On May 5, 2014, Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger – Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, and Distinguished Scholar with the Global Europe Program at the Wilson Center – delivered the keynote address on “The Crisis of Euro-Atlantic Security” at the 2014 Ahtisaari Symposium.
On May 5, 2014, Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger – Chairman of the Munich Security Conference, and Distinguished Scholar with the Global Europe Program at the Wilson Center – delivered the keynote address on “The Crisis of Euro-Atlantic Security” at the 2014 Ahtisaari Symposium. Central to Ambassador Ischinger’s remarks was the crisis with Russia and Ukraine, which he believes forces the Euro-Atlantic community to clarify its priorities and provides an opportunity to refocus and revitalize the transatlantic partnership. The Ambassador argues that: “while the crisis has helped us get some of our priorities straight, none of this means our options are easy or clear-cut.” As the West continues to monitor the situation, Ambassador Ischinger advocates for a twin strategy of “denying Putin opportunities in Europe while pursuing a dialogue with him about cooperation in the interests of all…as difficult as that may be in current circumstances.” The Ambassador concluded his remarks by underlining the urgency of “explaining strategic objectives to each other, and laying the groundwork for a credible and sustainable re-affirmation of principles of European and global security.”
To read the full text of Ambassador Ischinger’s speech, please refer to the document below.
The Global Europe Program is focused on Europe’s capabilities, and how it engages on critical global issues. We investigate European approaches to critical global issues. We examine Europe’s relations with Russia and Eurasia, China and the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Our initiatives include “Ukraine in Europe”—an examination of what it will take to make Ukraine’s European future a reality. But we also examine the role of NATO, the European Union and the OSCE, Europe’s energy security, transatlantic trade disputes, and challenges to democracy. The Global Europe Program’s staff, scholars-in-residence, and Global Fellows participate in seminars, policy study groups, and international conferences to provide analytical recommendations to policy makers and the media. Read more
The Kennan Institute is the premier US center for advanced research on Eurasia and the oldest and largest regional program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The Kennan Institute is committed to improving American understanding of Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, the South Caucasus, and the surrounding region through research and exchange. Read more
