Czech Security Forum 2025: A New Cold War?

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F48546054%3A_____%2F25%3AN0000061" target="_blank" >RIV/48546054:_____/25:N0000061 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://www.iir.cz/czech-security-forum-2025-1" target="_blank" >https://www.iir.cz/czech-security-forum-2025-1</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

—

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Czech Security Forum 2025: A New Cold War?

Original language description

The Czech Security Forum 2025 was a prestigious international conference dedicated to current global and European security challenges. The forum focused on the question of whether the contemporary international system can be understood as entering a “new” or “Second Cold War”, characterised by growing polarization, the emergence of rival blocs, and the increasing importance of proxy conflicts. Discussions addressed competition between Western-aligned states and authoritarian powers such as Russia and China, often supported by actors like Iran and North Korea. Particular attention was paid to information warfare, hybrid threats, the ideological dimension of democracy versus authoritarianism, and the role of neutral or non-aligned states, especially in the Global South. The keynote speech was delivered by Professor Barry Buzan, Emeritus Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science and one of the world’s most influential International Relations theorists. In his address, Buzan argued that contemporary world politics is best described as a Second Cold War, which in some respects resembles the first but also differs significantly, particularly due to the risks of cyberwarfare and shared global threats such as climate change. The keynote was followed by Panel 1, “New Cold War,” in which Barry Buzan was joined by Erik Lin-Greenberg, Heidi Hardt, and Mariya Grinberg. The panel discussed whether the concept of a new Cold War accurately captures current geopolitical realities, examining issues such as alliance stability, emerging technologies, and transformations in international trade. Panel 2, “Foreign Interference in the New Cold War,” with Sergej Medveděv, Kristin Bakke, and Kåre Dahl Martinsen, analysed how contemporary forms of interference compare to those of the twentieth century, the role of new technologies and ideological narratives, and whether the current confrontation is primarily a values-based struggle between democracy and authoritarianism or a more pragmatic contest over power and influence. Panel 3, “Implications for Czech Foreign and Security Policy,” examined the consequences of the emerging new Cold War for Czech foreign and security policy. Speakers Tomáš Weiss, Michal Onderčo, and Šárka Kolmašová addressed challenges related to protecting democratic institutions, strengthening resilience against hybrid threats, and maintaining Czechia’s credibility within the EU and NATO. The Czech Security Forum (CSF) was organised by the Institute of International Relations Prague (IIR) in cooperation with Charles University’s Peace Research Center Prague (PRCP). The project was supported by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Prague and the Embassy of Canada to Czechia.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

M - Conference organization

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

50601 - Political science

Project

—

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Event location

Praha

Event country

CZ - CZECH REPUBLIC

Event starting date

—

Event ending date

—

Total number of attendees

107

Foreign attendee count

50

Type of event by attendee nationality

WRD - Celosvětová akce