The International Relations and Security Network (ISN) was part of the

Center for Security Studies (CSS) The Center for Security Studies (CSS) is a center at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, which focuses on Swiss and international security. Overview The center was founded by Prof. Dr. Kurt Spillmann in 1986 and has been led ...

at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, which is located in Zurich, Switzerland. It was an online information service that provided a range of open access products and resources that concentrated on

international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such a ...

(IR) and

security studies __NOTOC__ Security studies, also known as international security studies, is an academic sub-field within the wider discipline of international relations that studies organized violence, military conflict, national security, and international ...

. In 2016, the ISN ceased to be a stand-alone project and was fully integrated into its parent organization as CSS Resources.

Overview

The 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 Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA, german: Eidgenössisches Departement für auswärtige Angelegenheiten, french: Département fédéral des affaires étrangères, it, Dipartimento federale degli affari esteri, rm, ), so name ...

, the

German Institute for International and Security Affairs The German Institute for International and Security Affairs (german: Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik; SWP) is a German think tank in international relations and security studies. A semi-official organization with close links to the federal gov ...

, the

United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research The United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) was established in 1980 by the United Nations General Assembly to inform States and the global community on questions of international security, and to assist with disarmament ef ...

and the

Center for Security Studies The Center for Security Studies (CSS) is a center at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, which focuses on Swiss and international security. Overview The center was founded by Prof. Dr. Kurt Spillmann in 1986 and has been led ...

. Its mission developed to promote dialogue and cooperation in the fields of international relations and security studies, primarily by creating, distributing and processing open access information on these issues. The ISN was also a co-organizer of the Swiss-sponsored International Security Forum (ISF), which is a large conference held every two years in

Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...

and Zurich on a rotating basis.

Directors

* Kurt R. Spillmann (1994–2002) * Andreas Wenger (2002–2016)

Activities

The ISN's web-based, information-providing activities and services were divided into three main categories. *

Digital Library A digital library, also called an online library, an internet library, a digital repository, or a digital collection is an online database of digital objects that can include text, still images, audio, video, digital documents, or other digital ...

– The ISN's Digital Library began as a repository of declassified Cold War documents and conference proceedings relevant to PfP countries. Prior to the end of the project, the library contained over 70,000 downloadable publications including journal articles, books, working papers and government reports. The Digital Library also included an archive of web articles, blog posts, podcasts and videos as well as a directory of international organizations, NGOs, research institutes and other organizations active in the field of international relations and security. * Editorial Products – In cooperation with its partner network, the ISN published daily expert analyses, commentaries and blog posts as well as regular multimedia features on current IR- and security-related issues. It also provided Dossiers on a range of topics relevant to the international relations and security community. * Communities and Partners – The ISN provided an online knowledge network of 249 partner institutions and affiliates, consisting of

international organizations An international organization or international organisation (see spelling differences), also known as an intergovernmental organization or an international institution, is a stable set of norms and rules meant to govern the behavior of states a ...

(IOs),

non-governmental organization A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...

s (NGOs), state ministries,

think tanks A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmental org ...

, universities and research institutes.International Relations and Security Network (ISN)
Partner Network
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References

External links

International Relations and Security Network (ISN)
(official website)
Center for Security Studies (CSS)

{{authority control Swiss websites International security Research institutes of international relations Political research institutes ETH Zurich Peace and conflict studies