20/11/2012
“Reporting on International Security and Terrorism” Seminar
Syria and Beyond: Foreign Policy Challenges Facing the Next US President The Thomson Reuters Foundation Annual Global Security Seminar was held in Istanbul this year and organised in coordination with Istanbul Policy Center.
As the part of the seminar, Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, former US Ambassador to the UN, Iraq, and Afghanistan was the keynote speaker at the conference at ‘the Seed’ at the Sakıp Sabancı Muesum in Emirgan, Istanbul. Mark Trevelyan from Reuters moderated the conference entitled “Syria and Beyond: Foreign Policy Challenges Facing the Next US President.” Ambassador Khalilzad, spoke of the on-going conflict in Syria and noted that this conflict has been creating problems for Syria’s neighbouring countries. During the conference, the future foreign policy challenges facing the next US president and their implications for Turkey and the region were discussed. The Ambassador referred to a number of foreign policy issues, such as the future of Afghanistan, the USA’s policies regarding the Arab Spring, Iran’s nuclear program and the Syrian crisis. Khalilzad spoke of Iran and nuclear weapons, and relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Ambassador mentioned that he was very pleased with the rise of Turkish power and influence in the last 10 to 15 years. For him, Turkey, as one of the rising powers, has become a much more important player.
The seminar on “Reporting on International Security and Terrorism” was held from November 12-14 with the support of Stiftung Mercator, Gerda Henkel Stiftung and the Stanley Foundation.
On the first day of the Seminar, guests discussed the death of global jihadism; how authoritarian rulers use social media to repress revolutions and collect intelligence; security, terrorism and the media; race politics, Islamophobia, and extremisms of the far right and left; and Somalia.
On November 13, Tuesday Doc. Dr. Rahmi Yaran, Mufti of Istanbul gave a speech on “the importance of Cami for Muslims and Tolerance and Living Together” at the Fatih Mosque. Fuat Keyman, Director of Istanbul Policy Center moderated the next session on “Turkey’s bridge building role in the Middle East and the World” and the Arab Spring was discussed.
On the last day of the “Reporting on International Security and Terrorism” Seminar; topics such as preventi
