International Relations and Security Network - Overview

Overview

ISN was established in 1994 as a means of improving cooperation between security policy institutes and to make research programs, projects and papers widely available on the internet. It was initially sponsored by the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research and the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies.

Today, its mission is to promote dialogue and cooperation in the fields of international relations and security studies, primarily by creating, distributing, processing and using open access information within the international relations and security studies communities. As part of Switzerland’s contribution to NATO’s Partnership for Peace initiative, ISN personnel also lead the organization’s Advanced Distributed Learning Working Group and develop joint training programs with its partners. Finally, ISN is a co-organizer of the Swiss-sponsored International Security Forum (ISF), which is a large conference held every two years in Geneva and Zurich on a rotating basis.