By Public Affairs Office
George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies

GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN (Aug. 26, 2020) – Marshall Center professors Dr. Sebastian von Münchow and Dr. John (Jack) Clarke conducted a Virtual Online Seminar for participants of the 2018 iteration of the Program on Applied Security Studies at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies Aug. 26.

Graduates of the back-then Seminar 7 of that course approached the professors and asked them to host this seminar. The online event title was “COVID-19: Challenges for Democracy.”

Clarke opened the seminar, saluted the alumni and shared the latest news from the Marshall Center. He briefed the participants on the continuing efforts by the Marshall Center to offer security issues-related virtual workshops.

He also talked about the latest idea to reestablish a special seminar on civil security featuring pandemics. In this light, Jack Clarke talked to the participants about the impact that the coronavirus is having on the armed forces in many countries.  In particular, he focused on the new kinds of roles, missions, tasks and functions that armed forces are taking in support of the civil authority.

Von Münchow followed with another presentation on COVID-19. He introduced the legal parameters for doctors triaging corona patients while being short of medical staff and essential equipment like ventilators.

The former Seminar 7 participants enthusiastically discussed differing approaches in their countries to counter COVID-19. Beside the academic discussion, the online event was also an opportunity for PASS graduates to get in touch again.

Von Münchow said, “It’s two years ago that Jack and I taught this course. It is fantastic to see that our alumni kept in touch with each other. I also wish to underline that the initiative to hold this online event came from the former PASS participants. This demonstrates the network between the Garmisch-based Marshall Center and its alumni. I do understand that the graduates would have preferred to meet in Bavaria. But I am optimistic that this will happen one day.”

Aleksandar Radenkovic, Police Captain of the Ministry of the Interior, Traffic Police Directorate said, “I enjoyed this online event a lot. It gave me the chance to refresh friendship with my former peers of the PASS class from 2018. I also enjoyed debating the presentations from Jack and Sebastian, the seminar 7 leaders. It was very interesting to debate the eventual criminal liability of doctors who have to take tough triage-decisions on their patients’ life in times of the coronavirus and scarce resources in hospitals.”