A.Sushentsov Gives Talk at OSCE Strategic Session

24 June 2020

June 24th, at the invitation of OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger, MGIMO’s Director of the Institute for International Studies A.Sushentsov delivered a speech during the strategic session on “Strategic Forecasting and Its Importance for the OSCE”, which was held in the framework of the OSCE Annual Security Review Conference.

The OSCE Annual Security Review Conference, launched in 2002, is the organization’s main event for enhancing dialogue on regional security challenges. It gives participating States an opportunity to exchange views on issues related to the OSCE’s politico-military dimension, to take stock of the relevant activities undertaken by the OSCE and its participating states, and to promote the exchange of information and co-operation with relevant international and regional organizations and institutions.

The OSCE puts an emphasis on fostering an expert dialogue which allows it to create accurate forecasts of long-term trends, detect potential threats and develop solutions to overcome them. The new generation is faced with new challenges, which are not confined to national borders and require international cooperation to overcome them. The new pandemic has however led to a decline in international cooperation and the global community has not been successful so far in developing a coordinated response.

During the meeting, participants discussed the new ways of analysing the uncertainties and security threats in OSCE member states and the potential ways of overcoming them.

OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger kicked off the discussions, which were attended by experts in forecasting political trends. The participants included the Head of the United States Atlantic Council’s Strategic Foresight Initiative Mathew Barrows, the Deputy Director of the European Union Institute for Security Studies Florence Gaub and the Head of the Strategic Forecasting Department of the Geneva Center for Security Policy Emily Munro.