EUROPEAN SECURITY AND THE HORN OF AFRICA

Alexander Rondos
EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa
Moderator: Georg Lennkh, Member of the Board of the Bruno Kreisky Forum

Within a wider effort to make the EU relevant in a multi-polar world, Alex Rondos would address the case of the Horn of Africa. More specifically he would like to explore the fact that the countries of the Horn of Africa are increasingly influenced by countries we historically (and incorrectly) regard as "non-traditional" (i.e. the Gulf, Egypt and China) and that EU policy-making has to take the actions and motives of these non-traditional political actors into account, and ideally find some accommodation with them, in order to remain effective and relevant.

Alexander George Rondos is a Greek national, born in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, in 1954, educated in Kenya and the UK, completed BA (Hons) at Oxford University. His career has included journalism at West Africa Magazine, followed by twelve years of work in relief and the development world. After two years at the World Bank he became an advisor to the Foreign Minister of Greece, counseling and implementing policy in the South Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Rondos was promoted to Ambassador of the Hellenic Republic and worked on diplomatic and meditation missions of behalf of the Prime Minister of Greece. He was appointed EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa.