5-6 November 2007

For the sixth time, experts from different countries and fields, both civilians and the military, and governmental and non-governmental actors will meet up in Barcelona to carry out an assessment of the progress made in security and defence in the Mediterranean, and to analyse the main challenges of the future. This year, particular emphasis will be placed on the scenarios of stability and instability in the region, as well as on issues linked with human security (fundamental freedoms, the reform of the security sector and civilian-military cooperation in humanitarian missions)

Presentation and discussion of the research study Institutions and legislative activity in Latin America, by Mercedes García Moreno, assistant doctorate lecturer in the field of Political Science at the University of Salamanca. The author of the document ─ whose main lines of research are Parliaments, parliamentary elites and Executive-Legislative relations in Latin America ─ uses a systematic analysis of legislative procedure to examine the capacity that Latin American institutions grant to the President and the Parliament to influence the legislative agenda.

12-14 November

In March 2007, the Islamic Republic of Mauritania brought to an end a process of political transition which has, generally speaking, been greeted with optimism by national and international observers. After a long period of authoritarian regimes, the country may be facing a unique opportunity to deal with some of its greatest problems ─ a deep-seated economic inequality that has resulted in very high poverty rates, the heavy legacy of a military sector that has been extremely interventionist in the country's political life, and the wounds that were opened by the repression of the pulaar population in the early 1990s. This seminar aims to analyse the process of political transition and the challenge faced by the current government in terms of the country’s evolution towards a democratic culture; the seminar will cover aspects linked to policies of cultural diversity, the evolution of the political system and of international relations, as well as different areas of Hispano-Mauritania and relations (trade relations, cooperation, management of migration flows, etc.).

At this workshop, Josep M. Reniu, Permanent Lecturer in Political Science and Administration at the University of Barcelona and the author of several studies on coalition governments and new technologies in democratic processes, will be presenting some key points for widening the analysis and understanding of the coalition dynamics present in Latin America in presidential systems.

Comments from Jordi Matas, Permanent Lecturer in Political Science and Administration at the University of Barcelona and Vice-Rector of Institutional Relations, Communication and Linguistic Policy at the University of Barcelona.

The recent approaches being made by Asian powers ─ and especially by China ─ to Latin America has opened up a debate on how these countries’ foreign policies could alter the regional balance in America, and even contribute to the transformation of the international system toward one of multipolarism. At the same time, this phenomenon raises questions as to the persistence of new forms of colonialism, with the Asian powers now having to meet their responsibilities within the framework of international relations. This debate workshop, which has been conceived as an exchange of ideas on the subjects presented, will specifically deal with two aspects of relations between Latin America and Asia: firstly, the American agenda in China’s foreign policy and secondly, the interregional alliances that could be developing between Iran and a number of Latin American countries, including Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Ecuador, and which are united by the fact that they all have a tense relationship with the United States.

The presentation - coordinated by the President of the CIDOB Foundation, NarcísSerra - of a Strategy Notebook drafted by the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies that examines Iran's role as an emerging power in the Middle East. This monographic notebook covers a range of themes, including the history of contemporary Iran, the country's importance in the energy field, the European Union's policies and priorities, the nuclear issue and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Those attending the presentation will receive a copy of this collective work.

15 - 16 November 2007

A meeting between Latin American and Spanish experts in the field of coexistence and citizen security, organised with the aim of finding new views that will help to stop the spiral of everyday violence which, in Latin American cities, is taking on the form of armed conflict, and represents one of the main factors of danger and insecurity in Latin America.

The starting point for this seminar is the fact that Spain is increasingly becoming the preferred choice for immigrants as well as ─ and especially so ─ one of the main destinations for Latin American immigration. Organised with the aim of examining the research currently being done on migration flows which pays particular attention in its analysis to both the destination countries and the reception society, the seminar represents an initiative that is attempting to promote the creation of a network of experts and to facilitate a global understanding of the phenomenon of migration, by tackling it from many different local and international dimensions.

Working language: Spanish.

Of Austrian origin, Gerald Knaus, the founder and current president of the European Stability Initiative (ESI) analyses the conflict in Kosovo, a current issue that is determining the European Union's ability to help strengthen the ever-delicate stability in the Balkans. The ESI is a research and political action institute created in 1999 to contribute to the promotion of stability and prosperity in southeast Europe; with offices in Berlin, Istanbul and Pristina, it has great influence in the Balkans region and maintains direct contacts with its main political actors.

This workshop involves an analysis of the recomposition of public spaces and reflects on the meaning that the idea and practice of proximity could have within them. This concept is a crossing point for issues as diverse as representation, identity, the new organisation of “global” and “local”, immediacy and prospective, communication and deliberation, leadership and participation, as well as the possibilities of territorial mobilisation.

Talk to be given by Daniel Innerarity, permanent lecturer in philosophy at the University of Zaragoza and guest lecturer at the Institute for Political Studies at the Université Bordeaux III. He is a frequent contributor of opinion articles to the newspapers El Correo and El País, as well as the magazine Claves de Razón Práctica.

The aim of this debate workshop is to present some of the latest publications from the Observatory for Immigration, and to reflect upon the state of research in the area of immigration in Spain.

Among the works discussed will be Literatura sobre inmigrantes en España (Literature on immigrants in Spain) and Empresariado étnico en España (Ethnic business in Spain).

Invited speakers: Federico Bardají Ruiz, author of Literatura sobre inmigrantes en España and Joaquín Beltrán, Laura Oso and Natalia Ribas, coordinators of the book Empresariado étnico en España. The presentation will be headed by Montserrat LópezCobo, director of the Permanent Observatory for Immigration (OPI) and by Josep Ribera, director of the CIDOB Foundation.

The nuclear issue represents an important element for debate in relations between East and West, insofar as the emergence of new countries with nuclear capacity in Asia clashes with a framework of non-proliferation headed by the West, though also by Russia and China. Meanwhile, the West is calling into question how far certain national programs in Asia are for "strictly civil" ends, at the same time as Western countries are employing double standards in terms of the acceptance of new nuclear powers. It is hoped that, within the framework of the East-West Dialogue, this space for debate will help to focus on the key elements that are encouraging the nuclear option, in order to explore future perspectives with particular reference to Asia, as well as to present new views on existing instruments, with the aim of improving their legitimacy and strengthening relationships of mutual trust.

22, 23 and 24 November 2007

This seminar represents an attempt to reflect deeper upon the illegal drugs economy and transnational crime, its evolution and the different alternative proposals to prohibitionism, with the aim of increasing social awareness and encouraging the drafting of better, more effective public policy, so as to help to promote peace and human rights.

Michal Natorski, lecturer in International Relations at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and member of the Observatory of European Foreign Policy, presents a research study on how Euro-Mediterranean relations are financed, by analysing the impact of the European Neighbourhood Policy. As from 2007, the funds that had previously been destined for the Mediterranean (the MEDA funds) and those which had previously been destined for East European countries (Phare and Tacis) have been combined to form one single financing instrument: the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument. Natorski analyses what impact this change will have on geographical and specific thematic priorities in Euro-Mediterranean relations, and whether a substantial improvement is observed with respect to the methods by which these financing programmes are executed. Michal Natorski's presentation of the study will be followed by comments from representatives from the academic world and the administration, the names of whom will be announced in the near future on the CIDOB Foundation's website.

The aim of this debate workshop is to examine three aspects of the sociopolitical panorama of Central Asia that are still relatively unknown. In the first place, the workshop will deal with poverty, and will attempt to elucidate to what extent this factor compromises development in the region. Secondly, an analysis will be made of how ideological determining factors intervene on the political stage, placing particular emphasis on the emergence of radical and violent Islamist movements in these countries. Finally, this latter point will be contrasted with the implications of the processes of change of government for the political life of the region, paying particular attention to the case of Kirghizstan.

Presentations by Max Spoor, Coordinator for the Centre for the Study of Transition and Development (CESTRAD - The Hague) and lecturer at the Barcelona Institute for International Studies (IBEI); Víctor Wilches, researcher for the inter-disciplinary group REDALCES - Spain and Roger Serra, lecturer in International Relations, Autonomous University of Barcelona.

Call for papers
30 November 2007 deadline for the abstracts.

The competition has opened for the submission of written works that have as their central theme a reflection on the notion of territory and its links with tourism, heritage and identity. The papers that are judged to be the best will be selected to form part of the seminar Tourism, heritage, identities and territories which, working from a multidisciplinary viewpoint, will represent an attempt to widen our perception of the concept of territory, redefining it in terms of its implications for the field of tourism, sustainable development and the processes of identity reconstruction. It is all about investigating whether, now that mobility affects tourism more than ever, the reassessment of territory as a social identification space and a development space could become a source of conflict or, in contrast, an opportunity for social and economic advancement.