News archive
2012
6 Dec.: New SIPRI Fact Sheet on measuring international arms transfers
Consistent, comprehensive data on international arms transfers enables the identification over time of trends in international arms transfers at the global, regional and national levels. There are several different methods for measuring international arms transfers.
Download the Fact Sheet.
28 Nov.: SIPRI Yearbook 2012 in Arabic out now
Read more about editions of the SIPRI Yearbook in other languages.
27 Nov.: New SIPRI report describes how China seeks to secure its economic interests in the Arctic
Aware of the suspicions some countries have about its intentions in the Arctic, China is adopting a deliberately low-key public stance that avoids talk about minerals, oil and gas and focuses on climate change and shipping routes. Nevertheless, China is determined not to be sidelined in decisions that it believes will directly affect its economic interests, according to a report published today by SIPRI.
Read the Press release.
Read more and download the report.
23 Nov.: New SIPRI Update out now!
Read it online. Do not miss the essay on the re-emergence of armed violence in northern Mali
, by Helen Wilandh.
20 Nov.: Post-Doc Fellowship: Call for applications 2013
The Transatlantic Post-Doc Fellowship for International Relations and Security (TAPIR) is open to candidates who have recently received their doctorate in social and political sciences or economics and whose research focuses on topics of international relations and/or international peace and security issues. Fellowships are granted for a duration of 24 months to prepare Fellows for a career in policy-oriented and international research at renowned think tanks and political consulting research institutes, including SIPRI and SIPRI North America.
Application details (PDF).
23 Oct.: New vacancy
SIPRI is recruiting up to two post-doctoral research fellows in the economics of peace and security. Read more.
19 Oct.: New SIPRI Update out now
Read it online. Do not miss the essay on the foreign policy implications of China's upcoming Party Congress, by SIPRI researchers Mathieu Duchâtel and Oliver Bräuner.
16 Oct.: Study published in Science and Global Security
SIPRI Guest Researcher Tamara Patton from Monterey Institute publishes on the use of commercial satellite imagery and novel three-dimensional modeling techniques to refine nuclear weapons-grade plutonium production estimates of the Khushab nuclear reactors in Pakistan.
Read the full text
12 Oct.: SIPRI statement on the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize
SIPRI warmly congratulates the European Union, and all its citizens, on being awarded the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize.
Read the full statement.
11 Oct.: Turkey’s interception of a Syrian passenger aircraft
Read the expert comment by SIPRI researcher Edin Omanovic.
8 Oct.: Call for papers - Conference on Economics and Security
SIPRI is pleased to announce that the 17th Annual International Conference on Economics and Security will be held at SIPRI in Stockholm, Sweden, on 14–15 June 2013. The conference is co-organized by SIPRI with Economists for Peace and Security.
The conference will cover a wide range of topics relating to the economics and political economy of conflict, peace, security, military expenditure and armaments and related topics. Please send titles and abstracts (max 300 words) to Sam Perlo-Freeman, perlo-freeman@sipri.org, before 1 April 2013.
Further information about the conference.
1 Oct.: Jozef Goldblat 1923-2012
SIPRI regretfully notes the passing of former colleague Jozef Goldblat. As Senior Researcher on Arms Control and Disarmament between 1969 and 1989 he became a pillar of SIPRI's research. Among numerous publications of note, he was the author of the definitive Arms Control: A Guide to Negotiations and Agreements (co-published by SIPRI and PRIO in 1994 and updated in 2002). His continuing devotion to the establishment of nuclear-weapon-free zones helped keep that notion alive in the international discourse. Jozef was recognized by, among others, the NGO Committee on Disarmament, which in 1984 granted him its Pomerance Award for scholarship in the field of arms control and disarmament. We convey our deepest condolences to Jozef's wife Claire, and to all his family and friends.
Please read the remembrance from his former colleague at SIPRI Arthur Westing.
26 Sep.: New SIPRI Update out now!
Read it online. Do not miss the essay on the Iraq Action Team
as a model for monitoring and verification of WMD proliferation, by Ambassador Rolf Ekéus, Chairman Emeritus of the SIPRI Governing Board.
21 Sep.: EU -China High Level Summit
On 20 September 2012 Chinese and European leaders met for the 15th EU -China High Level Summit in Brussels. It was Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s tenth and final appearance at the yearly gathering. Despite the current economic and political turbulence in both Asia and Europe both sides focused instead on consolidating the progress that has been made in the past 10 years. Nevertheless, the question remains: where is the EU–China relationship heading?
Read the expert comment by SIPRI Researcher Oliver Bräuner.
20 Sep.: SIPRI welcomes new Director!
SIPRI is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Dr Tilman Brück as its new Director. Professor Brück will assume his post on 1 January 2013. Tilman Brück is a development economist and an internationally renowned expert on the economics of peace, security and post-war reconstruction. He has published widely on the role of conflict and insecurity as barriers to development.
Read the press release.
13 Sep.: The proposed merger of BAE Systems and EADS
Read the expert commentby Dr Susan Jackson, Head of the SIPRI Project on Arms Production.
31 Aug.: New SIPRI Policy Paper on verifying a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty
The renewed momentum behind international efforts to negotiate a fissile material cut-off treaty (FMCT) has focused attention on how the proposed ban on the production of fissile material will be verified: what type of organization should be given this responsibility and what technical expertise will it require? This Policy Paper by SIPRI researcher Shannon Kile and associated researcher Robert Kelley proposes an arrangement that, while taking advantage of the IAEA's experience and expertise, creates a verification body tailored specifically for an FMCT with the requisite legal mandate and technical capabilities.
Read more and download the paper.
24 Aug.: New Newsletter out!
Read it here. Do not miss the essay on methods for tackling destabilizing arms flows
, by SIPRI Senior Researcher Hugh Griffiths.
17 Aug.: SIPRI Governing Board Member Lakhdar Brahimi new UN Syria envoy
Ambassador Lakhdar Brahimi was today appointed as the new UN-Arab League envoy for Syria. Brahimi has been a SIPRI Governing Board member since April 2009 and has carried out extensive work in the field of conflict resolution, peacemaking and peacekeeping.
26 July: Syria’s chemical weapons and protection against their use: a brief overview
'The escalation of the current conflict in Syria gives greater impetus to efforts to determine the fate of Syria’s weapon programmes and, in particular, its reported stocks of chemical weapons.'
- Read the expert commentby SIPRI Senior Researcher John Hart.
- Also check the Arms Transfers database for data about Syrian arms imports from Russia and others. Contact our expert Paul Holtom for detailed insights.
12 July: SIPRI Insights paper on implementing an arms trade treaty now available
The creation of an arms trade treaty (ATT) will require the expansion of existing assistance programmes as well as the development of new approaches and efforts specifically designed to assist states with treaty implementation. In a new Insights paper, SIPRI researchers Paul Holtom and Mark Bromley map existing assistance efforts aimed at strengthening transfer controls for conventional arms, dual-use goods, and small arms and light weapons. Read more and download the paper.
- Learn more about SIPRI's activities regarding the ATT.
4 July: summer reading from SIPRI
With the Arctic ice melting at a record rate, attention is once again turning to the policies of the Arctic states. In a new SIPRI Insights paper, Kristofer Bergh analyses the Arctic policies of Canada and the United States and assesses the chances of their forming a joint North American programme for their successive chairmanships of the Arctic Council from 2013. Read more and download the paper.
- Learn more about SIPRI's Arctic futures project.
2 July: New vacancy
SIPRI seeks a Director for its China and Global Security Programme. Read more here.
4 June: New SIPRI Yearbook out now
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) today launches the findings of SIPRI Yearbook 2012, which assesses the current state of international security, armaments and disarmament.
Key findings include:
i) Upheavals in the Middle East and North Africa in 2011 highlighted the changing character of contemporary armed conflict; ii) Major powers continued to reduce stockpiles of nuclear weapons, while pursuing weapon modernization programmes; iii) Peacekeeping operations in 2011 illustrated a growing acceptance of the concept of protection of civilians.
Read the press release. Read more about the yearbook and download a summary in English, Spanish, Swedish or Catalan (French, German, Italian and Dutch coming soon).
23 May: The IAEA and Parchin: do the claims add up
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has an extremely difficult time in evaluating alleged nuclear weapons studies in Iran. While it has done an excellent job in verifying the nuclear material production activities in Iran’s uranium enrichment plants, the IAEA also appears to be willing to risk its technical credibility by insisting on visiting a military site called Parchin, near Tehran.
Read the expert comment by SIPRI Associated Senior Research Fellow Robert Kelley.
27 Apr: Launch of the SIPRI Yearbook 2011 in Ukrainian
The Ukrainian translation of the SIPRI Yearbook 2011, published by the Razumkov Centre (Ukrainian Centre for Economic and Political Studies, UCEPS), has been launched on the occasion of a roundtable discussion entitled 'Partnership with NATO in Ukraine’s non-bloc policy: a place, a status, and prospects' in Kiev. The translation is funded by a grant from the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport.
17 Apr: New SIPRI data: world military spending levels out after 13 years of increases
World military expenditure in 2011 totalled $1.74 trillion, almost unchanged since 2010 in real terms, according to figures released today by SIPRI. Read the full press release here.
- For more information about the data and about the SIPRI Military Expenditure Project, go here.
17 Apr: Thomas Ohlson 1954-2012
All of SIPRI regretfully notes the passing of former colleague Dr. Thomas Ohlson. He worked at SIPRI from 1979 to 1987 and led SIPRI's groundbreaking work on arms trade and arms production during that period, and remained a close professional colleague and personal friend to many of us at SIPRI since then. During his time at SIPRI he co-wrote, with Michael Brzoska, the pioneering volume, Arms Transfers to the Third World, 1971-1985 (1987). That publication, along with its companion volume which he co-edited, Arms Production in the Third World (1986), remain classic reference works today. We convey our deepest condolences to Thomas' wife Liana Lopes, and to all his family and friends. Please also see the remembrance from his colleagues at the Uppsala University, Department of Peace and Conflict Research: http://www.pcr.uu.se.
14 Apr: SIPRI participates in seminar on Global Day of Action on Military Spending
The seminar "The human cost of military spending" takes place on April 17 and is organized jointly by UNOG, UNIDIR and IPB at the Palais de Nations, Geneva.
10 Apr: SIPRI launches international search for new Director
After a successful five-year term, Dr Bates Gill is to step down as SIPRI Director and the institute has launched an international search for his successor. Read more here
.
26 Mar: New SIPRI study on military capabilities in the Arctic region
The current build-up of military capabilities in the Arctic area by the five Arctic littoral states—Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States—is not necessarily cause for concern. The new SIPRI background paper by SIPRI Senior researcher Siemon Wezeman was launched today ahead of this week’s meeting of the Arctic Council in Stockholm. Read the press release here. Read more about and download the publication here.
Read more about SIPRI's research on the Arctic region here.
22 Mar: SIPRI Director speaks at Affordable World Security Conference in Washington
The conference is held on March 27 to 28 and convenes top thinkers to identify challenges and develop solutions to ensure a comprehensive human security for the 21st century. Read more about the event here and join the
online discussion here
.
19 Mar: New SIPRI data: Rise in international arms transfers is driven by Asian demand
The volume of worldwide arms transfers in 2007–2011 was 24 per cent higher than in 2002–2006 and the five largest arms importers in 2007–2011 were all Asian states, according to new data on international arms transfers published today. Read the press release in English, Swedish, French and Spanish, access the new data and download the report.
6 Feb: SIPRI opens new North American Research Center
SIPRI announces the establishment of SIPRI North America, a new research center based in Washington, DC. SIPRI North America is officially launched at an event on 6 February at the House of Sweden in Washington, DC, which will feature Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt and former US National Security Adviser Dr. Zbigniew Brzezinski.
For more information about SIPRI North America go here. Read the press release here.
24 Jan: New SIPRI paper on transparency and military spending in Latin America
24 Jan: New SIPRI paper on transparency and military spending in Latin America
While all states surveyed in Latin America now make information on their defence budgets available to the public, further transparency is needed in the reporting of off-budget funding for arms acquisitions. Read the press release here, and download the report here
.
19 Jan: SIPRI ranked a top global think tank again in 2011
SIPRI ranked 2nd in global think tank ranking (non-US) according to the 2011 Global Go To Think Tank Rankings published by the University of Pennsylvania. Read the full report and complete ranking lists here.
