Young Global Leaders Summits on Transatlantic Approaches to Security and to Development

In August, the Office of Education co-sponsored two Young Leaders Summits with Americans for Informed Democracy to examine transatlantic approaches to security and development.

On August 4, two panels examined a few of the specific and general security issues facing the transatlantic partners. The first panel dealt with the broad question of the future of the transatlantic security relationship. Although centered on the future of NATO and the United Nations, panelists Fran Burwell of the Atlantic Council, Joseph Cirincione of the Center for American Progress, Deborah Derrick of the Better Word Fund, and James Goldgeier of the Council on Foreign Relations dealt with bilateral and multilateral diplomacy efforts and the role of public opinion in the future of the Alliance. During the discussion, students questioned the role of NATO and the UN in traditional and non-traditional security environments, as well as the severity of transatlantic disagreements today.

The second panel looked specifically at how the transatlantic partners can work together to end the nuclear standoff with Iran. Ellen Laipson of the Henry L. Stimson Center, Dan Poneman from The Scowcroft Group, and Fathali Moghaddam from Georgetown University examined the regional and international factors at work in this process, as well as some of the domestic concerns driving Iran’s search for nuclear capabilities. Students had a number of questions for all of the panelists, particularly about the discussions underway inside Iran and the impact of the Iraq War on containment efforts.

On August 11, panels looked at the macro- and micro-level elements of global development and the role of the transatlantic partners in promoting sustainable growth. During the first session, Craig Cole of Five Talents International and Gary McMahon from the Global Development Network compared approaches to development and emphasized the need for constructive partnership between the developed and the developing world. Students focused on the terminology used by the panelists, including the selective use of the word “growth” vis-à-vis “development” and the impact of each development model on other factors.

In the second session, Jeremiah Norris from the Hudson Institute, Chantal de Jonge Oudraat of the Center for Transatlantic Relations, and Kristin Sundell from Jubilee USA evaluated the progress towards the 2005 G8 Summit on Development promises. Among the issues discussed, students focused on the question of debt relief and measuring its true impact on societies.

More than two hundred young leaders from across the United States attended the summits. On top of the panels described above, participants also had a chance to learn about ways to bring international issues back to their campuses and to educate their colleagues about today’s international challenges.

All in all, the workshops proved to be an excellent way to engage young leaders in discussions about pressing issues in international security and development, as well as the role of the transatlantic partners in addressing them.