Istanbul, March 27 (SANA) Participants at the 2026 Strategic Communication Summit (STRATCOM), which opened Friday in Istanbul, said the world is facing a deep crisis of trust in the international system, calling for reform of the United Nations and an end to the privileges granted to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, while stressing the need to uphold a rules-based order.
During a session titled “Crisis of Legitimacy and Trust: Perceptions of the International Order,” experts, academics and former officials—including former U.S. ambassador to Syria Robert Ford and Oliver McTernan, director of Forward Thinking—said that the continued immunity of permanent Security Council members lies at the core of the current global crisis.
McTernan called for ending what he described as “international arrogance” through restructuring the UN, while Ford stressed the need to uphold international justice and pursue diplomatic solutions over confrontational approaches.
For his part, Vincenzo Le Voci, Secretary-General of the Club of Venice, highlighted the importance of analyzing public opinion to strengthen societal communication, while Laszlo Vass, senior researcher at the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs, pointed to the growing concept of strategic autonomy and the importance of the Middle Corridor in diversifying transport routes.
The 2026 STRATCOM Summit in Istanbul brings together around 150 high-level participants from 37 countries and five international organizations, including Syria represented by Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa, to discuss key global challenges in media and international politics.
M.Q.R
