Constructive Powers Initiative: Managing Regional and Global Security

August 23, 2011

The Constructive Powers Initiative (CPI) was launched on the premise that existing global governance architecture is not effective in tackling new security challenges given the changing global order. The CPI regional conflict management workshop, organized by The Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, The Centre for International Governance Innovation and Middle East Technical University, was held in Istanbul, Turkey on June 2–3, 2011. The goal of the meeting was to identify common security challenges that could benefit from policy coordination, and explore the relationship between the constructive powers and the G20.

This conference report also includes national policy perspective papers that provide more detailed assessments of the security challenges facing individual constructive powers — Australia, Brazil, Indonesia, Korea, Mexico, South Africa, Switzerland and Turkey. A number of shared security issues were identified for broader cooperation, including human security, transnational crime, economic stagnation, ecological crises, nuclear safety and proliferation, migrant flows and maritime governance. These threats and risks are not confined to individual nations or regions, and can spread easily, highlighting the need for coordinated policy responses among the constructive powers.

In addressing the G20 and the wider global governance architecture, workshop participants identified  some of the G20’s administrative deficiencies, but concluded that it is a valuable governance tool and constructive powers should help ensure its effectiveness.

View the conference report in the reading pane below, or click here to download.

About the Authors

With a distinguished career in Canadian diplomacy — including posts as ambassador to Germany, permanent representative to the United Nations (UN) and adviser to various prime ministers, Paul Heinbecker is one of Canada’s most experienced commentators on foreign policy and international governance. Paul is also the director of the Centre for Global Relations at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Meliha Altunisik is a professor of International Relations at Middle East Technical University, Ankara, Turkey.

Former Distinguished Fellow and Director of the Global Security & Politics Program