INTERNATIONAL SUMMER ACADEMY

International Summer Academie on Human Security. Special Focus on the connections between transnatioal Terrorist and Criminal Organizations in the West Balkan Region. (Application deadline 18 June 2006!)
28 August - 6 September 2006
EUROPEAN TRAINING AND RESEARCH CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY
GRAZ | AUSTRIA

BACKGROUND
The International Summer Academy on Human Security is part of the HUMSEC project and will be held in the Human Rights City of Graz. The project is designed to contribute to a better understanding of the connection between transnational terrorist and criminal organisations in the peace-building process of the Western Balkan region not only on the scientific level: through the organisation of an annual summer academy, the network aims to bring the scientific discourse closer to the civil society, to strengthen democratic principles and to raise awareness by means of human rights education and education for democratic citizenship on the danger that transnational terrorist and criminal organizations
are for the society and for the reconstruction process in the Western Balkan region.

The summer academy will be mainly held by experts nominated by the HUMSEC partner institutions, but also by external experts. The programme is drafted in order to give general information on the topics of transnational terrorism, organized crime and peace-building, on the linkages between these three factors themselves as well as the linkages between these factors and the goals of human security and the respect for human rights. The focus however will be posed on the connections between transnational terrorist and criminal organizations in the Western Balkan region (the leading topic of the first year of the project).

The participants will partly be selected among the HUMSEC partner institutions and partly among those who apply, following the public call for application. Participants will be selected on the basis of their field of interest and their personal motivation to be involved in the programme.

TOPICS
. What is Human Security - Definitions and Analysis
. Defining Terrorism - Manifestations of a political Nightmare
. Crime as a Spider's Web - the Anatomy and the operating Modes of
Organized Crime
. Exploring the Connections between Terrorism and Organized Crime -
sociological and historical factors
. Cases and Examples for criminal Cooperation: Focal Issue Money
Laundering
. Cases and Examples for criminal Cooperation: Focal Issue Corruption -
When Crime creeps into States
. Cases and Examples for criminal Cooperation: Focal Issue
Trafficking -
The Permeability of Borders
. A View from the Inside - Victims' Perspectives on Terrorism and
Organized Crime
. Synthetic Approach and Conclusions

METHODOLOGY
The summer academy draws on the expertise of a selected group of academics who represent the project partners from sixteen universities and academic institutions, as well as of the expertise of legal practitioners and decision-makers from various sectors. This guarantees a broad approach to the human security issue and the special focus on terrorist and criminal organisation. The training is based on lectures, discussions and workshops; to assure sustainability and multiplying effects, the training methods put particular emphasis on the interactive approach. The academy is designed as a modular course, covering one topic per day, which allows the transfer of knowledge, the acquisition of skills and the shaping of attitudes as well. Working language of the summer academy is English.

TARGET GROUP
The summer academy is designed as ten-day-course for
. postgraduate students,
. young professionals,
. young researchers
. and representatives of NGOs
whose work agenda focuses on the topics of terrorism, organised crime
and peace-building. Special focus will be made on the selection of
participants from South Eastern and Eastern Europe.

DEADLINE: 18 June, 2006

APPLICATION
For details please consult the Summer Academy's homepage
www.summeracademy.etc-graz.at or send an email to summeracademy@etc-graz.at
Information on the HUMSEC project is available at www.humsec.eu.