Nyhetsbrev från Ålands fredsinstitut 2/2020

Until further notice and at least until the 14th of April, the Peace Institute's library will be closed and we will only accept visits upon agreement. The Institute will be low in staff since several of us will be working remotely, but we can still be reached by e-mail or phone. Organisation Secretary Mirjam Lukola answers the general phone number +358 (0) 18 15570. Phone numbers and e-mail adresses to individual staff members can be found here.

Take care!

Lunch seminar 5.3.2020 on Thursday 5.3.2020 at 11.30-12.30 in hotel Arkipelag’s restaurant.
"Regional separatism and European integration – Catalonia, Scotland and the EU"
Speaker: Niklas Bremberg

Mari Ek is a research intern at the Åland Islands Peace Institute from February to April 2020. In her studies in the Master’s programme in Peace, Mediation and Conflict Research at the University of Tampere, she has focused on human rights, migration, humanitarian aid and gender-based violence. During her internship at the Peace Institute, Mari will assist in e.g. research projects, publication databases and in organizational tasks related to the Kastelholm Talks on Peace.

Nyhetsbrev från Ålands fredsinstitut 1/2020

Lunch seminar on Wednesday, 12.2.2020 at 11.30-12.30 in Hotel Arkipelag's restaurant.
“The new conditions for economic growth. How is Åland affected by the mega trends?”
Speaker: Jouko Kinnunen, ÅSUB

When the Åland Islands Peace Institute organises the Kastelholm Talks on Peace for the sixth time, the theme is “War, Peace and the Environment”. The Kastelholm talks are recurring conversations about peace, under the patronage of the former President of Finland, Tarja Halonen. The talks are always held in connection to Åland’s demilitarisation day, which is 30 March. The talks of 2020 will be held on Monday, 30 March.

The conversation begins with a panel discussion at the castle of Kastelholm with a panel consisting of Ms. Margot Wallström, former Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Swedish Government and EU Commissioner; Mr. KG Hammar, theologian, priest and Swedish archbishop and Ms. Marja Lehto, Ambassador, Associate Professor of International Law and Senior Adviser at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. Moderator is the Peace Institute’s Director, Associate Professor Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark.

Thereafter, the discussion continues in round table form at nearby restaurant, Smakbyn. The discussion begins with three commentators reflecting on this year’s theme, after which there is an open discussion with the panel from the castle and the audience. The audience consists of invited guests from the neighbouring region, in addition to a number of open seats to which interested parties can register. This year's commentators are Ms. Pella Thiel, ecologist, systemic activist and cultural change agent; Mr. Mikael Sjövall, journalist, communicator and career diplomat at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland and Ms. Emma Hakala, Doctor in Political History at the University of Helsinki. Moderator is Ms. Petra Granholm, Research Coordinator at the Åland Island Peace Institute.

The theme of this year, War, Peace and the Environment, is important at a time characterized by severe climate change, declining biodiversity and environmental anxiety. At the same time, global tensions and militarisation are increasing. The Kastelholm Peace Talks give the opportunity to discuss and draw attention to the links between peace and environmental issues. Which are the environmental effects of war? Are we at peace with nature or are we at war with it? What does it mean for environmental work that the concept of security has been recently expanded and now also includes environmental aspects? Are the principles of humanitarian law sufficient to tackle the environmental consequences of armed conflicts? And what role does environmental work have as a factor for peace?

Nyhetsbrev från Ålands fredsinstitut 4/2019

Newsletter from the Åland Islands Peace Institute 4/2019

Contents

• The many-faceted character of autonomy explored in new issue of The Journal of Autonomy and Security Studies
• The Kastelholm talks 2020: War, peace and the environment
• Save the dates: Lunch seminars on 12 February and 5 March
• New research project: What has the EU implied for Åland? 

Innehåll

• Kastelholmssamtalen 2020 har temat krig, fred och miljö
• Nya numret av JASS belyser mångskiftande självstyrelse
• Notera datumen: lunchseminarier 12 februari och 5 mars
• Nytt forskningsprojekt: Vad har EU betytt för Åland?

Läs nyhetsbrevet här.

Read the newsletter here.

On March 30, 2020 (Monday), the Åland Peace Institute will host Kastelholm talks on peace in Kastelholm, Åland. The Kastelholm talks are recurring talks with a peace theme held under the auspices of President Tarja Halonen, in connection with the Åland Demilitarisation Day on March 30. The Kastelholm talks 2020 have the theme of War, Peace and the Environment.
Our time is characterized by severe climate change, declining biodiversity and climate anxiety. At the same time, global tensions and military armament are increasing. It is therefore necessary to discuss the links between peace and the environment. Are we in tune with nature or are we at war with it? For several decades, the concept of security has been broadened and now also encompasses environmental aspects. What role does such a broadening of the concept of security play, and what significance does it have in terms of actions for the environment? What role does sustainability work play as a peace factor?

The Kastelholm talks consist of two parts. First, a panel discussion is held in the Kastelholm Castle. The conversation wants to promote dialogue, rather than debate. Thereafter, a more informal and open round table conversation is arranged, located at the nearby restaurant Smakbyn.

The speakers will be presented and invitations will be sent out in January and February. In March, it will be possible to register for open seats. More information will come in the next newsletter and in social media.

The Journal of Autonomy and Security Studies (JASS) is a peer-reviewed, open access e-journal published by the Åland Islands Peace Institute (AIPI), Mariehamn, Åland, Finland. The journal addresses its overarching theme of peace and security from the perspectives of autonomy, demilitarisation, and minority protection.

The Vol. 3 Issue 2 of JASS includes the following materials:

Article

Exploring the Role of Regional Parties in the Nordic Autonomies: Why Entrenched Self-Government Matters - Maria Ackrén and Jan Sundberg

Research Notes

Publication and Collaboration Patterns in Autonomy Research – A Bibliometric Analysis - Felix Schulte

Consensus Impossible? South Tyrol’s Autonomy Convention and the issue of Self-determination - Marc Röggla

Commentary

Oil on Water: Some Personal Musings on Hong Kong’s Summer of Protests - Jennifer Eagleton

The issue can be found at www.jass.ax, where you can also register to subscribe to coming issues.