Academic Network South East Europe

I. Objectives of the network

The main objectives of the network are:

1. Academic cooperation

The making and maintenance of contacts

The aim of making contacts is to guarantee a long term co-operation and academic exchange between scholars from Southeast Europe (postgraduates, Ph.D. students, visiting professors, research assistants) and Germany (graduates of the postgraduate programme “Master of Peace and Security Studies – (M.P.S.)” and other students/graduates with a particular interest in the Balkans). Experts in the field, journalists and politically influential persons are invited as well.

The role of the IFSH
The Institute of Peace Research and Security Studies (IFSH) at the University of Hamburg serves as a centre of all network activities and facilitates the making and the maintenance of contacts.

• Workshops
Workshops will be run with the aim of in-depth discussions of various relevant topics in peace oriented politics, academic exchange and the link of the network participants in Germany with the participants in Southeast Europe.

- Workshop Preparation for 2003-2006
It is intended to involve all network participants in the preparation of the workshops for the next years and to introduce and to discuss their topic proposals.

- Workshops 2003
The October-workshop was designed to provide an opportunity to past and
future master students to get to know each other, to enhance the concept of the network and to prepare for the November workshop in Sarajevo. Furthermore Prof. Dr. Riedesser and Dr.med. Adam will give a lecture.
The November-workshop will take place in Sarajevo. The proposed title of the
workshop is “history books and their reception”. The dealing with this issue shall help the participants to come to terms with the past and to prevent violent conflicts in the future. Furthermore the participants will be mainly informed about the current status and the process of the revision of the Balkan-schoolbooks. The regional and the national relevance of the revision will be discussed.

- Workshops 2004
For the march workshop 2004 the topic “Coming to terms with the past through criminal jurisdiction” was suggested. Additionally it is planned to deal with a subject concerning the economic issues in one of the following workshops. Scholars and students are supposed to discuss and to elaborate the prospects of the economy in the Balkans. The aim of the workshop is to create a dialogue on an academic level and to develop realistic perspectives for the solidity and the genesis of a stable economy. Furthermore Thorsten Stodiek has offered to report about the results of his CORE research project “The OSCE and the constitution of multi-ethnic police forces in the Balkans” in either March or October.

- Role of the IFSH
The IFSH provides the facilities and the funding of the workshops (inter alia through the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)-funding) in order to guarantee an effective carry-out of the workshops.

- DAAD funding
The DAAD financially supports four Balkan-workshops a year. One of the workshops takes place in changing locations on the Balkans every year, the other ones in Hamburg. Furthermore the DAAD provides students from Southeast Europe with scholarships which enables them to attend postgraduate programme “Master of Peace and Security Studies” at the University of Hamburg. In year 2003 the DAAD granted six scholarships
to Southeast European students.

2. Research projects
Furthermore research projects on the conflicts of Southeast Europe shall be carried out.

3. Academic monitoring of third-party projects

4. Raising public opinion

II. Network information

1. Information
Annual reports will be published and initially a kind information package shall be compiled for the referees and the cooperation partners. A newsgroup has been established to guarantee a fast exchange of information.

2. Concept of the Website
A Website of the network shall be created, which will be closely linked to the Website of the IFSH. On this Website the following information will be posted: summaries of the workshops, topics of the master papers, concept of the network, information about the participants, current information about political and social events and a list referring to links relating to various topics, institutions and so on. The Website shall provide transparency
about the network’s activities. This concept of the network was jointly adopted by all participants of the network and will be further developed in the future.