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The panel was moderated by Dr. Robin Niblett, Director of Chatham House (the Royal Institute of International Affairs), London. He asked the panelists to comment on how the changing distribution of international power is affecting international relations and especially the changing nature of the EU.
Dr. Ali M. Abbasov, Minister of Communications and Information of the Republic of Azerbaijan, discussed how and why Azerbaijan is addressing the digital divide in their country. Azerbaijan seeks to shift from an energy-based economy to an information-based one, and to strengthen our economy by diversifying our revenue sources. By improving information technology literacy among our citizens, they will then be able to obtain jobs outsourced from the west for creating electronic content. This will in turn reduce the costs of providing electronic content for western nations.
Mr. Marc Perrin de Brichambaut, OSCE Secretary General, then discussed the establishment of international values- democracy, human rights, rule of law, good governance, open market economies, multi-lateral cooperation. He noted that following the Cold War, the dialogue about establishing global values was lively and everyone agreed. Now, groups are beginning to question those values, and nations are following some values while ignoring others. He discussed problems of accepting global values that may conflict with cultural values, but emphasized the connection between adherence to the complete set of global values and sustainable development.
Mr. Marek Belka, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, spoke about the strengths of the UN as an international institution. The UN provides an inclusive forum for intellectual reflection and debate. He then noted several ways the EU can contribute to UN goals for world development: setting a high standard for foreign aid, absorbing foreign trade through lasting partnerships, and being an example for peacebuilding.
Mr. Nalin Surie, Secretary at the Headquarters of the Ministry of External Affairs, India, emphasized that the challenges facing the world today cannot be addressed by one nation, but that it takes the collective power of nations working together. Management of knowledge, science, and technology is critical for ensuring the best use of power for the greater good of all people. Organizations that are representative, just, effective, and efficient are needed to manage information at local, national, and international levels. For successful power sharing across nations there must be institutions that have transparent, creative, and adaptive decision-making processes.
Dr. Kuniko Inoguchi, Member of the House of Representatives of Japan, discussed Japan's example of overcoming resource poorness and the threat of aging populations. Aging populations will have a long-term impact on security because the labor force will be decreased and the social welfare cost will be increased. These effects will demand more diplomacy between nations whose military force has suffered from reduced personnel and funding. This means that knowledge and dialogue from the research and scholarly community has become more important in the decision-making process. There will be a new multilateral paradigm that involves knowledge shared by a wide range of stakeholders, considering multiple perspectives but preserving individual rights.
Mr. Zhang Deguang, Chairman of China Foundation of International Studies, noted that the international situation continues to undergo profound changes - globalization gains momentum and increased international cooperation, there is an increase in international companies, interest rates are rising, the world faces challenges from terrorism, transnational crime, communicable disease, and climate change. Nations must work together to address global challenges. This is achieved through enhanced political mutual trust. Nations must also expand mutual beneficial economic cooperation.
Mr. Bruce Jackson, President of the Project on Transitional Democracies hightlighted three major debates about globalization: What is a legitimate use of power in the international system? Where is the balance between hard and soft power? What are the limitations of power - what can and cannot be accomplished? These questions only come up at certain historical moments - when the international system is in flux or there are major demographic/generational changes. It's something that will take a generation to work through.
Dr. Kevin C. Desouza, Assistant Professor in the Information School at the University of Washington, then discussed the changing nature of power. He emphasized that nations who will be superpowers will recognize that power is defined differently now than in the past and will take steps to increase their power. These steps include prioritizing education and technology, remaining flexible and adaptive, decentralizing, forming goals-based alliances, and cooperating equally with emerging economies.
Mr. Janez Skrabec, CEO of the engineering firm Riko Group, traced changes in political, economical, and societal change in the past century, and projects desirable outcomes if trends continue and nations collaborate: Growing nations rival the United States and Russia in global power and economic strength and are able to bring new needs and perspectives to the table, individuals gain wealth through philanthropic efforts and general increase in living standards, and social responsibility enables sustainable development and justice.
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