Atlantic Council

From February 4 through 9, Security and Defense Agenda hosted its 2010 Security Jam in partnership with the Atlantic Council.  The online conference, supported by the European Commission and NATO, allowed participants to brainstorm with leading security experts in ten discussion forums.

The Atlantic Council's Shuja Nawaz, Director of the South Asia Center, participated in several panels.  Damon Wilson, Vice President and Director of the International Security Program, also participated.  Wilson recently discussed the Security Jam with Federal News Channel 8.

Security Jam:

As the end of the first decade of the 21st Century approaches, it is increasingly clear that global security challenges and those confronting the International community are no longer those of the latter years of the 20th century.

The February 2010 Security Jam Session was organized by Security & Defense Agenda, a Brussels-based think tank, in collaboration with IBM. It was designed to analyze and clarify the changing threats to international peace. Thousands of representatives and experts from around the world are took part in this ambitious online debate, with the aim of providing input into the strategy reviews and rethinks being undertaken today.

The Jam Session was open to defense and security specialists and non-specialists alike, with the aim of widening the security debate beyond purely military matters. The Jam Session’s week-long discussions reflected the growing importance of NGOs in security thinking and practice.

Following the Jam, an official report with ten key recommendations will be officially presented to the EU and NATO leaderships in April 2010.

Discussion Forums:

1. Political Context

“What do we understand by security?”

How many of the security threats of the 20th Century are still valid in the 21st Century? How should governments view new non-state threats like terrorism, piracy, nuclear proliferation, energy disruptions and climate change?

2. Capabilities and Budgets

“Will the tools of today be suited to the missions of tomorrow?”

Today’s security challenges require a diverse toolbox ranging from complex weapons systems to the most basic elements of civil protection and disaster relief. How ruthless should we be in scrapping systems and equipment that was designed for 20th Century defense scenarios? How should we train and equip ourselves to cover an ever-growing range of operations? How can the financial burden be more equally shared among stakeholders?

3. Crisis Preparedness

“How can we prepare for the unexpected?”

Reallocating resources to prevention and early action could save billions of dollars while reinforcing cooperation with NGOs on the ground. What should be done to streamline approaches to crisis management? How can we more intelligently allocate resources and train personnel? How can we better coordinate between the wide ranges of players – from military to civilian – involved?

4. Development

“How can we balance development, security and diplomacy?”

How do civilian development experts – not least the NGOs with “frontline” responsibilities – see the difficulties of combining security and crisis management questions with longer-term development tasks? What steps are needed to further improve close working relationships between NGOs and the military? Do NGOs have a loud enough voice on security policymaking?

5. Security and Human Rights

"How do we reinforce civil society efforts?"

The increasingly complex threat from terrorism puts enormous pressure on states to protect their citizens through operations at home and abroad. But how do we justify humanitarian intervention when basic human rights and freedoms can be jeopardized? How can we better work with civil society to make sure we do not aggravate the root causes of terrorism and non-state actor violence?

6. Environmental Security

“How can we balance security and climate change?”

Future conflict will increasingly be sparked by environmental factors, as the struggle for scarce resources grows ever more acute. Given that nature does not respect the boundaries of politics or time, diplomats and policy makers must ensure long-term solutions that involve civil society.

7. Comprehensive Approach

"How coordinated can our response to global threats be?"

Western forces will increasingly be called upon to support world-wide peace and bring order to societies under strain. There have been recent calls for increased cooperation and collaboration between the world’s major security actors (the UN, the EU, NATO, the AU, OSCE, etc.). How should this be implemented in practice?

8. Reemerging Powers

“How should we adapt Western security thinking to the rise of Russia, China and India?”

China and Russia are widely seen as rising counter-balances to Western military power. That poses fundamental questions as to how Western strategic thinking towards the two should develop, as well as prospects for future cooperation.

9. Case Study I: Piracy

“How do we learn from the Gulf of Aden?”

By January 2009, an estimated thirty ships with staff from more than a dozen countries were patrolling an area of approximately 2.5 million square miles. If any current operation provides an opportunity for international actors to discuss common approaches, lessons learned and future challenges, this is it.

10. Case Study II: Afghanistan

“If we could start over in Afghanistan, how would it be done?”

Few expected stabilization to still be Afghanistan’s major challenge eight years later. What are the lessons learned from how we entered eight years ago? What mistakes should be avoided? If you were given a blank page on the next such intervention, what would you do differently?

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Press Coverage:

• "NATO and Europeans Plot Path Ahead," Steven Erlanger, NYT, 5 May 2010

Follow-on Report:

• 10 Recommendations from 2010 Security Jam