Explore the effects of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine on the current European security landscape with Carlo Masala (Bundeswehr University Munich), Wolfgang Ischinger (Hertie / MSC), Benedikta von Seherr-Thoß (EEAS), Bastian Giegerich (IISS), and Cornelius Friesendorf (IFSH).
The Russian war of aggression against Ukraine was coined a “Zeitenwende” (turning point) in the German political debate because of its profound repercussions on various aspects of societal and political life and its far-reaching implications for the European security architecture. Confronted with an aggressive and revisionist Russian authoritarian regime in its immediate neighbourhood, the European security institutions NATO, the OSCE, and the EU are readjusting politically. They will have to give rise to a new security order on the European continent, as pressing issues need to be solved, such as: What could this new security order look like? How can security be ensured in the near future? And is this the end for cooperative security mechanisms on the European continent?
These questions and more will be addressed by Carlo Masala, Bastian Giegerich, Benedikta von Seherr-Thoß, and Cornelius Friesendorf together with Wolfgang Ischinger during this public evening event on February 29, 2024. The event is jointly organised by the Centre for Military History and Social Sciences of the Bundeswehr and the Centre for International Security at the Hertie School.
Carlo Masala will deliver a keynote speech on the changed European security order. Following the keynote, a roundtable discussion, led by Wolfgang Ischinger and featuring Bastian Giegerich, Benedikta von Seherr-Thoß, and Cornelius Friesendorf, will examine European security organizations’ responses to the conflict and discern the roles NATO, the EU and the OSCE might play in shaping the future security landscape of Europe. Finally, an evening reception will offer the opportunity to continue the conversation (note: the reception is alcohol-free).
Don't miss this opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the current European security landscape and its future implications! Registration will open at 6:30 pm, and the event will start promptly at 7:00 pm.
Speakers
Keynote speaker
Photo © Christoph Busse Carlo Masala is a Professor of International Politics at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Munich. Before that, he worked at the NATO Defense College in Rome in early 2004 as a Research Advisor and later as Deputy Director. Prof. Masala is co-editor of the Zeitschrift für Internationale Beziehungen (ZIB) and the Zeitschrift für Strategische Analysen (ZfSA). He is also a member of the scientific advisory board of the Federal Academy for Security Policy, a permanent expert in the German Bundestag's Enquete Commission on the Afghanistan mission and a member of the "Science Year 2024" board of trustees at the Federal Ministry of Research and Education. He has co-hosted the podcast Sicherheitshalber. His new book "Bedingt Abwehrbereit - Deutschlands Schwäche in der Zeitenwende" was published in 2023.
Photo © Christoph Busse
Roundtable discussants
Wolfgang Ischinger is Professor Emeritus of Security Policy and Diplomatic Practice. Currently, he is a Senior Fellow at the Hertie School and Founding Director of the School’s Centre for International Security. He was Chairman of the Munich Security Conference from 2008 until 2022 and is now President of the Foundation Council. Ischinger previously held a wide range of diplomatic and policymaking positions, including State Secretary (1998-2001), Ambassador to the United States (2001-2006), Ambassador to the United Kingdom (2006-2008). In 2007, he served as the EU representative in the Troika negotiations on Kosovo. In 2014, he was the representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the National Dialogue Roundtables in Ukraine before serving as Chairman of the OSCE-mandated Panel of Eminent Persons on European Security as a Common Project in 2015.
Photo © MSC/Kuhlmann
© EEAS Benedikta von Seherr-Thoß is the Managing Director for Peace, Security and Defence at the European External Action Service. Before that, she served as Security Policy Director of the German Federal Ministry of Defence. She was the first defence civilian to participate in the National General/Admiral Staff Officer Course of the Bundeswehr. She was the Deputy Director to the NATO Senior Civilian Representative at ISAF Headquarters in Kabul/Afghanistan. She also functioned as Deputy Head of the NATO Division in the Policy Planning & Advisory Staff to the Minister of Defence. Benedikta studied Modern History at the University of Oxford, from where she graduated with a Masters and a PhD.
Photo © EEAS
© IISS Bastian Giegerich is the Director-General and Chief Executive of The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Prior to that, he served as Director of Defence and Military Analysis, leading the team that produces the IISS publication The Military Balance, and contributing to research and consultancy work. From 2010–15, he worked for the German Federal Ministry of Defence in research and policy roles, while also serving as an IISS Consulting Senior Fellow for European security. He is the author and editor of several books on European security and defence matters. He holds a master's in political science from the University of Potsdam and a PhD in international relations from the London School of Economics.
Photo © IISS
© IFSH Cornelius Friesendorf is Head of the Centre for OSCE Research (CORE) at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy. Before that, he was a Senior Advisor for an EU police reform support project in Myanmar and worked as a researcher for institutions including Goethe University Frankfurt, the Frankfurt Peace Research Institute, the Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance, and ETH Zurich. He received his habilitation from Goethe University Frankfurt for a study of military interventions, and his doctorate from the University of Zurich, where his thesis examined US strategies against drug trafficking. He was also a journalist at the BBC World Service in London.
Photo © IFSH
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