Letter from the Director

The launch of SIPRI Yearbook Online provides opportunities to reach new audiences via this simple, easy-to-use resource, making the essential content of the Yearbook accessible to more people than ever before.

 As the 45th edition of the Yearbook goes to press and we prepare it for online publication, I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to Oxford University Press for its continuing commitment to publishing the Yearbook. The consolidation of the online format, and the authoritative status of the print edition, are complemented by OUP’s high-quality production processes.

Producing the SIPRI Yearbook involves trying to identify and document key developments in armaments, disarmament and international security that have occurred over the past year, and analysing and placing in context important changes as they happen. While assembling the Yearbook is a formidable task, I am certain that the research conducted at SIPRI is making a direct contribution to promoting the debate about peace and security in some of the most conflict-prone parts of the world. It remains an invaluable document.

The publication of the SIPRI Yearbook also depends on contributions from many people. The research staff at SIPRI, along with our external partners and collaborators, dedicate themselves to producing data and analysis of the highest quality.

I look forward to SIPRI and OUP’s continuing partnership in producing what is an indispensable resource for academics, policymakers and members of the general public interested in peace and security.

Dr Ian Anthony, Director of SIPRI, November 2014