At the beginning of the 21st century, the international security agenda is witnessing profound change. Today, most conflicts are of a non-traditional nature and we are no longer - or at least no longer primarily - confronted with traditional threats, such as violence between states or coalitions of states.

The 8th International Security Forum, convened from 18-20 May 2009 in Geneva by the Swiss government, brought together over 750 experts from all fields likely to shape our future. The objective was to look at the problems of violence in the world in a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and dynamic form and to make a strong contribution to a better understanding of the steps necessary for conflict prevention, conflict management, conflict resolution and post-conflict reconstruction.