The political and economic fate of nations is today linked in more complex way then ever before. This is all the more challenging because the trends and forces that influence developments in the world and the political and economic mechanisms of international relations remain difficult to understand. It is often tempting to resort to misleading simplifications and dangerous black-and-white perceptions that do not provide accurate guidance for adequate political action. Grossly distorted views, if held by leaders or among populations, raise the risk of political failure, misery and conflict.

Among the countries of Europe and North America, a vibrant network of perpetual strategic dialogue exists that has decisively contributed to defusing conflicts, identifying converging interests and developing joint policies. After the Second World War, these patient efforts helped to bridge and heal the hatred that used to divide European nations. Similar efforts in the East-West conflict prepared the ground for a gradual transformation from Cold War to Euro-Atlantic partnership.

Over the last 30 years, a number of economically important Asian countries have become actively involved in these international networks of strategic dialogue. However, institutions and professionally qualified individuals from countries in the remaining parts of the world have so far hardly been included. This applies in particular to countries in the Islamic world. Given the growing and generally recognised mutual dependence between Western and Islamic nations in their pursuit of security and development, the establishment of serious, professional strategic dialogue activities between countries of the Islamic world and other countries has become an urgent requirement as a basis for wider efforts to construct a balanced partnership that can produce valuable benefits for all countries and peoples involved.

The current situation between the West and the Islamic world is characterised by dramatically insufficient knowledge about the motivations, terminologies, political imperatives and constraints on all sides. Too often, the absence of trust and lack of familiarity among individuals involved in political processes causes opportunities for political cooperation to be missed. Strategic dialogue, while organised by independent institutions, also involves practitioners of power. It provides a flexible forum for understanding the nature and extent of current and future challenges in the field of international peace, security and development and for exploring crucial ideas and initiatives.

The magnitude and urgency of the challenges faced by responsible governments is enormous: regional conflicts, terrorism, political and religious violence, organised crime, insufficient economic development, the struggle for jobs, investment and growth, rapid social and demographic change, the need for improved education, technological innovation and better public infrastructure, powerful and legitimate expectations of modernisation, structural reforms, empowerment, economic opportunities, democratic participation and good governance.

One of the best ways for political leaders and their advisers, analysts and observers to work towards mastering these challenges is to communicate and present their views and prescriptions among peers in the open, respectful atmosphere of networks of strategic dialogue. They provide participants with a welcome opportunity to adjust and refine their understanding of issues in response to new information and the ideas and arguments advanced by other professional participants who can add important aspects from their own different backgrounds and insights. Well-established strategic dialogue can also provide participants with early indications of likely new developments in the international political environment and allow them to find the right answers cooperatively.

In effect, successful strategic dialogue conveys a sense of ownership of the international system and the global agenda, an assurance that important experiences, preferences, interests and values can be brought to bear in the international political decision-making processes in a timely and effective manner, complementing and enriching what diplomacy and other governmental channels can achieve.

The Foundation for Peace, through its Strategic Dialogue Programme, works to promote the emergence of a productive habit of professional dialogue and consultation between institutions and individuals from national and international strategic communities in Western and Islamic countries, based on increasingly deepened mutual understanding, on matters of security, cooperation and development. For this purpose, we are actively expanding existing Western networks of strategic dialogue to include peer institutions and individuals from the Islamic world and cooperating with partner institutions worldwide in targeted strategic dialogue meetings.