GERMAN-AMERICAN-RUSSIAN DIALOGUE
GARD
SECOND SEMINAR, ASPEN WYE WOODS
OCTOBER 7TH – 9TH , 2001
Seminar Progamme

Sunday, October 7th, 2001

Opening Session: Perspectives Since September 11th: Identifying Latest Issues in Domestic and Global Politics

Moderator:
Catherine McArdle Kelleher (Project Director, GARD)
Open Discussion

Monday, October 8th, 2001

First Session: New Roles for the Media?

Paper Givers:
Celestine Bohlen, The New York Times
Konstantin Eggert, BBC Russian Service
Lilia Shevtsova, Carnegie Moscow Center

In the last years, mass media has begun a triumphal march through information society. Since then, the media has turned into a source of multiple information transmission, into an impulse giver to its surrounding society, and – probably most decisive – is placing increasing pressure on political agenda-setting. During the Kosovo war, the so called ‘CNN effect’ became visible for the first time. Publicizing information is more and more driven by ‘info-tainment’ desires, while the merging of information and entertainment creates new ‘realities’ to the public. As a consequence, politicians have to react to these stage-managed realities.
The more and often information is channeled through mass media, the less coherent political acting can be, and the more short-term reactions in response to the wants of information society is applied to political decision-making. Given these constraints, will ad-hocism remain the new and dominant mode of politics? Will policy-makers have to adapt their operational styles to the growing impact of the media? Or does the media has to re-think its role in the political decision-making processes?

Chair:
Klaus Segbers, Institute for East European Research, Free University of Berlin
Speakers:
Konstantin Eggert, BBC Russian Service
William Pfaff, International Herald Tribune
Markus Ziener, Handelsblatt Berlin

Second Session: Regulating Risks and Challenges in Global Politics (I)

Paper Givers:
Oliver Wieck, Federal Association of German Industry
Alexandr Pikayev, Carnegie Moscow Center

The anarchic structure of the global environment today holds a multitude of far-reaching risks and problems for the future. Reacting to these changes in substance is the main task to the three countries in question. Global dangers challenge the current shape of the international system, echoing the principal question about the efficiency and legitimacy of existing instruments, rules, and processes in global politics. Therefore, the political horizon needs reflection on re-shaped, or even new regulation mechanisms to confront global challenges.

What level of regulation must be drawn upon for effectively addressing global problems like global warming and other ecological risks, new insecurities caused by international terrorism and violent conflicts, transnational financial and trade flows and economic disparities? What regimes, rules, and governance can be maintained or developed in order to create minimum stability? What alternative solutions to existing regimes and treaties can possibly be established? What norms and institutions must be strengthened or perhaps newly developed? How will this affect the weight and role of international institutions or the nation-state compared to competing transnational networks and flows, agencies and patchwork structures? Which elites and governments are more, which are less interested in developing and keeping common rules?

Chair:
John Steinbruner, Center for International and Security Studies, School of Public Affairs, University of Maryland
Speakers:
Reinhard Loske, Member of the German Bundestag, Green Party, Spokesman for Environmental Issues
Coit Dennis Blacker, Institute for International Studies, Stanford University

Tuesday, October 9th, 2001

Third Session: Regulating Risks and Challenges in Global Politics (II)

Chair:
Catherine McArdle Kelleher
Speakers:
Oliver Wieck, Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, Federation of German Industries
Dmitri Vasiliev, Private Institute of Corporate Law and Corporate Governance

See also GARD II Executive Summary

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