Britannia Radio

There have been many events globally and in the EU since our last publication, notably for the topics we cover; missile defence, the Lisbon Treaty referendum vote in Ireland, increasing tensions in Sudan, Afghanistan, worsening violence against women in the DRC and rising piracy in Somalia. We have two guest articles on our website this October, the first by Eva Strickmann from King's College London looking in depth at piracy around Somalia; and the other by Hans-Georg Ehrhart from IFSH on the consequences of the German Constitutional Court’s Ruling on the Lisbon Treaty. This ESR opens with our Senior Advisor on nuclear and disarmament policy, Dr. Ian Davis, commenting on the recent US administration decision on missile defence in Europe. We then analyse one of the foci of the Swedish EU Presidency – SSR. On disarmament, we write on the US administration’s recent commentaries on nuclear weapons and their effect on EU policy, and provide the next in our series of Briefing Notes which summarises the recent Brussels launch of the 2009 SIPRI Yearbook on armament, disarmament and international security. On responding to conflict, we evaluate the EU’s progress on military capabilities, and provide a briefing on the ISIS Europe ESCG meeting on Palestine, with speakers from the Council and Commission. Finally our usual update on ESDP missions (14 active) with the most recent table and chart. One last sad note, staff member Vibeke Thomsen will be leaving us in November to take up the greener pastures in Geneva. We wish her well and applaud her excellent work whilst the Programme Officer for Non-proliferation, Arms Control and Disarmament at ISIS Europe. (NB we now send out ISIS Europe’s EP Updates separately, please find them here www.isis-europe.org/index.php?page=epu#updatesor subscribe to the update directly from our website.)
	No Obituaries yet for Missile Defence
	ISIS Europe’s Senior Advisor on nuclear disarmament, Dr Ian Davis, comments on the recent US administration cancellation of Missile Defence in Eastern Europe.     Read more           By Ian Davis, Director of NATO Watch and Senior Advisor to ISIS Europe
	Beyond Implementation – making EU SSR effective
	EU discourse and practice strives towards the effectiveness and efficiency in efforts towards crisis management and civilian missions. The majority of European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) missions are on Security Sector Reform (SSR), particularly dealing with police and defence reform. This article discusses the practicality from experiences and lessons learnt by looking at the perspectives that make SSR work.   Read more   By Giji Gya, Executive Director and Vibeke Brask Thomsen, Programme Officer, ISIS Europe
	President Obama: A Leader for European Nuclear Disarmament?
	On 24 September 2009, US President Barack Obama chaired a special United Nations session, which focused on nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament. This article will discuss the possible impact of a radical change of stance in the policy of the United States in terms of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) and disarmament on selected national and common policies of EU Member States.   Read more   By Vibeke Brask Thomsen, Programme Officer, ISIS Europe
	ISIS Briefing Note 2009:5 SIPRI 2009 Yearbook Launch At least a world with less nuclear weapons
	Following the annual launch held in Stockholm in June , the presentation of  the SIPRI Yearbook 2009 to the Brussels audience was organised by ISIS Europe and hosted by MEPs Ana Gomes and Hannes Swoboda at the European Parliament. The Yearbook gives insights into recent developments in security-related fields of armament, disarmament and international security. Its extensive database, both in the book and online, is widely used as a definitive reference. Director of SIPRI, Dr. Bates Gill, provided a summary of the contents of the 2009 Yearbook. Invited to speak on the panel were: Carl Hartzell, Deputy Representative of Sweden to the Political Security Committee (PSC); Mika-Markus Leinonen, Director of DG E IX at the Council of the EU; and Heather Grabbe, Director of the Open Society Institute.   Read more    By Filippo Mauri, Programme Associate, ISIS Europe
	Military Capabilities – A Step Forward in ESDP?
	This article focuses on the series of declarations signed by EU Member States on the development of capabilities set out to provide the EU with a security and defence apparatus. Emphasis is placed on the development of military capabilities - such as the Battlegroups - and the initiatives of the EDA. Starting from the St Malo declaration, up to the 2008 Declaration on Strengthening Capabilities, this analysis underlines the practical challenges linked with planning and political aspects, the point being that the development of military capabilities is a slow step by step process unlikely to show significant results in the coming years.   Read more                                    By Johann Herz, Programme Officer, ISIS Europe
	ISIS Briefing Note 2009:4  Launch of the Peace Report 2009 Key Challenges for European Policy: The case of Palestine
	This briefing is a summary of the European Security Contact Group meeting on the 23 July 2009. The meeting included experts on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and was based on the Brussels launch of the 2009 annual Peace Report issued byfive leading German Peace and Conflict Research Institutes (BICC, FEST, HFSK, INEF, IFSH*) and with commentary from two of the reports’ authors, Margret Johannsen and Jochen Hippler.?    Read more             By Johann Herz, Programme Officer, ISIS Europe
	ESDP and EU mission updates – October 2009
	Our regular update of ESDP and EU missions. We compile much of our research from first-hand sources, giving a unique perspective and update on the EU’s ESDP activities. There are currently 14 ESDP and EU missions in operation (giving a total of six in the Balkans, Caucasus and Eastern Europe; three in the Middle East; one in Central Asia; four in Africa). Although no new missions, many have been extended into 2010 (see chart at the end of the article), which will make it a busy time for the incoming Spanish and Belgium EU Presidencies to decide on extensions with the ESDP budget at its limit. Please see the June 2008 – July 2009 updates for introductions to the missions. The article also includes a graphical outline and listing of missions in the chart and table, which will be featured in the EU-ISS 10 year review of ESDP missions in the autumn. ISIS updates these charts regularly as part of the ESDP Mission Analysis Partnership http://www.esdpmap.org/   Find here the ESDP and EU mission chart for October 2009 Read more                                 By Giji Gya, Executive Director, Johann Herz, Programme Officer, and Filippo Mauri, Programme Associate at ISIS Europe

	Goodbye, European Army? – Consequences of the German Constitutional Court’s Ruling on the Lisbon Treaty
	Read more                                                                                        By Hans-Georg Ehrhart, IFSH   IFSH is the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy - an independent research institution at the University of Hamburg, Germany www.ifsh.de   IFSH is a partner of the ESDP Mission Analysis Partnership www.esdpmap.org