Pax Nordica 2019

Security in a Reemergent Europe of Nations—Is Multilateralism Falling Apart?

Date: April 4, 2019
Venue: Lecture Hall E, The Humanities Building
Registration: Pax Nordica is free of charge, no registration needed
Programme: See below

For three decades, the political imagination among European leaders has been dominated by ideas about commonalities. For long, the desirability of international organizations such as the EU, NATO and the WTO as guarantors of stability and peace seemed more or less cemented. Nearing the 2020s, however, a series of events and actions have begun to shake the foundation. The EU is reeling from an unprecedented impact of migration and armed conflict among its Eastern neighbours in later years. Brexit is testing the EUs structural limits. NATO is stretched by its involvement in disparate regional conflicts and a burgeoning debate about budget issues among its member states. American NATO leadership, for long taken for granted, is put into question even by the American presidency. The WTO not only has to compete with Asian economic growth and leadership initiatives, most notably from China, but also with internal opposition with regard to how growth and prosperity can be ensured in a global setting. Nationalism is on the rise in large parts of the world.

Can multilateral security guarantees persist, or be somehow revamped? Has democracy lost its role as a common denominator among peaceful partners? Which other commonalities are available to ensure security and stability? Is Russia a winner if nationalism and bilateralism trumps multilateralism in Europe? Should Germany rearm and become more militarily dominant in Europe? Has the balance shifted between nuclear weapons and cyber weapons as deterrents? Do climate and migration issues stand a chance on national political agendas?

Programme April 4 (2019 Pax Nordica will be held in English):

13.00-13.10: Welcome address
Professor Dieter Müller, Pro Vice-Chancellor, Umeå University

13.10-13.25: Multilateralism-what of it?
Associate professor Niklas Eklund, Umeå University

13.30-13.55: Can trade barriers promote peace and security?
Professor Jari Eloranta, University of Helsinki

14.00-14.25: How would you write a textbook on International Politics today?
Professor emeritus Magnus Jerneck, University of Lund

14.25-14.45: Program break with refreshments

14.45-15.10: Should Germany be militarily stronger?
Lt.Col. Hans-Joachim Weber, Defence attaché to Sweden

15.15-15.40: Do climate and migration issues stand a chance on European political agendas?
Dr. Gunilla Herolf, Senior associate research fellow, Swedish Insitute of International Affairs

15.45-16.10: Critical infrastructure challenges in hybrid warfare conditions
Dr. Oleksandr Sukhodolia, Head of department, National Institute for Strategic Studies, Kiev

16.15-16.45: Panel discussion with questions from the audience

16.45: Refreshments, time to mingle and continue discussions at leisure