CICS has been managing a series of courses for the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). These courses are:

UK Ministry of Defence (MOD).

Each year CICS delivers four one-week training courses for twenty-five serving military personnel from the UK Ministry of Defence. These courses deal with:

(1) African Security and Peacekeeping in Complex Political Emergencies:
A review of the challenges and experiences of African peacekeeping, with a particular focus on the place of British soldiers as peacekeepers in Africa.

(2) Terrorism, Causes and Responses:
An overview of the various forms of political terrorism, together with a critical analysis of the current Global War on Terrorism and the various forms of responses open to the military and other forces of the state.

(3) Conflict Resolution:
The course will introduce key conceptual and practical aspects of conflict resolution.  Teaching and learning strategies, including lectures, group work, role-play and simulations, will help participants to develop skills in analysing and resolving conflict. Conflict dynamics and the structure of conflict will be examined seeking practical lessons for civil and military actors in zones of turbulent peace and war.

(4) European Security:
An overview of how Europe's security community created a Zone of Peace after World War II, examining institutions (NATO, EU), economic interdependence and democratisation including: The evolution of NATO's role from collective defence to collective security; The OSCE and co-operative security; The emergence of the European Security and Defence Policy; The role of states in the European security architecture and their different perspectives; Europe and the security of the Balkans; Risks and challenges to the status quo; Transatlantic security relations after September 11th, from Kabul to Baghdad; Implications of NATO and EU enlargement for European security; Future prospects for enlargement in the Balkans and Turkey; and New security challenges, WMD, terrorism, organised crime, drugs and illegal migration.

UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

‘Reforming the Security Sector in Countries Emerging from Conflict’

This programme is a three-month residential course for twelve senior foreign government officials and civil society representatives under the British Chevening Fellowship scheme, funded by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It is seen as one of their flagship professional development and capacity building schemes. The FCO is committed to encouraging talented people from across the world to study and train in Britain at a crucial stage in their careers.

COURSE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The aim of this course is for participants to develop an understanding of how security sector agencies and actors can be reformed and brought within democratically accountable structures of civilian oversight in countries emerging from conflict.

To meet this overall goal, the course has identified the following objectives.
It will develop knowledge and understanding of: 

(a) The roles and responsibilities of security, safety and law enforcement services in well-governed, democratic countries - including their contributions towards international, state and human security - and how they fit with wider governance and rule of law institutions;

(b) Models for, and experiences of, democratic and effective governance of the security sector and the laws, institutions, procedures, cultures and processes required to ensure that a country’s security needs can be met without compromising democracy, rule of law or human rights;

(c) The actual roles that security sector actors play in many countries, particularly conflict prone countries, and their complex and problematic implications for regional, state, community and human security, as well as good governance, social development, democracy and respect for human rights;

(d) The experience to-date with efforts to promote security sector reform and its relationship with wider political and economic contexts and reform processes;

(e) The security priorities and challenges in countries that are either emerging from conflict or are particularly conflict-prone and the characteristics and roles of security actors in such countries and contexts;

(f) The experience with security sector reform in countries emerging from conflict; including the roles and responsibilities of the: government, parliament and other key stakeholders in the country concerned; neighbouring countries and regional organisations; international peace support missions; humanitarian and development aid agencies; and the international community;

(g) The relationships between the negotiation and content of peace agreements, post-conflict stabilisation and peace-support missions, including Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) and related programmes, and security sector reform processes in countries emerging from conflict;

(h) The priorities, challenges and experiences with efforts to promote and ensure effective and transparent democratic accountability, including appropriate civil oversight and control, in countries emerging from conflict;

(i) The relationships between DDR and security sector reform programmes in the immediate post-conflict period and longer term processes of security sector reform;

The course will also develop participants:

(j) expertise on strategies and techniques for effectively conducting security sector reform , including design and implementation of national mechanisms for managing reform and government-civil society partnerships;

(k) knowledge, awareness, contacts and expertise on strategies, techniques and best practices relating to developing and implementing effective co-operation and partnerships between recipient countries, regional organisations and international institutions and aid agencies for the purposes of reforming and promoting accountability of the security sector;

(l) contacts and experience-sharing with the UK and international community of experts, policy-makers and practitioners on issues relating to the objectives of this course; and

(m) critical perspectives of SSR informed by the practice of SSR, which has sometimes been problematic, but also by academic and other research literature and critical thinking which draws attention to the agendas which frame SSR.

By the end of the course, students should:

1. Understand the key issues and debates relating to SSR in: (i) countries emerging from conflict; (ii) developed and developing democratic countries; and (iii) countries undergoing political transitions;
2. Be familiar with the experience of programmes to reform and enhance democratic governance and oversight of the security services in a range of countries across the world (i.e., developed democratic, transitional, developing, and post-conflict countries) and have detailed knowledge of the experiences of at least three countries;
3. Be able to analyse the challenges, priorities, strategies and processes for promoting SSR in countries in different contexts, including countries emerging from conflict, drawing appropriately on existing models, lessons from experience and good-practice guidelines. This should include the ability to think critically and creatively about current approaches;
4. Have the knowledge and skills required to contribute effectively to review, develop and implement strategies and programmes for reform and accountability of security services in their home country and to have an understanding of the roles of other national and international stakeholders; and
5. Have knowledge and contacts with sources of technical and other advice and expertise relating to SSR, particularly in relation to countries emerging from conflict. 

COURSE APPROACH

The course will offer a mixture of teaching styles including, formal presentations, seminar discussions, individual and group learning, study visits, and practical attachments. The course is broadly divided into five modules which run concurrently:

1. Core Concepts, Models and Themes;
2. The Security Sector in Established Democratic Societies;
3. Challenges for Countries Emerging from Conflict;
4. Designing and Implementing SSR Programmes in Countries Emerging from Conflict; and
5. Case Studies: Learning From SSR in Countries Emerging From Conflict;

Each module will synthesize the wider academic and practitioner literatures and experiences as well as the lessons from specific case studies and knowledge sharing amongst the students themselves. 

Finally, the Fellows will conduct an extended small group project to complete a ‘SSR Strategy’ on a country case study. In addition, the Fellows will also complete an ‘Individual Learning’ project over the course of the three months.