Strong presence for Kent at the GLOBSEC 2016

The GLOBSEC 2016, a premier security forum for the policy-makers, analysts and practitioners across Europe and the world, has enjoyed a strong representation from the Kent students and staff this year.

For the 11th consecutive year, the GLOBSEC in Bratislava (Slovakia) has been contributing to shaping the regional, European and wider transatlantic foreign and security policy agenda.

Over the years, its key-note speakers have included David Cameron, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Donald Tusk, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, John Allen, John McCain, Carl Bildt, Ahmed Rashid, George Friedman and Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic.

The GLOBSEC 2016 forum hosted the former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and the German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen as its key-note speakers, and focused on the challenges of migration, the on-going threat of the Islamic State, the role of NATO in European security, BREXIT and European relations with Russia.

Uniquely, the University of Kent enjoyed a very strong presence this year at the Global Security Forum. The School of Politics and International Relations was represented by Professor Elena Korosteleva (Politics), a member of the GLOBSEC International Advisory Board, Professor Richard Whitman who spoke at the GLOBSEC Young Leaders’ Forum about Brexit, and Giles Polglase to represent the  School of Engineering and Digital Arts on the issues of biometric and cyber security.

The forum also received support from a group of Kent students including Igor Merheim-Eyre (POLIR PhD student) assisting the Forum with the outcome summary and social media, Simona Majernikova (POLIR 2nd year student) and Dominik Dubovsky (School of Anthropology) who, through a fierce international competition, were selected to assist the GLOBSEC media team.