november, 2016

14nov08:0017:45Europe and its Neighbourhood - Conflict Prevention and Crisis Management in the 21st Century

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Event Description

Europe’s ability to manage and contribute to the peaceful resolution of a number of crises in its southern and eastern neighbourhoods has been an increasingly urgent concern since the outbreak of the Arab uprisings in 2011. Security worries alongside alarm at rising trends in irregular (and other) migration have fused notions of what constitutes foreign policy on the one hand, and domestic on the other. Further complicating already volatile dynamics is an environment in which European countries are increasingly mired in preoccupying internal debates. In that regard, the referendum decision by the UK to leave the EU heralds a prolonged period of uncertainty, exposing fault lines on co-operation and raising questions about institutional legitimacy.
The second annual conference on Europe and its Neighbourhood, organized in partnership with International Crisis Group and Chatham House, will assess the effectiveness and external perceptions of Europe’s collective and national-level responses to the crises in its neighbourhood. It will also consider how Europe can use its political and social capacity to manage the current crisis environment.

Time

(Monday) 08:00 - 17:45

Location

Royal Society of Arts

8 John Adam Street London WC2N 6EZ UK - london

Schedule

    • Day 1
    • 14 November 2016

    • 8:00 Welcome and chair’s opening remarks8:00 - 9:00Welcome and chair’s opening remarksSpeakers: Robin Niblett,

    • 9:10 Session One | The Challenges Facing Europe Today9:10 - 10:30Europe faces multiple, overlapping problems, exacerbated by political uncertainties and national anxieties. The unresolved conflict in Syria and the resulting humanitarian crisis, the spectre of violent extremism, a resurgent Russia, legacies from Iraq and Libya, political tensions within Turkey, combined with economic concerns and rising populism within Europe, all conspire to suggest a weak continent, vulnerable to centrifugal forces and increasingly inward-looking. In this context this opening discussion will consider key questions, including: ⦁ ⦁ ⦁ How do people in Europe’s neighbourhood view Europe and its institutions? What are their expectations of Europe as a contributor to regional stability? ⦁ What are the next steps that European institutions can take to resolve ongoing conflicts and their humanitarian consequences? ⦁ How can Europe, and the EU, co-ordinate more effectively to address common challenges? ⦁ What effect might Brexit have on Europe’s collective approach to its own, and its neighbourhood’s, security? ⦁ How can Europe manage changes in its external relations? Is there a need to reset relationships between Europe and its allies? Speakers: Wadah Khanfar, Mary Kaldor, Sylvie Bermann, Elizabeth Collett, Staffan de Mistura

    • 10:30 Session Two | The New UN Secretary-General’s In-Tray: Where to Start?10:30 - 11:45The incoming Secretary-General faces a daunting security agenda: protracted conflicts in Africa and the Middle East; growing humanitarian tragedies; a peacekeeping system under stress; fraying international norms; and a Security Council increasingly riven – most glaringly over Syria – by geopolitical and regional tensions. In a job where reality and pursuit of the ideal rarely make for comfortable bedfellows, what room does the new Secretary-General have to address these challenges decisively? To what extent, beyond rhetoric, is the UN important to Europe? Moderator Richard Gowan, Speakers: Louise Arbour, Lord Mark Malloch-Brown, Richard Gowan, Natalie Samarasinghe, Mehdi Eker

    • 12:15 Discussion A | Europe, Russia and the Spaces in Between12:15 - 13:30Dealing with Moscow’s interests and strategies in the neighbourhood it shares with Europe is critical for a better overall and long-term relationship. With the regime in its present mood and Western political will on the wane, this is easier said than done. The war in Ukraine, disenchantment in the Caucasus, future potential hotspots in Belarus and Moldova, the prospect of instability in Central Asia – all require careful yet innovative policies to even begin to resolve fundamental areas of disagreement. Can the EU’s Eastern Partnership help or is a new construction needed? What are the limits of the possible with the current regime in Moscow and what might be possible under a different leadership? Moderator Quentin Peel, Speakers: Magdalena Grono, Quentin Peel, Giles Portman, Elena Donova, Colonel General Ihor Smeshko, Magdalena Frichova-Grono

    • 14:30 Discussion C | Navigating the Southern Mediterranean14:30 - 15:45In North Africa the underlying societal, political and economic tensions that led to the Arab uprisings remain, in some cases complicated by subsequent events. Tunisia is making delicate progress towards a more democratic system. In Egypt, polarization and a repressive leadership have created an exclusionary new order. Libya’s deterioration threatens more violent conflict with potential regional spill over. In Algeria and Morocco, cautionary lessons from the region’s tragedies have bought time for their leaders, but how the authorities make use of it is now what matters. How can Europe, with its considerable stake in the political stability of the southern Mediterranean, assert a positive influence in the region? Moderator Issandr El Amrani, Speakers: Nicola Pedde, Walter Posch, Emad Shahin, Issandr El Amrani, Ellen Lust, Hugh Pope, Sylke Tempel, Simon Mordue

    • 16:15 Session Three | Soft Power versus Hard: Does Europe Have the Right Balance?16:15 - 17:45This closing discussion will assess the right balance for Europe in seeking to both protect its borders and effectively manage conflict abroad, exploring questions including: ⦁ To what extent is the ‘ideal’ of Europe a positive influence on its neighbours? ⦁ Does Europe use its considerable development budget to maximum effect? If not, how might it do so more effectively? ⦁ Founded on a basis of economic strength and a commitment to the rule of law, to what extent have recent years squandered the EU’s reputation in these areas, particularly in the context of the UK’s vote to leave the EU? ⦁ As its region changes, how can Europe achieve an effective balance between its reliance on traditional tools of diplomacy and its military capacity? Does the EU have the capacity to achieve a consensus on the use of hard power, and navigate the uncertainties generated by the outcome of the UK referendum on its membership? Moderator Deborah HaynesSpeakers: Jean-Marie Guehenno, Galip Dalay, David Harding, Xenia Wickett, Deborah Haynes, Jean-Paul Paloméros

    • 12:15 Discussion B | Intelligent and Effective Countering of Violent Extremism12:15 - 13:30Countering – or preventing – violent extremism has become a new security imperative, both domestic and foreign. Identifying tactics and strategies to effectively address violent extremism that poses a genuine threat remains crucial for both Europe and its neighbourhood. To what extent do current approaches serve as a useful means of preventing and resolving conflict? Do movements like Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and Al-Qaeda drive conflict themselves or are they taking advantage of already existing wars? Are there dangers for countries in using an extremism lens to define threats to their stability? What are the challenges for discerning the difference between real violent extremism threats and the use of the extremism rhetoric to punish and silence opponents? Chair Lina KhatibSpeakers: Lina Khatib, David Hearst, Richard Atwood, Shadi Hamid, Elisabeth Kendall

Speakers for this event

  • Louise Arbour

    Louise Arbour

    United Nations Special Representative for International Migration

    United Nations Special Representative fo...

  • Jean-Marie Guehenno

    Jean-Marie Guehenno

    President & CEO, International Crisis Group

    President & CEO, International Crisis Gr...

  • Quentin Peel

    Quentin Peel

    Associate Fellow, Europe Programme, Chatham House

    Associate Fellow, Europe Programme, Chat...

  • 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

  • Lina Khatib

    Lina Khatib

    Head, Middle East and North Africa Programme, Chatham House

    Head, Middle East and North Africa Progr...

  • 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...

  • Galip Dalay

    Galip Dalay

    Senior Associate Fellow at Al Sharq Strategic Research

    Research director at Al Sharq Forum and senior associate fellow on Turkey and Kurdish Affairs at Al Jazeera Center for Studies. He previously worked as a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) in Berlin and as a political researcher at SETA Foundation in Ankara. He is a regular contributor to German Marshall Fund of the United States’ on Turkey policy brief series, and a columnist for Middle East Eye.

    Senior Associate Fellow at Al Sharq Stra...

  • Fuat Keyman

    Fuat Keyman

    Director of Istanbul Policy Center and a Professor of International Relations at Sabancı University

    Fuat Keyman is the Director of Istanbul Policy Center and a Professor of International Relations at Sabancı University. Keyman is a leading Turkish political scientist and an expert on democratization, globalization, international relations, Turkey – EU relations, Turkish foreign policy, and civil society development. He is a member of the Science Academy. He has worked as a member on the Council of Wise People as part of the Peace Process to the Kurdish issue. He also serves on advisory and editorial boards for a number of respected international and national organizations as well as for academic journals.

    Director of Istanbul Policy Center and a...

  • Nicola Pedde

    Nicola Pedde

    Director of the Institute of Global Studies (IGS) in Rome

    Nicola Pedde is the Director of the Institute of Global Studies (IGS) in Rome, and the Director of the Geopolitics of the Middle East Journal. He taught International Relations at the University of Rome La Sapienza University and John Cabot University in Rome. He conducts research on the Middle East and the Persian Gulf at the Italian Military Centre for Strategic Studies (Ce.Mi.S.S.) of the Centre for High Defense Studies (CASD) of the Ministry of Defense. He has published numerous essays, including Iran 1979 Islamic Revolution (Rome 2009), Almanac of the Italian airline from 1947 to 2007 (Rome 2007).

    Director of the Institute of Global Stud...

  • Nigar Goksel

    Nigar Goksel

    Director of Crisis Group in Turkey

    Diba Nigar Goksel is the Director of Crisis Group in Turkey, and a Senior Analyst for ESI covering Turkey and the Caucasus. Since 2003, she has also been the Editor-in-Chief of the Turkish Policy Quarterly (TPQ). Nigar studied International Relations at Koc University in Istanbul. She began her professional career in 1998 in Washington DC, first working at the Embassy of Azerbaijan and subsequently at TÜSIAD-US (Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association, Washington Office). After returning to Istanbul in 2001, she was the Country Director at IREX (International Research and Exchanges Board), project manager at TESEV (Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation) and the Secretary-General for International Relations at the ARI Movement, an NGO promoting a strong civil society in Turkey. Nigar Goksel regularly writes on Turkey and the Caucasus for various publications and platforms, focusing largely on women’s issues, civil society development and relations with the EU. She joined ESI in 2004.

    Director of Crisis Group in Turkey

  • Walter Posch

    Walter Posch

    Senior Research Fellow at the National Defence Academy in Vienna

    Dr. Walter Posch is a Senior Research Fellow at the National Defence Academy in Vienna, Dr. Posch holds a PHD in Iranian Studies and a MA in Turkish studies, he focusses on modern Iran, modern Turkey and the Kurdish issue. Previously, he was posted at the European institute of Security Studies EUISS in Paris and at the German Institute for Foreign and Strategic Affairs SWP in Berlin.

    Senior Research Fellow at the National D...

  • Richard Atwood

    Richard Atwood

    Director for the New York based International Crisis Group

    Richard Atwood is the director for the New York based International Crisis Group, a non-governmental conflict prevention organisation. He advises Crisis Group’s president on policy in Africa and the Middle East; represents the organisation at the United Nations; and leads its cross-cutting work on al-Qaida and ISIS. Before Crisis Group, he worked across the Middle East, Africa and South Asia for about fifteen years under different local and international organizations

    Director for the New York based Internat...

  • Emad Shahin

    Emad Shahin

    Senior Fellow at Georgetown University

    Emad Shahin is the Dean of the College of Islamic Studies (CIS), Hamad bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation and a Senior Fellow at Georgetown University. Before joining CIS, he was the Hasib Sabbagh Distinguished Visiting Chair of Arabic and Islamic Studies, visiting professor of Political Science at Georgetown University and the editor-in-chief of The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Politics. He is tenured professor of public policy, The American University in Cairo (on leave). Shahin holds a Ph.D. (1989) from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, M.A. (1983) and BA (1980) from the American University in Cairo. He has taught in leading universities in the United States including Harvard, Notre Dame, Georgetown, George Washington, and Boston University. His research and teaching interests focus on Islam and Politics Comparative Politics, Democracy and Political Reform in Muslim societies, and Political Economy of the Middle East.

    Senior Fellow at Georgetown University

  • Issandr El Amrani

    Issandr El Amrani

    Project Director at the International Crisis Group

    Issandr El Amrani oversees Crisis Group's North Africa Project. Prior to joining Crisis Group, he was a writer and consultant on Middle Eastern affairs based in Cairo. His reporting and commentary on the region has appeared in The Economist, London Review of Books, Financial Times, The National, The Guardian, Time and other publications. He has also advised leading investment firms and NGOs on the region. He is the founder of The Arabist, one of the longest-running and most-read blogs on Arab politics culture, and the co-founder of Cairo magazine. He is also a fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Issandr, who is Moroccan-American, has lived in the region since 2000, mostly in Cairo, and currently resides in Rabat.

    Project Director at the International Cr...

  • Robin Niblett

    Robin Niblett

    Director of Chatham House

    Dr Robin Niblett became Director of Chatham House in January 2007. Previously he was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) from 2001 to 2006. During his last two years at CSIS, he also served as Director of the CSIS Europe Program and its Initiative for a Renewed Transatlantic Partnership. He is a frequent panellist at conferences and events around the world and has testified on a number of occasions to the House of Commons Defence Select Committee and Foreign Affairs Committee, as well as US Senate and House of Representatives committees on European Affairs. He received his BA, MPhil and DPhil from Oxford University.

    Director of Chatham House

  • Mary Kaldor

    Mary Kaldor

    Professor of Global Governance at London School of Economics

    Mary Kaldor is Professor of Global Governance, Director of the Conflict and Civil Society Research Unit at the London School of Economics and Political Science and CEO of the Department for International Development (DFID) funded Conflict Research Programme. She pioneered the concept of new wars and global civil society. Her work on the practical implementation of human security has directly influenced European and national politics. Her books include; The Baroque Arsenal, New and Old Wars: Organised Violence in a Global Era, Global Civil Society: An Answer to War. Her most recent book is International Law and New Wars co-authored with Christine Chinkin. She was a founder and co-chair of the Helsinki Citizens Assembly, a member of the International Independent Commission on Kosovo and convenor of the Human Security Study Group, which reported to Javier Solana and now to Federica Mogherini.

    Professor of Global Governance at London...

  • Sylvie Bermann

    Sylvie Bermann

    Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Embassy of France

  • Elizabeth Collett

    Elizabeth Collett

    Founding Director, Migration Policy Institute Europe

  • Staffan de Mistura

    Staffan de Mistura

    Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, United Nations

  • Richard Gowan

    Richard Gowan

    Senior Policy Fellow, European Council on Foreign Relations

  • Natalie Samarasinghe

    Natalie Samarasinghe

    Executive Director, United Nations Association UK

  • Mehdi Eker

    Mehdi Eker

    Vice President and Chairman of Foreign Affairs Commission of the AK Party, Turkey

  • Giles Portman

    Giles Portman

    ‎Head of East Stratcom Task Force, European External Action Service

  • Elena Donova

    Elena Donova

    First Secretary, Press Attache, Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to NATO

  • Colonel General Ihor Smeshko

    Colonel General Ihor Smeshko

    Advisor to the President of Ukraine

  • Magdalena Frichova-Grono

    Magdalena Frichova-Grono

    Director, Europe and Central Asia, International Crisis Group

  • Ellen Lust

    Ellen Lust

    Founding Director of the Programs on Governance and Local Development, Yale University and University of Gothenburg

  • Hugh Pope

    Hugh Pope

    , Director of Communications & Outreach, International Crisis Group

  • Simon Mordue

    Simon Mordue

    Director for Strategy and Turkey, Directorate General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, European Commission

  • David Harding

    David Harding

    Founder and CEO, Winton

  • Xenia Wickett

    Xenia Wickett

    Head, US and the Americas Programme; Dean, The Queen Elizabeth II Academy for Leadership in International Affairs, Chatham House

  • Deborah Haynes

    Deborah Haynes

    Defence Editor, The Times

  • Jean-Paul Paloméros

    Jean-Paul Paloméros

    Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, NATO (2012-15)

  • Elisabeth Kendall

    Elisabeth Kendall

    Senior Research Fellow in Arabic, Pembroke College Oxford

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Al Sharq Strategic Research is a think tank that looks to undertake impartial, rigorous research to promote the ideals of democratic participation, an informed citizenry, multi-stakeholder dialogue and social justice.

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