Encyclopedia > International Institute for Strategic Studies
The International Institute for Strategic Studies is a Britishthink tank based in London. The IISS provides information on international affairs. This article is about the institution. ... Part of the London skyline viewed from the South Bank London is the most populous city in the European Union, with an estimated population on 1 January 2005 of 7,500,000 and a metropolitan area population of between 12 and 14 million. ... International relations (IR), a branch of political science, is the study of foreign affairs of and relations among states within the international system, including the roles of inter-governmental organizations (IGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and multinational corporations (MNCs). ...
As this mandate developed, the Institute worked hard both to provide the best information and analysis on strategic trends, and to facilitate contacts between government leaders, business people and analysts that would lead to the development of better public policy in the fields of international relations and international security.
The IISS is the primary source of accurate, objective information on internationalstrategic issues for politicians and diplomats, foreign affairs analysts, international business, economists, the military, defence commentators, journalists, academics and the informed public.
The Institute's conference activities are considered to be at the forefront of public policy development, especially given that its convening power is such that it can often bring government officials and others together in formats and circumstances that they could not easily manage for themselves.
And so while the IISS is known for the quality of its information and analysis, we intend also to work directly as facilitators in key regions, bringing people together who otherwise might not meet, and thereby provide some of the oil that eases the friction of international affairs.
International law should develop to underpin the notion that what is illegal if done by a state should also be illegal if done by a transnational non-state actor.
We are entering an era when the ground-rules for international action are shifting, concepts of deterrence are giving way to policies of pre-emption, and the prospects of orchestrating long term strategic change, not seen since the end of the Cold War, are immense.