June 08, 2005
The Madrid Summit Working Paper Series
The Club de Madrid is happy to announce the publication of The Madrid Summit Working Paper Series.
In the months leading up to the Madrid Summit, more than two hundred of the world’s leading scholars and expert practitioners explored the issues of democracy, terrorism and security in an unparalleled process of scholarly debate. There discussions were conducted through a system of password-protected web-logs, and concluded on the first day of the summit.
Each working group issued a final paper of recommendations on which the contributions of The Madrid Summit Working Paper Series are based.
The Madrid Summit Working Paper Series consists of three volumes:
- Volume I – The Causes of Terrorism – includes contributions on the psychological roots of terrorism, political explanations, economic factors, religion, and culture. [PDF file, 728 KB]
- Volume II – Confronting Terrorism – deals with policing, intelligence, military responses, terrorist finance, and science and technology. [PDF file, 728 KB]
- Volume III – Towards a Democratic Response – addresses the role of international institutions, legal responses, democracy promotion, human rights and civil society. [PDF file, 748 KB]
March 11, 2005
The Madrid Agenda
To remember and honour the victims of the terrorist attacks of March 11, 2004, the strength and courage of the citizens of Madrid, and through them, all victims of terrorism and those who confront its threat.
We, the members of the Club of Madrid, former presidents and prime ministers of democratic countries dedicated to the promotion of democracy, have brought together political leaders, experts and citizens from across the world.
We listened to many voices. We acknowledged the widespread fear and uncertainty generated by terrorism. Our principles and policy recommendations address these fundamental concerns.
Ours is a call to action for leaders everywhere. An agenda for action for Governments, institutions, civil society, the media and individuals. A global democratic response to the global threat of terrorism.
Read the full text of The Madrid Agenda
Club de Madrid directive: Mary Robinson, Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Kim Campbell on the Madrid Agenda presentation.
United States Senate passes resolution welcoming the Club of Madrid initiative
United States Senate passes resolution welcoming the Club of Madrid initiative and looks forward to receiving and considering the Madrid Agenda.
Full text of the Resolution: United States Senate Resolution 76 ATS: Expressing the sense of the Senate on the anniversary of the deadly terrorist attacks launched against the people of Spain on March 11, 2004.
March 10, 2005
Summary of the day, March 10th
Information about all the plenaries and sessions of March 10th.
Plenary: The Way Ahead- Plenary: A Global Strategy for Fighting Terrorism
- Plenary: Closing
- Impact of Terror on Financial Institutions
- Media and Terrorism: Friends or Foes?
- Democracy, Terrorism and the Internet
- Stopping the Spread of WMDs
- Religion and Religious Extremism
- Terrorism and Anti-Terrorism in Spain
Closing Plenary
The International Summit on Terrorism and Democracy finished today with a closing ceremony which included closing words by many attending authorities including the Spanish President, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. The experts who spoke tried to spell out in their speeches the causes of terrorism, as well as the strategies to be followed in order to combat it. Strict respect of human rights, education in tolerance since childhood, equality and global justice, were some of the proposed solutions. Among the possible causes, misery and frustration of the third world, as well as illegal trafficing and easy access to arms throughout conflictive zones of the planet were emphasized. Religious intolerance was also considered as a possible cause, although leaders of of Islamic countries insisted in seperating the religion which is a social fact, from the possible extremist deviations which feed the terrorist phenomenon.
Full information: Closing Plenary
Special Plenary
With participation of His Majesty the King and the Secretary-General of the United Nations
The President of the Club of Madrid, Fernando Enrique Cardoso, opened the session with a lively introduction which gave way to words from His Majesty Juan Carlos I, King of Spain. The Monarch in a brief and emotional speech, expressed the strength of the Spanish people in the wake of the painful memory that hovers over the city of Madrid, just one year after the tragedy which occurred at the Atocha train station. Afterwards, King Juan Carlos I passed the microphone to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan.
Full information: Special Plenary
A Global Strategy for Fighting Terrorism
The Secretary-General, United Nations
Keynote address to the Closing Plenary of the International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security
Full transcript: A Global Strategy for Fighting Terrorism
Plenary: The Way Ahead
International cooperation, the promotion democracy, education, and economic assistance for underdeveloped countries are the best tools to defeat terrorism. This was one of the most important conclusions that was reached by the participants of the Thursday morning plenary session. There was a large audience, who followed the speeches of the panellists with a much interest. Among them Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan, and other intellectuals debated a strategy that should be adopted by Democracies in the fight against terrorism. During the entire debate the memory of the victims of 11-M was present. Tomorrow will mark the one year anniversary of the event.
Full information: Plenary: The Way Ahead
March 9, 2005
Summary of the Day, March 9th
Information about all the plenaries and sessions of March 9th.
- Plenary: Preliminary Conclusions of the Working Groups [audio available]
- Plenary: Democracy and Terrorism [audio available]
- Missing the Plot? The Politics of Intelligence Post 9/11
- Terrorism and the Travel Industry
- Terror and the Arab-Israeli Conflict
- From Conflict to Peace: Lessons from the Frontline debate
- The Necessary Alliance: Atlantic Relations
- Protecting the Humanitarian Space in the Face of Violence and Terror
- Democratic Reform in the Arab World
- Balancing the Agenda
- Freedom, Security and Civil Liberties
- Immigration: Is Integration Failing?
- Women, Terror, Religion, Democracy: An Interactive Dialogue
Democracy and Terrorism
"It is a challenge to protect democratic societies from the current kind of terrorism partly because it is difficult to understand, but also because the breadth and scope of terrorism changes continually. But it continues to be by definition, a tool for forcing a specific political or religious ideology on society." With this thought, Madeleine Albright, former US Secretary of State, opened the plenary session on Democracy and Terrorism.
Full information, complete audio and photos: Plenary: Democracy and Terrorism
Preliminary Conclusions of the Working Groups
The first part of the Summit closed with a plenary in which the conclusions from each of the working groups were presented by their coordinators. They took on the responsibility of analyzing the terrorist phenomenon from all its possible aspects, with the aim of offering the widest possible explanation. Actually, there were also many common points of view making it possible to come close to a consensus on a concrete definition of terrorism. The Secretary General of the Club of Madrid, Kim Campbell emphasized the fact that this work had been done by 200 experts from all over the world.
Full information, complete audio and photos:
Plenary: Preliminary Conclusions of the Working Groups
March 8, 2005
Inaugural Plenary of the Summit
The Summit was inaugurated this morning with brief statements from Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Chairman of the Club de Madrid, Bernardino León, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Iberoamerica, Alberto Ruiz Gallardón, Mayor of Madrid, Esperanza Aguirre, President of the Comunidad de Madrid, and His Royal Highness the Prince of Asturias. They all remembered the strength and courage with which the people of Madrid faced the terrible events of March 11th, and expressed their confidence in the fact that the Summit will help to promote solutions and new ways to allow people and governments to confront terrorism more efficiently.
Full information, audio and photos: Inaugural Plenary of the Summit
March 6, 2005
Summit Programme
The latest update of the programme for the International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security is now available. The Summit will be inaugurated on March 8 by TT. RR. HH. the Prince and Princess of Asturias. TT. MM. the King and Queen of Spain, as well as the Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, will attend the closing plenary on March 10. During that same session the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, will deliver a keynote address titled A Global Strategy for Fighting Terrorism. The Summit will conclude on the March 10 with a short act of commemoration and reflection.
February 27, 2005
International Experts at the Summit
More than 200 experts on terrorism from around the world will participate in the international Summit. Debates will be held in four thematic areas: the underlying causes of terrorism, how to confront the problem of terrorism, democratic answers to terrorism, and the role of civil society. Conclusions reached at the Summit will be incorporated into the Agenda of Madrid, which will be published on the 11th of March.
Find more information in the official Press Release: More than 200 experts on terrorism from around the world will participate in the international Summit and the Participants list.
February 1, 2005
Cooperation agreement
The Spanish Government, the Regional Government of Madrid and the Town Hall of Madrid have today signed a cooperation agreement with the Club of Madrid for the staging of the International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security. Through this agreement, all levels of Spanish government are reaffirming their desire to use this Summit as a symbol of their commitment to combat terrorism and their support of its victims.
The President of Madrid’s Autonomous Government, Esperanza Aguirre; the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miguel Ángel Moratinos; the President of the Club of Madrid, Fernando Henrique Cardoso and the Mayor of Madrid, Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón.
Read the full Press Release.
January 21, 2005
Background
March 11, 2004. Ten bombs exploded on four trains during the rush hour in Madrid. More than 190 people died, almost two thousand were injured. It was one of the most devastating terrorist attacks in Europe in recent history. As in the United States of America on September 11 2001, it was an attack on freedom and democracy by an international network of terrorists. One year on, Madrid will be the setting for a unique conference, the International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security under the
January 1, 2005
Terrorism
“Any action, in addition to actions already specified by the existing conventions on aspects of terrorism, the Geneva Conventions and UN Security Council resolution 1566 (2004) [PDF, 30 KB], that is intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or non-combatants, when thepurpose of such an act, by its nature or context, is to intimidate a population, or to compela Government or an international organization to do or to abstain from doing any act.”
The United Nations’ Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change, Final Report (1 December 2004).
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