Annual Conferences
The principal purpose of the PASS annual conferences, which each year bring together 50-100 leading academic experts and policy makers, is to enrich both the academic and public debate, with respect to the public policy challenges of our time and to generate original and practical recommendations and analyses for the Atlantic community and the free world.
The first PASS conference was entitled "NATO and the Greater Middle East" and convened on the premises of the Czech Senate in mid-October 2003. The purpose was to explore the role of NATO in Afghanistan, post-Saddam Iraq, and the Middle East peace process, as well as counter-proliferation efforts, and the war on terrorism. Most of the 45 conference participants from abroad, including Madeleine Albright, HRH Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, as well as US permanent representative to NATO R. Nicholas Burns, and the 33 participants from the Czech Republic, including Václav Havel, agreed that the conference had brought numerous interesting insights to bear on a multidimensional topic. Top
A highlight of the PASS program in 2004 was a conference entitled "Energy and Security: Global Challenges – Regional Perspectives" which was convened on October 19-21, 2004 in Prague. Participants came from various locations in North America, Europe and Japan. Distinguished conference participants included the former Chancellor of President Havel’s office, Karel Schwarzenberg; U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic, William J. Cabaniss; the Chairman of the Board of Directors at The Eisenhower Institute, Susan Eisenhower; Fatih Birol, Chief Economist of the International Energy Agency. Top
Following the success of its previous two conferences, PASS organized an international conference on “Business and Security: Who Will Pay the Price?” held in Prague on October 10 – 12, 2005. The conference provided an ideal venue for debate within the international community on the nexus between global business activities and security concerns. It also addressed broader issues including security-minded corporate governance, business perspectives on global security and threat assessments, challenges to international insurance companies, and the proper role of multilateral institutions, such as NATO. “Security-Minded Corporate Governance Principles” were adopted at the conference, which hosted over 100 international and Czech participants, including the NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General James Jones. Top
Conference conclusions and reports can be downloaded from the Publications section.Top
