Publisher's Synopsis
The 50th meeting of the Munich Security Conference (MSC) was intended as a celebration of sorts. More than 400 "movers and shakers" attended, including 20 heads of government and 50 foreign and defense ministers as well as numerous legislators. The half-century endurance of the conference attests to the value placed upon it by Americans and Europeans alike. Since the end of the Cold War the MSC has morphed from a purely Transatlantic institution to a global one, with regular participation by Middle Eastern and Asian officials and scholars. And the Russian foreign minister is now a regular participant of this conference which began as the "Wehrkunde" or Defense Studies meeting to cement Euro-American cohesion against the threat of Soviet aggression. The latter aspect was sorely tested during the 50th conference, which took place at Munich's grand Hotel Bayerischer Hof from 31 January to 2 February of this year. While Viktor Yanukovych still held the presidency in Ukrain and Russian forces had not yet occupied the Crimea, the diplomatic standoff over the domestic crisis in Kiev had clearly begun. It was the first major security crisis in Europe since the Balkan conflict, and naturally received significant attention at the MSC. In this issue of Hampton Roads International Security Quarterly we include extensive coverage of the debate on this issue, including the positions of Russia, the EU, the US, and the Ukrainian opposition. These articles make interesting reading in light of Moscow's the subsequent escalation of hostilities. Ironically, the other set of tensions dominating the conference played out between the United States and Europe. In the wake of the Snowden revelations the European partners called for new standards of conduct to ensure that national sovereignty and civil rights are maintained in the digital age. While firm on this issue, the European participants also stressed the need to prevent the US National Security Agency's surveillance programs from undermining the cohesion of the Transatlantic partnership. Perhaps Russia's bullying tactics vis-a-vis Ukraine, manifested well before the de facto occupation of the Crimea, played a role in Europe's measured position regarding the US surveillance programs. We include several contributions on this vital topic, including an address by Estonian President Ilves at the MSC and the text of the final communique of the Second Cyber Security Summit held in Bonn in November 2013. The MSC Core Group meeting held in Washington in November also focused on this topic, as our report in this issue documents. The third aspect dominating the conference was the call for Germany to assume greater responsibility in global affairs. This appeal was made sequentially by German President Joachim Gauck, Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen, and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, reflecting a positive policy shift by the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel. What remains to be seen is whether Germany's parliament and populace will support increased engagement, especially where security issues beyond the borders of the European Union are concerned. In contrast to the last few years Afghanistan was definitely a lower echelon concern. Several Middle Eastern topics - Iran's nuclear program, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the Syrian civil war - were on the agenda but with no significant results. To provide a solid perspective we have divided this issue's contributions into four sections: one covering the preparatory events leading up to the 2014 MSC, and one for each of the conference's three days in Munich. This issue's contributions include verbatim presentations by senior leaders, "Town Hall" style question and answer sessions with these leaders, essays by subject area specialists, summaries of panel debates, and - as indicated above - a complete final communique.
