Munich Young Leaders 2012
(Photo: Marc Darchinger)
Sunday, 5 February 2012, Discussion with Ahmet Davutoğlu
At the last session of this year’s Munich Young Leaders Round Table the turmoil in the Middle East and Turkey’s regional role were at the centre of the discussion with Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Ahmet Davutoglu.
(Photo: Marc Darchinger)
Sunday, 5 February 2012, Discussion with Thomas de Maizière
At the end of the fourth Round Table the Munich Young Leaders discussed some of the topics of the 48th Munich Security Conference at an Early Bird Breakfast with German Minister of Defence Thomas de Maizière. They included the concept of smart defence and, against the backdrop of the current situation in Syria, the difficulties associated with military interventions.
(Photo: Marc Darchinger)
Saturday, February 5, 2012, Discussion with Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall
The second day of the conference ended with a meeting with Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood Randall, Senior Director for European Affairs at the National Security Council of the White House. Dr. Sherwood Randall outlined how Europe is the cornerstone of U.S. engagement with the world and that this will remain the case even with the new U.S. emphasis on Asia.
(Photo: Marc Darchinger)
Saturday, February 4, 2012, Discussion with Ashraf Swelam
Just over a year after the outbreak of the Arab Spring in North Africa and the Middle East, the Munich Young Leaders tried to define the most important results of the upheavals in the region. In their discussion with Ashraf Swelam, Senior Strategist and Political Advisor to H.E. Amre Moussa, a candidate in the Egyptian presidential election and former Secretary General of the Arab League, the Munich Young Leaders focused on the transformation and democratization processes in Egypt. Against the backdrop of the current incidents in Port Said the hope for a peaceful change in the region is fading.
(Photo: Marc Darchinger)
Saturday, February 4, 2012, Discussion with Joseph Lieberman and John McCain
In a meeting with US Senators John McCain and Joseph Lieberman, the Munich Young Leaders elaborated on current priorities of US foreign and security policy. The Munich Young Leaders asked both senators to assess the diplomatic relations of the US and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Together they tried to evaluate the present political situation in the Middle East one year after the outbreak of the Arab Spring.
(Photo: Marc Darchinger)
Saturday, February 4, 2012, Discussion with David Shambaugh
On Saturday afternoon the Munich Young Leaders met with David Shambaugh, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at The George Washington University (GWU) in Washington, D.C. Professor Shambaugh, who is director of the China Policy Program at GWU and a distinguished expert on China, outlined the strategic options available to the US and the European Union in the face of the steady increase in China’s importance on the global stage. Additionally, the foreign policy strategy of China was examined in detail.
(Photo: Marc Darchinger)
Saturday, February 4, 2012, Discussion with Alexander Stubb
On the second day of the conference the first meeting with the Munich Young Leaders Round Table was chaired by Alexander Stubb, Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade of the Republic of Finland. Having discussed the euro crisis the day before, today’s discussion with the Finnish minister focused on the political crisis of the European Union and how to deal with it.
(Photo: Marc Darchinger)
Friday, February 3, 2012, Discussion with Javier Solana de Madariaga
Javier Solana de Madariaga, former High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and currently Distinguished Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution, met the Munich Young Leaders on Friday evening for a discussion. Against the backdrop of Solana's rich experiences, issues such as the EU-relations towards the neighbors in the East, Spain's role in the debt-crisis, as well as the NATO-intervention in Libya and the situation in Syria were broached.
(Photo: Marc Darchinger)
Friday, February 3, 2012, Discussion with Joseph Liow
During a luncheon on Friday, the Munich Young Leaders discussed about the challenges for regional security in South East Asia. Professor Joseph Liow, Professor for International and Comparative Politics at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, was chosen from among the Munich Young Leaders to speak on this topic being an expert in this field. Especially China’s relationship to the ASEAN states and India was elaborated on in detail.
(Photo: Marc Darchinger)
Friday, February 3, 2012, Discussion with Robert Zoellick
The financial and economic crisis was one of the leading topics at this year’s Round Table. The session with Robert Zoellick, President of the World Bank, focused on the lessons to be learned from the current debt crisis. Apart from discussing the impacts of the crisis on the EU und the US, the Munich Young Leaders also focused on the influence of the developing countries on the global economy.
(Photo: Marc Darchinger)
Friday, February 3, 2012, Discussion with Jürgen Fitschen
A meeting with Jürgen Fitschen, a member of Deutsche Bank's Management Board, marked the beginning of the first day of the Fourth Munich Young Leaders Round Table. He talked to the Munich Young Leaders about the measures governments needed to take in order to save the euro, and the role of the commercial banks in this endeavour.
(Photo: Marc Darchinger)
Thursday, February 2, 2012, Welcome Dinner with Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger
As in previous years, the Fourth Munich Young Leaders Round Table was opened by Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, and Klaus Wehmeier, Vice Chairman of the Executive Board of the Körber Foundation. In his dinner speech, Ambassador Ischinger discussed the question what security policy means in an age where non-military actors play an important role. Moreover, he held an open Q&A session in which he gave a vivid account of his experiences as Chairman of the Security Conference.
