19.04.2024, 10:36
Russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine is only the first stage of a long lasting conflict with the West. Recent pseudo elections only legitimized the Putin system, which allows Russian authorities to wage war for years to come in order to achieve assumed strategic goals, which include subordinating Ukraine and enforcing a buffer zone on NATO’s Eastern Flank. Russia has also targeted or attacked critical energy infrastructure in Ukraine and Europe as a means of political blackmail against the West. In addition, China views Russian aggression against Ukraine as an opportunity to speed up the process of modifying the international order.
Members of the transatlantic community have realized the threats that aggressors like Russia and China pose not only to their safety and stability, but also the global order that they and their citizens benefit from so much. However, more still needs to be done between them to successfully defend their strategic interests and goals without losing sight of what’s at stake. The panel discussions intend to tackle the issues of transatlantic perspectives on defense and energy security as keys to strengthening ties between North America and Europe along with accessing the role partners like Canada and Poland can play in the process.
April 19, 2024
10:00 AM PDT
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver
Vancouver, British Columbia
Agenda
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9:00 – 10:00 |
Registration and Coffee |
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10:00 – 10:10
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Welcoming & Opening Remarks Kelly OGLE CEO, Canadian Global Affairs Institute Paweł MARKIEWICZ Executive Director, The Polish Institute of International Affairs – Washington DC Office |
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10:10 – 10:30 |
Keynote Address H.E. Andrzej DUDA President of the Republic of Poland Followed by a Question Session moderated by Christy CLARK Former Premier of British Columbia |
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10:30-11:15 |
Panel 1 | NATO @ 75: The Alliance and its Future in the Face of a Long War in Europe Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine transformed the global order to a point of no return. However, after 2 years of war, Western determination and cohesion in supporting Ukraine is in question. At the upcoming NATO summit in Washington DC, the Alliance will be forced to make important decisions on critical topics, including burden sharing and defense spending, that will have significant implications for the ability to defend and deter allies and shape the future Euro-Atlantic security architecture Moderator: Patrycja SASNAL Head of Research Polish Institute of International Affairs Speakers: Wojciech LORENZ Coordinator, International Security Program Polish Institute of International Affairs Ian BRODIE Program Director Canadian Global Affairs Institute |
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11:15-12:00 |
Panel 2 | From Idealism to Realism: Energy as a Critical Security Component Russia’s use of energy as a tool of political blackmail and an element for future hybrid warfare aims to further escalate tensions with the West. While many Europeans have jettisoned their dependence on Russian hydrocarbons, more still needs to be done to diversify their energy sectors with partners that possess experience in this sector, like Canada. In addition, NATO countries must strengthen their capacity to protect critical infrastructure Moderator: Kelly OGLE CEO Canadian Global Affairs Institute Speakers: Stewart Muir Resource Works Paweł MARKIEWICZ Executive Director Polish Institute of International Affairs – Washington DC Office |