Mark Sedra

President, Security Governance Group

Member of CBC The National’s Turning Point Panel

Mark Sedra is the President and co-founder of the Security Governance Group (SGG), a consulting firm specializing in security and governance issues in fragile and conflict-affected states, and the Executive Director and co-founder of the Centre for Security Governance (CSG), a non-profit think tank focussed on the study of security sector reform and related issues. He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Waterloo and the Balsillie School of International Affairs His current research focuses on the topic of post-conflict state-building with an emphasis on security issues. He has conducted research on a number of countries and regions, including Northern Ireland, the Middle East, and the Balkans; however, the bulk of his research in recent years has centred on Afghanistan.

Mark was formerly (2008-2012) a Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), an independent think tank that addresses international governance challenges, and led the Centre’s work on security sector governance. He has been a Research Associate at the Bonn International Centre for Conversion (BICC) a German-based independent think tank specializing in peace and security issues, and a Visiting Research Fellow at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom. He also served as the 2004-2005 Cadieux Leger Fellow in the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT).

Mark has been a consultant to governments, intergovernmental organizations, and NGOs on issues pertaining to the security and political situation in Afghanistan, including the United Nations, the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and the UK Department for International Development (DFID). Notably, in late 2003 he served as the manager of the security chapter of the Afghan Government report titled, Securing Afghanistan’s Future: Accomplishments and the Strategic Pathway Forward which was prepared for the Berlin international donors conference held on March 31- April 1, 2004. Over the past four years, he has published numerous editorials, articles, policy reports, and book chapters focusing primarily on security issues in Afghanistan and the Middle East. He is a regular media commentator on international security issues in Canada and globally.

Mark holds a BA in History and Political Science from the University of Toronto, an MSc in the History of International Relations from the London School of Economics (LSE) and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London.

International Security

Mark can help put in context what the security conditions are in any region of the world that your organization is doing work in. He can also explain how Canada’s policy towards said region could affect your organization.

Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Peace Building / State Failure and State-Building

The Role of Technology and Social Media in International Relations