Difference between revisions of "Democracy and Security International Conference"

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Democracy & Security International Conference was held in Prague right before the G8 2007 conference. Attendees included George Bush and a who's who of the neocon regime-change industry.  
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[[Image:DISC_BUSH.jpg|right|thumb|400px|George W. Bush Speaks at the Conference|text-bottom]]
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The Democracy & Security International Conference also known as the “Democracy and Security: Core Values and Sound Policies” conference was held in Prague on the 5-6th of June, overlapping the 2007 [[G8 summit]] in Heiligendamm.<ref>Natan Sharansky, [http://www.democracyandsecurity.org/doc/Press_Release_DaS_EN.doc  PRESIDENT BUSH TO ADDRESS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS], Accessed 08-March-2009</ref> The event, dubbed the 'Neoconservative International'<ref>Jim Lobe, [http://www.ips.org/blog/jimlobe/?p=27 A Neo-Conservative International Targets Iran], ''Lobelog.com'', 9 June 2007</ref>  was organized by the Prague based [[Prague Security Studies Institute]], the  [[Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies]] at the [[Shalem Center]] in Jerusalem and [[Jose Maria Aznar]]'s Madrid based [[Foundation for Social Analysis and Studies]] (FAES).
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==Conference Aims==
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[[Image:DISC_LOGO.gif|left|thumb|600px|Conference Logo]]
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The aim of the conference was summed up in a background paper by [[Marc F. Plattner]], that argued “building a world of free and democratic states should be our long-term goal”. The world view conveyed by the paper was one where “Increasingly the world is divided between liberal democracies and regimes that are tyrannical”. These tyrannical regimes represent a “growing security threat”, and they are “drawn together” by a “common fear and hatred of liberal democracy”. The hostile regimes “Support terrorism and threaten not only to acquire but to use nuclear weapons”. The regimes themselves were described as comprising of “The unholy trinity of Ahmadinejad, Chavez and Lukashenka”<ref> [[Marc F. Plattner]], Background Paper, [http://www.democracyandsecurity.org/doc/Background_Paper_Plattner.pdf Background Paper for the Conference on Democracy and Security], Accessed 08-March-2009</ref>.
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According to the [[Wall Street Journal]] it was the personal intercession of [[Natan Sharansky]] which persuaded [[George W. Bush]] to attend in spite of the objections of the [[State Department]].<ref>[http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/bstephens/?id=110010199 The Ghost House: If Prague can be free, why not Sudan?] by BRET STEPHENS, ''Wall Street Journal'', 12 June 2007.</ref> Sharansky stated at the conference "In today's world of confrontation, there is no better weapon than the promotion of democracy," He argued for the importance of dialogue with dissidents and policy makers, saying "This conference gives those responsible for policy-making an important opportunity for direct dialogue with the dissidents themselves."<ref>Natan Sharansky, [http://www.democracyandsecurity.org/doc/Press_Release_DaS_EN.doc  PRESIDENT BUSH TO ADDRESS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS], Accessed 08-March-2009</ref>
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Looking at the conference agenda and the list of attendees (below), the neoconservative credentials of the conference are easily inferred. The subjects discussed focus on expediting political change in selected countries: Mynamar, Cuba, Iran, Belarus. Venezuela were also singled out for criticism in the background paper of the conference”. <ref> [[Marc F. Plattner]], Background Paper, [http://www.democracyandsecurity.org/doc/Background_Paper_Plattner.pdf Background Paper for the Conference on Democracy and Security], Accessed 08-March-2009</ref>. The potential for dissidents to achieve political change in these countries was a key issue for discussion at the conference. The role of central european states in EU-Russian relations was also discussed, with the conference being underwritten by [[NATO]], these discussions are likely to be centred round the planned U.S. missile defence system which is planned to based in Poland and have a radar base in the Czech republic<ref>Karen DeYoung, [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/01/AR2008020101910.html U.S., Poland Closer to Deal on Missile Defense], '''Washington Post''', 2-February-2009, Accessed 11-March-2009</ref>
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==Neoconservative Foreign Policy==
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[[Image:DISC_DISSIDENTS.jpg|right|thumb|Round Table Discussions between dissidents at the conference|text-bottom]]
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Strong elements of neoconservative ideology were prevalent throughout the attendees and agenda at the conference. Neoconservatives advocate an interventionist often aggressive foreign policy and this was reflected through the conference delegations attitudes towards other selected nation states:
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* '''Russia''': [[NATO]] were conference partners and one of the key speakers was Czech Foreign Minister [[Karel Schwarzenberg]]. Schwarzenberg signed the agreement with the United States that the radar base for the U.S. European defence missile system was to be installed on Czech soil <ref>Dan Bilefsky, 08-July-2009, International Herald Tribune, [http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/08/europe/shield.php U.S. and Czech Republic sign agreement on missile shield], Accessed 28-February-2009</ref>. The missile shield was described by NATO secretary general as “A Key Element For Security”<ref>Radio Free Europe, [http://www.rferl.org/content/Article/1109682.html NATO: Alliance Chief Calls Missile Defense A Key Element For Security], 05-May-2008, Accessed 08-March-2009</ref>.
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* '''Cuba''': [[Rafael Rubio]], the president of the [[Association for the Transition of Cuba]] attended to offer a dissident perspective against the Cuban regime. <ref>Democracy and Security Conference, [http://www.democracyandsecurity.org/doc/List_of_Participants.pdf List of Participants], Accessed 25-February-2009</ref>. Rubio discussed the importance to Cuba of what he called “real paths to the goal of sovereignty, democracy, reconciliation, and rights”. <ref> Rafael Rubio, Remarks [http://www.democracyandsecurity.org/doc/Rafael_Rubio_Remarks.pdf Democracy and Security Speech], Accessed 28-February-2009</ref>. Conference attendees [[Jan Bubeník]] and [[Karel Schwarzenberg]],  were both arrested and expelled from Cuba for meeting with dissidents<ref> Mimi Whitefield, (2001), [http://www.fiu.edu/~fcf/btrdvde.html Detentions in Cuba open a bitter divide],''Miami Herald'', Acessed 26-February-2009</ref><ref> Jennifer Rankin, 19-July-2007, European Voice, [http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/imported/the-prince/57957.aspx The Prince], Accessed 28-February-2009</ref>. Several of the Czech delegation at the conference including [[ Dana Baschová]]  and [[Igor Klimes]] are affiliated with the NGO [[People in Need]] who aim to “support the opposition movement in Cuba <ref> Radio Prague, (2005), [http://www.radio.cz/en/article/66720 Cuba expels Czech senator], Accessed 26-February-2009 </ref>”.
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* '''Belarus''': Belarussian dissident [[Aliaksandr Milinkevich]] the President of the Political Council of Democratic Forces of Belarus was at the conference and a conference briefing paper described Belarus along with Venezuela and Iran as an “unholy trinity”.
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* '''Iran''': Iranian relations were described by Anne Bayevsky reflecting on the conference “There was an elephant in the room that dominated conversations in the coffee breaks and the halls – Iran, its genocidal ambitions, its mad dash towards acquiring nuclear weapons, and its familial relationships with terrorists prepared to use them while screaming the suicide bombers closing argument of choice: Allah Akbar.”<ref>Anne Bayevsky, [http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=N2M4ZGE4M2NiNjkwZmU3NzkxMjE1N2JmMTJmNDlhZjA= Prague Marching Orders], National Review Online, 8-June-2007, Accessed 09-March-2009</ref>. [[Reza Pahlavi]] Opposition Leader to Clerical Regime of Iran was also in attendence.
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==Conference Agenda==
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The conference was split into discussion groups who tackled the following issues:
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* Has the democratization process reached an impasse?
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* Does the process of democratization contribute to security?
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* What are the right ways to make the transition from a totalitarian/authoritarian regime to a democracy?
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* The role of dissidents in society
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* The role of democratic states, international institutions and the media in the global security environment
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* The role of central Europeans in EU-Russian relations <ref>Security & Democracy International Conference, [http://www.democracyandsecurity.org/doc/Conference_Program.pdf Conference Program], Accessed 01-March-2009</ref>
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==Organizers==
 
*[[Prague Security Studies Institute]]
 
*[[Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies]] at the [[Shalem Center]] in Jerusalem
 
*[[Foundation for Social Analysis and Studies]] (FAES)
 
  
 
==Participants==
 
==Participants==
*[[Issam Abu Issa]] -- Chairman, I.A.S. International, Qatar
 
*[[Peter Ackerman]] -- Chairman, Freedom House
 
*[[Mudawi Ibrahim Adam]] -- Chairman, Sudan Social Development Organization
 
*[[Sheldon G. Adelson]] -- Las Vegas Sands Corp.
 
*[[Miriam Adelson]] -- Las Vegas Sands Corp.
 
*[[Mithal Al-Alusi]] -- Iraqi MP
 
*[[Ludmilla Alexeeva]] -- Chair, [[Helsinki Group]]
 
*[[Leyla Aliyeva]] -- President, [[Center for National and International Studies]], Azerbaijan
 
*[[Jafar Alshayeb]] -- Managing Director, Bizlink Group, Saudi Arabia
 
*[[Zainab Al-Suwaij]] -- Co-Founder & Executive Director, [[American Islamic Congress]]
 
*[[Ingrid Amer]] -- Second Secretary, Embassy of Estonia, Czech Rep.
 
*[[Elias Amor Bravo]] -- Economist, [[Union Liberal Cubana]], Spain
 
*[[Sami Angawi]] -- Director General, [[Amar Center]], Saudi Arabia
 
*[[Uzi Arad]] -- Director, [[Institute for Policy and Strategy]], Israel
 
*[[Arie Arazi]] -- Ambassador of Israel, Czech Rep.
 
*[[Ronald D. Asmus]] -- Executive Director, Transatlantic Center, The German Marshall Fund of the United States, Belgium
 
*[[Ghassan Atiyyah]] -- Executive Director, [[Iraq Foundation for Development and Democracy]]
 
*[[Shlomo Avineri]] -- Professor of Political Science, The Hebrew University, Israel
 
*[[José María Aznar]] -- President, [[FAES Foundation]], Spain
 
*[[Hüseyin Bagci]] -- Professor of International Relations, Middle East Technical University
 
Turkey
 
*[[Rafael L. Bardají]] -- National Security Adviser to President Aznar; Director of International Policy [[FAES Foundation]]
 
*[[Dana Baschová]] -- Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Czech Rep.
 
*[[Anne Bayefsky]] -- Senior Fellow, [[Hudson Institute]]
 
*[[Pavel Bém]] -- Lord Mayor of the City of Prague
 
*[[Mokhtar Benabdallaoui]] -- Head of the Philosophy Department, Hassan II University, Morocco
 
*[[David Bercuson]] -- Director of Programs, [[Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute]]
 
*[[Antonín Berdych]] -- President, [[Association for International Affairs]]
 
*[[Rudolf Blažek]] -- Deputy Lord Mayor of the City of Prague, Czech Rep.
 
*[[Michael Bohnen]] -- President, [[Adelson Family Charitable Foundation]]
 
*[[Roberta Bonazzi]] -- Executive Director, [[European Foundation for Democracy]], Belgium
 
*[[José Brechner]] -- Political Analyst, [[Diario di America]], Argentina
 
*[[Jan Bubeník]] -- Managing Partner, Bubenik Partners, Czech Rep.
 
*[[Fraser Cameron]] -- Director, [[EU-Russia Center]], Belgium
 
*[[Alberto Carnero]] -- Director of International Department, [[FAES Foundation]]
 
*[[Oldřich Černý]] -- Executive Director, [[Prague Security Studies Institute]]
 
*[[Chin-mo Cheng]] -- Assistant Professor, Tamkang University, Taiwan
 
*[[Irwin Cotler]] -- Canadian MP, Former Minister of Justice & Attorney General of Canada
 
*[[Devon Cross]] -- [[Case for Freedom]], USA
 
*[[Cina Dabestani]] -- Board Member, [[Iranian Enterprise Institute]], USA
 
*[[Priscilla de Callier]] -- Advisor, [[Forum 2000 Foundation]], Czech Rep.
 
*[[Pepper de Callier]] -- Senior Advisor, [[Forum 2000 Foundation]], Czech Rep.
 
*[[Richard Dearlove]] -- Master, Pembroke College
 
*[[Pavol Demeš]] -- Director for CEE, German Marshall Fund of the United States, Slovakia
 
Ron Dermer
 
Minister of Economic Affairs
 
Embassy of Israel
 
USA
 
Barbara Dillon Hillas
 
Principal
 
Dillon Hillas & Dillon, LLC
 
Poland
 
Linda Duffield
 
Ambassador of the United Kingdom
 
Czech Rep.
 
Gabriel Eichler
 
CEO
 
Benson Oak
 
Czech Rep.
 
Bassem Eid
 
Executive Director
 
The Palestinian Human Rights
 
Monitoring Group
 
Palestinian Authority
 
Helmut Elfenkämper
 
Ambassador of Germany
 
Czech Rep.
 
Mohamed Eljahmi
 
Libyan-American Democracy Activist
 
USA
 
Marc S. Ellenbogen
 
Chairman of Global Panel Foundation
 
and Special Correspondent, UPI
 
The Prague Society for International
 
Cooperation
 
Czech Rep.
 
David Elliman
 
Chairman
 
Elmrock Capital, Inc.
 
USA
 
Amir Abbas Fakhravar
 
President
 
Iranian Freedom Institute
 
USA
 
Oleksandr Feldman
 
President
 
International Tolerance Center
 
Ukraine
 
Javier Fernandéz-Lasquetty
 
General Secretary
 
FAES Foundation
 
Spain
 
Charles Fries
 
Ambassador of France
 
Czech Rep.
 
Jeffrey Gedmin
 
President
 
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
 
Czech Rep.
 
Jared Genser
 
President
 
Freedom Now
 
USA
 
Reuel Marc Gerecht
 
Resident Fellow
 
American Enterprise Institute
 
Belgium
 
Farid Ghadry
 
President
 
Reform Party of Syria
 
USA
 
John K. Glenn
 
Director of Foreign Policy
 
The German Marshall Fund
 
of the United States
 
USA
 
David Goder
 
Case for Freedom
 
USA
 
www.democracyandsecurity.org
 
www.pssi.cz
 
Vera Golovensky
 
Director of International Relations
 
The Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies
 
at the Shalem Center
 
Israel
 
Richard W. Graber
 
Ambassador
 
of the United States of America
 
Czech Rep.
 
Colleen Graffy
 
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public
 
Diplomacy
 
Bureau of European and Euroasian
 
Affairs, US Department of State
 
USA
 
Karl-Theodor von und zu
 
Guttenberg
 
Chairman of the CSU‘s Foreign
 
Committee
 
German Bundestag
 
Germany
 
Václav Havel
 
Former President of the Czech Republic
 
Czech Rep.
 
Anna Y. C. Ho
 
Assistant to the Representative
 
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office
 
Czech Rep.
 
Jim Hoft
 
Gateway Pundit Blog
 
USA
 
Mamoun Homsy
 
Fmr. Member of Syrian Parliament
 
Lebanon
 
Karen P. Hughes
 
Under Secretary, Public Diplomacy and
 
Public Affairs
 
U.S. Department of State
 
United States
 
Jana Hybášková
 
Member of the European Parliament
 
Czech Rep.
 
Saad Eddin Ibrahim
 
Chairman
 
Ibn Khaldun Center for Development
 
Studies
 
Egypt
 
Toomas Hendrik Ilves
 
President of Estonia
 
Estonia
 
Bruce P. Jackson
 
President
 
Project on Transitional Democracies
 
USA
 
Vladislav Jandjuk
 
Representative
 
Belorusian Government in Exile
 
Czech Rep.
 
Pavle Janković
 
President
 
International and Security Affairs Center
 
Fund
 
Serbia
 
Josef Janning
 
Head of International Relations Program;
 
Member of Management Commitee
 
Bertelsmann Stiftung
 
Germany
 
Roman Joch
 
Director
 
Občanský institut
 
Czech Rep.
 
Josef Joffe
 
Publisher-Editor
 
Die Zeit
 
Germany
 
Daniel B. Johnson
 
Writer and Journalist
 
New York Sun Commentary
 
USA
 
Jon Juaristi
 
Professor
 
University of Alcalá de Henares
 
Spain
 
Sven Jürgenson
 
Foreign Policy Adviser to the President of
 
Estonia
 
Office of the President
 
Estonia
 
Cheol Hwan Kang
 
Chairman of Commission
 
Committe for Democratization of North
 
Korea
 
South Korea
 
Garri Kasparov
 
Chessplayer and Politician
 
United Civil Front
 
Russia
 
Nibras Kazimi
 
Visiting Scholar
 
Hudson Institute
 
USA
 
Eli Khoury
 
Chairman and CEO
 
Quantum Communications
 
Lebanon
 
Iain King
 
Director of Programmes
 
Westminster Foundation for Democracy
 
United Kingdom
 
Jakub Klepal
 
Deputy Executive Director
 
Forum 2000 Foundation
 
Czech Rep.
 
Igor Klimeš
 
Desk Officer for the Middle East
 
People In Need
 
Czech Rep.
 
The Prague Security Studies Institute
 
Pohořelec 6, 118 00 Prague 1, Czech Republic
 
Tomáš Klvaňa
 
Professor
 
New York University in Prague
 
Czech Rep.
 
Julian Knapp
 
Political Consultant
 
United Kingdom
 
Bessel Kok
 
Chairman
 
Scarlet Communications Group
 
Czech Rep.
 
Petr Kolář
 
Ambassador of the Czech Republic to
 
the United States of America
 
USA
 
Jana Košárková
 
Acting Director
 
Prague Security Studies Institute
 
Washington
 
USA
 
Martin Kramer
 
Senior Fellow
 
The Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies
 
at the Shalem Center
 
Israel
 
Irina Krasovskaya
 
President
 
We Remember Foundation
 
Belarus
 
Veronika
 
Kuchyňová Šmigolová
 
Director
 
Security Policy Department, Ministry of
 
Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic
 
Czech Rep.
 
Ziv Nevo Kulman
 
Deputy Chief of Mission
 
Embassy of Israel
 
Czech Rep.
 
Ieva Kupce
 
Head of Public Diplomacy
 
Ministry of Defence
 
Latvia
 
Ronald S. Lauder
 
Ronald Lauder Foundation
 
USA
 
Joseph Lieberman
 
Senator
 
United States Senate
 
USA
 
Tod Lindberg
 
Research Fellow
 
Hoover Institution
 
USA
 
Junning Liu
 
Professor
 
China
 
Herb London
 
President
 
Hudson Institute
 
USA
 
Jeff Lovitt
 
Executive Director
 
Policy Association for an Open Society
 
Czech Rep.
 
Woon-Ki Lyeo
 
Deputy Chief of Mission
 
Embassy of South Korea
 
Czech Rep.
 
Monika
 
MacDonagh-Pajerová
 
Chair
 
Ano pro Evropu
 
Czech Rep.
 
Kanan Makiya
 
Professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern
 
Studies
 
Brandeis University
 
USA
 
Toshio Masuda
 
President
 
Masuda US Research Center, LLC
 
USA
 
Margarita Mathiopoulos
 
Chief Executive Officer
 
EAG European AdvisoryGroup GMBH
 
Germany
 
Clifford D. May
 
President
 
The Foundation for the Defense of
 
Democracies
 
USA
 
Aliaksandr Milinkevich
 
President
 
Political Council of Democratic Forces of
 
Belarus
 
Belarus
 
Jorge Moragas Sanchez
 
Secretary of International Relations
 
Partido Popular
 
Spain
 
Karinna Moskalenko
 
Defense Attorney
 
Russia
 
Cameron Munter
 
Deputy Chief of Mission
 
Embassy of the United States of America
 
Czech Rep.
 
Joshua Muravchik
 
Resident Scholar
 
American Enterprise Institute
 
USA
 
Rami Nasrallah
 
Head of Board of Directors
 
International Peace and Cooperation
 
Center
 
East Jerusalam
 
Fiamma Nirenstein
 
Journalist and Historian
 
Il Giornale
 
Italy
 
Michael Novak
 
Scholar
 
American Enterprise Institute
 
USA
 
Jan Novák
 
Head of the Office of the Government
 
Government of the Czech Republic
 
Czech Rep.
 
John O’Sulivann
 
Senior Fellow
 
Hudson Institute
 
USA
 
Reza Pahlavi
 
Opposition Leader to Clerical Regime of
 
Iran
 
USA
 
www.democracyandsecurity.org
 
www.pssi.cz
 
Zbyněk Pavlačík
 
Director
 
Jagello 2000
 
Czech Rep.
 
Antonio Pedauyé
 
Ambasador of Spain to the Czech
 
Republic
 
Embassy of Spain
 
Czech Rep.
 
Jiří Pehe
 
Resident Director
 
New York University in Prague
 
Czech Rep.
 
Richard Perle
 
Resident Fellow
 
American Enterprise Institute
 
USA
 
Ross Perrone
 
Ronald Lauder Foundation
 
USA
 
Walid Phares
 
Senior Fellow
 
Foundation for the Defense of
 
Democracies
 
USA
 
Marc F. Plattner
 
Editor, Journal of Democracy
 
National Endowment for Democracy
 
USA
 
Tomáš Pojar
 
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the
 
Czech Republic
 
Czech Rep.
 
Daniel Polisar
 
President
 
The Shalem Center
 
Israel
 
Roman Polonsky
 
Project’s Director of the Adelson Institute
 
for Strategic Studies at the Shalem Center
 
Israel
 
Tomasz Pompowski
 
Foreign and Opinions Editor
 
Polskapresse
 
Poland
 
Andrei Popov
 
Executive Director
 
Foreign Policy Association of Moldova
 
Moldova
 
Shay Porat
 
Vice President for External Affairs
 
The Shalem Center
 
Israel
 
Harold Rhode
 
Office Assesment
 
US Defense Department
 
USA
 
Roger W. Robinson, Jr.
 
Co-Founder
 
Prague Security Studies Institute
 
USA
 
Berel Rodal
 
Vice Chairman
 
Interntional Center on Nonviolent
 
Conflict
 
USA
 
Nina Rosenwald
 
Principal
 
American Securities
 
USA
 
Allen Roth
 
Policy Forum
 
USA
 
Michael Rubin
 
Resident Scholar
 
American Enterprise Institute
 
USA
 
Rafael Rubio
 
President
 
Association for the Transition of Cuba
 
Spain
 
Ivo Samson
 
Head of Security Policy Program
 
Research Center of the Slovak Foreign
 
Policy Association
 
Slovakia
 
Andor Šándor
 
Fmr. Head of Czech Military Intelligence
 
Czech Rep.
 
Mohsen Sazegara
 
Visiting Researcher
 
Harvard Law School
 
USA
 
Christian Schmidt
 
Parliamentary State Secretary
 
Federal Ministry of Defence
 
Germany
 
Jiří Schneider
 
Program Director
 
Prague Security Studies Institute
 
Czech Rep.
 
Steven Schneier
 
Director
 
Policy Forum
 
USA
 
Karel Schwarzenberg
 
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech
 
Republic
 
Czech Rep.
 
Jiří Šedivý
 
Deputy Vice Prime Minister for European
 
Affiars
 
Czech Rep.
 
Natan Sharansky
 
Chairman
 
The Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies
 
at the Shalem Center
 
Israel
 
The Prague Security Studies Institute
 
Pohořelec 6, 118 00 Prague 1, Czech Republic
 
Jamie Shea
 
Director, Policy Planning
 
Private Office of the Secretary General,
 
NATO
 
Belgium
 
Ssu-tsun Shen
 
Representative
 
Taipei Economic and Cultural Office
 
Czech Rep.
 
Stefano Silvestri
 
President
 
Institute for International Affairs
 
Italy
 
Jakub Šlosárek
 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
 
Czech Rep.
 
Eugeniusz Smolar
 
President
 
Center for International Relations
 
Poland
 
Jan Šnaidauf
 
Project Coordinator
 
Forum 2000 Foundation
 
Czech Rep.
 
Radek Špicar
 
External Affairs Director
 
Škoda Auto
 
Czech Rep.
 
Bret Stephens
 
Foreign Affairs Columnist and Member of
 
the Editorial Board
 
Wall Street Journal
 
USA
 
Veton Surroi
 
Head
 
Reformist Party
 
Kosovo
 
C. Holland Taylor
 
Chairman & CEO
 
LibForAll
 
USA
 
*[[Yulia Tymoshenko]] -- MP Ukraine
 
  
==Contact==
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[[DSIC Conference Participants (Detailed)]]
*'''Website:''' http://www.democracyandsecurity.org
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[[Issam Abu Issa]] | [[Peter Ackerman]] | [[Mudawi Ibrahim Adam]] | [[Sheldon G. Adelson]] | [[Miriam Adelson]] | [[Mithal al-Alusi]] | [[Ludmilla Alexeeva]] | [[Leila Alieva|Leyla Aliyeva]] | [[Jafar Alshayeb]] | [[Zainab Al-Suwaij]] | [[Ingrid Amer]] | [[Elias Amor Bravo]] | [[Sami Angawi]] -- Director General, [[Amar Center]] | [[Uzi Arad]] | [[Arie Arazi]] | [[Ronald D. Asmus]] | [[Ghassan Atiyyah]] | [[Shlomo Avineri]] | [[José María Aznar]] | [[Hüseyin Bagci]] | [[Rafael L. Bardají]] | [[Dana Baschová]] | [[Anne Bayefsky]] | [[Pavel Bém]] | [[Mokhtar Benabdallaoui]] | [[David Bercuson]] | [[Antonín Berdych]] | [[Rudolf Blažek]] |[[Michael Bohnen]] | [[Roberta Bonazzi]] | [[José Brechner]] | [[Diario di America]] | [[Jan Bubeník]] | [[Fraser Cameron]] | [[Alberto Carnero]] | [[Oldrich Cerny]] | [[Chin-mo Cheng]] | [[Irwin Cotler]] | [[Devon Cross]] | [[Cina Dabestani]] | [[Priscilla de Callier]] | [[Pepper de Callier]] | [[Richard Dearlove]] | [[Pavol Demeš]] | [[Ron Dermer]] | [[Barbara Dillon Hillas]] | [[Linda Duffield]] | [[Gabriel Eichler]] | [[Bassem Eid]] | [[Helmut Elfenkämper]] | [[Mohamed Eljahmi]] | [[Marc S. Ellenbogen]] | [[David Elliman]] | [[Amir Abbas Fakhravar]] | [[Oleksandr Feldman]] | [[Javier Fernandéz-Lasquetty]] | [[Charles Fries]] | [[Jeffrey Gedmin]] | [[Jared Genser]] | [[Reuel Marc Gerecht]] | [[Farid Ghadry]] | [[John K. Glenn]] | [[David Goder]] | [[Vera Golovensky]] | [[Richard W. Graber]] | [[Colleen Graffy]] | [[Karl-Theodor von und zu Guttenberg]] | [[Václav Havel]] | [[Anna Y. C. Ho]] | [[Jim Hoft]] | [[Mamoun Homsy]] | [[Karen P. Hughes]] | [[Jana Hybášková]] | [[Saad Eddin Ibrahim]] | [[Toomas Hendrik Ilves]] | [[Bruce P. Jackson]] | [[Vladislav Jandjuk]] | [[Pavle Jankovic]] | [[Josef Janning]] | [[Roman Joch]] | [[Josef Joffe]] | [[Daniel B. Johnson]] | [[Jon Juaristi]] | [[Sven Jürgenson]] | [[Cheol Hwan Kang]] | [[Garri Kasparov]] | [[Nibras Kazimi]] | [[Eli Khoury]] | [[Iain King]] | [[Jakub Klepal]] | [[Igor Klimes]] | [[Tomas Klvana]] | [[Julian Knapp]] | [[Bessel Kok]] | [[Petr Kolar]] | [[Jana Kosarkova]] | [[Martin Kramer]] | [[Irina Krasovskaya]] | [[Veronika Kuchynova Smigolova]] | [[Ziv Nevo Kulman]] | [[Ieva Kupce]] | [[Ronald S. Lauder]] | [[Joseph Lieberman]] | [[Tod Lindberg]] | [[Junning Liu]] | [[Herb London]] | [[Jeff Lovitt]] | [[Woon-Ki Lyeo]] | [[Monika MacDonagh-Pajerova]] | [[Kanan Makiya]] | [[Toshio Masuda]] | [[Margarita Mathiopoulos]] | [[Clifford D. May]] | [[Aliaksandr Milinkevich]] | [[Jorge Moragas Sanchez]] | [[Karinna Moskalenko]] | [[Cameron Munter]] | [[Joshua Muravchik]] | [[Rami Nasrallah]] | [[Fiamma Nirenstein]] | [[Michael Novak]] | [[Jan Novák]] | [[John O’Sulivan]] | [[Reza Pahlavi]] | [[Zbynek Pavlacik]] | [[Antonio Pedauyé]] | [[Jiri Pehe]] | [[Richard Perle]] | [[Ross Perrone]] | [[Walid Phares]] | [[Marc F. Plattner]] | [[Tomas Pojar]] | [[Daniel Polisar]] | [[Roman Polonsky]] | [[Tomasz Pompowski]] | [[Andrei Popov]] | [[Shay Porat]] | [[Harold Rhode]] | [[Roger W. Robinson, Jr.]] | [[Berel Rodal]] | [[Nina Rosenwald]] | [[Allen Roth]] | [[Michael Rubin]] | [[Rafael Rubio]] | [[Ivo Samson]] | [[Andor Sandor]] | [[Mohsen Sazegara]] | [[Christian Schmidt]] | [[Jirí Schneider]] | [[Steven Schneier]] | [[Karel Schwarzenberg]] | [[Jirí Sedivý]] | [[Natan Sharansky]] | [[Jamie Shea]] | [[Ssu-tsun Shen]] | [[Stefano Silvestri]] | [[Jakub Slosárek]] | [[Eugeniusz Smolar]] | [[Jan Snaidauf]] | [[Radek Spicar]] | [[Bret Stephens]] | [[Veton Surroi]] | [[C. Holland Taylor]] | [[Yulia Tymoshenko]]<ref>Democracy and Security International Conference, List of participants [http://www.democracyandsecurity.org/doc/List_of_Participants.pdf List of Participants], Accessed 25-February-2009</ref>
 +
 
 +
==Affiliations==
 +
 
 +
[[Adelson Family Charitable Foundation]] | [[Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies]] | [[Amar Center]] | [[American Enterprise Institute]] | [[American Islamic Congress]] | [[Ano pro Evropu]] | [[Association for International Affairs]] | [[Belorusian Government in Exile]] | [[Benson Oak]] | [[Bizlink Group]] | [[Brandeis University]] | [[Bubenik Partners]] | [[Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute]] | [[Case for Freedom]] | [[Center for National and International Studies]] | [[Committee for Democratization of North Korea]] | [[Diario di America]] | [[Die Zeit]] | [[Dillon Hillas & Dillon, LLC]] | [[Elmrock Capital]] | [[European Foundation for Democracy]] | [[EU-Russia Center]] | [[FAES Foundation]] | [[Forum 2000 Foundation]] | [[Freedom House]] | [[Freedom Now]] |  [[Gateway Pundit]] | [[Global Panel Foundation]] | [[Hassan II University]] | [[Helsinki Group]] | [[Hoover Institution]] | [[Hudson Institute]] | [[Institute for Policy and Strategy]] | [[International and Security Affairs Center Fund]] | [[International Center on Nonviolent Conflict]] | [[International Tolerance Center]] | [[Iranian Enterprise Institute]] | [[Iranian Freedom Institute]] | [[Iraq Foundation for Development and Democracy]] | [[Las Vegas Sands Corp]] | [[Middle East Technical University]] | [[New York Sun]] | [[New York University]] | [[Obcansky institut]] | [[Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group]] | [[Pembroke College]] | [[People In Need]] | [[Policy Association for an Open Society]] | [[Prague Security Studies Institute]] | [[Project on Transitional Democracies]] | [[Quantum Communications]] | [[Radio Free Europe]]/[[Radio Liberty]] | [[Reform Party of Syria]] | [[Ronald Lauder Foundation]] | [[Scarlet Communications Group]] | [[Sudan Social Development Organization]] | [[Tamkang University]] | [[The Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies]] | [[The German Marshall Fund of the United States]] | [[The Hebrew University]] | [[Transatlantic Center]] | [[Union Liberal Cubana]] | [[United Civil Front]] | [[University of Alcalá de Henares]] | [[UPI]] | [[We Remember Foundation]] | [[Westminster Foundation for Democracy]]
 +
 
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==Contact, References and Resources==
 +
===Contact===
 +
*Website: [http://www.democracyandsecurity.org www.democracyandsecurity.org]
 +
===Resources===
 +
*Jim Lobe, [http://www.ips.org/blog/jimlobe/?p=27 A Neo-Conservative International Targets Iran], ''Lobelog.com'', 9 June 2007
 +
*Anne Bayefsky, [http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=N2M4ZGE4M2NiNjkwZmU3NzkxMjE1N2JmMTJmNDlhZjA= Prague Marching Orders: Walking the Talk], ''National Review Online'', 8 June 2007
 +
*George Bush, Fora.tv, [http://fora.tv/2007/06/05/George_W__Bush_on_Democracy_and_Security#chapter_01, Bush Speech on Democracy and Security], Accessed 26-February-2009
 +
*Karel Schwarzenberg,[http://www.mzv.cz/public/d8/41/ad/73424_14945_PSSI_security_and_democracy_final.doc Karel Schwarzenberg's Speech at “Democracy and Security International Conference” (Prague, June 5, 2007)], Accessed 26-February-2009
 +
*Rafael Rubio, Remarks [http://www.democracyandsecurity.org/doc/Rafael_Rubio_Remarks.pdf Democracy and Security Speech], Accessed 28-February-2009
 +
*Security & Democracy International Conference, [http://www.democracyandsecurity.org/doc/Conference_Program.pdf Conference Program], Accessed 01-March-2009
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===References===
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<references/>
  
==Related Articles==
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[[Category:Conferences]][[Category:Czech Republic]]

Latest revision as of 12:00, 22 May 2012

George W. Bush Speaks at the Conference

The Democracy & Security International Conference also known as the “Democracy and Security: Core Values and Sound Policies” conference was held in Prague on the 5-6th of June, overlapping the 2007 G8 summit in Heiligendamm.[1] The event, dubbed the 'Neoconservative International'[2] was organized by the Prague based Prague Security Studies Institute, the Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies at the Shalem Center in Jerusalem and Jose Maria Aznar's Madrid based Foundation for Social Analysis and Studies (FAES).

Conference Aims

Conference Logo

The aim of the conference was summed up in a background paper by Marc F. Plattner, that argued “building a world of free and democratic states should be our long-term goal”. The world view conveyed by the paper was one where “Increasingly the world is divided between liberal democracies and regimes that are tyrannical”. These tyrannical regimes represent a “growing security threat”, and they are “drawn together” by a “common fear and hatred of liberal democracy”. The hostile regimes “Support terrorism and threaten not only to acquire but to use nuclear weapons”. The regimes themselves were described as comprising of “The unholy trinity of Ahmadinejad, Chavez and Lukashenka”[3].

According to the Wall Street Journal it was the personal intercession of Natan Sharansky which persuaded George W. Bush to attend in spite of the objections of the State Department.[4] Sharansky stated at the conference "In today's world of confrontation, there is no better weapon than the promotion of democracy," He argued for the importance of dialogue with dissidents and policy makers, saying "This conference gives those responsible for policy-making an important opportunity for direct dialogue with the dissidents themselves."[5]

Looking at the conference agenda and the list of attendees (below), the neoconservative credentials of the conference are easily inferred. The subjects discussed focus on expediting political change in selected countries: Mynamar, Cuba, Iran, Belarus. Venezuela were also singled out for criticism in the background paper of the conference”. [6]. The potential for dissidents to achieve political change in these countries was a key issue for discussion at the conference. The role of central european states in EU-Russian relations was also discussed, with the conference being underwritten by NATO, these discussions are likely to be centred round the planned U.S. missile defence system which is planned to based in Poland and have a radar base in the Czech republic[7]

Neoconservative Foreign Policy

Round Table Discussions between dissidents at the conference

Strong elements of neoconservative ideology were prevalent throughout the attendees and agenda at the conference. Neoconservatives advocate an interventionist often aggressive foreign policy and this was reflected through the conference delegations attitudes towards other selected nation states:


  • Russia: NATO were conference partners and one of the key speakers was Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg. Schwarzenberg signed the agreement with the United States that the radar base for the U.S. European defence missile system was to be installed on Czech soil [8]. The missile shield was described by NATO secretary general as “A Key Element For Security”[9].



  • Belarus: Belarussian dissident Aliaksandr Milinkevich the President of the Political Council of Democratic Forces of Belarus was at the conference and a conference briefing paper described Belarus along with Venezuela and Iran as an “unholy trinity”.


  • Iran: Iranian relations were described by Anne Bayevsky reflecting on the conference “There was an elephant in the room that dominated conversations in the coffee breaks and the halls – Iran, its genocidal ambitions, its mad dash towards acquiring nuclear weapons, and its familial relationships with terrorists prepared to use them while screaming the suicide bombers closing argument of choice: Allah Akbar.”[15]. Reza Pahlavi Opposition Leader to Clerical Regime of Iran was also in attendence.

Conference Agenda

The conference was split into discussion groups who tackled the following issues:

  • Has the democratization process reached an impasse?
  • Does the process of democratization contribute to security?
  • What are the right ways to make the transition from a totalitarian/authoritarian regime to a democracy?
  • The role of dissidents in society
  • The role of democratic states, international institutions and the media in the global security environment
  • The role of central Europeans in EU-Russian relations [16]


Participants

DSIC Conference Participants (Detailed)

Issam Abu Issa | Peter Ackerman | Mudawi Ibrahim Adam | Sheldon G. Adelson | Miriam Adelson | Mithal al-Alusi | Ludmilla Alexeeva | Leyla Aliyeva | Jafar Alshayeb | Zainab Al-Suwaij | Ingrid Amer | Elias Amor Bravo | Sami Angawi -- Director General, Amar Center | Uzi Arad | Arie Arazi | Ronald D. Asmus | Ghassan Atiyyah | Shlomo Avineri | José María Aznar | Hüseyin Bagci | Rafael L. Bardají | Dana Baschová | Anne Bayefsky | Pavel Bém | Mokhtar Benabdallaoui | David Bercuson | Antonín Berdych | Rudolf Blažek |Michael Bohnen | Roberta Bonazzi | José Brechner | Diario di America | Jan Bubeník | Fraser Cameron | Alberto Carnero | Oldrich Cerny | Chin-mo Cheng | Irwin Cotler | Devon Cross | Cina Dabestani | Priscilla de Callier | Pepper de Callier | Richard Dearlove | Pavol Demeš | Ron Dermer | Barbara Dillon Hillas | Linda Duffield | Gabriel Eichler | Bassem Eid | Helmut Elfenkämper | Mohamed Eljahmi | Marc S. Ellenbogen | David Elliman | Amir Abbas Fakhravar | Oleksandr Feldman | Javier Fernandéz-Lasquetty | Charles Fries | Jeffrey Gedmin | Jared Genser | Reuel Marc Gerecht | Farid Ghadry | John K. Glenn | David Goder | Vera Golovensky | Richard W. Graber | Colleen Graffy | Karl-Theodor von und zu Guttenberg | Václav Havel | Anna Y. C. Ho | Jim Hoft | Mamoun Homsy | Karen P. Hughes | Jana Hybášková | Saad Eddin Ibrahim | Toomas Hendrik Ilves | Bruce P. Jackson | Vladislav Jandjuk | Pavle Jankovic | Josef Janning | Roman Joch | Josef Joffe | Daniel B. Johnson | Jon Juaristi | Sven Jürgenson | Cheol Hwan Kang | Garri Kasparov | Nibras Kazimi | Eli Khoury | Iain King | Jakub Klepal | Igor Klimes | Tomas Klvana | Julian Knapp | Bessel Kok | Petr Kolar | Jana Kosarkova | Martin Kramer | Irina Krasovskaya | Veronika Kuchynova Smigolova | Ziv Nevo Kulman | Ieva Kupce | Ronald S. Lauder | Joseph Lieberman | Tod Lindberg | Junning Liu | Herb London | Jeff Lovitt | Woon-Ki Lyeo | Monika MacDonagh-Pajerova | Kanan Makiya | Toshio Masuda | Margarita Mathiopoulos | Clifford D. May | Aliaksandr Milinkevich | Jorge Moragas Sanchez | Karinna Moskalenko | Cameron Munter | Joshua Muravchik | Rami Nasrallah | Fiamma Nirenstein | Michael Novak | Jan Novák | John O’Sulivan | Reza Pahlavi | Zbynek Pavlacik | Antonio Pedauyé | Jiri Pehe | Richard Perle | Ross Perrone | Walid Phares | Marc F. Plattner | Tomas Pojar | Daniel Polisar | Roman Polonsky | Tomasz Pompowski | Andrei Popov | Shay Porat | Harold Rhode | Roger W. Robinson, Jr. | Berel Rodal | Nina Rosenwald | Allen Roth | Michael Rubin | Rafael Rubio | Ivo Samson | Andor Sandor | Mohsen Sazegara | Christian Schmidt | Jirí Schneider | Steven Schneier | Karel Schwarzenberg | Jirí Sedivý | Natan Sharansky | Jamie Shea | Ssu-tsun Shen | Stefano Silvestri | Jakub Slosárek | Eugeniusz Smolar | Jan Snaidauf | Radek Spicar | Bret Stephens | Veton Surroi | C. Holland Taylor | Yulia Tymoshenko[17]

Affiliations

Adelson Family Charitable Foundation | Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies | Amar Center | American Enterprise Institute | American Islamic Congress | Ano pro Evropu | Association for International Affairs | Belorusian Government in Exile | Benson Oak | Bizlink Group | Brandeis University | Bubenik Partners | Canadian Defence & Foreign Affairs Institute | Case for Freedom | Center for National and International Studies | Committee for Democratization of North Korea | Diario di America | Die Zeit | Dillon Hillas & Dillon, LLC | Elmrock Capital | European Foundation for Democracy | EU-Russia Center | FAES Foundation | Forum 2000 Foundation | Freedom House | Freedom Now | Gateway Pundit | Global Panel Foundation | Hassan II University | Helsinki Group | Hoover Institution | Hudson Institute | Institute for Policy and Strategy | International and Security Affairs Center Fund | International Center on Nonviolent Conflict | International Tolerance Center | Iranian Enterprise Institute | Iranian Freedom Institute | Iraq Foundation for Development and Democracy | Las Vegas Sands Corp | Middle East Technical University | New York Sun | New York University | Obcansky institut | Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group | Pembroke College | People In Need | Policy Association for an Open Society | Prague Security Studies Institute | Project on Transitional Democracies | Quantum Communications | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty | Reform Party of Syria | Ronald Lauder Foundation | Scarlet Communications Group | Sudan Social Development Organization | Tamkang University | The Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies | The German Marshall Fund of the United States | The Hebrew University | Transatlantic Center | Union Liberal Cubana | United Civil Front | University of Alcalá de Henares | UPI | We Remember Foundation | Westminster Foundation for Democracy

Contact, References and Resources

Contact

Resources

References

  1. Natan Sharansky, PRESIDENT BUSH TO ADDRESS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS, Accessed 08-March-2009
  2. Jim Lobe, A Neo-Conservative International Targets Iran, Lobelog.com, 9 June 2007
  3. Marc F. Plattner, Background Paper, Background Paper for the Conference on Democracy and Security, Accessed 08-March-2009
  4. The Ghost House: If Prague can be free, why not Sudan? by BRET STEPHENS, Wall Street Journal, 12 June 2007.
  5. Natan Sharansky, PRESIDENT BUSH TO ADDRESS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVISTS, Accessed 08-March-2009
  6. Marc F. Plattner, Background Paper, Background Paper for the Conference on Democracy and Security, Accessed 08-March-2009
  7. Karen DeYoung, U.S., Poland Closer to Deal on Missile Defense, Washington Post, 2-February-2009, Accessed 11-March-2009
  8. Dan Bilefsky, 08-July-2009, International Herald Tribune, U.S. and Czech Republic sign agreement on missile shield, Accessed 28-February-2009
  9. Radio Free Europe, NATO: Alliance Chief Calls Missile Defense A Key Element For Security, 05-May-2008, Accessed 08-March-2009
  10. Democracy and Security Conference, List of Participants, Accessed 25-February-2009
  11. Rafael Rubio, Remarks Democracy and Security Speech, Accessed 28-February-2009
  12. Mimi Whitefield, (2001), Detentions in Cuba open a bitter divide,Miami Herald, Acessed 26-February-2009
  13. Jennifer Rankin, 19-July-2007, European Voice, The Prince, Accessed 28-February-2009
  14. Radio Prague, (2005), Cuba expels Czech senator, Accessed 26-February-2009
  15. Anne Bayevsky, Prague Marching Orders, National Review Online, 8-June-2007, Accessed 09-March-2009
  16. Security & Democracy International Conference, Conference Program, Accessed 01-March-2009
  17. Democracy and Security International Conference, List of participants List of Participants, Accessed 25-February-2009