Democracy, Security and Terrorism

The Club of Madrid aims to promote a vision of a world founded on democratic values and committed to effective co-operation in the fight against terrorism. Since terrorism is a global phenomenon requiring a global response, the organization convened the International Summit on Democracy, Terrorism and Security in March 2005, in commemoration of the terrorist attacks on the city of Madrid the year before. More than 1.200 people participated in that gathering, amongst them 200 experts, 17 Heads of State and Government, the Secretary General of the United Nations and many other leaders from international organizations and delegations from more than 70 countries. As a result of the Summit, the Members of the Club of Madrid created the Madrid Agenda, a plan of action to confront terrorism within a framework of democratic values.

The Club of Madrid, together with the German Council on Foreign Relations, convened the workshop “Fighting Terrorism, Upholding Human Rights” at the German Council on Foreign Relations in Berlin on November 16, 2006. This high level panel of experts discussed how to face the challenge of terrorism without compromising democratic practice and human rights, with the aim of producing practical policy recommendations for G8 policy makers with the Madrid Agenda as a relevant reference. Panellists at the workshop included Club of Madrid Members Sadig Al Mahdi and Kim Campbell.

In February 2007, the EastWest Institute’s (EWI) fourth international conference on security took place in Brussels, focused on “Protection of People, Economies and Infrastructure against Terrorism and Organized Crime.” It concluded on February 22nd with a day dedicated to “Democracy and Terrorism,” organized in partnership with the Club of Madrid.