CountDown

Issue number 0; January 10, 2005; 57 days to summit

WELCOME

Welcome to CountDown, the newsletter of the Madrid Summit. We hope that it will give everyone interested in the Summit the information they need to follow progress and play a part.

In this first issue you can find out about our web page, where you can read the Programme and find more information about the Working Groups who are currently at work preparing the Madrid Agenda.

There's also some information about the Summit organisation and the people involved.

Two areas of the site will be updated regularly and contain links to background reading and other websites that may be useful.

The first is called Related Links, a catalogue of other Internet sites relevant to the Summit.The second is the Document Library where we have compiled a series of interesting articles and documents from reliable sources. We want this information to provide a resource / reference centre for those interested in learning more about the subject, both during and beyond the Summit.

Another new development is our partnership with the online magazine of politics and culture, OpenDemocracy.net, who are working to extend and open up the Madrid debate to the global public, through online forums and through facilitating a large number of small-scale meetings across the world on March 11, in which people can discuss the Summit’s core issues. If you would like to receive further details of the meetings on March 11 then sign up at Safe-Democracy.org

The Summit is being organized by the Club of Madrid an independent organization dedicated to strengthening democracy around the world by drawing on the unique experience and resources of its Members - democratic former heads of state and government. In partnership with other organizations and governments that share its democracy-promotion goals, the Club of Madrid provides peer to peer counsel, strategic support and technical advice to leaders and institutions working towards democratic transition and consolidation.

WHAT THE MADRID SUMMIT IS
An opportunity for democracies and democrats to analyse the phenomenon of terrorism, and find the best ways to confront and defeat it.

WHAT THE MADRID SUMMIT IS NOT
A place for political agendas, ideological attacks or for the demonizing of countries or cultures.

WORKING GROUP NEWS

To prepare the Madrid documents, two hundred of the world’s leading experts are currently engaging in a process of intense debate. Working groups are focusing on the following subject areas:

The Causes and Underlying Factors of Terrorism

To be effective in overcoming terrorism, we need to understand why it occurs. This is not because we empathise with the terrorists or because we want to give in to their demands, but simply because any effective strategy against terrorism requires knowing what motivates this form of violence against innocent civilians.

Confronting Terrorism

We owe it to the thousands of victims of terrorism to find better ways to stop terrorists from threatening our democratic way of life. For this reason, we will explore the most effective use of the police, the military, the intelligence services and other national and international agencies to prevent and fight terrorism.

Towards a Democratic Response

Defending our core democratic values means responding to terrorist attacks in ways that strengthen our democratic institutions and spread freedom where it does not yet exist. We aim to construct a strategy against terrorism based on the principles of democracy and international co-operation.

Civil society

Strengthening civil society against extremists and violent ideologies, as well as mobilising citizens in favour of democracy, are an essential part of the long-term response to terrorism. Civic engagement will therefore be one of the key issues addressed at the Summit and in our online debate.

You can help the Working Group members by taking part in our public debate, since the contributions made there will be fed into the Working Group process, and Working Group members will be taking part in the public debate. Go to http://madrid.opendemocracy.net to register and start making a difference.

Acerca de Cuenta Atrás

CountDown is a newsletter for news and views surrounding the
International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security, to be held in Madrid from March 8-11, 2005. To find out more, go to http://summit.clubmadrid.org

Subscribe and Unsubscribe

If you would like us to keep you up to date on what's happening by email, we'd be happy do so. To subscribe, visit
http://summit.clubmadrid.org/pre-reg.html. To unsubscribe write to unsubscribe@safe-democracy.org

Re-circulation of this newsletter is encouraged.

Send your opinion

We value your feedback; please write to us with suggestions or comments at editor@safe-democracy.org

Privacy Policy

Our privacy policy is at http://summit.clubmadrid.org/info/privacy-policy.html

Safe-Democracy.org

Issue number 0; January 10, 2005; 57 days to summit

Under the High Patronage of His Majesty the King of Spain
	WELCOME Welcome to CountDown, the newsletter of the Madrid Summit. We hope that it will give everyone interested in the Summit the information they need to follow progress and play a part. In this first issue you can find out about our web page, where you can read the Programme and find more information about the Working Groups who are currently at work preparing the Madrid Agenda. There's also some information about the Summit organisation and the people involved. Two areas of the site will be updated regularly and contain links to background reading and other websites that may be useful. The first is called Related Links, a catalogue of other Internet sites relevant to the Summit.The second is the Document Library where we have compiled a series of interesting articles and documents from reliable sources. We want this information to provide a resource / reference centre for those interested in learning more about the subject, both during and beyond the Summit. Another new development is our partnership with the online magazine of politics and culture, OpenDemocracy.net, who are working to extend and open up the Madrid debate to the global public, through online forums and through facilitating a large number of small-scale meetings across the world on March 11, in which people can discuss the Summit’s core issues. If you would like to receive further details of the meetings on March 11 then sign up at Safe-Democracy.org The Summit is being organized by the Club of Madrid an independent organization dedicated to strengthening democracy around the world by drawing on the unique experience and resources of its Members - democratic former heads of state and government. In partnership with other organizations and governments that share its democracy-promotion goals, the Club of Madrid provides peer to peer counsel, strategic support and technical advice to leaders and institutions working towards democratic transition and consolidation. WHAT THE MADRID SUMMIT IS An opportunity for democracies and democrats to analyse the phenomenon of terrorism, and find the best ways to confront and defeat it. WHAT THE MADRID SUMMIT IS NOT A place for political agendas, ideological attacks or for the demonizing of countries or cultures. WORKING GROUP NEWS To prepare the Madrid documents, two hundred of the world’s leading experts are currently engaging in a process of intense debate. Working groups are focusing on the following subject areas: The Causes and Underlying Factors of Terrorism To be effective in overcoming terrorism, we need to understand why it occurs. This is not because we empathise with the terrorists or because we want to give in to their demands, but simply because any effective strategy against terrorism requires knowing what motivates this form of violence against innocent civilians. Confronting Terrorism We owe it to the thousands of victims of terrorism to find better ways to stop terrorists from threatening our democratic way of life. For this reason, we will explore the most effective use of the police, the military, the intelligence services and other national and international agencies to prevent and fight terrorism. Towards a Democratic Response Defending our core democratic values means responding to terrorist attacks in ways that strengthen our democratic institutions and spread freedom where it does not yet exist. We aim to construct a strategy against terrorism based on the principles of democracy and international co-operation. Civil society Strengthening civil society against extremists and violent ideologies, as well as mobilising citizens in favour of democracy, are an essential part of the long-term response to terrorism. Civic engagement will therefore be one of the key issues addressed at the Summit and in our online debate. You can help the Working Group members by taking part in our public debate, since the contributions made there will be fed into the Working Group process, and Working Group members will be taking part in the public debate. Go to http://madrid.opendemocracy.net to register and start making a difference.
Acerca de Cuenta Atrás CountDown is a newsletter for news and views surrounding the International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security, to be held in Madrid from March 8-11, 2005. To find out more, go to http://summit.clubmadrid.org Subscribe and Unsubscribe If you would like us to keep you up to date on what's happening by email, we'd be happy do so. To subscribe, visit http://summit.clubmadrid.org/pre-reg.html. To unsubscribe write to unsubscribe@safe-democracy.org Re-circulation of this newsletter is encouraged. Send your opinion We value your feedback; please write to us with suggestions or comments at editor@safe-democracy.org Privacy Policy Our privacy policy is at http://summit.clubmadrid.org/info/privacy-policy.html
Safe-Democracy.org