ICSR Publicationshttp://www.icsr.info/blog.rss.phpThe latest ICSR Publication InformationEnglishICSR Peace and Security Summit2010-08-20 00:00:00On 30 June and 1 July, 2010, ICSR held a global Peace and Security Summit at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City. It brought together over 400 leading policymakers, diplomats, senior officials and experts from across the globe, encouraging them to share their experiences and approaches in a number of working groups and high-level panels.
 
The Summit explored some of the greatest security challenges of our time, ranging from domestic radicalisation and violent extremism to ongoing conflicts and the struggle for peace in places such as Afghanistan, Somalia, Iraq, and the Middle East.
 
Among the many keynote speakers and panellists were:

•    Dr. Abdulkarim Al-Eryani, former Prime Minister of Yemen
•    Arif Alikhan, Assistant Secretary for Policy Development at US Department of Homeland Security
•    Ambassador Cofer Black, former Director o]]>http://www.icsr.info/conference/icsr-peace-and-security-summitPolitical Islam and Public Policy2010-08-20 00:00:00Six weeks before the British general elections, ICSR – together with IPPR, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, and the German Embassy – convened a one-day conference on the issue of ‘Political Islam and Public Policy’. Attended by nearly 200 guests, the aim was to develop a more nuanced understanding of political Islam, but also – and more importantly – consider domestic and foreign policy options.

Among the speakers and panellists were:

-    HE Georg Boomgarden, German Ambassador to the UK
-    Dr Khaled Hroub, Cambridge University
-    Yahya Birt, Director, City Circle
-    Baroness Kishwer Falkner, Liberal Democrat spokesperson on foreign affairs
-    Chrispin Blunt MP, Shadow Minister for Home Affairs and Counterterrorism
-    Prof Herta Däubler-Gmelin, former German Secretary of Justice
-   ]]>http://www.icsr.info/conference/political-islam-and-public-policyAl Muhajiroun and Islam4UK: The group behind the ban.2010-06-16 00:00:00This report is based primarily on the first in-depth academic interviews conducted with members of Al Muhajirourn since 2004 and it discusses the group’s aims, beliefs, membership and activities.

The report also examines the government’s decision to proscribe Islam4UK. Critics of the decision have focused on the timing of the ban and the likely ineffectiveness of the measure, while those who welcomed it have pointed to the group’s alleged links to terrorism. This report offers the following assessment: that the government had valid reasons for banning Islam4UK but that its decision to do so was undermined by the timing of its announcement.

Another question addressed in the report is the likely effectiveness of the ban in the long-term. Although Islam4UK’s overtly public activities may have been stalled temporarily by the government’s action, the group has a strategy of creating new identities for itself, adopting new]]>http://www.icsr.info/seminar/al-muhajiroun-and-islam4uk-the-group-behind-the-banAtkin Fellows Adam and Alia Present Their Research Papers2010-06-08 00:00:00Alia Al-Kadi and Adam Pines, ICSR's Spring Atkin Fellows presented their final papers last Tuesday.

Alia's paper "The Arab Peace Initiative: An Instrument for Peace" calls for a closer look at the Arab Peace Initiative as the most comprehensive framework for peace.

By focusing on the Palestinian –Israeli conflict as the core issue of tensions in the region, Alia advocates for a quick and definite adoption of the Initiative to ensure long-lasting peace.

It offers Israel recognition and normal relations with 22 Arab nations in exchange for a withdrawal to the 1967 lines from all territory occupied to allow for a viable Palestinian state; a partition of Jerusalem, which would serve as a capital to both the Palestinians and the Israelis; and a negotiated, workable solution to the issue of the Palestinian right of return.

Alia's paper proposes concrete recommendations to enhance its marketability and facilitate its adoption a]]>http://www.icsr.info/seminar/atkin-fellows-adam-and-alia-present-their-research-papersBenny Begin on Israel's Strategic Priorities and Peace Negotiations2010-05-14 00:00:00On 12 May, ICSR hosted Benny Begin, Likud member of the Knesset and the son of former Prime Minister of Israel, Menachem Begin.

Begin spoke about ‘Israel’s Strategic Priorities and Peace Negotiations’. He began by emphasising the continued strength of Hezbollah and drawing attention to the support it has received from Syria and Iran. He suggested that Hezbollah had quadrupled the number of rockets it had in its possession in recent years and that Hamas was also making efforts to re-arm itself, using international support. He emphasised the importance of the ideological commitment of Israel’s enemies to its destruction.

On the issue of peace negotiations, Begin referred to Israel’s historical experience of such efforts. He said that the lesson of the 1966-7 and other episodes was that Israel could not rely ]]>http://www.icsr.info/seminar/benny-begin-on-israels-strategic-priorities-and-peace-negotiations