Five Years After 9/11: Are We Winning the Fight Against International Terrorism?
AIMS OF THE CONFERENCE
The conference aims to assess the security environment of today and tomorrow, in terms of international terrorism; examine the contemporary and future role of NATO and other international organizations in the fight against terrorism; identify how real the threat of international terrorism is to Slovakia; ascertain the opinion of the Slovak security community on international terrorism and discuss ways to deal with it; and come up with recommendations on how society can better prepare itself for a terrorist threat.
STRUCTURE OF THE CONFERENCE
The one-day conference will consist of three discussion panels and one keynote address held by the NATO Assistant Secretary General for Operations. The panels will bring together specialists, both thinkers and practitioners on terrorism, drawn from academia and NGOs, together with government decision makers in order to develop a forum to foster a greater dialogue and examine the issues with a new and differing perspectives.
Speakers are asked to prepare a brief presentation and then to enter a discussion with other members of the panel and the audience under the guidance of the chair. The aim of the presentations is not merely to review the current state of play in each field but to move the discussion in each area forward. The aim is to ensure presentations are as au courant as possible, and that the conference draws contributions from the panel and discussions with the audience. Among the areas of focus of the conference will be:
Discussion panel I.
MAPPING THE PHENOMENON: INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM – TODAY AND TOMORROW
The terrorist attacks of 9/11 represent a turning point in the 21st century security environment because they have changed every fundamental aspect of it. The panel aims to analyse the nature of today’s security environment in terms of international terrorism, to identify what is the current nature of the terrorist threat and to assess how will the next wave of terrorism look like. The panel also aims to examine how can terrorism best be addressed. Because it is a global phenomenon, it requires a global response in terms of an intensive international cooperation. The panel wants to analyse how effective is the worlds only global organisation, the UN in combating terrorism. Should it be doing more? If so, what and how? Adding to the institutional point of view, the panel will also focus on EU`s response to terrorism and try to answer the question how to improve it. Can Europe achieve an effective policy on this international threat? Overall, how can international cooperation be strengthened and unnecessary duplications avoided? In addition, the panel will also touch upon the relations of the media and terrorism and analyse what are the best ways of engaging the media and influencing public opinion in order to carry out anti-terrorism activities with more efficiency.
Discussion panel II.
NATO AND THE FIGHT AGAINST INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM: A CHANGING ALLIANCE
NATO has changed significantly since the end of the Cold War and after 9/11 international terrorism has become one of the most important issues on its agenda. The aim of the second panel is to examine NATO`s role in the fight against international terrorism, if its role in this area is desirable, or it is merely the outcome of an institutional incentive to ensure the organisations survival. Should NATO go civil and focus predominantly on terrorism? What are NATO`s deficits and strengths? Is the Alliance responding effectively enough to the developing threat of terrorism and proliferation? The panel will provide the assessment of the ability of NATO to contribute to the international campaign against terrorism and how can this contribution be improved. The panel will analyse what should the Alliance do in order to best address terrorism and proliferation. What is NATO`s role in intelligence sharing? How is transformation in terms of adapting to terrorism and asymmetry proceeding in NATO? What need to change in the Alliance for improved performance of its counter-terrorism tasks? What should be done to improve the effectiveness of its members` armed forces? What lessons can be learned from recent and continuing stabilization and reconstruction operations? What are the experiences and future challenges? How to strengthen NATO`s cooperation with other organisations, NGOs and the local population?
Discussion panel III.
SLOVAKIA AND TERRORISM: TOWARDS A BALANCE BETWEEN PANIC AND PREPAREDNESS
Entering NATO and the EU, organisations composed of the most prosperous western countries, and participating in the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the risk of a possible terrorist attack in Slovakia has significantly increased. Are we safe? Is Slovakia really not so interesting for terrorists? The panel aims to examine how dangerous and present is the threat of international terrorism to Slovakia. What is the scale of it? Can we measure and quantify it? The aim of the panel is also to identify the ways, how to achieve a better coordination of anti-terrorism activities within the frame of various governmental authorities. What are the prospects for combined crisis management, building adequate military capabilities and enhancing intelligence cooperation in Slovakia? In addition, the panel wants to come up with recommendations how to integrate the society and the individual in anti-terrorism activities in order to minimize the consequences of a terrorist attack. What is the contribution of the individual? How can he help the authorities to better face the challenges of terrorism? What is the balance between anti-terrorism activities and protection of human rights and liberties? How to keep them save from infringement?
OUTPUT OF THE CONFERENCE
One of the most interesting aims of the conference is to carry out a brief opinion poll among the members of the Slovak security community who will predominantly attend the conference and form the audience. In order to attend the conference, the participants will be asked to fill in a form and respond to few basic question concerning terrorism and the fight against it, the perceptions of the phenomenon in Slovakia and the Slovak anti-terrorism policy. The findings of the poll will be evaluated during the conference and together with the summary of the conference proceeding published in the conference report. In such the way, the poll will fully involve the audience in the conference, help to create an intensive discussion and contribute to come up with and present more recommendations how to address terrorism.
LOGISTICS OF THE CONFERENCE
| Date | December 13 – 15, 2006 |
| Venue | Conference Hall of The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic, Hlboká cesta 2, Bratislava |
| Organizer | Slovak Atlantic Commission and the Euro-Atlantic Center |
| Partners | NATO Public Diplomacy Division, United Nations Information Service in Vienna, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Slovak Republic and the US Embassy Bratislava |
| Participants | Approximately 80 – 100 participants, in particular foreign and Slovak security experts, national and international policy makers, academics and media representatives |
| Languages | English and Slovak (Discussion Panel III). Simultaneous interpretation will be provided |
