GLOBSEC 2009

The international security conference GLOBSEC will soon take place for the fourth consecutive time. Maybe, it is not a revolutionary long tradition in comparison with other prestigious forums in Europe, but during this relatively short time of existence, this forum gained respectable reputation and became highly regarded platform for Slovak, regional and transatlantic discussion about the key topics of security and foreign policy. We are proud of this reputation and feel bound to continue this tradition in the best possible manner.

The GLOBSEC conference in January 2009 has a specific timing. It will take place at the beginning of the year, when NATO celebrates its 60th anniversary. NATO summit is taking place, expected to deliver important decisions and messages concerning the future of our and global security. We want GLOBSEC to start the informal part of expert discussion within the international security community this year, in order for Bratislava to become a small, but important pebble in the in the transatlantic dialogue mosaic. Sixty years of NATO, 19 years after the end of the Cold war and immense dynamics of changes in the world in the last years requires a substantial discussion about the character of new challenges, risks and threats.

The security reality becomes more and more complicated, more difficult to predict, new non-traditional players and challenges emerge, which cannot be tackled with traditional tools of national and Alliance’s security.  The key is not only the analysis and understanding of today’s world, but in the first place our collective and individual ability to offer appropriate solutions and demonstrate sufficiency of political will and determination to put them into effect.

Róbert Vass, Secretary General of the Slovak Atlantic Commission

In 2005, as the chairman of the Slovak Atlantic Commission and president of the Euro-Atlantic Centre, I led the team of the young people who had the ambitious plan of organizing international security forum. Today GLOBSEC is a highly regarded and accepted trademark not only within the Slovak foreign policy and security community, but also within international expert and diplomatic circles. Fabulous success of the pilot conference in 2005 established a perspective of building tradition of prestigious international security conference in Central Europe with no parallel regarding the format, participation and speaker level. I’m glad that for the fourth year I have the possibility of leading the team that takes part in the organization and preparation of this unique event. The quality of the GLOBSEC conference is growing every year and today it represents the flagship project of the Slovak Atlantic Commission with a sound perspective and a high potential of further growth.

The GLOBSEC conference reacts to the most important topics related to international security and politics – fight against international terrorism, perspectives of stability and peace in the Balkans, strategic partnership with Russia and security in Afghanistan and Iraq. GLOBSEC is an important international forum representing independent venue for the meeting of key actors shaping the transatlantic agenda, including influential domestic and foreign policy leaders, non-governmental organizations, corporate sector and the media.