GMF's Brussels Forum: The Next Generation of Leaders Responds
Call for Applications - Brussels Forum’s Young Professionals Summit 2018
A Response to “President Trump: An Insider’s View”
A Young Transatlantic Network Member Perspective on GMF's Brussels Forum
By: Rukmani D. Bhatia, Young Transatlantic Network - Washington, DC Chapter
Throughout GMF’s Brussels Forum, the potentially changing role of the U.S. in the transatlantic relationship repeatedly arose. The opacity about U.S. priorities, clear shifts in relationships with adversaries and allies and complete indifference towards human rights violations has created a lot of angst amongst human rights defenders and democracy advocates. The session with Bryan Lanza, who led President Trump’s communications’ team during the campaign, was designed to provide insight into how the new President sees the world. Unfortunately, Lanza did not alleviate concerns about the U.S. abandoning traditional diplomacy and turning a blind eye to violations of human rights and democratic values.
Addressing (Popular) Discontent at Home and Abroad
A Young Transatlantic Network Member Perspective on GMF's Brussels Forum
By: Amanda Brown, Young Transatlantic Network - Washington, DC Chapter
Over the last eighteen months, “populism” has been the word on everyone’s lips and the phenomenon on everyone’s minds. As it has swept the globe, spurring the rise of far-right parties, energizing the election campaigns of Duterte, Modi, Duda, and Trump, and occasioning the Brexit referendum, policy-makers and civil society alike have struggled to address its challenges.
The German Marshall Fund rose to the occasion, drawing on the experiences of government officials (ranging from the municipal to supranational levels) and leading think tanks to answer the pressing questions: why has populism emerged as so powerful a force? How do we minimize the damaging consequences of populism at every level of government? Will populism remain a long-term challenge?
Testing Transatlantic Understanding
A Young Transatlantic Network Member Perspective on GMF's Brussels Forum
By: Constance Chucholowski, Young Transatlantic Network - Berlin Chapter
It was fitting that global security influencers offered their unique insight on the strength of the transatlantic security partnership on the final day of GMF’s Brussels Forum, at the same time that thousands of Europeans rallied for the European Union, on its de facto 60th birthday. The final forum session, Transatlantic (In)Security, focused on the state of NATO and security threats against its partners resulting from acute changes facing an ill-prepared institution, or so, the majority of participants maintained. The pessimism regarding transatlantic security cooperation and coordination could not have more starkly contrasted the optimism of pro-EU marchers.
The Next Conflict: North Korea — For Americans and Europeans Alike
A Young Professional Summit Participant Perspective on GMF’s Brussels Forum
By: Tereza Novotná, FNRS Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Université libre de Bruxelles; Senior Associate Research Fellow, EUROPEUM
When a European thinks about where the next conflict might be coming from (which was a session on the final day of GMF’s Brussels Forum 2017), Russia is perhaps the first country that springs to mind (which was indeed debated in the second half of the same session). A European would also potentially come up with the Western Balkans and various countries in the Middle East and Africa. Yet what was most revealing for me, as well as the others in the audience, at this year’s GMF’s Brussels Forum, the next conflict is likely to come from the country that has been often ridiculed as well as feared: North Korea. In fact, the DPRK was allegedly mentioned as the biggest threat to U.S. national security by President Obama during his face-to-face meeting with President-elect Donald Trump.
Brussels Scorecard: Understanding the Root Causes of Militant Extremism at Home
A Young Professional Summit Participant Perspective on GMF’s Brussels Forum
By: Amanda Sellers, Manager, NATO ICI Regional Center
Earth-shaking events like the 2016 Brussels Attacks and the London Attack in March have triggered new patterns of interaction on international, domestic and individual levels — both for Brussels citizens and GMF’s Brussels Forum participants from across the globe. The 2016 Forum focused on foresight and the future, whereas the 2017 iteration put an accent on personal agency in the present moment. The 2016 Forum expanded on the need for more initiatives and projects to uproot terrorism, whereas the 2017 Forum narrowed in on viable solutions to deal with this reality. In the same vein, a closer look at the current status of steps taken to prevent violent extremism in Brussels can reveal that ambitions were high. Although the citizens of Brussels have only grazed the surface of addressing our societal needs, we have made significant efforts that can pay dividends for the future.
Brexit and What It Means Going Forward
A Young Transatlantic Network Member Perspective on GMF's Brussels Forum
By: Michelle Shevin-Coetzee, Young Transatlantic Network - Washington, DC Chapter
One of the greatest benefits of technology is the ability to live-stream what were once closed-door discussions among senior level academics and policymakers. From the comfort of my Washington cubicle, I was transported to Brussels, watching the at times intense debate on “Brexit and the Implications for Europe.” Moderated by Ryan Heath, it featured former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt and current British Member of Parliament Douglas Carswell.
It is hard to find two more diametrically opposed individuals: one, Bildt, a strong proponent of the EU, the other, Carswell, an ardent supporter of Brexit. To use Heath’s terminology, one is filled with “grief,” the other with “euphoria.” As someone interested in European security, I watched this interplay with a particular focus on what Brexit means for the future U.K.-EU defense relationship. Three questions came to mind.
End of Complacency — Era of Action?
GMF’s Young Professionals Summit 2017: Putting it All Together
By Brian Thorson, Co-founder of MSC Leader Development and U.S. Military Officer
Each year, The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) hosts GMF’s Brussels Forum, a platform for influential policy makers and experts to discuss global challenges and shape potential solutions. This year’s Brussels Forum, convened under the theme End of Complacency — Era of Action?, a title I’m confident was influenced by the rise of populism, BREXIT, the election of U.S. President Donald Trump, and the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming elections in France and Germany. While history reminds us that popular opinion shifts with the wind, governments change, and conflicts come and go, this year has left many feeling unsure, if not uneasy, about the future. This is the context within which young professionals and leaders in industry, academics, government, and foreign policy from around the world met to discuss the most pressing challenges to transatlantic security.
Brussels Forum 2017: What About The Women?
A Young Professional Summit Participant Perspective on GMF’s Brussels Forum
By Romana Michelon
Brussels Forum is much more than just an opportunity to travel and score a ton of likes amongst friends and family on Facebook. It is about creating and sustaining professional networks, about getting the issues you care about across to the right people, and about coming together as a transatlantic community. Because of the all the opportunities that conferences have to offer, it is crucial they not be biased against women. Fortunately, Brussels Forum 2017 was rich in female participation and representation.