PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
The Ninth International CISS Millennium Conference held in June in Potsdam, Germany was an outstanding success. Delegates from over 23 countries representing 70 institutions attended the two day meeting that was held at the Cecilienhof palace, formerly the home of Crown Prince Wilhelm Hohenzollern and the site of the post-World War II conference of the victorious Allied leaders. The theme of the Ninth Millennium Conference “Between Hopes and Shadows: Assessing the Global Order: Where We Have Been, Where We Are Now, Where We Are Going”, was inspired in part by the discussions between the allies on the establishment of a post-war order, focusing on countering the effects of war through a series of peace treaties. It was interesting to explore some of the very issues that were a preoccupation of the post-war leaders and the setting lent a historic aura to the meeting. The opening day reception sponsored by Keesing’s publishers and the panels were well attended notwithstanding the temptations to tour nearby Berlin and the Sans Souci treasures. The recipients of the Millennium Awards for the best paper by a junior scholar and the distinguished service and scholar award were Tyler Rauert and Howard Hensel.
The section is contributing an impressive array of panels, roundtables, and poster sessions to the ISA 2010 program in New Orleans. The conference theme centered on bridging theory and practice has provided an opportunity for the section to share its own efforts in this area. The stimulating surroundings of a New Orleans that has been re-building and reviving should provide a hopeful atmosphere for the meeting.