western Balkans? Which topics are not researched? Why is that the case?
• Access the capacity of Western Balkan think-tanks for formulation of
alternative policy proposals? Implementation of new policy
initiatives? Monitoring and evaluation of implementation of national
and regional security policy?
• Which type of activities are think-tanks in particular countries of
the Western Balkans most and least ready for: a) research and policy
formulation, b) advocacy, c) training and building organizational
capacity in state security institutions, d) monitoring policy
implementation, e) budget analysis, f) something else…
• What are the major differences among Western Balkan countries?
• Access the cooperation with state institutions. Are there any
differences regarding the availability or interest of state
institutions for the cooperation with think-tanks? What does it depend
on?
• What are major successes in influencing security politics on
national level? What were the elements of your successful strategy?
Panelists– representatives of relevant think-tanks from the region
(list is not completed):
• Sotiraq Hroni, Institute for Democracy and Mediation, Albania, ,
potvrdio
• Centre for Security Studies, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Forum for Security Studies, Croatia
• Islam Yusufi, Analytica, Macedonia
• Miloš Bešić, Center for Democracy and Human Rights, Montenegro
• Center for Civil-Military Relations, Serbia
15:30 – 15:40 Coffee Break
15:40 – 17:00 Session IV CONTINUATION OF DISCUSSION ON SECURITY POLICY
RESEARCH IN THE BALKANS – THE VIEW FROM STATE-FUNDED INSTITUTES AND
`THE USERS' (representatives of strategic planning departments in
state security institutions)
Panelists:
• Institute for International Relations, Croatia
• Institute of Defence and Peace Studies, Faculty of Philosophy, Macedonia
• Department for Security, Faculty of Political Sciences, Sarajevo,
Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Faculty of Defence Studies, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.
• Institute for Strategic Studies, MoD, Institute for International
Politics and Economy, Institute for European Studies, Institute for
Comparative Law, Serbia
• University of National and World Economy, Department for National
and Regional Security, Bulgaria
THE SECOND DAY, 5 December 2008
09:00 – 10:30 Session V REGIONAL COOPERATION
• Are there any topics which would require regional cooperation for
implementation of successful research?
• What are the most important benefits of setting-up regional networks
of think-tanks?
• What are the most important challenges to maintaining regional networks?
• How to influence regional inter-governmental organizations?
• Highlight any successful examples with previous regional networks
and why these initiatives were successful?
Keynote speakers:
• Regional Cooperation Council
• Representative of RACVIAC or SEESAC
• Helena Ziherl, representative of the Geneva Centre for Democratic
Control of Armed Forces
• Representative of Network for Reconciliation, Balkan Human Rights
Network,
10:30 – 10:50 Coffee Break
10:50 – 12:00 Session VI HOW TO INFLUENCE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
WITH SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON ASSISTING ACCESSION OF COUNTRY INTO THE EU
AND NATO
• Is there a profile of think-tank with the EU-wide impact?
• What are the specific features of Brussels-based think-tank work?
• How security policy-making in Brussels influence work of think-tanks?
• How to keep Western Balkan security high on agenda in Brussels?
• How to increase influence of think-tanks in debates on accession
into the EU or NATO?
• Possibilities for direct engagement with the EU/NATO…
Keynote speakers:
• Igor Bandović , Programme Manager, European Fund for the Balkans
• Srđan Đurovi& #263;, Center for European Policies, Belgrade
• EU / NATO speaker
Please quote 10 Academic Resources Daily in your application to this opportunity!
If you want to receive academic resources in your e-mail on daily basis, please subscribe to 10resources-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
