Eleventh ASEF University, Paris, France, February 2005
The Eleventh ASEF University (AU11) was jointly organised by ASEF and the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po) from 12-26 Feb 2005 in Paris, France. AU11 was made possible thanks to the European Commission for its generous support.
The theme of the AU11 was ‘Liberty, Security & The New Global Order’. During this exhilarating two-weeks spent in the City of Lights, a total of 37 participants from 35 Universities in 28 ASEM member countries dynamically participated in this programme. The lectures that were delivered by academics and practitioners from Asia and Europe were distinctly divided into 3 sections. The first part of the lectures were on issues pertaining to the paradigm of liberty in Asia and Europe where lecturers focused on how the Enlightenment and Confucianism as well as Civil Societies conceive and address the notion of liberty. The second part of the lecture series touched on the concept of Security, where issues such as nuclear threats in Northeast Asia as well as the European enlargement and the security dilemmas it brings along were discussed and debated. The final session focused on The Global Order where the significance and the role of trans-regional bodies such as NATO, APEC and ASEM were analysed and questioned and the idea of global governance critiqued.
Two main highlights made AU11 even more fascinating. The first was the much-anticipated lecture by Mr Pascal Lamy, the former European Union Trade Commissioner who spoke on challenges facing a new Europe vis-à-vis the enlargement progression. The second highlight was the newly introduced Great Debates, whereby at the end of each section of the theme, students were put into groups to discuss and debate a certain motion that were proposed by the organisers. The Great Debates brought about a good deal of interaction between the participants whose passion and intensity on the subjects, created an avenue for the topics discussed during the lectures to be brought to a whole new dimension altogether.
Lectures and debates aside, what made AU11 extremely memorable was the cultural programme that was planned for the participants. The participants spent the second day of AU11 in a leisurely ferry ride along the River Seine followed by walks around Paris and visits to museums where they immersed themselves into the rich culture and heritage of Paris. A day trip was made to Versailles sometime during the first week and weekend excursions were carried out to Mont St. Michel and Fontainebleau where architectural treasures and décors as well as scenic views thrilled the participants. Moreover, the farewell reception held at the grand l’Hotel de Ville was graced by the presence of the deputy-mayor of Paris, Mr Pierre Schapira. At the end of it all, albeit the chilly weather in Paris in February, AU11 was a definite success.
The AU11 lectures comprised of:
- Simon Harvey, Senior Lecturer, University of London, United Kingdom
‘The Enlightenment and Ideas of Liberty in Europe’ - Hahm Chaibong, Director, Division of Social Science Research and Policies, UNESCO Head Office
‘Confucianism and the Concept of Liberty’ - Philippe van Amersfoort, Principal Administrator, Human Rights and Democratisation, Directorate-General of External Relations, European Commission
‘Civil Society in Europe’ - Tian Chua, Director, Labour Resource Centre
‘Civil Society in Asia’ - Marianne Péron-Doise, French Joint Staff, International Relations Department, Asia Desk
‘Going Nuclear in Northeast Asia?’ - Albrecht Rothacher, Directorate-General for External Relations, European Commission
‘European Enlargement and the Search for Security in Europe’ - Pascal Lamy, Former European Union Trade Commissioner
‘Challenges for a New Europe’ - Didier Bigo, Professor of International Relations, Sciences-Po and Researcher at the Centre d’Etudes Recherches Internationales, France
‘New Security Challenges in Asia and Europe’ - Jusuf Wanandi, Chairman of the Supervisory Board and Member of the Board of Directors, Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Indonesia
‘Towards an Asian Security Community’ - Richard Higgott, Director, Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation, University of Warwick, United Kingdom
‘Unity and Multipolarity’ - Dr Zaki Laïdi, Seniod Adviser to the EU Commissioner for Trade and Senior Research Fellow, Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches Internationales (CERI), France
‘The Case of Global Governance’ - Chen Zhimin, Chair, Department of International Politics, School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University, China
‘NATO, AOEC and ASEM: Trans-Regionalism and Global Order’ - Yeo Lay Hwee, Executive Director, Singapore Institute of International Affairs
‘ASEM Enlargement: For Better or for Worse?’