Under the sponsorship of NATO Public Diplomacy Division, the Atlantic Council of Croatia organized a virtual educational project International Webinar School with the topic: “Global health crisis and fight against an invisible enemy – NATO readiness and resilience, Euro-Atlantic values, solidarity”. It provided 5+2 educational webinars with video presentations / lectures of more than 15 internationally recognized professors and experts in international relations and international security.
All webinars and online conferences can be found on Youtube channel of the Atlantic Council of Croatia:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC19uKSu6h_Rq1TDu0SH2-Zg
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Topics of the webinars, with more details in the official program, are as follows:
- Republic of North Macedonia – new NATO member country in the most critical time
- NATO and crisis management in Western Balkan region – challenges and perspectives
- Global health crisis and danger for democratic principles in SEE
- Resilience as a core task for NATO – NATO’s further enlargement and its importance in redefining SEE security agenda
- Importance of Euro-Atlantic values – National responses and cooperation with NATO and EU
This project was educational, and additionally it offered young people to participate, interact with peers on specific topics on the influence of global health crisis to international security, but also ask the speakers questions they are more interested in. The discussions were related mostly to Western Balkan region, with the perspective on Euro-Atlantic values and importance of resilience as a NATO core task. Our speakers, motivated with questions of young participants, gave a new perspective on democratic principles in the condition of global health crisis.
In the first webinar on North Macedonia entering NATO, prof. Ylber Sela PhD pointed out that there was a consensus of almost all political factors in this country when discussing on NATO membership. He thinks that this helped North Macedonia to stay focused and continue to work on EU membership, too. Prof. Sela stressed it is very important for the progress of the country to overcome stereotypes of all ethnic communities, while, at the same time, promoting multi-ethnic, multicultural and multilanguage society, which promotes Euro-Atlantic values, too. Ljubica Pendaroska MSc stressed that the importance of Republic of North Macedonia becoming a full NATO member country, and that is visible especially in this period of global pandemic, when NATO helped the country, and countries in the region, in many ways. That was also the way of showing that epidemic is to be seen as a security concern, too. Ms. Penadroska particularly stressed the importance of fighting against fake news, putting globalization as a phenomenon under question. Ilija Djugumanov, looking from the position of the Atlantic council of North Macedonia, said that the fact of Republic of North Macedonia becoming a NATO member is good for strengthening country’s military capacity.
Second webinar with the topic on the role of NATO in Western Balkan had 5 speakers, so it was divided in 2 parts. In first part Prof. Besfort Rrecaj PhD from Kosovo and Prof. Arian Starova PhD from Albania talked about how NATO helped and helps the region not to have escalated conflicts and to keep peace and stability. Prof. Rrecaj reflected on recent history of why NATO is very important for Kosovo, saying that he thinks that NATO’s presence in Kosovo will motivate a dialogue with Serbia. Prof. Starova stressed importance of transatlantic values as foundations of western civilization, and exactly those values are very important for Western Balkan region whose security is, as prof. Starova stressed, very fragile. So, presence of NATO and EU in the region is especially important for relations among states in this region.
In the second part, Prof. Miloš Šolaja PhD talked about security challenges in Bosnia and Herzegovina, stressing Covid-19 pandemic and migrants as most important ones, but also terrorism, poverty and economic underdevelopment. Prof. Šolaja shared an opinion that Bosnia and Herzegovina is still not ready for Euro-Atlantic integrations. Prof. Zoran Keković PhD made a very interesting point saying that Covid-19 pandemic crisis made everything we know on crisis management inapplicable in practice. It is a fact that so far epidemics were not seen as security issues, at least not in top ten. Nikoleta Đukanović PhD from Montenegro named many reasons that show how important it is for Montenegro to be in NATO, and also stressed military modernization according to NATO standards. It was stressed how NATO promotes not only peace and stability, but also democracy, therefore it should leave its door open.
Third webinar tackled whether and, if yes, how global health crisis endangered democratic principles in South Eastern Europe. Prof. Stefano Pilotto PhD pointed to the problems the pandemic brings, among which is a recession as a huge threat, that could be interpreted as a security threat as well. Talking about challenges, prof. Pilotto stated that the governments should work harder in order to communicate better with their citizens, to establish transparency that is important for democratic principles and bigger trust between these two sides. Prof. Pilotto was very positive about how solidarity, as a value, was and is shown during this pandemic. Hannes Swoboda PhD divided the presentation in five points, while making a conclusion that that both EU and NATO are founded on values, expressing a concern that sometimes interests prevail. Dr. Swoboda says that values and interests are interconnected, but interests should always lay on values and principles. Dr. Swoboda also pointed that Western Balkan countries should have strong ties with NATO and EU when solving still existing disputes. Korina Vukadinović puts in a perspective public health and individual liberties, adding that the pandemic measures affect social attitude – attitude of people on cooperation, on trust in the government etc. Ms. Vukadinovic, instead of giving a conclusion, posed a question on what is more important: protection of public health or democratic values that lie on basic civil rights, and the answer is actually – balance of these two.
Presentation within fourth webinar stressed the importance of resilience as a core task for NATO. Prof. Matthew Rhodes PhD gave an accurate definition of the term resilience (returning to its original shape) that became important since 1990, as the ability of countries to bounce back in a security context, and it became a core element of collective defence after NATO Warsaw Summit in 2016. Prof. Rhodes referred to the elements of resilience: absorb, recover and adapt, and this kind of development was seen at the outbreak of Covid-19 crisis. When discussing about NATO’s further enlargement and its importance in redefining SEE security agenda Biljana Popovska MSc stated that it is important for NATO to continue with Open door policy, and concerning resilience, Ms. Popovska pointed to the Article 3 of the founding treaty where principle of resilience is anchored. Ms. Popovska also stressed that resilience is visible in this Covid-19 pandemic, especially through combination of civil preparedness and military capacity. Building new skills is important for countries to be able to adapt to new circumstances in international arena.
Fifth webinar was dedicated to the importance of Euro-Atlantic values, in which Stephanie Fenkart especially stressed disinformation as a problem in a world facing new challenges. Therefore, trust between people and the government should be protected, while disinformation leads towards losing trust. Reflecting to the Western Balkan region, this region faced many challenges in recent history, before the pandemic, so it should keep in mind that values are those making countries in western Balkan region approaching EU and NATO. This region is strategically important for the stability in Europe and the world. Antun Krševan Dujmović reflected to the year 2020, as the year with unprecedented security challenges during which NATO demonstrated its ability to react. Mr. Dujmović stressed situations in which NATO showed its continual commitment to defend values it stands behind. Monika Begović PhD pointed out that the world shares common threats and common values. Euro-Atlantic values: freedom, democracy, good governance, rule of law, individual liberty, peace and stability, functional market economy are especially important and crucial not only for the political agenda, but especially for the citizens themselves, as they bring reforms important for their daily lives. They represent universal citizens’ rights.
The project encompassed three online conferences, that were organized to allow young participants, who have registered to participate from all countries in the region, to ask questions speakers on specific topics and to discuss on their perspective of global health crisis and how the perceive fight against an invisible enemy, with specific view on the role of NATO. It was concluded that Euro-Atlantic values, among which especially solidarity came as very important in this crisis. Very interesting was discussion on geopolitical importance of Western Balkan region, on how global health crisis influences democratic values and the role of media, especially in SEE with resilience as an important NATO core task.
With the support of NATO PDD and support of expert speakers this Webinar School became a very successful educational project.
Program of the International Webinar School 2020
WELCOME WEBINAR
Amb. Gordan Grlić Radman PhD, Croatian Minister of Foreign and European Affairs
Paul King, NATO Public Diplomacy Division
Jim Townsend, President of the Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA)
Luka Jušić, President of YATA Croatia
Monika Begović PhD, President of the Atlantic Council of Croatia, ATA Secretary General a.i.
WEBINAR 1
Republic of North Macedonia – new NATO member country in the most critical time
Speakers:
Prof. Ylber Sela PhD, University of Tetovo
Ljubica Pendaroska MSc, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of North Macedonia
Ilija Djugumanov, Euro-Atlantic Council of North Macedonia
WEBINAR 2
(2 parts)
NATO and crisis management in Western Balkan region – challenges and perspectives
Part 1 – Speakers:
Prof. Arian Starova PhD, University in Tirana, Albania
Prof. Besfort Rrecaj PhD, University in Pristina
Part 2 – Speakers:
Prof. Miloš Šolaja PhD, University in Banja Luka
Prof. Zoran Keković PhD, University in Belgrade
Nikoleta Đukanović PhD, University Donja Gorica, Podgorica
WEBINAR 3
Global health crisis and danger for democratic principles in South East Europe
Speakers:
Prof. Stefano Pilotto PhD, University in Trieste
Hannes Swoboda PhD, International Institute for Peace from Vienna
Korina Vukadinović, Vice-President of the Atlantic Council of Croatia
WEBINAR 4
Resilience as a core task for NATO –
NATO’s further enlargement and its importance in redefining SEE security agenda
Speakers:
Prof. Matthew Rhodes PhD, George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies
Biljana Popovska MSc, George C. Marshall Alumni, North Macedonia
WEBINAR 5
Importance of Euro-Atlantic values –
National responses and cooperation with NATO and EU
Speakers:
Stephanie Fenkart, Director of International Institute for Peace from Vienna
Antun Krševan Dujmović, Institute for Development and International Relations (IRMO)
Monika Begović PhD, President of the Atlantic Council of Croatia