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Despite a large international civilian and military presence, Mali continues to struggle with widespread insecurity and Islamist extremism. These issues are linked to chronic problems of poverty, ethnic tensions, and a weak state apparatus. With broad efforts in peacebuilding and development cooperation, Switzerland is trying to support the fragile peace.

Twenty years ago, the foundational treaty of the International Criminal Court (ICC) was approved. The establishment of this tribunal was a success that sent a strong signal against impunity for human rights violations. Today, however, the ICC is struggling against stiff resistance from various quarters. In the interests of efficient prosecution of crimes, the court’s mandate must be supported more forcefully.

In a special issue entitled "Unravelling Complexities in OSCE Mediation", 16 authors analyze the challenges and complexities involved in the mediation work of the OSCE. The special issue was edited by CSS's Anna Hess Sargsyan.

Protection from infectious diseases has become a key issue not only in Swiss, but also in international health policy in recent years. Under the terms of the WHO’s International Health Regulations (IHR), which are at the center of these efforts, states must identify and contain outbreaks at the earliest possible stage. However, the global implementation of the regulations must be further improved.

On October 23rd, Federal Councillor Guy Parmelin gave a presentation on the national and international aspects of Switzerland's security policy at ETH Zurich. Among other things, he underlined the importance for Switzerland to establish a cybersecurity unit.  

President Xi Jinping has outlined plans to construct huge infrastructural links to better connect China with the rest of the world. This strategic vision of a “New Silk Road” is now more often referred to as the “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR) initiative. Beijing is allocating huge amounts of finance to the project, but China’s neighbors remain wary of OBOR’s geopolitical implications.

While technologies emerging from the life sciences can be tremendously beneficial to our societies, they can also create unforeseeable risks regarding biosafety and biosecurity. In this interview, Claudia Otto, Senior Researcher at the Center for Security Studies (CSS), and Oliver Thränert, the Head of the Think Tank at the CSS, discuss how they try to raise students’ awareness of these risks in a course taught at ETH this semester.

In this interview with Crypto Magazine, Prof. Andreas Wenger talks about the political and military aspects of cyber conflicts.