The Munich Security Conference is creating quite some buzz on Twitter this year. #MSC2013 is trending at the moment in Germany, which is unusual for a foreign policy topic and is probably a first for a conference. I have retweeted some statements from participants and responded to a few on NATO, transatlantic relations, Iran, Syria and international economics.
[<a href="//storify.com/transatlantic/tweets-from-the-munich-security-conference" target="_blank">View the story "Tweets from the Munich Security Conference" on Storify</a>] <h1>Tweets from the Munich Security Conference</h1> <h2>Think Tankers, journalists and politicians tweet from the world's most important security conference. And a couple of responses from me. d</h2> <p>Storified by <a href="http://storify.com/transatlantic">Joerg Wolf</a>· Sun, Feb 03 2013 04:11:14</p> <div>400 delegates; 70 countries; 1 Vice President; and an agenda. The Munich Security Conference gets underway. #MSC2013 http://goo.gl/aLJNSPeter B. Doran</div> <div>@FHeisbourg Germany ambivalent. De Maziere wants normalisation, Westerwelle neutralization, Merkel win polls in pacifist country. #msc2013Ulrich Speck</div> <div>On NATO: <br /></div> <div>Shrinking NATO: Rasmussen: "I see our Alliance shifting from operational engagement to operational readiness. From campaign to contingency."Kurt Volker</div> <div>Exactly. Pronto. RT @pbanura: #NATO SG Rasmussen "we need to strengthen our cyber-resilience capacities". Indeed! #MSC2013Joerg Wolf</div> <div>How important is Europe for the Obama administration? <br /></div> <div>Joe Biden @ #msc2013: "The President sends me to places where he doesn't want to go." We don't read that as a statement on US-EU relations.Volker Perthes</div> <div>@volkerperthes Or do we? All this reassuring of US-EU relations seems odd given that Obama never actually managed to visit Berlin ...Daniel Florian</div> <div>On international economics: <br /></div> <div>Unless Asia goes to war, which is likely! RT @carlbildt: On present trends Asia will grow 124%, US 33% and Europe 17% next decade. #msc2013Joerg Wolf</div> <div>India's Menon: "We're not rising. Some of these "rising" powers are restoring the historical norm." #msc2013 ouch calling out condescensionRachel Tausendfreund</div> <div>Mr. #Jain (DeutscheBank) at #msc2013: "the acute phase of the euro crisis is over". - Someone should tell the 58% unemployed #Spanish youth.Reinhard Bütikofer</div> <div>Indeed! #Fail RT @paulsen_thomas: Steinmeier: Lack of progress in regulating global financial markets is reckless. #MSC2013Joerg Wolf</div> <div>On Iran: <br /></div> <div>Biden: prepared to meet bilaterally with Iranians but based on real agenda not just for sake of the exercise #msc2013Nathalie Tocci</div> <div>Iranians are biggest bargainers ever with 2000 years of big bazaar deals: they are playing for time as the centrifuges spin the uranium #MSCNouriel Roubini</div> <div>Israel DefMin Barak said Middle East hasn't been this unstable since collapse of Ottoman Empire. True. #msc2013Carl Bildt</div> <div>#Barak at #MSC2013: On air strikes in #Syria: When we say something we mean it. It shouldn't be allowed bring weapons systems to HizbullahJulian Borger</div> <div>@transatlantic re German "leadership" on Iran, it sounds like @RuprechtPolenz is doing a good job at #msc2013...Hans Kundnani</div> <div>Great, our arguments since 2010 RT @carlbildt: In Iran debate @vali_nasr calls for a step-by-step approach to build confidence #msc2013Atlantic Community</div> <div>Engaging Tehran with Concrete Reciprocityhttp://bit.ly/Tu6WUY @carlbildt @vali_nasr #MSC2013Atlantic Community</div> <div>On Syria <br /></div> <div>#McCain Assad might have taken red lines on chem weapons as green light for anything else #msc2013Sylke Tempel</div> <div>McCain to #Saudi and #Qatari panelists: we appraciate Gulf assistance, but some assistance is going to the wrong ppl #syria #MSC2013Marietje Schaake</div> <div>Sen #McCain: In case of #Syria, we might call it "waiting from behind", not "leading from behind". #msc2013Andrea Baumann</div> <div>On Russia <br /></div> <div>Moscow's idea of scoring points? RT @SylkeTempel: takes FM Lavrov 5 min to make clear how deeply distrustful Russia is of #NATO. #MSC2013Joerg Wolf</div> <div>We can't expect *trust* from #Russia. We need is *confidence* building measures! Anything about that at #MSC2013? @SylkeTempel @TobiasBundeJoerg Wolf</div>
Joerg Wolf works for the Atlantische Initiative as editor-in-chief of the open think tank atlantic-community.org . He founded the Atlantic Review in 2005 and blogs here and on Facebook in his free time on transatlantic issues ranging from security to economics and pop culture. Joerg is a Berliner, a Fulbrighter, and an Atlanticist. Follow him on Twitter .
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