The 2011 International Conference on Cultural Diplomacy in the European Union
"Crisis, Conflict, and Culture: The Role of Cultural Diplomacy in the European Project"
(Brussels; December 6th - 9th, 2011)
Event Introduction
The EU & Cultural Diplomacy Conference is the first of a series of four conferences dedicated to enhancing awareness and understanding of international governing institutions and their role in promoting cultural diplomacy across the world. The conference, focused on the European Union, is an international conference organized by the ICD and other leading organizations in the home base of the EU—Brussels, Belgium.The “European project” has experienced various incarnations since the Second World War and—despite the proliferation of sovereign debt crises in Greece, Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Italy—remains a unique and unparalleled political experiment with important lessons to impart to the rest of the world. However, the challenges this relatively inchoate union faces are significant and, with the stability of the single currency in peril, the political and economic future of Europe is hazy.
The goal of this year’s conference is to facilitate exploration of the unique challenges currently facing Europe from the debt crisis, to crippling military engagements, to the debate over increased political and economic union—funneled through a thorough understanding of the historical and theoretical foundations of the “European Project.”
Conference Participants
The conference is open to applications from governmental and diplomatic officials, civil society practitioners, young professionals, students and scholars, private sector representatives, journalists, and other interested stakeholders from across the world.If you would like to reserve a position, please click on the "Apply Now" link below:
Conference Location
Based primarily in Brussels, the conference will be hosted at a number of important political, historic, and cultural locations across the city.European Parliament »
The Conference will be hosted at the European Parliament in Brussels.Conference Speakers
Speakers during the conference include leading figures and experts from civil society, international politics, academia, diplomacy, and civil society from around the world. These speakers will include a number of individuals from the ICD Advisory Board.Participant Papers »
The Institute for Cultural Diplomacy encourages research and progressive thought on the fields of culture, globalization and international relations, and welcomes conference participants to submit relevant papers addressing topics within these fields particular to their interests and passions. Participants can submit papers written in the past for other purposes or ongoing research, or written specifically for the conference. Groups of students are also allowed to submit collaborative pieces of work.Certificate of Attendance
All participants will be awarded an official certificate of attendance upon completion of the program, which provides details about the speakers and topics at the conference. Each certificate will be signed by members of the ICD's Advisory Board.Congress Agenda »
The Conference will take place over a period of four days, in the European Union’s home base, Brussels. The conference is dedicated to increasing awareness and understanding of the historical/theoretical foundations of European unity and the Role of Cultural Diplomacy in the European Project" today.Germany and France have publicly maintained their commitment to the stability of the Euro, but there is no guarantee that ever more drastic steps won’t be necessary to keep the dream of a “United Europe”. While economic policies are at the top of everyone’s radar screens, increasingly divergent views on military engagement and on the very nature of supranational governance also threaten to divide the Union. A greater reliance on a culture-based brand of diplomacy is in no way a panacea, but will certainly go a long way toward furthering Europeans’ understandings of one another and, in turn, resolving some critical challenges productively and peacefully.
