A Decade of Discussion at Château Béla
While every Château Béla Central European Strategic Forum is a special occassion, this year’s edition is a particular cause for celebration. GLOBSEC’s annual convening to discuss the foreign, economic and security policy challenges facing Europe turns 10 years old.
Over the past decade, leading policymakers, businesspeople and academics have gathered close to the Slovak-Hungarian border to consider the continent’s present and future trajectory. In that time, guest participants have witnessed and reacted to:
- The emergence of a multispeed European Union
- A resurgence of populist politics
- The rise of the so-called Islamic State
- A growing tide of fake news and disinformation
- Challenging times in transatlantic relations
- A major global economic crisis
This year, participants will consider a world where traditional paradigms associated with international politics are experiencing serious challenges to their legitimacy – from multilateralism through hard security to integration and cooperation. After the initial shock of Brexit, Europe seeks to find a common vision for its future unity. The multilateral order that has shaped international politics for more than seven decades is being questioned. While the Western world faces hybrid threats and disinformation campaigns from Russia, the transatlantic partnership is hindered by economic and political disagreements.
GLOBSEC is proud to have facilitated a decade of frank and open discussions with a distinguished cast of thought leaders, including Gen. (Ret.) John Allen, Anne Applebaum, Michael Chertoff, Philippe Étienne, Martina Larkin, Katarína Mathernová, Maroš Šefčovič, Radek Sikorski, Amb. Alexander Vershbow, Damon Wilson and Amb. Kurt Volker. Château Béla has also helped us to refine some of our most important and popular projects, including the GLOBSEC NATO Adaptation Initiative and From Criminals to Terrorists and Back?, our two year study of links between criminal pasts and terrorist activities.
To mark the 10th anniversary of the Château Béla Central European Strategic Forum our guests will be invited to sign a communique to uphopld the European project. The document essentially acts as a commitment to European unity through the advancement of five key principles, including safeguarding Europe’s place in the world and increasing the continent’s responsibility for its security.
In closing, GLOBSEC would also like to pay tribute to the countless partners that have helped to make the Château Béla Central European Strategic Forum a reality. To this end, we’re delighted to have the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office for Investments and Informatization of the Slovak Republic as the main partner of our roundtable discussion Assessing the State of Cybersecurity in Slovakia.
In keeping with previous years, GLOBSEC looks forward to providing you with key insights from this year’s event via our social media and Top Takeaways.