At a time of increasingly tense relations between Russia and the West, SIPRI interviewed members of its Governing Board to reflect on the question: Is there a new cold war?
The four board members—Ambassador Sven-Olof Petersson, Dr Vladimir Baranovsky, Professor Mary Kaldor and Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger—have a wealth of expertise and represent four different nationalities, bringing a range of perspectives to the discussion. The interviews were conducted as part of the event Security in Europe: Is it a new cold war? – or how to avoid one held at SIPRI on 17 May 2016 on the occasion of the Annual Meeting of the SIPRI Governing Board.
Reflections from Ambassador Sven-Olof Petersson
Ambassador Sven-Olof Petersson is the Chairman of the SIPRI Governing Board and a Swedish diplomat. He has served at the Swedish embassies in Algiers, Beirut, Dar es Salaam, Strasbourg and Washington, DC. He also held the post of Swedish ambassador to the European Union and was Sweden's ambassador in Canberra, Australia, until early 2014.
Reflections from Dr Vladimir Baranovsky
Dr Vladimir Baranovsky is the Deputy Director of the premier Russian research institute IMEMO in Moscow, Chair of the Dissertation Council of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, Vice President of the Association for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation, and a board member of the Russian Political Science Association.
Reflections from Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger
Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger is currently the Chairman of the Munich Conference on Security Policy and also Head of Government Relations at Allianz SE, Munich. He is one of the most senior German diplomats and in 2007 he was the EU Representative in the Troika negotiations on Kosovo. He has published widely on foreign policy as well as on European and transatlantic issues.
Reflections from Professor Mary Kaldor
Mary Kaldor is Professor of Global Governance and Director of the Civil Society and Human Security Research Unit at the London School of Economics. She was a founding member of European Nuclear Disarmament, the founder and Co-Chair of the Helsinki Citizens Assembly, and a founding member of the European Council on Foreign Relations.