Regional leaders, global challenges: issues, interests and strategies: 12th International Summer School 2008

Abstract

"In a world more and more characterized by multipolar structures, stability is an ever more evasive aim. Political theory tells us that multipolar systems are much less stable than bipolar or hegemonic ones. For the next generation of global political leaders it is paramount to understand how tectonic shifts in our present global order will influence the relative position of their own countries. The shifting parameters of rising powers, trends of regional cooperation and integration will set the stage for an emerging new world order where not only states and markets, but increasingly also transnational networks will play an ever more important role. In this sense, we could address networks in a double perspective: in the real world which we try to shape and understand and also in the world of young leaders who will have to shoulder the bulk of work and responsibility in the years and decades ahead. For many years, we at the German Council on Foreign Relations have been actively trying to expand our network of young high-potentials in international relations. In many of our programs the focus is on attracting future decisionmakers to our growing network, while they are still in their formative years at the university or in the early stages of their career. One of the most successful programs is organized by our International Forum on Strategic Thinking, which—based on our annual Summer Schools and New Faces Conferences—established a network of well over 700 people from all over Europe, Asia, the Middle East, North America, and with the invitation of participants from South Africa, Tanzania, Cameroon and Rwanda in the last two years also from Africa. For our 12th consecutive Summer School, which took place in July 2008, we have again invited a group of 30 outstanding participants for an intensive two week program, which focused on concepts of regional leadership, preconditions for regional stability and different regional integration dynamics." (excerpt)