For the fifth consecutive year, the Latvian Institute of International Affairs (LIIA) is organizing the Riga Security Forum, bringing together international experts on security, politics, technology, education, and defense in a series of ten thought-provoking videocasts and podcasts exploring global issues.
Recordings of the Forum discussions will be freely available in both Latvian and English, and LSM is delighted to confirm that we will be a place where you can pick them up.
The series of podcasts will be opened by the President of Latvia, Edgars Rinkēvičs, on October 31 in a discussion that will analyze the current state of the 'rules-based international order' and the varying global security visions of different countries and regions.
🎙️ On Tuesday, October 31, we will open the #RigaSecurityForum with a high-level conversation with the president of Latvia, H.E. @edgarsrinkevics! #RSF2023
— Ārpolitika (@LIIA_LV) October 27, 2023
❓ How can Latvia navigate the confusion, avoid getting lost, and stay on course? About all of that - very soon! pic.twitter.com/j8My3JvsLm
This year, the idea of the Riga Security Forum is based on a popular internet quote that "we cannot solve our problems with the same mindset with which we created them." This is often attributed to Albert Einstein, but like a great many (perhaps most) Einstein internet quotes, no-one seems able to cite a definite source, so the attribution should be treated with extreme skepticism – which may itself be a useful thing to bring to the discussions.
However, in a statement co-signed with the philosopher Bertrand Russell and other eminent figures in 1950, Einstein did say:
We have to learn to think in a new way. We have to learn to ask ourselves, not what steps can be taken to give military victory to whatever group we prefer, for there no longer are such steps; the question we have to ask ourselves is: what steps can be taken to prevent a military contest of which the issue must be disastrous to all parties?
"In our daily work at the Latvian Institute of International Affairs, we clearly see the importance of new ideas, especially those that emerge in difficult situations and intense debates," says project manager and LIIA researcher Sintija Broka.
"Today's security challenges are mostly international and transcend national borders. At the Riga Security Forum, we will discuss various security aspects from a fresh and innovative perspective, including artificial intelligence and other future security challenges that will impact the international community."
A new audio and video episode will be published weekly in English and Latvian over two months, from October 31 to the end of December.
As well as here on LSM, the discussions will be freely available on the project website, www.rigasecurityforum.liia.lv, on the LIIA social media accounts, and on the Apple and Spotify platforms.
