Despite billions spent on defence reform globally, policymakers lack the tools and methodology to accurately assess “the state of the defense sector in a given country, to provide them with a systematic way of determining a country’s capabilities to achieve various security goals [...] or to monitor the success of defense sector programs over time.” 
SSR Blog
Yearly Archive
Year | 2010
RAND report introduces Defense Sector Assessment Rating Tool (DSART)
By: Geoff Burt | Wednesday, December 22nd, 2010RESDAL releases 2010 Comparative Atlas of Defence in Latin America and the Caribbean
By: Geoff Burt | Friday, December 17th, 2010The Security and Defense Network of Latin America (RESDAL) has released the fourth edition of its Comparative Atlas of Defence. The publication, a result of two years of research which features for the first time description and analysis of defence and security realities in the Caribbean region, is now called the Comparative Atlas of Defence
Want local ownership? Then fund locals, not foreigners
By: Edward Rees | Tuesday, December 14th, 2010Timorese security sector NGO Fundasaun Mahein is the only civil society organization of its sort in Timor-Leste. Founded by Nelson Belo, a survivor of the Santa Cruz Massacre and the co-founder of the Judicial System Monitoring Programme, the organization is beginning to make headway in carving out a truly local approach to SSR. Fundasaun Mahein means Guardian Foundation
Camp Victory, Afghanistan—an inside look at the training of the Afghan National Army
By: Geoff Burt | Tuesday, December 7th, 2010Last week the Centre for International Governance Innovation sponsored a screening of Camp Victory, Afghanistan by Carol Dysinger. The film, based on over 300 hours of footage shot between 2005 and 2008, is a remarkable look at the process of training the Afghan National Army. As Dysinger said to the audience after the screening, she
Third edition of the Security Sector Reform Monitor: Southern Sudan examines corruption
By: Geoff Burt | Friday, November 26th, 2010The third edition of the Security Sector Reform Monitor: Southern Sudan examines the endemic corruption that has emerged in Southern Sudan after a prolonged civil war. In contrast to the many researchers who claim that corruption is embedded in Sudanese society, this edition of the Monitor suggests that the situation in Southern Sudan is a
Final thoughts on the NATO summit in Lisbon
By: Aly Verjee | Wednesday, November 24th, 2010Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was right. NATO’s new strategic concept has more than a few vague sentences and blanks to be filled in later. To take a few particularly choice and detail-deficient articles: “9. During the next decade, proliferation will be most acute in some of the world’s most volatile regions.” (Breaking news?) “19.
SSR Resource Centre expert blogs from final day of Lisbon summit
By: Aly Verjee | Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010On Saturday, the final day of the summit, we had a videoconference to hear the opinions of Afghan university students on the present situation in Kandahar, Herat, and Kabul. The Bulgarian and Slovak foreign ministers stopped by to share their thoughts on the approved strategic concept. Slovakia’s Mikuláš Dzurinda described the concept as “a new
SSR Resource Centre expert blogs live from Lisbon summit (part 3)
By: Aly Verjee | Friday, November 19th, 2010Deep into Afghanistan - An Admiral, a General, an Ambassador and a Sceptic: Adm. Jim Stavridis, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) “I agree with President Obama that NATO is the most successful alliance in the history of the world.” “I believe in the critical value of languages. In the US only 8% of DOD
SSR Resource Centre expert blogs live from Lisbon summit (part 2)
By: Aly Verjee | Friday, November 19th, 2010SSR Centre contributor Aly Verjee is attending the NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government in Lisbon, which is expected to endorse a new strategic security concept for NATO. Mid-morning, we (the two Canadian delegates) were invited for a brief chat with Prime Minister Harper, Defence Minister MacKay and Foreign Minister Cannon on Afghanistan,
SSR Resource Centre expert blogs live from Lisbon summit
By: Aly Verjee | Thursday, November 18th, 2010SSR Centre contributor Aly Verjee is attending the Young Leaders Summit running in parallel with the NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government in Lisbon. The Heads of State and Government meeting opens tomorrow, and is expected to endorse a new strategic security concept for NATO. He is blogging live from Parque Das Nações
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