International Relations and Security Network
The International Relations and Security Network (ISN) was part of the Center for Security Studies (CSS) at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, which is located in Zurich, Switzerland. It was an online information service that provided a range of open access products and resources that concentrated on international relations (IR) and security studies. In 2016, the ISN ceased to be a stand-alone project and was fully integrated into its parent organization as CSS Resources. Overview. The ISN was established in 1994 as a means of improving cooperation between security policy institutes and to  make research programs, projects and papers widely available on the internet. It was initially sponsored by the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports, the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research and the Center for Security Studies. Its mission developed to promote dialogue and cooperation in the fields of international relations and security studies, primarily by creating, distributing and processing open access information on these issues. The ISN was also a co-organizer of the Swiss-sponsored International Security Forum (ISF), which is a  large conference held every two years in Geneva and Zurich on a rotating basis. Activities. The ISN's web-based, information-providing activities and services were divided into three main categories.