Event Summary
A transatlantic conversation on the geopolitical and business effects of COVID-19
Together with Atlantik-Brücke and Eurasia Group, the Munich Security Conference organized a virtual discussion on the geopolitical and economic impact of the current COVID-19 pandemic. The event featured a conversation between Sigmar Gabriel, Ian Bremmer, and Wolfgang Ischinger – the three principals of the partnering institutions.
On 27 April, 2020, the Munich Security Conference (MSC), in collaboration with Atlantik-Brücke and Eurasia Group, hosted a virtual event titled "A Transatlantic Conversation on the Geopolitical and Business Effects of Covid-19." Sigmar Gabriel, Chairman of Atlantik-Brücke, as well as Ian Bremmer, President of Eurasia Group, and Wolfgang Ischinger, Chairman of the MSC, discussed the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on global trade and the international order. Selected participants from politics, think tanks, business, and the media participated in this exclusive exchange.
The discussion evolved around the immediate responses to the pandemic and the current measures of crisis management in Europe and the United States. Referring to the title of the Munich Security Report 2020, Ian Bremmer observed that "you could not have a better example of 'Westlessness' than the response we are not seeing globally, from the US and Europe, to the largest crisis we have had since World War II."
You could not have a better example of 'Westlessness' than the response we are not seeing globally, from the US and Europe, to the largest crisis we have had since World War II.Ian Bremmer•President of Eurasia Group
The role of Europe was a reoccurring theme of the discussion, as participants assessed how the continent is addressing the pandemic. Expressing cautious optimism, Wolfgang Ischinger reasoned that if done right, "this crisis can be a wake-up call and help create a European Union that will be more capable of being a credible international actor" – provided that member states manage to overcome their current urge to address the pandemic first and foremost at the national level. Arguing that the pandemic is amplifying existing difficulties in Europe, Sigmar Gabriel observed that "the coronavirus works like a giant magnifying glass everywhere, showing us all the cracks and frictions that have been there before. This also applies to Europe's internal turmoil. But, like always, there is something like an invisible glue holding Europe together when things get really serious."
There is something like an invisible glue holding Europe together when things get really serious.Sigmar Gabriel•Chairman of Atlantik-Brücke
The MSC will continue the debate on the geopolitical and security implications of the current pandemic as part of its "MSC Digital Conversations" event series to strengthen international dialogue through formal and informal exchanges between decision-makers in the difficult times ahead.
About the "MSC Digital Conversations"
The MSC has acknowledged early on that local health issues have the potential to evolve into full-fledged international security crises. Aware of the need for international action, the MSC partnered with the World Health Organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Chatham House, and Merck, to promote the discussion and collaboration between health officials, NGO leaders, security strategists, the private sector, and decision-makers. Within its Human Security Series, the MSC has been organizing events and conferences on health-related challenges since 2016. Moreover, health security has become an integral part of the MSC's annual conference in Munich as well as its Core Group Meetings. Additionally, a chapter in the annual Munich Security Report regularly focuses on health security issues.
The MSC has set itself the task of making the Covid-19-pandemic the focus of its activities for the immediate future. In the coming weeks and months, the MSC will be staging a series of high-level events called "MSC Digital Conversations" to examine the security implications of the Covid-19-pandemic and promote dialogue between high-ranking representatives from government, academia, NGOs, international organizations and the private sector. MSC Digital Discussions are typically small, confidential meetings under Chatham House Rule. Selected events will be open to the public. Several Digital Conversations will take place each month. Questions regarding these and other events can be sent to office@securityconference.de.
