Theme

The overall theme of the Conference is Openness and Fundamentalism in the 21st Century. Different aspects of the main theme will be discussed in several topical panels.

FAITH AND FANATICISM

The demise of a bi-polar world was heralded as the beginning of the “end of history” — when democracy and the promotion of human rights will prevail all over the world. However, instead of a safer and more secure world in the last two decades, we have witnessed a proliferation of local and regional conflicts, civil wars and grave ethnic tensions, which in at least two cases (Rwanda, Srebrenica) escalated into genocides with the rest of the world helplessly standing by and watching.

In many places around the world various forms of fanaticism permeate public life and find expression in rhetoric and behavioral patterns of not only religious leaders, but also political and community representatives, electoral candidates and even artists and scientists (former Yugoslavia). Although currently religious fanaticism in all its various forms, be it Muslim, Sikh, Hindu or Christian, occupies — because of its terrifying end product which is terrorism — a central position, we must not underestimate its racial, political, ethnic, cultural and nationalistic manifestations.

On the other hand, religion is generally considered to be morally guiding, able to unite, to give strength, and to guide and help in moments of difficulty and sorrow. But is there not a thin line dividing faith from fanaticism? What factors constitute the transition point where a religious person turns into a fanatic? What are the roots behind this transition and how to deal with them? How do modern versions of fanaticism differ from their historical variations? Why is the silent majority so silent? What enables the creation of an “us versus them” mentality and what to do about it? What steps are necessary to prevent even further enhancement of one of the most dangerous phenomena humankind faces at the beginning of the third millennium?


THE POWERFUL AND THE POWERLESS

In 1968, the world experienced a wave of non-violent, albeit sometimes chaotic and inconsistent attempts to change the status quo — the Czechoslovak Prague Spring, protests by West European and American students, the movement for racial equality in the USA. Although the response was violent — the Soviet invasion, the murder of Martin Luther King — this wave initiated changes that have had far-reaching impact. How can powerless, oppressed and persecuted people make their voices heard today? And who are these people, anyway? National or religious minorities? The poor of the developing world? Silent majorities in the rich, free world?

How can we help the defenders of human rights in the world? From our Central European experience we know that the influence of public opinion and, therefore, media play a decisive role. From the moment the news of persecution is revealed nobody can say that he or she did not know anything. If domestic public opinion is afraid to raise its voice, it is necessary to drum up international support. But to what degree is the information about the abuse of human rights credible? Do journalists over-dramatize or underestimate?
The issue of human rights was the main theme of the Forum 2000 Conference eight years ago and the questions it put forward are still relevant: is human rights a universal concept or is it purely a Western concept? Do we have the right to “export” democracy? Do human rights include economic rights, the right to ecologically sustainable development, the rights of minorities? Are we heading towards a strictly upheld civic principle of guarantees of individual rights or to a revival of nationalism?

The questions remain, some of them acquire a new meaning, and a surprising number of new ones are arising.


MODERNITY WITHOUT DEMOCRACY

“If democracy can really give you the good life, that’s good. But without democracy, if we can still have the good life, why should we choose democracy?”

Chinese student Liu quoted by The New Yorker, July 28, 2008

Until recently, it was confidently predicted that massive economic development would result in positive political changes leading towards democracy. Recent developments do not seem to confirm this claim. Should liberal democracy feel threatened by the rise of economically successful but politically authoritarian powers?

Why, in certain parts of the world, promoting human rights is seen as equal to promoting the political and economic interests of the West?

Why, in certain parts of the world, is modernity accepted only to the extent that it is practical, but at the same time it is rejected because it seems to threaten traditional identity?

Is the famous Churchill’s dictum “…that democracy is the worst form of government except all those forms that have been tried from time to time” still to be proven by recurrent failures?

Do certain parts of the world need to undergo a bitter disappointment with other forms of governance before accepting and embracing democracy?

Are the recent events in Georgia “a preview” of “the feature” that is soon to come?

Are we facing “the return of history and end of dreams” (Robert Kagan) or a world of “cooperation, treaties and compromises” (Fareed Zakaria)?


PLURALITY OF CULTURES AND DEMOCRACY: EASY / UNEASY RELATIONSHIPS

Theoreticians defending democracy as the best of all imperfect systems of government insist that it be understood as “a continuous interplay between intermediary groups, the state, and individual rights”, rather than simply as the rule of the majority resulting from general elections.

As the historical experience of mankind amply testifies, if a balance between majoritarianism and civic liberties is not closely watched and guaranteed (for instance by rule of law) there can follow not only various thwarted modes of democracy but even forms of tyranny. It is believed that only citizens who make their choices knowledgeably, aware of their moral integrity and cultural identity can choose responsibly and freely, while their true democratic understanding of freedom is not just to be free from outside interferences but feeling free to act for the benefit of the whole community or society. When we speak today of a crisis of democracy we think of populist regimes (tyrannies of manipulated majorities) based often on uneducated and therefore intolerant public opinion, on distrust of difference, of “otherness,” of plurality an
diversity. Uniformity, which is hardly compatible with liberty, appears to be the goal, and globalization seems to be a driving force towards such an end, with popular culture as one of its major tools.

This is what we hear from critics of globalization and from those who see popular culture as a threat to cultural diversity, a menace to cultural and even political literacy. Though this may be to some extent true, is it the whole truth? Has not popular culture also brought a desirable proliferation of some cultural values, an interesting breakdown in cultural hierarchies? Has it not also contributed to some democratization of the arts? Have the media and new communication technologies, including the Internet, brought nothing positive? Is there still alive the possibility to make even an individual, morally and culturally, informed decision, to make a choice between alternatives?


ENTERING AN AGE OF FEAR?

It may seem that the concept of the universality of individual human rights that has reigned over the increasingly globalized debate since WWII is losing its importance. Despite rapid modernization, the states — and with them societies all over the world — turn more and more often to tribalism and confirmation of exclusive identities. Individual rights are falling under more and more government control. Fear is becaming a potent policy factor in international politics as well as in economics. Is international terrorism really so powerful to impose unprecedented limitations on civil liberties and change legislation? Are sovereign funds making markets unpredictable? The effects of fear on democratic political systems make them more vulnerable and less willing to open the governments to electoral control. Is the “War on Terror” hurting democracies more than terror?

This panel will try to identify the effects of fear in the post – 9 / 11 world.


FEAR REVISITED: POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

Fear proves to be the most potent social mobilization factor of today. What can be done to prevent or change this phenomenon? The panel will try to highlight examples of successful campaigns and projects that have interrupted the cycle of fear and the accompanying self-fulfilling prophecies. From analyses of such examples the panelists will try to identify a set of policy recommendations that could help to change the perception of fear in similar situations in the future.


INTERFAITH DIALOGUE:
ROOTS OF RELIGIOUS EXTREMISM 

•  What are the roots of religious fundamentalism and fanaticism in the world‘s religions and how they can be prevented?
• Is religious extremism caused primarily by social factors or can doctrinal causes be found?
• How can the world‘s religions and their representatives fight to eliminate extremism in their own religious traditions?

Are there any analogies between religious fanaticism and different forms of “secular fanaticism“?


“OH, WHEN WE STILL MADE THINGS...”: WHAT WILL BE THE ECONOMIC FUTURE OF EUROPE
AND NORTH AMERICA?

In the countries of our Western civilization, jobs are becoming abstract and their description is getting more and more difficult. We no longer tend to make things, but most of us earn our income by producing „thinks“. If you look at it specifically, and would weigh our production, or GDP, on scales, it is becoming lighter and lighter.

What is it that we actually produce? How do we stay rich and competitive vis-à-vis the rise of the new economic giants, producing goods with a fraction of our labor costs, such as China and India? Will there be a shift in the balance of economic power? What are the trends and what will be the future of our economies?


EMERGENCE OF NEW ECONOMIC POWERS AND ITS IMPACT ON THE TRADITIONAL WESTERN ECONOMIES

As second and third-world countries (BRIC, etc.) become first-world economic powers, will a new business model develop? Who will be redefining business and its environment in the next generation and what will they look like? What is the likely long-term impact on business and on business’s relationship to society? For example, what will Tata’s ownership of Jaguar and Land Rover do to the culture of those companies and their relationship to stakeholders?


INTERNATIONALIZATION OF CZECH COMPANIES: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

The Czech economy is already a very open economy with a large or even dominant foreign influence. Its main source of wealth is export to Western markets, and its main source of capital is foreign investment. It is a growing and stable economy.

But will this be enough to with stand the challenges that await us from countries to the East and South? Can we afford to linger at this relatively comfortable stage of development? It is easy to master a working level of English that suffices in most situations, but it is difficult to excel. Are we in a similar situation with our economic development? Sufficient but not excellent?

Should the government be “the man with the plan“ or should this be left to market forces alone? How can we foresee the future trends? What should be our priorities? Should we opt for a swift euro adoption? How to not only open but internationalize our economy? What about the need for an international labor force? These are some of the riddles to be solved.


WATER AND RELIGION: WHAT IS THE SPIRITUAL VALUE OF WATER?

Water is one of the most important natural resources. Moreover, it is arguably the most important one, leaving behind so-called “strategic” resources like oil and natural gas. The question “what is the value of water?” is recently being answered from an economic, socio-economic and security perspective. But can we, in order to address all the issues concerning water nowadays, leave behind or even ignore the spiritual value of water? Certainly not, especially when it comes to a region of such spiritual significance as the Middle East.
This panel will address the question of water and spirituality from the perspective of various religions and is not going to focus exclusively on the Middle East since the question, as well as the answers, have overarching global meaning.


WATER AND INVESTMENTS: PRIVATE INVESTMENTS AND SECURITY OF WATER SUPPLIES

With the increasing interest of business in investing in emerging or developing markets, the need to secure a reliable supply of water increases as well. The private sector faces severe risks, mainly in the field of reliability and availability of water supplies, water quality (some industries, like food processing, require high quality freshwater), losses in the supply chain and failure to meet local basic water needs. Each of these risks being ignored would cause the loss of invested resources. Local governments could, for example, temporarily or even permanently cut off water supplies for industry facilities in order to meet basic water needs (companies like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. already experienced such measures in India). In short, private investors have to — more than at any time in the past — pay attention to the security of water supplies. This is also enforced with increasing public interest when it comes to water projects, the security of basic water needs and environmental risks.

The aim of the panel is to bring together representatives of global companies to discuss the above-mentioned risks and possible countermeasures.