Introduction
The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) is a non-profit trust that has been operating since 1991. Currently, the organization aims to ensure peace in Africa by improving its human security. ISS uses multiple mechanisms for achieving this outcome, including research, analysis, and training, as well as assistance in policy and strategy development. Through its international, continental, national, and regional networks and collaboration, ISS promotes peace and justice in Africa. Some of the areas which ISS is concerned with include peacekeeping, maritime security, and the fight against terrorism and extremism. Associated ISS courses can be of use to students from the Middle East and, in particular, Yemen; after all, the region experiences challenges related to these phenomena.
The Importance of the Institute’s Courses for the Middle East Students
Training is one of the key activities of ISS. The organization views it as a major mechanism for ensuring that Africa can respond to the issues and challenges related to human security. Indeed, ISS training aims to develop human resources, which are one of the critical factors that ensure the sustainable development of human security within any region. Consequently, for students coming from the Middle East, these courses are important as well.
Indeed, security problems, concerns, and preventive measures are universally significant, and in order to successfully manage the challenges of peacekeeping, maritime security, and terrorism in the Middle East, the region needs well-prepared people. ISS offers a tool for the preparation of such people. Therefore, students from the Middle East should be engaged in ISS and other similar courses to ensure their ability to protect their countries.
It should also be pointed out that ISS develops new courses in collaboration with people who are interested in training. Moreover, ISS collaborates with international organizations when devising its efforts, including those aimed at curricula development, and offers its handbooks and manuals to other interested organizations. Thus, students from the Middle East can expect their training to be adjusted to their specific needs, which should result in an improved, customized experience that will enhance the quality of relevant courses.
Yemen and the Courses
In order to make its courses effective, ISS follows several key principles. First, ISS describes its training as practical, which means that real-life case studies are reviewed, and practical exercises are offered to ensure experiential learning. Furthermore, ISS recognizes the value of varied skills, including technical ones, as well as more general ones, for example, problem-solving and team work. Finally, it is important that ISS courses are based on the evidence that its research and analysis provide. In summary, ISS courses are evidence-based, practice-oriented, and diverse, which indicates their value and illustrates the mechanisms for gaining expertise from them. In particular, students can employ the experience of ISS in peacekeeping, maritime security, and battles against terrorism to learn practically applicable knowledge and various important skills.
An example of ISS courses is the Training for Peace Programme (TPP), which was developed to support peace operations that are organized by the African Union. It incorporates the materials that help to engage people in peacekeeping and peacebuilding and equip them with necessary skills, knowledge, and information. TPP is also concerned with fighting terrorism, extremism, and various other security threats. Finally, while maritime security is not a primary focus of TPP, it is also a major topic that is emphasized by ISS, which has led to its introduction into some of TPP activities. In summary, TPP is rather comprehensive.
In Yemen, multiple challenges to security are noteworthy. The internal instability implies that well-trained peacemakers are required. The presence of terrorism (in particular, Al Qaida) is a notable problem that threatens the country’s well-being and needs well-organized and well-trained specialists from diverse fields to intervene. Maritime security is an ongoing challenge that a nation with ports has to take into account. It is also noteworthy that the three challenges intersect: Al Qaida is known for causing maritime insecurity, and it is a specifically large problem partially because of the internal conflicts in Yemen, which prevent the country from uniting its efforts against the threat. Furthermore, the conflicts in Yemen resulted in maritime insecurity as well, for example, because of the presence of various explosives in the seas. This factor highlights the fact that by training with ISS, Yemen students will become equipped to deal with their country’s concerns.
It should be pointed out that ISS courses are tailored to the realia of Africa, but due to their focus on the mechanisms of security, they would be of use to students from the Middle East as well. Furthermore, ISS incorporates the modern values of equality and empowerment, which are also useful for Yemen and can help its students in promoting human rights in their country. In summary, Yemen students, as well as other students from the Middle East can gain significant knowledge from the programs and courses of ISS and learn to respond to the issues that are still present in their region.
Conclusion
ISS is an organization that contributes to the security of Africa by conducting research and analyses that are used to develop training courses and policies. The training courses are of interest to students from the Middle East. It is apparent that because of the political situation in, for example, Yemen, the topic of national security, including peacemaking, terrorism reduction, and maritime security, is most significant. Therefore, by paying attention to the practice- and experience-oriented courses by ISS, students from the Middle East can improve their ability to respond to the challenges present in their region.