INTERNATIONAL SECURITY STUDIES SECTION
International Studies Association
To:
International Studies Association
Governing Council
From:
Joyce P. Kaufman, Chair
International Security Studies Section
Date:
December 8, 2003
Re:
Rechartering the International Security Studies Section
In compliance with Article VI, Section 1(b) On the International Studies Association
Constitution regarding the rechartering of ISA Sections. As chair, I hereby request that the
International Security Studies Section be rechartered by the ISA Governing Council for the
period 2003-2008.
The following information is submitted in support of this request:
1) Report of Section Activities
The International Security Studies Section remains an active and vital part of the
International Studies Association and is one of the major participants in the ISA Annual
conferences. The Section sponsored or was a co-sponsor for 71 panels at the 2003 Annual
Meeting in Portland, 66 panels at the 2002 Meeting in New Orleans, and 54 at the 2001 meeting
in Chicago. Our list of sections co-sponsors has expanded considerably as well, including
Foreign Policy Analysis, Intelligence Studies, Peace Studies and Feminist Theory and Gender
Studies. Additionally, ISSS has co-sponsored a reception with Women in International Security
at each Annual Meeting and in the past few years, we have broadened that to include Foreign
Policy Analysis.
The International Security Studies Section also organizes and runs an annual section
conference (usually in conjunction with the International Security and Arms Control Section of
the American Political Science Association). The 2003 conference was held at the U.S. Army
War College at Carlyle Barracks, Pennsylvania; in 2002 it was held in Virginia in conjunction
with ISA south, and in 2001 it was held in Whittier, California. Typically, more than 100
attendees participate in this conference. The relatively intimate nature of the conference means
that we have tried to use is as an opportunity for established scholars to introduce or “try out”
new research ideas, and for graduate students to have the experience of sharing their work as
well as having the chance to network with others in the field.
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The Section has been relatively successful in attracting funds from both public and
private institutions to support the section conference as well as the receptions. As part of the
section’s ongoing efforts to attract young scholars to ISA/ISSS, the Section has been awarding
cash prizes in recognition of the most outstanding conference paper submitted to graduate
students.
Another area of emphasis of the Section has been to attract more international scholars to
participate in our sponsored-panels at the ISA Annual Meeting as well as at the Section
conference. To make attendance at these as appealing as possible, much as ISA does we have
tried to rotate the regional location of our Section conference so that it can attract scholars from
both Asia and Europe. In addition, in the interests of broad representation we try to include a
non-American each year as a nominee to serve on the Governing Council.
ISSS used to publish a newsletter quarterly but in the interest of being current, have
switched to a web site instead (www.intlsecurity.org). This has become the primary vehicle for
getting information to our members and has the advantage of being available and updated
periodically. We have a graduate student at the University of Denver who has been maintaining
it, and who the ISSS Governing Council has agreed to reimburse for some of her time.
2) Section Membership
Since its founding as the Section on Military Studies in the 1970s, ISSS has grown to
become one of the largest and most active in the International Studies Association. Information
provided by ISA headquarters indicates that section membership averages more than 600,
depending on time of year and the general ebb and flow of ISA membership. That level has
remained fairly constant, thus making us one of the largest organized sections in ISA.
3) Financial Base
According to ISA financial information, the Section maintains a balance of between
about $5,500 and $7,000 in its account. Most revenue is derived from Section dues, although the
Section has received financial support for its activities from outside sources. Recurring annual
expenses include cash prizes for graduate students, part of the cost of the reception at the ISA
Annual Meeting, and support for other Governing Council and meeting expenses. While we no
longer mail a newsletter, which saves postage and printing, we do offer some financial support to
the graduate student who maintains our web site (as noted above).
4) Section Charter
A copy of the Charter of the International Security Studies Section is included with this
memo.
5) List of Section Leadership with Terms of Office
As indicated in the ISSS charter, an elected Governing Council is the governing body of
the Section. According to the amended charter approved at the April 1996 ISSS Business
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Meeting at the ISA Annual Meeting, the size of the Council was increased to 12 members who
will serve staggered terms. The Governing Council is elected by a vote of the ISSS membership
with the Governing Council then electing a Chair and Vice-Chair.
The names of the serving members of the Governing Council with their terms of service
follows:
Name
Joyce P. Kaufman, Chair
Department of Political Science
Whittier College
Whittier, CA 90608
jkaufman@whittier.edu
Term of Service
2000-2004
Jay M. Parker, Vice-Chair and Chair-elect
US Military Academy
West Point, New York 10996
jj7823@exmail.usma.army.mil
2001-2005
Carolyn James
Department of Political Science
Stephens College
Columbia, MO 65215
cjames@stephens.edu
2000-2003
Peter Lavoy
Center for Contemporary Conflict
Naval Postgraduate School
Department of National Security Affairs
Monterey, CA 93943
plavoy@nps.mil
2000-2003
Benny Miller
Department of International Relations
Faculty of Social Sciences
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Jerusalem, Israel
msbenny@mscc.huji.ac.il
2000-20003
1
I was asked by the Governing Council to serve an additional year so that I could serve out my term as
Chair. This is consistent with Article V of the Charter.
2
When Jay Parker was asked to serve as Vice-Chair and then to take over as Chair as of 2004, he, too was
granted a one year extension to his term on the Council, consistent with Article V.
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Peter Feaver
Department of Political Science
Duke University
Durham, North Carolina 27708
pfeaver@acpub.duke.edu
2000-20003
Steven Biddle
U.S. Army War College
Carlyle Barracks, PA 17013
Stephen.Biddle@carlisle.army.edu
2001-2004
Emily Goldman
Department of Political Science
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA 95616
eogoldman@ucdavis.edu
2001-2004
Cynthia Watson
Department of National Security
National War College
300 Youkum Parkway
Alexandria, VA 22304
watson@ndu.edu
2001-2004
Deborah Avant
Political Science and International Affairs
George Washington University
2201 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20052
avant@gwu.edu
2002-2005
Chris Demchak
2002-2005
School of Business and Public Administration and Policy
Political Science Department
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85271
demchak@u.arizona.edu
Mike Desch
Patterson School
455 Patterson Office Tower 0027
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY 40506
2002-2005
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mdesch@mail.uky.edu
Fred Tanner
Head of Academic Affairs
Geneva Center for Security Policy
Geneva, Switzerland
f.tanner@gcsp.ch
3
2002-2005
Non-North American member of the Governing Council
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