Progressive approaches to global challenges - How to deal with conflicts in turbulent times

Modern democracies face new challenges to national and global security and increasingly complex humanitarian responsibilities. Terrorism, climate change, and the hardships of global economic and humanitarian crises urge governments to develop progressive approaches to conflict resolution and considerate foreign policies. In the light of increasingly interwoven interests of state and non-state global players, cooperation within regional and international institutions is necessary to support effective global governance as sought by the United Nations or the European Union. International social democratic movements call for solutions to global challenges that take into account the needs of all people, stressing the pressing need for multilateral efforts to promote wealth, justice and peace. Social democratic ideology values the promotion of international law, global equality and linkages between peoples and nations, while opposing imperialism and power politics. Social democratic values should therefore drive governments to search for new ways of dialogue, negotiations and cooperation in order to secure peace, stability and the compliance with universal human rights, both nationally and globally.

Guiding Questions:

• What constitutes a social democratic way to handle conflict globally?
• What sets social democratic foreign policies apart from strategies of the political right?
• How can a social democratic foreign policy effectively respond to current foreign policy challenges?
• How can social democratic values and mindsets contribute to developing progressive approaches to conflict resolution?

Speakers: