Matters

Welcome
Dear Colleagues,
Borders Do Matter
The operation of
today’s, border
security, traveler
and migration
management
community is
being stressed
by geopolitical,
social and
economic events.
Our world is fully
interdependent,
and it is becoming
ever more challenging to find solutions which
include the utilization of border services and
agencies to protect national.
As the crisis in Eastern Europe escalates,
economic sanctions and travel bans are
increasing, being employed by both the EU
and Russia, as well as their allies. Border
services are front-line responders for
monitoring these sanctions and bans.
As the Ebola virus spreads within and
beyond West Africa, travel bans and possible
quarantine measures are being put into place.
Border services are now front-line responders
for monitoring these bans and for detecting
travelers who may be infected.
As the post-World War 1 borders of Iraq
evaporate and a new entity known as Islamic
State of Iraq and the Levant emerges,
hundreds of thousands of persons are being
displaced and are fleeing the region. Border
services are now front-line responders for
monitoring, recording and directing the
movement of these people, most of whom will
be refugees.
As the United States deals with an
unprecedented and clearly well-orchestrated
movement of tens of thousands of people –
mostly children and adolescents from Central
America – arriving at its border with Mexico,
its border services are monitoring, detaining
and caring for these people in unprecedented
numbers.
As China, the world’s most populous nation,
develops a formidable navy and air force and
is posed to succeed the United States as the
world’s number one economy, it is flexing its
economic and political muscle in Asia and
beyond. Border services everywhere are now
being pressed to be front-line responders
monitoring the import and export of strategic
goods and services to and from China.
Since the end of the Cold War, there has been
a deeply-held belief within the developed
world that political and economic integration
is the best way to improve global security and
avoid potential conflict everywhere. This has
created a paradox: the interdependent the
world is supposed to make it less likely that
extreme conflict between nations or groups of
nations will occur. This very interdependence
makes it imperative that nations cooperate,
communicate and consult with one another
in a multi- jurisdictional and inter-disciplinary
manner.
At BORDERPOL, we firmly believe in the
principle that good border security, traveler
and migration management is built on the
continual development and maintenance of
the 3C’s: Cooperation, Communication and
Consultation. We believe that by bringing
together like-minded leaders of the world’s
border security establishments, we contribute
to making the world a safer place. That
is why we co-host workshops with likeminded
governments and hold our annual
BORDERPOL Congress, now into its third
Edition and taking placeDecember 9-11, 2014
in Budapest, Hungary.
Join us in Budapest and be a part of the 3C
#borderpolcommunity.
Thomas A. [Tom] Tass
Executive Director
BORDERPOL
2 | World BORDERPOL Congress - www.world-borderpol-congress.com