S Security
Carol Dobson
is the principal of Carol Dobson Communications in
Halifax. Previously, she worked in government and
association public affairs, including as assistant base
information officer at CFB Halifax.
Halifax Security Forum
Connecting the geopolitical dots
F
or three days in November, the port city of Halifax welcomed 300 of the world's key thinkers for the fourth annual Halifax Security Forum. The topics discussed were as
diverse as the contingent gathered – from micro issues such as the
use of drones over boots on the ground, to the macro issues of
Syria, the Middle East, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China and Japan.
"Halifax is all about going global, going horizontal, looking
at the nexus of issues, and connecting dots to get seamless solutions," said Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and the
originator of the conference. "Halifax is about discussions that
question our assumptions to help us better meet the challenges
ahead. This Forum informs and enables us as a community of
ideas for the real world – a community that remains active even
after each of us returns to our homes and our routines."
The initial session raised the topic of "what is the new normal"
from an American and European perspective, based on the rise of
India and China, new middle-powers like Brazil and Turkey, and
how they have re-shaped the balance of power in geopolitics. One
of the panellists, Wolfgang Ischinger, the chairman of the Munich
Security Conference, commented that one clear lesson of the past
Photos: Cpl Chris Ringius
36 DECEMBER 2012/JANUARY 2013
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