As the Foundation has clearly indicated in its substantial Game Changers Dossier 2020, the evolving strategic landscape is determined by crucial issues ranging from climate change, to energy shifts or artificial intelligence. This year we intend to present with the wider public three areas that have particular relevance vis-à-vis the security of the international community: the trafficking in grey zones by non-state actors; the open and hidden instabilities in the Indo-Pacific region; and outer space.

The first panel will explore of the recent evolution in the appreciation of threats by non-state actors, reflected in the most recent international documents. In fact, criminal violence has become more relevant than in the past 10 years because it is a very important component of local conflicts that destabilise vast regions, affecting also EU and NATO partners and allies. This violence is supported by four major illegal trades: narcotics and pharmaceuticals, environmental products, persons and counterfeit goods (food, cigarettes, fashion, medical supplies etc.). The panel will evaluate the latest developments of the threat and their geopolitical implications on the presence of international institutions and organizations in crisis areas.

The second panel will look at the region through different contributions. The Indo-Pacific region is characterised by a host of long-standing and ongoing internal conflicts that affect half of the 25 countries and have evident repercussion on the intrinsic stability of any security architecture in this region.

The third panel will address the relevance of space in a multidimensional cooperative security dimension. Space is a much more diverse environment in terms of its strategic implications for the future. This implies a complex management of orbits, requiring new concepts and solutions regarding the interaction between civil, security and military domains. The speakers will explore some possible paths of bilateral and multilateral agreements and consider are the concrete means to enhance the surveillance on criminal networks and trafficking.

PARTNERS