Roundup: Munich Security Conference to focus on collapse of int'l order

The collapse of the international order in light of current conflicts, among others such as the issue of Ukraine, is set to dominate the agenda as top officials and experts gather in Germany for annual talks on security this weekend.

The 51st Munich Security Conference (MSC) is scheduled to start on Friday in the southern German city of Munich and run through Sunday.

Since its inception in 1963, the annual conference has been a leading international forum for world leaders and security experts to discuss major security issues facing the world, with a special focus on transatlantic partnership.

Key topic of this year's event will be the collapse of the international order in view of current crises and conflicts, including the crisis in Ukraine and its implication for the European security architecture, as well as the challenging situation in the Middle East.

The global refugees crisis and the fight against terrorism will also be among the top issues.

The MSC has recently published for the first time a security report on the occasion of the upcoming conference.

The first edition: "Collapsing Order, Reluctant Guardians?" shines a spotlight on major security issues and emerging challenges of the current international security agenda.

"Over the past twelve months, numerous crises have developed into crucial challenges and threats to international peace and security in ways that many decision-makers and analysts did not see coming," wrote MSC Chairman Wolfgang Ischinger in a preface to the security report.

These crises, according to Ischinger, have exposed worrisome cracks in the international order and shed light on the shortcomings of existing collective security mechanisms and structures.

Security experts said in a report summary that "while structures for global economic governance have arguably performed rather well in managing the global crisis after 2008, the same can hardly be said for security governance."

"Our collective ability to solve problems has decreased, and major institutions of global security governance have been weakened. This leaves the world with a huge gulf between demand for and supply of international governance," they further explained.

The 70-page-long publication, as Ischinger said, is meant as a conversation starter for the conference on this weekend, which will attract over 400 renowned decision-makers in international politics, including about 20 heads of state and government as well as 60 foreign and defense ministers.

Ischinger said in a recent interview that he expected the participants at this year's event to use the opportunity in Munich to find solutions to current conflicts and crises.

Pointed the European security, including the Ukraine crisis, as an event focus, Ischinger said the main day of the conference on Feb. 7 will be almost exclusively devoted to the issue.

In addition, a major discussion among leaders of European countries as well as bilateral and multilateral meetings are expected to be held during the conference to deal with the issue of European security, according to the chairman.

"I am sure that the opportunity in Munich will be intensively used to find possibilities of de-escalating the crisis and a way out of the extremely difficult situation," he said. Endit