The United States Meets Europe

The United States Meets Europe: “Beyond Mars and Venus: The Transatlantic Relationship in the New World Order” (Washington DC & New York, 3rd – 9th January 2011)

The United States Meets Europe (www.icd-usame.org) is an active network of individuals from across the world, who have an interest in international affairs, cultural exchange, and the European-American relationship. The forthcoming USAME conference be held in Washington DC & New York from 3rd – 9th January 2011, and will focus on the following theme “Beyond Mars and Venus: The Transatlantic Relationship in the New World Order.”

Both sides of the European-American relationship have long emphasized a fundamental importance of foreign policy and their positioning in the world. Recent events and emerging challenges, including the global financial crisis, the security situation in the Middle East, and the issue of climate change, are forcing policy makers on both sides to reassess their approach to the relationship and its relevance in moving forward. “Beyond Mars and Venus” will explore the challenges and opportunities which lie ahead for the relationship, and will encourage discussion on how both sides can respond to its changing context.

In particular, the next USAME Weeklong Seminar will focus on the following themes:

• The State of Relations: Confronting Immediate Issues and Identifying Future Challenges

•An Increasingly Multi-Polar World: The Ability of the West to Maintain its Capacity to Project both Hard and Soft Power

•NATO - From Afghanistan and into the Future: Managing Security Threats from both State and Non-State Actors

•In the Wake of the Global Financial Crisis: Coordinating the New International Financial Architecture and Preventing Future Crises

•The Role and Responsibility of the EU and US in Confronting Climate Change: Potential Agendas

•The Dynamics and Impact of Inter-Cultural Exchange within the Euro-American Relationship

The speakers during the Seminar will include:

Alan Larson – Former United States Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs

Dr. Ali Ahmad Jalali - Former Interior Minister of Afghanistan; Distinguished Professor at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies of the National Defense University, WashingtonAmb.

Dr. András Simonyi - Former Hungarian Ambassador to the US

Amb. Dr. Cynthia Schneider - Professor of Cultural Diplomacy at Georgetown University, Former U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands

Lord Jack McConnell - Former First Minister of Scotland

Admiral James Milton Loy – Former United States Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security; Former Commandant of the Coast Guard

Dr. Karen Donfried - Executive Vice President, The German Marshall Fund of the United States

Matthias Stausberg - Spokesperson, United Nations Global Compact (tbc)

Dr. Miomir Zuzul - Former Foreign Minister of Croatia, President of Dubrovnik International University

The Hon. Senator Tim Hutchinson – Former United States Senator of Arkansas

Contact:

www.icd-usame.org

usame@culturaldiplomacy.org

Why would you post this here?

Weird. Web page after web page saying that they want to bring people together to spread ideas and accomplish things, but the only real substance is that there are conferences which you can go to. There is a generalized goal of “bringing the USA and Europe together”, but damned if there’s a clear explanation of what that means. Hey! You can get certified for…something…for a measly 275 dollars.

They want “like-minded individuals”. Reminds me of those weird kids at my old campus that brought all these fliers to hand out, but only wanted to hand them to people who immediately agreed with their perspective, which, of course, was “You like socialism? Cool. What? You’re against it? You’re not the type of person we’re here to talk to. Only dummies, please.”

I may have added that last part…

Bring separation together.

The thinktank industrial complex. It’s spam, but it is fun to have a good laugh about.