During this time, the building itself transforms into a high-security zone, but what actually happens behind its doors? The program Kontrovers took a look behind the scenes of the event.
The elite of international foreign and security policy is currently in Munich at the conference—heads of government and political representatives from 120 countries are fighting to solve global crises. The war in Ukraine, unrest in Iran, transatlantic relations—the spectrum of topics is extremely wide. Important speeches are delivered in the main hall of the Bayerischer Hof. Friedrich Merz, Marco Rubio, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Emmanuel Macron. Journalists from all over the world analyze and interpret their words. However, it is not only the press that must be heard. The Munich Security Conference (MSC) itself takes care of creating content and reaching an audience.
How security policy works for the youth
While journalists fight for interviews downstairs, several floors above, the younger generation receives its own space. For seven years now, political influencers have been reporting from the YouTube studio of the Munich Conference. The Kontrovers – Die Story team met with some of them. Most of these bloggers regularly cover political topics for a young audience on various platforms in their own style and, above all, with great success, sometimes reaching millions.
One of them is Omar Agamy. The 26-year-old from Canada presents politics in an entertaining form on his social media. Given the gravity of political topics, this is not always easy, he admitted: Some topics are simply difficult: war or genocide. Of course, I cannot present this in an entertaining manner, but at least I do it in my own style, shared Omar Agamy. Thousands of people watch his videos, and hundreds join the discussions in the comments. Agamy reaches the target group that the Munich Conference itself is interested in, as many young people are unfamiliar with the concept of the conference and its significance. The MSC YouTube studio and invited influencers are intended to correct this situation.
The conference seeks to establish contact with the younger generation
Politicians have also realized the significance of the youth. For example, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) or Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) find time to stop by the studio to face questions and topics that concern the political blogger communities. One of those who regularly explains complex political issues online is German author and political scientist Nina Poppel. She shares impressions and conversations from the weekend, particularly on her Instagram account nini_erklärt_politik, while the full versions of the videos are broadcast by the Munich Conference itself. Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil (SPD), for instance, had to answer a question there about what the federal government is doing for young people in Germany. And NATO Assistant Secretary General Radmila Šekerinska told Poppel how she manages to remain optimistic despite numerous international challenges.
Microphones and cameras vs. closed-door meetings
In contrast to this, the most important conversations in terms of content at the Munich Conference take place far from the big stages and microphones: in the so-called Bilats. The goal of these meetings: bilateral—that is, two-way negotiations between representatives of different, and sometimes warring, nations. What is discussed here is of great importance and, as a rule, remains a diplomatic secret. Usually, such meetings last 25 minutes. The hotel team then has five minutes to tidy up the room and prepare it for the next meeting: ordinary hotel rooms with a bath and toilet are transformed into conference halls of world politics. All time slots here are fully booked weeks before the start. The Munich Security Conference: a closed political society is opening up to influencers and new target groups. And yet, much at this event remains hidden from the public.
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