The OCGG Security Section aims at security for humanity at a global scale for the long term future. This is a world governed in defense of humanity’s survival and international peace.

 

by Joachim Koops and André Nilsen

Recommendation to the Government and Parliament of Norway

Norway should reconsider its decision to withdraw from the UN’s Standby High Readiness Brigade (SHIRBRIG). This multinational peacekeeping brigade, unique in the UN’s history, is a very effective tool for military operation planning and longterm capacity building, especially in Africa.

OCGG Security Recommendation No 7 (PDF) (Norwegian)

 

by Joachim Koops

Recommendation to the European Union and the United Nations

The European Union has since the adoption of the European Security Strategy in December 2003 been promoting its new foreign policy philosophy of Effective Multilateralism: a rule-based international order with the United Nations at its core.

The EU has stressed the creation of its Battlegroups advances this goal. However, without a comprehensive coordination and cooperation effort with the UN’s already existing rapid reaction brigade SHIRBRIG, the EU’s development of autonomous Battlegroups may actually undermine the UN’s capacity and authority in crisis management rather than strengthen it.

OCGG Security Recommendation No 6 (PDF)

 

by Aurélien Vallier and Magdalena Ji-in Seol

The adoption of United Nations Security Council resolution 1718 on 14 October 2006 constitutes a watershed for the global WMD non-proliferation regime. Less than a week after North Korea became the world’s 9th nuclear power by conducting an underground nuclear test, the Security Council imposed sanctions against the world’s possibly greatest nuclear threat and certainly most challenging regime.

OCGG Security Briefing No 7 (PDF)

UNSC Resolution 1718 (PDF)

 

Oxford think tank calls for immediate cessation of hostilities

(Oxford, 21 July 2006) Recognizing that the daily escalation in violence is causing a growing humanitarian crisis, the European Union should give full support to the UN Secretary General’s blueprint for restoring peace in Israel, Lebanon, and the Palestinian areas, starting with an immediate cessation of hostilities, says a think tank based in Oxford.

Press Release (Word)

 

by André Nilsen

Recommendation to the European Union

Russia is hosting the G8 Summit of world economic powers in the weekend 15 – 17 July 2006. Europe should seize the opportunity to accelerate the development of a special partnership with Russia. This would be good for both Europe and Russia and most importantly it is necessary to make progress towards a better world.

OCGG Security Recommendation No 5 (PDF)

 

The third issue of the Oxford Journal on Good Governance examines the impact of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza on the Middle East Peace Process.

Featuring contributions from an exclusive group of senior policy-makers and eminent scholars, including Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Michael Ancram, Naomi Chazan, and Yossi Mekelberg, the publication re-examines the past, present and future of one of the longest running and bloodiest conflicts in modern history in the light of the Israeli disengagement.

The high level contributors cover key issues such as Palestinian security reform, Israeli political realignment, the role of the EU, and the underlying causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

You can download the entire journal as a PDF document: Oxford Journal on Good Governance - Vol 2 No 2

 

by Silke Rusch

Advice to the Secretary-General of the United Nations

Peacebuilding is the final and most complex phase of any peace operation. Its success or failure is not only a question of peace or war it is a matter of confidence in the effectiveness of the United Nations and collective security.

To build long-lasting peace in societies shattered by civil war means to plan a long-term international effort. Understanding the role of every actor in a peacebuilding process and taking decisions that reflect the will of the local population should be the guidelines for UN action at the beginning of each peacebuilding operation. These decisions require a central mechanism flexible enough to coordinate the efforts of mostly broadly working actors operating in a specific environment.

But not only institutions matter. The right decisions can only be taken if competent experienced experts with a thorough knowledge of the country under consideration are responsible. A careful selection of international negotiators and personnel is important to create a network of international and local peace builders that will one day become the basis for a new democratic society stable enough to live in peace.

OCGG Security Advice No 2 (PDF)

 

The second issue of the Oxford Journal on Good Governance examines the EU's budding Strategic Culture. Featuring an introduction by Michel Barnier and contributions from a selected group of seasoned practitioners and leading researchers including Elmar Brok, Christoph Heusgen, Klaus Naumann and Michael Baun, the publication builds on the acclaim won by the previous issue.

You can download the entire journal as a PDF document: Oxford Journal on Good Governance - Vol 2 No 1

 

by André Nilsen

Recommendation to the Governments of the Member States of the European Union

The reelection of George W. Bush to another four year term as President of the United States, and his promotion of National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice to Secretary of State, makes it imperative and urgent that the European Union gets its act together in foreign, security, and defence policy. While European leaders are quarrelling among themselves, Bush is busy shaping the future of our world.

OCGG Security Recommendation No 3 (PDF)

 

This first issue of the Oxford Journal on Good Governance focuses on the increasing independence and capability of the European Union as a strategic actor. Addressing this key development in global governance, the Journal features articles from high-level policy-makers and leading scholars on both sides of the Atlantic.

You can download the entire journal as a PDF document: Oxford Journal on Good Governance - Vol 1 No 1

 

The OCGG Security Section offers security analysis and policy advice to high-level policy-makers. [More]

Joachim Koops, OCGG Analyst, and André Nilsen, Chairman and Managing Director of the OCGG, urge Norway to refrain from undermining the UN's unique peacekeeping force SHIRBRIG in OCGG Security Recommendation No 7 (available in only Norwegian).

Joachim Koops, OCGG Analyst, calls for coordination between the EU Battlegroups and the UN Multinational Standby High Readiness Brigade (SHIRBRIG) in OCGG Security Recommendation No 6.

Aurélien Vallier, OCGG Governance Area Manager, and Magdalena Ji-in Seol, OCGG Advice Program Manager, comment upon the UN response to the North Korean nuclear test in OCGG Security Briefing No 7.

André Nilsen, Chairman and Managing Director of the OCGG, calls for a special partnership between Europe and Russia in OCGG Security Recommendation No 5.

The third issue of the Oxford Journal on Good Governance, Building Walls or Mending Fences? The Middle East Peace Process Beyond Israeli Disengagement, features contributions from Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Michael Ancram, Naomi Chazan, Yossi Mekelberg, and other leading experts from around the world.

Silke Rusch, OCGG Analyst, offers advice on reforming UN peacebuilding operations in OCGG Security Advice No 2.

The second issue of the Oxford Journal on Good Governance, A Strategic Culture for Europe: EU Security Policy after Iraq, features contributions from Michel Barnier, Elmar Brok, Christoph Heusgen, Klaus Naumann, and leading European and American experts.

André Nilsen, Chairman and Managing Director of the OCGG, argues that the European Union needs to counterbalance the United States in OCGG Security Recommendation No 3.

The first issue of the Oxford Journal on Good Governance, A Security Strategy for Europe: The Solana Strategy in the Wake of Madrid, features articles by Javier Solana, Chris Patten, Doug Bereuter, and several leading academics from both sides of the Atlantic.

André Nilsen, Chairman and Managing Director of the OCGG, calls on the US to shut down its Global Gulag in OCGG Law Recommendation No 1.