Weidenfeld Institute for Strategic Dialogue

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The Weidenfeld Institute for Strategic Dialogue (WISD) is a London based think tank working in the field of international affairs, with a particular emphasis on Europe.

WISD describes itself as

"a network-based policy organisation working with global leaders in the private and public sectors. Its mission is to challenge the long-range threats to international and communal peace and to enhance Europe’s capacity to be a coherent and effective player in the world, with perspectives not confined to the European Union institutional landscape."

The organisation began as the Club of Three in 1996 with annual meetings between leading figures from Britain, France and Germany. Its Founder and current President is Lord Weidenfeld. The Executive Director is Sasha Havlicek.

The programmes of the Weidenfeld Institute include: the "Frontiers of Europe Initiative", which works with policy makers and experts to place the challenges of Europe’s eastern and southern neighbourhoods on western policy agendas; the "Islam and Integration Programme", which seeks to foster a cross-European understanding of the challenges of integration towards a more harmonised approach; the "Weidenfeld Leadership Programme and Scholarship Scheme" providing young professionals from Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and the United States with graduate scholarships to study at Oxford University, as well as networking, mentoring and leadership development support; the "Europe in the World Programme" which focuses on Europe’s relations with the US, Russia and the Middle East and includes the AMEURUS project, a forum aimed at maintaining an open channel of unofficial dialogue between America, Europe and Russia on matters of common interest and concern; the "Global Media Programme", including the M100 East-West Media Bridge, an annual forum bringing together senior media figures from Europe together with counterparts from Eastern Europe, Turkey, the Arab World and Asia) to address their impact on communal and international relations. Finally, the "Cultural Bridges Initiative", which has spawned the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, including an international translation scheme for Arabic literature, and regularly explores, through a series of seminars, the role of Culture, Arts, Museums and Libraries in contemporary society.

The organisation is a registered charity in the UK.