This volume synthesizes the work accomplished at the 5th International Security Forum (ISF) in Zurich from 14 to 16 October 2002. It presents a thematic overview of 150 academic presentations distributed over 6 workshop tracks, 30 workshops, 15 side-bar presentations, and 3 plenary sessions. The book contains a timely overview of 21st century international security topics and challenges. Special emphasis is placed on the impact of new information and communications technologies and knowledge management in the conduct of security and defense policy, and on a wide range of issues in the field of security sector reform and the democratic and parliamentary control of armed forces. The contributions also offer a fresh perspective on traditional regional and human security issues in the light of 11 September 2001, notably asymmetric war, Islam, gender, small arms, Russia, and Europe, including NATO, ESDP, and peace support operations. The 5th ISF was organized by the Center for Security Studies and Conflict Research at the ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich) in Zurich in cooperation with the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces, and the Graduate Institute of International Studies, Geneva.