november, 2017
Event Description
Event Description: Chatham House, Al Sharq Forum and the International Crisis Group will host the third
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Event Description
Event Description:
Chatham House, Al Sharq Forum and the International Crisis Group will host the third annual conference on Europe and its Neighbourhood: Conflict Prevention and Crisis Management in the 21st Century, focusing on how countries across Europe and in its environs can address issues of common concern – security threats, current and emerging conflicts, migration and societal challenges – amidst a volatile and uncertain global order.
As Europe endures a period of significant transformation, the political climate appears to be characterized by a growing diffusion of power, a revival of geopolitics, uncertainty about previously entrenched alliance structures, heightened nationalism and ideological dogmatism, a sense of economic vulnerability, an increasing propensity for instability and conflict to seep across borders, and the erosion of traditional conflict resolution actors.
This year’s conference will bring together an array of perspectives – in terms of both discipline and national background – to discuss:
• The nature and gravity of the political, security and societal challenges facing Europe and its neighbourhood;
• How to address these, in the context of uncertainties and competing national interests;
• Strengthening Europe’s ability to project, promote and preserve stability in its peripheries;
• Balancing short-term tactical policy imperatives with long-term strategic goals.
Discussions will explore the premise that Europe’s traditional perceptions of itself – as a broadly homogenous entity and a stability-exerting force – no longer necessarily hold true. Nor too the notion that Europe, and the EU in particular, has the capacity – diplomatic, financial or military – to act alone. Solutions to the challenges facing Europe and its neighbourhood demand understanding the range of perceptions out there about Europe’s role in the world today, and embracing collective efforts to reach sustainable solutions to the benefit of all.
Time
(Monday) 08:30 - 18:30
Location
Royal Society of Arts
8 John Adam Street London WC2N 6EZ UK - london
Organizer
Chatham HouseChatham House
Schedule
- Day 1
- 20 November 2017
09:10 Welcome and chair’s opening remarks09:10 - 09:50Dr Robin Niblett CMG, Director, Chatham House Opening address Yanis Varoufakis, Professor of Economic Theory, University of Athens, and Minister of Finance, Greece (2015) Questions and discussion
09:50 Session One | A Europe Distracted? Politics, the Future of the EU and What it Means for Europe’s Neighbourhood09:50 - 11:00 As the raft of national elections in Europe comes to a conclusion and with Brexit negotiations well under way, this session will look at Europe’s capacity to meet common challenges and share the collective burden. Given Europe’s geography and other factors – including the demographics of its neighbourhood – failure to do so risks rebounding on the continent with considerable, and negative, consequences. Is the sense of crisis that prevailed in previous years still prominent? What is its precise nature? How can European and EU political leadership effectively address a series of foreign policy imperatives – relations with Russia; shoring up long-term stability in its neighbourhood – while being seemingly preoccupied with domestic concerns and showing an inclination towards retrenchment and greater nationalism? And from where will political leadership emerge in a changing Europe?
11:00 Refreshments11:00 - 11:30 Refreshments
11:30 Session Two | Europe and Migration11:30 - 13:00 There is potentially no other issue that has done more to highlight the divisions in Europe than migration and how to manage its effects politically, economically and socially. Policy-makers, under considerable domestic pressure, have struggled to formulate strategies that fully contain the perceived security threats of inward migration or address its underlying causes. An effective response to what will likely prove a permanent phenomenon – mass movement northwards – in an atmosphere of immediate crisis is a critical challenge for Europe. With a number of EU initiatives up and running – among them the deal with Ankara and a range of initiatives in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel – this session will examine their effectiveness to date, the cost at which they have been implemented, and the prospects for Europe’s ability to contribute to the global target of safe, orderly and regular migration.
13:00 Lunch13:00 - 14:00Lunch
14:00 Discussion A | Russia and the West14:00 - 15:15 This discussion will focus on the disagreement between Russia and the West, which appears to be irreconcilable as long as the current leadership in the Kremlin remains in power. With the economic and geopolitical pressures on the Kremlin likely to increase over the next five to ten years, what can be done to prepare for a potentially more harmonious post-Putin era in relations between Russia and the West? What connections need to be fostered, individually and institutionally? How will developments in Russia–US relations affect this? And what olive branches should be extended to an eventual successor to Putin?
14:00 Discussion B | Power Dynamics in the Middle East: Strategic Relations and Influence in the Region14:00 - 15:15 This discussion will focus on the balance of power between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and Iran, with an assessment of the levers of control and influence, in terms of individuals and primary power brokers, as well as the shape of strategic alliances within the region and globally.
14:00 Discussion C | North Africa: Egypt and Libya14:00 - 15:15 This discussion will assess security challenges in the Mediterranean basin with a particular focus on Egypt and Libya, two vitally important countries in the region with a challenging local policy and security environment.
15:15 Afternoon refreshments15:15 - 15:45 Afternoon refreshments
15:45 Session Four | Power dynamics in the Middle East: strategic relations and influence in the region15:45 - 16:45 This discussion will focus on the balance of power between the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and Iran, with an assessment of the levers of control and influence, in terms of individuals and primary power brokers, as well as the shape of strategic alliances within the region and globally.
16:45 Session Five | Security and Foreign Policy in the Context of Europe and its Neighbourhood16:45 - 18:00 The issue of security has been brought into sharper relief by US demands for its NATO partners to contribute more to their own defence and questions over the future of the post-Second World War alliance, as well as the EU’s own approach to its collective security needs. Different conceptions abound as to what a European security and foreign policy might look like – from increased hard-edged capacities, to an expansion of the continent’s soft power. This session will explore the contours of the debate, paying particular attention to how Europe might best balance the growing resort to kinetic counterterrorism operations with a renewed commitment to normative soft power, and the prospects for the EU and its regional partners, including Turkey, to better coordinate on security-related matters in the region.
18:00 End of conference and reception18:00 - 18:15End of conference and reception
Speakers for this event
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Jean-Marie Guehenno
Jean-Marie Guehenno
President & CEO, International Crisis Group
President & CEO, International Crisis Gr...
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Louise Arbour
Louise Arbour
United Nations Special Representative for International Migration
United Nations Special Representative fo...
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Wadah Khanfar
Wadah Khanfar
President of The Al Sharq Forum
Wadah Khanfar is the President of the Al Sharq Forum and former Director General of the Al Jazeera Network. He is a board member of the International Crisis Group and Global Editors Network (GEN). Khanfar has been named as one of Foreign Policy’s Top 100 global thinkers of 2011 as well as one of Fast Company’s ‘Most Creative People in Business’ of the year.
President of The Al Sharq Forum
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Massimilliano Alvisini
Massimilliano Alvisini
General Manager, Europe and CIS Global Money Transfer, Western Union
General Manager, Europe and CIS Global M...
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Michael Kohler
Michael Kohler
Director Neighbourhood, DG for Development Cooperation. European Commission
Director Neighbourhood, DG for Developme...
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Nora Muller
Nora Muller
Executive Director, Körber-Stiftung International Affairs
Executive Director, Körber-Stiftung Int...
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Paolo Magri
Paolo Magri
Executive Vice President and Director, Italian Institute for International Political Studies
Executive Vice President and Director, I...
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Robert Malley
Robert Malley
Vice President for Policy, International Crisis Group
Vice President for Policy, International...
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Yanis Varoufakis
Yanis Varoufakis
Professor of Economic Theory, University of Athens and Ministry of Finance, Greece (2015)
Professor of Economic Theory, University...
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Lurdes Vidal Bertran
Lurdes Vidal Bertran
Director of the Arab and Mediterranean World Department, IEMed
Director of the Arab and Mediterranean W...
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Kirk Bennett
Kirk Bennett
US Foreign Service (retd)
US Foreign Service (retd)
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Brad Staples
Brad Staples
Chief Executive Officer, APCO Worldwide
Chief Executive Officer, APCO Worldwide
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Ellie Geranmayeh
Ellie Geranmayeh
Senior Policy Fellow (MENA), European Council on Foreign Affairs
Senior Policy Fellow (MENA), European Co...
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H A Hellyer
H A Hellyer
Senior Nonresident Fellow, Atlantic Council and the Royal United Services Institute
Senior Nonresident Fellow, Atlantic Coun...
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Ivan Krastev
Ivan Krastev
Chairman, Centre for Liberal Strategies
Chairman, Centre for Liberal Strategies
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James Nixey
James Nixey
Head, Russia and Eurasia Programme, Chatham House
Head, Russia and Eurasia Programme, Chat...
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Jana Puglierin
Jana Puglierin
Head of Programme, Alfred von Oppenheim Center for European Policy Studies, German Council on Foreign Relations
Head of Programme, Alfred von Oppenheim ...
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Joseph Bahout
Joseph Bahout
Director at Issam Fares Institute AUB, Beirut
Director at Issam Fares Institute AUB, B...
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Lindsey Hilsum
Lindsey Hilsum
International Editor, Channel 4 News
International Editor, Channel 4 News
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Lorenzo Kamel
Lorenzo Kamel
Senior Fellow, Istituto Affari Internazionali
Senior Fellow, Istituto Affari Internazi...
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Lyse Doucet
Lyse Doucet
Chief International Correspondent, BBC
Chief International Correspondent, BBC
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Magdalena Grono
Magdalena Grono
Program Director, Europe & Central Asia, International Crisis Group
Program Director, Europe & Central Asia,...
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Quentin Peel
Quentin Peel
Associate Fellow, Europe Programme, Chatham House
Associate Fellow, Europe Programme, Chat...
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Radoslaw Sikorski
Radoslaw Sikorski
Senior Fellow at the Center of European Studies, Harvard University and Foreign Minister, Poland (2007-14)
Senior Fellow at the Center of European ...
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Ranj Alaaldin
Ranj Alaaldin
Visiting Fellow, Brookings Institute, Doha
Visiting Fellow, Brookings Institute, Do...
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Sanam Vakil
Sanam Vakil
Associate Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House
Associate Fellow, Middle East and North ...
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Tim Eaton
Tim Eaton
Research Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House
Research Fellow, Middle East and North A...
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Hemin Hawrami
Hemin Hawrami
Member, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and Head of KDP Foreign Relations Office
Member, Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)...
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Lina Khatib
Lina Khatib
Head, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House
Head, Middle East and North Africa Progr...
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Lord Mark Malloch-Brown
Lord Mark Malloch-Brown
Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations (2006) anc Co-Chair, International Crisis Group
Deputy Secretary-General, United Nations...
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Seyed Kazem Sajjadpour
Seyed Kazem Sajjadpour
Head, Center for International Research and Education Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Iran
Head, Center for International Research ...
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Andrey Sushentsov
Andrey Sushentsov
Associate Professor, Moscow State Institute of International Relations
Associate Professor, Moscow State Instit...
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