LAKE ERIE CONFERENCE XVII 

Welcome delegates, advisers and staff to our 17^th annual Lake Erie Conference! I am pleased and honored to serve as your Secretary-General for what I am sure will be a meaningful and productive experience for all.

It is an intense time in the global community. The world’s most powerful leaders are taking steps to improve our security more than ever, while a changing economic landscape provides an opportunity for new leaders to emerge. Conflict rages around us, whether on the battlefield or in the board room. There is fear, and there is hope.

Now more than ever, even the smallest state can make a difference.

As you meet your colleagues in the committee room, keep that in mind. Whether you are a traditional power like the United Kingdom, an emerging leader like Germany, or a small island nation like Togo, your interactions will shape the outcome of debate. If you are in a historical committee…you could very well change history. More, through the course of a weekend you may just change yourself.

I encourage each of you to prepare fully for what lies ahead, and I am glad to be of assistance in any way possible. Good luck to all of you, and we will see you in October!

Shannon V. Hopkins

Secretary-General

Photo courtesy of Positively Cleveland