NATO New Horizons Frequently Asked Quesitons


Contents

Introduction
Project Description
FAQ


Participation Questions


Is New Horizons comparable to a big online blog?

The functionality of the system New Horizons uses is far more related to an online forum than a blog. But New Horizons is not a forum like Facebook.com. Rather it can be best understood as an online project-brainstorm where the participants are members of the project team collaborating towards a common product. New Horizons is based on a groupware system provided by GroupSystems called ThinkTank. It can systematically collect and analyse the inputs of the participants. This enables amongst others, aggregation, commenting, and voting on the ideas that have been entered. ThinkTank is also used by major corporations to assist in their strategic planning process. New Horizons is unique as it is the first time such a large, focused, collaborative online-based project is undertaken in the realm of transatlantic security policy.

Is this exercise only about NATO or does it deal with the broader international security community?

The project’s focal point is the transatlantic alliance, but New Horizons does not only deal with NATO. On the contrary, the project is meant to explore the wide range of security challenges and opportunities the transatlantic community writ-large may confront. Secondly, the question will be addressed how to deal with these challenges and opportunities. This concerns a wide variety of actors and organisations. In the end we will zoom in on NATO and ask how it, as one organisation among many, can cope with these issues and solutions.

Who is participating in the exercise?

New Horizons brings senior representatives of the wider transatlantic stakeholder community together in an anonymous online environment. As an indication, we have invited a representative group of high-level policy makers, military staffs, NATO and European Union officials, as well as senior staff from relevant international and non-governmental organisations, think-tanks and industries.

Will I be discussing the questions with all the other participants or only within my professional community?

New Horizons is set up to collect, analyse and discuss the ideas from a variety of transatlantic stakeholders. We have identified nine such communities and grouped participants accordingly. We believe that it is important to capture the views and ideas of these individual stakeholder communities before bringing them together. Therefore, upon logging in you will be participating in a discussion on transatlantic security challenges & opportunities within a specific stakeholder community. Synthesis reports of the discussions in all the stakeholder communities will be made available to all participants in Spring 2009.

How have the participants been selected?

New Horizons participants are generally either senior officials within a ministry, international organisation or government agency, or high-level policymakers within relevant industries and NGO’s. Also, one stakeholder community consists of university students on both sides of the Atlantic. Participants are selected on a range of criteria in order to ensure that the project maintains the necessary geographic and functional diversity that is representative of the broader transatlantic stakeholder community.

Which organisations make up the project team?

New Horizons is run by the http://www.hcss.nl/">Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, partnering with the http://www.csis.org/">Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Center for Transatlantic http://transatlantic.sais-jhu.edu/">Relations at Johns Hopkins University, GroupSystems and Security and Defense Agenda.

How is the project funded?

New Horizons is funded by an independent European foundation focused on community-building.

How long will the project run?

The online part of the project will be open to entries throughout a period of 2-3 months. Starting late-October, early-November 2008, this means we expect to close the online exercise by the end of the year. For answering each of the three main questions 2-3 weeks will be available. During this period you have the opportunity to enter your inputs at the time of your choosing. You will be notified by email at the beginning of each new stage.

When can results be expected?

In the spring of 2009 we expect to present the final report. Throughout the course of the project, digital newsletters will be sent to the participants informing them of relevant developments in the project. Furthermore, copies of the final report will be made available to all participants.

What language should I use when answering the questions? What is the language of the project?

We fully appreciate the diversity of languages among the participants. Yet in order to simplify analytical procedures the language should be English. This means that the final product of New Horizons will also be in English.

How much time should I spend on contributing to each stage of New Horizons?

New Horizons is composed of several individual stages. Three main questions will be posed and each question consists of an idea-generation & discussion and a voting & ranking stage. Prior to each stage, our team will offer you an indication of the expected time burden.  As a guideline, 15-minute bursts have proven to be sufficient for constructive and relevant input.

How elaborate should my answers and inputs be?

New Horizons is aimed at collecting and discussing the ideas of transatlantic security stakeholders. As such, detail is highly recommended. We ask that you are as detailed in your answers as you can, with a minimum of 2 sentences per answer.

Are my inputs anonymous or is my identity known to the other participants?

All inputs in New Horizons are anonymous. Comments and ideas can deliberately not be traced to individual participants. This is meant to create an environment where a free and frank exchange of ideas can take place.


Technical FAQ


How will I get access to the system?

You will receive an email with a login code from our team which you can use to access the online exercise. If you wish to participate and have not received an invitation by our team, please send a message to natonewhorizons@hcss.nl and we will consider your participation and contact you.

Is it possible to change my password and username during the exercise?

In order to ensure the highest level of security for New Horizons, a difficult password is required. Unfortunately this means that the passwords cannot be changed. If you forget your password please contact us at natonewhorizons@hcss.nl.

Can I forward my login code to someone in my department or organisation who I believe is more qualified to participate in New Horizons?

Your login-code is provided to you specifically. If you believe someone is more qualified, please inform us at natonewhorizons@hcss.nl and our team will contact that person directly.

Can I participate if I have not been invited?

Thank you for your interest in New Horizons. If you wish to participate but have not received a login-code from our New Horizons staff, please send an email to natonewhorizons@hcss.nl. We will review your application and contact you accordingly.

I cannot access the system but I have a login code, what is the problem?

If you are having difficulty accessing the system, please contact us at natonewhorizons@hcss.nl. Please check beforehand if the computer you are using meets the system requirements as outlined here: ThinkTank Client Requirements

What are the privacy and security features of Groupsystems ThinkTank? And how can anonymity be assured?

An additional list of security features can be found it the following pdf: ThinkTank Security Statement

What are the system requirements for using Groupsystems ThinkTank?
A more comprehensive technical list of system requirements can be found in the following pdf: ThinkTank Client Requirements