Press Conferences - The Senlis Council

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"Door Number Three" required in Iraq - current "stay or go" debate needs to be discarded 26 JUNE 2008 The Senlis Council organised a press conference in London to release its latest report, Iraq - Angry Hearts and Angry Minds. The Council’s new research in Iraq demonstrates that current policies in the country are producing a generation of angry young men who are easy prey for recruitment to extremist insurgencies. The new Iraq findings show one striking similarity with The Council’s previous research in Afghanistan and Somalia: the intense anger of the country’s young men. “This crescent of anger that runs through all three of the main theatres of the War on Terror conflict is not being effectively responded to,” said Norine MacDonald QC, President and Lead Field Researcher of The Senlis Council. “We need to win over these young men’s hearts and minds in order to starve the insurgents of recruits and support.” more...		Chronic Failures in the War on Terror - From Afghanistan to Somalia 23 APRIL 2008 The Senlis Council organised a press conference in London to release its latest report, Chronic Failures in the War on Terror - From Afghanistan to Somalia. A number of abject policy failures of the Bush Administration in Somalia, such as aerial bombings, support of the Ethiopian troops in the country and the ill-timed designation of Al-Shabab as a terrorist organisation had been successfully exploited by the Somali insurgency to boost its support and recruitment bases. "The lack of strategic acumen present in the “War on Terror” in Somalia and Afghanistan is in fact enabling the spread of the insurgencies present throughout both countries," said Norine MacDonald QC, President and Lead Field Researcher of The Senlis Council... more...
Afghanistan: Decision Point 6 FEBRUARY 2008 The Senlis Council organised a press conference in London to release its latest report, Afghanistan: Decision Point 2008, and recommendations on the Afghan situation. With the Taliban entrenched in the south and running parallel governments in several districts, the Afghan state has reached a decision point, The Senlis Council said on Wednesday. According to the Council’s latest research, NATO’s failure to address Afghanistan’s security situation has made aspirations to hold Presidential elections in 2009 wholly unrealistic. more...		De Facto Taliban / Al Qaeda State forming on Pakistan-Afghanistan Border 5 DECEMBER 2007 The Senlis Council organised a press conference in Ottawa to call on the Manley Panel to recommend that Canada convene an emergency NATO meeting in response to the rapidly deteriorating security situation in southern Afghanistan and the increased Taliban control in the region. According to Senlis, a de facto Taliban/Al Qaeda state is on the verge of emerging in southern Afghanistan, straddling the Afghan border into Pakistan. more...
Taliban dominate the south – but how close are they to Kabul? 21 NOVEMBER 2007 The Senlis Council on Wednesday called on NATO’s troop force size to be doubled to 80,000 after its new security assessment report based on field research during the last month revealed 54% of Afghanistan’s landmass now hosts a permanent Taliban presence. more...		Can Gordon Brown defeat the Taliban? 25 JUNE 2007 The Senlis Council releases its latest reports and recommendations on the Afghan situation, and the technical blueprint for the Poppy For Medicine project is released. more...
On a Knife Edge (Rapid Assessment Field Survey Southern and Eastern Afghanistan) 19 MARCH 2007 The findings of this Rapid Assessment Field Survey (PDF 2.94MB) clearly show that Afghans increasingly believe that the international community is losing Afghanistan to the Taliban. In southern Afghanistan, more than one quarter of those interviewed (27%) were willing to openly admit that they support the Taliban.		Countering The Insurgency In Afghanistan: Losing Friends And Making Enemies 14 FEBRUARY 2007 On the occasion of an event, held on the 14 February 2007, with IISS, The Senli Council released a case study and a report on the current counter-insurgency strategies, which so far have focused on military instruments and left out all non-military elements that form part of an effective strategy. more...
The next two months will be make or break in southern Afghanistan 14 FEBRUARY 2007 From the 16th to the 17th of December 2005, in association with the Italian Red Cross, The Senlis Council held a High-Level Policy Seminar "Bridging the Gap Between Public Health and Drug Policy" in Rome, at which the Rome Consensus for a Humanitarian Global Drug Policy was signed. more...		Hearts and Minds in Afghanistan – Zroona Aw Zehnoona 14 DECEMBER 2006 The Taliban are winning the battle for Afghans' hearts and minds in southern Afghanistan, and the international community is losing. As a result, NATO-ISAF troops are forced to fight in an increasingly hostile environment. What kind of realistic hearts and minds strategy can support the troops on the ground and make their mission successful? In a special documentary and a new report (Download PDF report 4.95 MB) The Senlis Council reveals that the battle for the hearts and minds of the local population in southern Afghanistan will decide the outcome of the war. more...
The Canadian Symposium on Afghanistan and The Afghanistan Debate 24, 25 OCTOBER 2006 Canada is facing unprecedented violence in Kandahar Province and is losing the battle for hearts and minds against a fierce Taliban enemy. How can Canada translate its historic commitment to Afghanistan into a successful mission? The Senlis Council recommended a number of steps in its new policy paper Losing Hearts and Minds in Afghanistan. Press Release Download the full report in PDF here...(205 Kb )		Five Years Later: The Return of the Taliban 5 SEPTEMBER 2006 Five years ago, the events of 11 September 2001 threw two global cultures together in the most dramatic way possible. The United States led the international community’s response, launching extensive military operations in Afghanistan. more... Press Release
Canada in Kandahar: No Peace to Keep 28 JUNE 2006 Canadian troops and Afghan civilians are paying with their lives for Canada's adherence to the US government's failing military and counter-narcotics policies in Kandahar. more... Download the full report in PDF here (2MB) Press Release		Helmand at War: The changing nature of insurgency in Southern Afghanistan and its effects on the future of the country 6 JUNE 2006 The nature of instability in the Southern Afghan province of Helmand has shifted from random insurgency to a state of prolonged and organised violence that threatens the very foundations of the new Afghanistan. The nature of the insurgency has changed and is now perceived by the local population as an acceptable power holder. Increasing levels of extreme poverty and violence have led to a critical point in Afghanistan instability. A violent struggle between insurgents and the legitimate actors for control and order in Helmand is now underway. more... Download the full report in PDF here (2MB) Press Release
Release of Afghanistan Insurgency Assessment Report 7 APRIL 2006 The Senlis Council released its Afghanistan Insurgency Assessment Report at a press conference in London, and warned of increased violence in the southern provinces of Helmand, Kandahar and Nangarhar where the majority of foreign troops are deployed. more...		Kabul International Symposium on Security and Development in Afghanistan: The Escalating Crisis 26 MARCH 2006 The new Afghan Compact launched in London in January and NATO’s major re-deployment in Afghanistan provided the opportunity for an open review of the security and development prospects in post-conflict Afghanistan and their implications for the region. As part of the Kabul International Symposium on Security and Development in Afghanistan: The Escalating Crisis, The Senlis Council organised a press conference 10:30am on Sunday 26 March, which took place at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul. more...
The 7th International Symposium on Global Drug Policy: Bridging Security and Development 15 MARCH 2006 On the occasion of the 49th Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna, The Senlis Council held a press conference on the 15th of March 2006, at the Hilton Plaza Hotel between 10:30 and 12:00, as part of The 6th International Symposium on Global Drug Policy: Bridging Security and Development. More...		Journey of Afghan Farmers to the UK 5 FEBRUARY 2006 On Sunday the 5th of February 2006, a press conference will be held at the Institute of Civil Engineers in London, at 10:30 am, where Afghan farmers will ask the UK government to veto plans to eradicate their crops and to include opium licensing for medicine in the drug strategy for Afghanistan. more...
London Conference on the Afghan Development and Security Crisis 30 JANUARY 2006 The Senlis Council held a press conferences on the 30th of January at the Royal Institute of Mechanical Engineers in London, on the eve of the London Donors' Conference for Afghanistan. The panel included Mr Emmanuel Reinert, Executive Director of The Senlis Council, Ms Safia Seddiqi Hayat, Member of the Afghan Parliament, Nangarhar Province, and Ms Gulalai Momand, Afghanistan Deputy Country Manager, The Senlis Council. more...		International Winter Symposium on Drug Policy 22, 23 JANUARY 2006 The Senlis Council held two press conferences on the 22nd and 23rd of January at the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, during The International Winter Symposium on Drug Policy. The panels included Mr Emmanuel Reinert, Executive Director of The Senlis Council, Ms Madira Hayat, Afghan Deputy Minister of Public Health more...
Vienna CND Press Conference 8 MARCH 2005 On the occasion of the 48th Session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) in Vienna, The Senlis Council held a press conference on the 9th of March. The panel included the Afghanistan Minister of Counter Narcotics His Excellency Habibullah Qaderi, the Vice-President of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Dr Massimo Barra, and The Executive Director of The Senlis Council Mr Emmanuel Reinert. The Council also released several news releases more...		Conseil Régional d'Ile-de-France, Paris Press Conference 25 NOVEMBER 2004 The Senlis Council held a press conference at the Hémicycle du Conseil Régional d'Ile-de-France during “The 2004 Paris International Symposium - Drug Policy: Local Innovations and International Challenges”. Members of the media asked questions to a panel of speakers from the conference on subjects such as Afghanistan, Terrorism, French national drug strategy, economic regulation, mass consumption and the relationship between the local and international drug control system. more... Version française
Lichtenstejn Palace, Prague Press Conference 23 JUNE 2004 The Senlis Council held a press conference at the Lichtenstejn Palace in Prague during “The 2004 Prague Symposium on Drug Policy: The Czech National Drug Strategy: Realities and Challenges Ahead”. This provided the opportunity for members of the Senlis Council to discuss with the Czech media the political agenda of Czech drug policy and its context within the recently enlarged European Union. The Senlis Council also took this opportunity to issue a press release. more...		Chamber of Deputies, Rome Press Conference 19 MAY 2004 At the press room of the Chamber of Deputies in Rome: La società della Ragione, an Italian civil society appeal intitative backed by prominant policy makers, has officially announced its campaign against the new Italian repressive drug law reform bill that was presented to the Italian Parliament just a few weeks ago. more...
Hilton Plaza Hotel, Vienna Press Conference 17 MARCH 2004 The Senlis Council held a Press Conference to report on the outcome of the 2004 Vienna International Symposium on “Global Governance, Transparency and Drug Policy”, which took place the day before at the Austria Centre Vienna on the occasion of the 47th Session of the Comission on Narcotic Drugs (CND). more...		IFJ Prize Ceremony: Residence Palace, Brussels 5 FEBRUARY 2004 Following the European Policy Centre Dialogue, "European Drug Policy on the Brink of Change," the Network of European Foundations' European Mercator Fund along with the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) held a prize ceremony for "The Europe Prize: Journalism for a Changing World". This year's prize was awarded for "Excellence in Reporting European and Global Drug Issues" and was introduced by EU Parliament President, Pat Cox. more...
Vienna International Centre Press Conference 17 APRIL 2003 On the occasion of the Vienna Civic Centre, The Senlis Council held a press conference on the 17th of April 2003 at the Vienna International Centre. Vitalino Canas, Member of the Portuguese Parliament, Raymond Kendall, Honorary Secretary General of Interpol and Martin Jelsma, Coordinator of the Trans National Institute (TNI) Drugs and Democracy Programme, answered questions from the media. The Senlis Council also took this opportunity to issue a press release. more...		Residence Palace, Brussels Press Conference 28 MARCH 2003 Raymond Kendall, Honorary Secretary General of Interpol, and Susan Stern, Special Advisor for the Alfred Herrhausen Society for International Dialogue on behalf of the Network of European Foundations - Comité des Sages presented the Arrabida Conclusions calling for a review of the global war on drugs. The Brussels press briefing also included the presentation by NEF's EDPF (European Drug Policy Fund) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) of the "Europe Prize: Journalism for a Changing World, whose theme in 2003 is "Europe and Global Drug Policy". more...