Conclusions of Safe Democracy’s International Conference

Part II

We present, the second section of conclusions from Safe Democracy’s International Conference, Three Years After 11-M: Regional Challenges for a Globalizing World.

The results published here include the recommendations of a diverse population of experts on how to produce sustainable growth in Asia, as well as recommendations regarding the question of immigration and the future of Europe, and aid and development in Africa. Suggestions by the experts on how to avoid a mega crisis in the Middle East can also be seen.

At Safe Democracy, we understand democracy not only as giving citizens the opportunity to elect their governments and to be represented, but in a more comprehensive sense: democracy is a political and social system which grants security, not only from a physical point of view, but economic and social, giving priority to education, health, job opportunities, freedom of speech and diversity, which fearlessly supports innovation, and respects minorities, their cultures and rights.

As a part of the multiple activities of Safe Democracy aimed at guaranteeing the strengthening of democracy, we have opened this opportunity to analyze public matters under a group dynamic where ideas, proposals and reflections can be exchanged between recognized experts.

Our objective is to strengthen this independent and plural community of experts in international affairs, inspiring pragmatic solutions, and to bring the results to the public through the internet.

We invite all readers to comment on the scenarios and solutions to the principle regional challenges posed by our international experts.

Sincerely,

Martin Varsavsky
President
SAFE DEMOCRACY FOUNDATION

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How to Produce Sustainable Growth in Asia

Results of the International Conference of Safe Democracy

By Fernando Delage, rapporteur

CONCLUSIONS OF THE EXPERTS:

“The Asia work group started off by discussing the implicit affirmation in the very question that served as the table’s title. The experts of that region discuss how to evolve towards a more balanced development, which in China’s case is known as the scientific concept of development or Harmonious Society”.

Rapporteur:
Fernando Delage is a member of the Advisory Council of the journal Foreign Politics in Spain.

Moderator:
Rafael Bueno is Director of Conferences, Seminars, Studies and West-East Dialogue at the Asia House.

Experts:
Gracia Abad holds a doctorate in Political Science and is an expert in Asian-Pacific and Oriental Asian regional themes. She is an investigator for the International Security and Cooperation Investigation Team of the International Studies department of the Complutense University of Madrid. She has been invited as an expert for the Institute for Defense and Strategic Studies in Singapore.

Mario Esteban is a Doctor and Assistant Professor at the Center of East-Asian Studies at the Aut

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Immigration and Development in Europe

Results of the International Conference of Safe Democracy

By Esteban Ibarra, rapporteur

CONCLUSIONS OF THE EXPERTS:

“The challenge to find a model of balanced and sustainable immigration in Europe, where the local population isn’t afraid and immigrants´ fundamental rights are respected, requires the understanding of immigration as a natural human fact and furthermore, as a right. Immigration should not be a problem, on the contrary, it should be understood as an opportunity for everyone, that undoubtedly tolerates challenges”.

“Europe needs immigration and the European citizenry should come to terms with this reality”

Rapporteur:
Esteban Ibarra, president of the Movement Against Intolerance.

Moderator:
Henar Corbi, advisor on religious subjects for the Ministry of Justice.

Experts:
Pedro G. Cavallero, director of International Projects for the National Council of La Raza, the most important American institution dedicated to the defence of civil rights of Hispanics and Latinos in the United States, with a seat in Washington. He is an analyst of international politics. He has a Masters Degree in Comparative Law.

Vicente De Mingo, expert in European institutions and civil society. He is the President of Institution of Services for the European Citizenry. He forms part of the European Security and Defence Observatory. He actively participates in multiple conferences and courses about the formation of Europe.

Alicia Kaufmann, doctor of Sociology from the

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Aid and Development in Africa

Conclusions of the International Conference of Safe Democracy

By Mbuyi Kabunda, rapporteur

CONCLUSIONS OF THE EXPERTS:

“In Africa, democracy, human rights, and development must be tied together, insisting more on the causes than on the effects of problems on the continent. We must give priority to the resolution of the causes and not the effects of African problems, with Affirmative Action programs, and projects to end historic, structural, and symbolic aggressions that, alongside poor administration and corruption in government, are responsible for the failure of development in Africa.”

“It is time for Africa to develop its own model for development and growth”.

Rapporteur:
Mbuyi Kabunda, professor and expert in African affairs and member of the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

Moderator:
Abuy Nfubea, journalist and president of the Pan African Federation of Black Communities in Spain.

Experts:
Marta Arias Robles, director of the Department of Campaigns and Studies for Intermon Oxfam in Spain. She is licensed in Law and has a Master Degree in International Cooperation. She has been part of the Cooperation for Development for ten years. Currently she coordinates the Annual Report on the Reality of Aid. She directs the Campaign for Objectives of the Millennium for Intermon Oxfam and is member of the managing team of the same campaign in Oxfam International.

Silvia Escobar, ambassador for Human Rights of Spain. She is the first female president of Amnesty International in Madrid and is vice president of the CEAR Foundation, Council for Support of Refugees. She was a member of the city assembly of Madrid and director of Social Services for the Red Cross.

Ryan C. Napoli, lawyer specialized in the defence of civil rights. He currently works at MFY Legal Services in New York, representing people and indigent groups in a great variety of cases spanning from housing, civil rights, poverty and immigration. He defends cases of social justice including representing those accused after the September 11th attacks. He has collaborated as well with the Grameen Foundation, implementing microcredits in the Americas and transcribing law proposals in Washington.

Jesús Rivillo Torres, sociologist, founder and director of INATUR, an organization dedicated, since 1991, to the local and social-communitarian development, cooperation, environmental education and implantation of Integrated Systems of Management.

Julio Maíz Sanz, licensed in Law and Geography and History. He has collaborated in diverse magazines for 14 years, as analyst of defence and military themes in general, especially aeronautics. He has done work for magazines such as Avion Revue, Aeronautica and Defensa, Soldier, Air Fan, etc.

Isabelle Mauro, director of Institutional Relations and Public Issues for the GSM Association, located in London. She is responsible for the advocacy campaigns of GSM, in affairs related to the mobile telephone industry on the global level. She has a Master in European Politics from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Gerardo Shulman, architect and traveller, he is integrated in the NGO Architects Without Borders, Barcelona. Ex-patriot of Burkina Fasso and Mozambique, he is responsible for the international cooperation and collaboration with the Catalan Agency for Cooperation and Development. He dedicated a great part of the last few years making extensive trips to Africa, Asia and Latin America in which he has focused his work on the rural world and on vernacular architecture.

(THE FOLLOWING IS A SUMMARY OF THE CONCLUSIONS REACHED BY THE WORKING TABLE)

more…

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How To Avoid A Regional Mega Crisis in the Middle East

Results of the International Conference of Safe Democracy

By George Emile Irani, rapporteur

CONCLUSIONS OF THE EXPERTS:

The debate focused on certain key States in the Middle East: the crisis in Iraq, conflicting visions of Iran, the political climates in Syria and Lebanon, and the best manner to increase human development and build stronger economies.

Rapporteur:
George Emile Irani is the Lebanese-born director of the Africa and Middle East Program of the Toledo International Center for Peace in Madrid. He is the author of “The Papacy and the Middle East: The Role of the Holy See in the Arab-Israeli Conflict“.

Moderator:
Martin Varsavsky is the president of the Safe Democracy Foundation and has founded six successful businesses over the last 15 years. He is currently the CEO of FON.

Experts:
Arshin Adib-Moghaddam is the author of “The International Politics of the Persian Gulf: A Cultural Genealogy” (Routledge). Educated at Hamburg, American and Cambridge Universities, he teaches International Relations at Oxford University.

Carlos Escud

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Conclusions of Safe Democracy’s International Conference

Part I

We present the first part of the conclusions reached at Safe Democracy’s International Conference, Three Years After 11-M: Regional Challenges for a Globalizing World.

The results published here include recommendations from a wide-ranging group of diverse experts on How to restart the peace process between Israel and Palestine, and posed the question whether Spain and Europe are still targets of international terrorism, three years after March 11th.

Also discussed was governance, poverty and growth in Latin America, and geopolitics of Russia.

At Safe Democracy, we understand democracy not just as the right to elect politicians and to be represented by them, but rather in a much broader sense: a political and social system which fosters security, and that values education, health care, job opportunities, freedom of expression, diversity, that fearlessly supports innovation, that respects minorities, their cultures and their rights.

As part of Safe Democracy‘s many activities aimed at guaranteeing the growth of democracy, we have created this opportunity to analyze public issues under the dynamic of work groups in which ideas are exchanged, proposed and reflected on between recognized experts.

Our objective is to fortify this independent yet multi-faceted community of experts on international affairs –promoting pragmatic solutions– and allowing for participation from the public via the Internet.

We invite all of our readers to comment on the scenarios and solutions to the principle regional challenges expounded by our international experts.

Warm regards,
Mart

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March 11th, 3 Years Afterwards: Are Spain and Europe Still Targets for International Terrorism?

Results of the International Meeting of Safe Democracy

By Rafael Calduch Cervera, rapporteur

CONCLUSIONS OF THE EXPERTS:

“The analysis and debate of the working group focused on a series of proposals and ideas to distinguish between short term anti-terrorist strategies, and long term measures to resolve the more profound socio-cultural and political struggles upon which Jihadist terrorism feeds. Although this working table agreed almost unanimously on the majority of its conclusions, not every issue discussed was agreed upon by all”.

Rapporteur:
Rafael Calduch Cervera is a Professor of International Relations and Director of the Master’s program in International Relations and Communication at the Complutense University of Madrid. He completed his doctorate in Political Science and Sociology and presides over the consulting group International Strategic Analysis.

Moderator:
Germ

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How to Reinitiate the Palestinian-Israeli Peace Process

Conclusions of the International Conference of Safe Democracy

By Mario Sznajder, rapporteur

CONCLUSIONS OF THE EXPERTS:

“Summarizing four hours of discussion on how to reinitiate the Palestinian-Israeli peace process in a few minutes –or a few pages– is not an easy task. Not only because of the limits of time and space, but especially because of the complexity of the problem”.

“The panel on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was splendid and excellently moderated by Zidane Zeroui, who explained his experience in International Relations and helped the table avoid falling into the trap of emotional or ideological debate. Both the moderator and the participants decided to concentrate on answering each one of the questions posed directly, which helped to focus the discussion in more concrete terms”.

Rapporteur:
Mario Sznajder is a Leon Blum chair and professor of political science at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He is a researcher for the Truman Institute for the Advancement of Peace. He has published hundreds of articles in scientific journals on fascism, human rights, democracy, and the Middle East.

Moderator:
Zidane Zeroui is a professor of International Relations and Coordinator of the Master’s program in International Studies at the Technological University of Monterrey, Mexico.

Experts:
Najib Abu-Warda is a professor of International Relations at the Complutense University of Madrid.

F

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Poverty, Inequality and Security in Latin America

“New-Statism” as a solution
Conclusions of the International Conference of Safe Democracy

By Jos

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