Plain Talk

By Mursi Saad El-Din

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I have just missed a great opportunity to take part in an important conference. Some time ago I received a kind invitation for Mr Erlard Busek, president of the European Forum Alpback. The Forum is, in the words of its president, "a platform to develop the ideas of a peaceful united Europe".

It is an organisation which has existed since 1945 and came as a reaction to Nazism. It holds an annual conference every August, where leading personalities in science, politics, economy, media and the arts meet to discuss a given topic.

This year's topic was "Boundaries and Beyond", with the following sub- topics, among others: "The limits of European Integration", "Geopolitics and International Relations", "The Limits of International Law", "The Limits of Migration and Integration in Europe", "Integration and Exclusion: Culture, Religion, Politics" and "The Limits of Globalisation".

The preface to the programme explains the aim of this year's conference: "This year, Political Symposium in Alpback is dedicated to the topic 'Boundaries and Beyond'. Be it progressive or defensive, politics has always dealt with -- or had to deal with -- the problem of borders and boundaries. The fundamental question -- sometime even dilemma -- is as follows: Where should existing boundaries be crossed, and where can boundaries be regarded as a beneficial form of delineation and/or a constructive contribution?"

As the world of politics is always in motion, continues the Preface, "boundaries are often seen as something relative and usually temporary. In this sense, the crossing of geographical, political, economic, legal and cultural boundaries constitutes either a future necessity or an adaptation to changing circumstances. On the other hand, boundaries can also serve at least as a temporary basis -- or even a pre-condition -- for the success of a political project for example."

The Forum was the brain child of two men, a Viennese student, Otto Molden, and Simon Moser, a junior professor of philosophy at the University of Innsbruck. They founded in 1945 "International Hochschulwocker" as a place to develop the ideas of a peacefully united Europe and of free and independent universities and science. The meetings were attended mostly by young people who had been engaged in the resistance against national socialism. These meetings grew to become an internationally well known meeting place of leading personalities in science politics, economy and the arts.

Since 1949 those reunions have become known as "European Forum Alpback". The main hallmark of the Forum is that it is free of all the usual barriers in both academic and political life and it discusses important topics of the time. There is a search for new solutions to current problems beyond the confines of specialised disciplines. Debates are very informal and open, which is helped by the atmosphere of Alpback, a beautiful Tyrolean mountain village, located in the impressive Alpine landscape.

So far the Forum has held 50 conferences and seminars discussing a wide range of subjects, such as "Science in our Age" "Knowledge and Value", "Law and Reality", "Myth, Utopia, Ideology", "Freedom Today" "Asia and the Western World", "Information as Communication" and "The Crisis of Modernism".

Speakers in this year's conference included such important figures as minister of foreign affairs, members of the European Parliament, UN officials, directors of research institutes and even a deputy prime minister.

I miss being in the company of such a galaxy of political science and economics stars, but I could not find the air transportation to take me there on time. However, I sent them my short talk which, I hope, will be delivered.