The Center for International Trade and Security (CITS) offers training for government and corporate audiences on the principles of Strategic Trade Management. The training includes a comprehensive course of instruction for participants seeking to increase their mastery of the skills essential to successful strategic trade management and nonproliferation. Participants learn and work together, engaging with CITS staff and invited experts while completing a number of challenging and rewarding interactive simulations.  Although past sessions have included an average of 60 participants from multiple countries, CITS can tailor the content and format of the training for smaller audiences.

As a component of the University of Georgia, the nation’s oldest land-grant public university, CITS can ensure that participants benefit from a wide variety of analysts, experts, faculty, and students dedicated to the pursuit of research and outreach that address the dangers implicit in strategic trade. CITS has over twenty years of experience conducting research and training in this issue-area internationally and is today widely recognized as a reliable source of global expertise in its field.

Content of the Training

The course of instruction is divided into two freestanding-yet-complimentary weeks:

Week 1 provides a comprehensive overview of the issues and conditions shaping the strategic trade challenges of today. Unlike programs that focus exclusively on the United States’ approach to strategic trade control regulations, the program offers a comparative perspective that allows participants to understand the range of methods and tools available to them. Participants leave with a truly global and hands-on understanding of how to regulate trade in strategic (dual-use) items.

Week 2 provides a primer in the construction of effective strategic trade control legislation. Participants learn from practitioners working the fields of investigation, enforcement, and prosecution, sharing best practices and exploring how proven methods can be shared across country lines. Week 2 also features invited experts speaking on a variety of issues that are shaping the future of strategic trade, such as the rapid changes in aviation technology and the energy sector.

Location and Timing

All sessions are held in Athens, Georgia (USA), in and around the UGA campus, close to the historic and vibrant downtown Athens area. Lectures and activities are held at various locations on and off campus, providing participants with a flavor of UGA and Athens facilities.

Suggested Readings

We strongly recommend that participants familiarize themselves with the following texts before they come to the Academy:

• UNSC Resolution 1540 and its subsequent revisions
• Their country’s National Report(s) to the 1540 Committee
• Their country’s submission(s) to the 1540 Legislative Database
• Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT)

The CITS Experience

We strive to keep CITS training programs interactive, engaging, and relevant for all involved. The sessions adhere to “Chatham House Rule,” meaning that all persons at a gathering participate in their individual capacity — not as representatives of their organizations. Anything said at the gathering is off-the-record and, therefore, cannot be cited in a public document either as personal or official position. This approach provides each participant with the opportunity to ask frank questions and to share ideas and experiences. A relaxed setting, group assignments, informal receptions, and organized excursions to area attractions during the weekends allow ample opportunity to network with others in the field.