Regional Organizations and Security: Conceptions and Practices, 17–18 June 2011, Zurich

The conference objective was to assess the degree of similarity and diversity in security conceptions and practices across the international system. Some 30 area studies and international relations scholars – including Paul Williams, Thierry Balzacq, Raymond Hinnebusch and Detlef Nolte – examined how specific regional organizations see, prioritize, understand, practice, manage and implement security. Drawing on the analysis of case studies across a wide-range of regions, the conference participants considered whether the international system is becoming increasingly globalized or regionally distinct in terms of security perceptions and responses, and the prospects for a globalized system of security governance.