The Baltic Forum's 11th International Conference
Europe in the Mirror of Globalization: Problems, Challenges and Perspectives
May 26-27, 2006
Baltic Beach Hotel, Jūrmala
Summary Reports
Sessions Description Gallery
On May 26-27, 2006 the Baltic Forum held its 11th international conference. This year, the conference was devoted to the processes of globalization in the European context. It brought together scholars, politicians, civic society leaders, diplomats, officials and statesmen from Latvia and other European countries, including Russia and other CIS states, as well as from the US.
The conference sessions were dedicated to the global security agenda, the future of the European Union, especially with respect to enlargement and relations with its neighbourhood and particularly with Russia, while other sessions dealt with national and European identities in the process of globalization and the economic issues.
The different aspects of "European globalisation" were discussed in five main sessions:
GLOBAL SECURITY: A NEW TERRA INCOGNITA?
Several speakers discussed key aspects of the global security situation such as the state of the "war on terrorism", proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the future of the transatlantic and the Russian-American relations, as well as the energy dialogue between Russia and the West. They agreed that after September 11 the world was ushered into a new era of turbulence and uncertainty. Key international institutions, states and societies are still struggling to find adequate answers to multiple and diverse global security risks and challenges.
GLOBALIZATION "EUROPEAN STYLE": KINDER AND GENTLER?
One of the most vigorous discussion threads was dedicated to the future of European integration. Most participants agreed that the success of this "globalization on European scale" is essential for Europe to become a political and moral leader of a more humane globalization.
NATIONAL AND EUROPEAN IDENTITIES IN A GLOBALIZED WORLD
BALTIC - RUSSIAN RELATIONS: SEARCHING FOR WAYS FORWARD
LATVIA IN A GLOBALIZED WORLD: BIG HOPES OF A SMALL COUNTRY
Several participants shared their thoughts on different aspects of the role and place of Latvia in global world.
The conference has brought together distinguished experts, politicians, diplomats, and representatives of non-governmental organizations. Among them were Karina Pētersone, Special Assignments Minister for Social Integration of Latvia; Dimitri Simes, President of the Nixon Center, USA; John Palmer, Member of the Governing Board of the European Policy Centre, UK; Robert Nurick, Senior Fellow at the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, Monterey Institute of International Studies, USA; Carlos Closa, Research Director of the Centre for Political and Constitutional Studies, Spain; Members of the European Parliament Helmut Kuhne, Giulietto Chiesa and Justas Paleckis; representative of the Council of the European Union Charis Xirouchakis and others.
As has become a habit, the conference was attended by a strong team of influential politicians and experts from Russia, including Igor Yurgens, the Executive Secretary of the Russian Union of Industrialists & Entrepreneurs (Employers); Eleonora Mitrofanova, Director of the Russian Center of Scientific and Cultural Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Sergey Oznobishchev, Director of the Strategic Assessments Institute; Deputy Chairman of the Russia-USA Association; Marina Lebedeva, Head of the World Political Processes Department, Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
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