What is Opex?

Presentation

The Fundación Alternativas' Observatory of Spanish foreign policy (Opex) was established in response to the urgent need to refresh and provide impetus to Spain's foreign policy on all fronts: politics, security, economics and culture.

The Observatory seeks to act as a centre of study, debate and dissemination of Spanish foreign policy issues from a progressive perspective.

The Opex studies Spanish foreign policy from an analytical, critical standpoint open to alternative approaches in the different geographical and thematic, bilateral and multilateral areas in a context of globalization.

In keeping with the Fundación Alternativas philosophy, the Opex is an open forum of study and discussion for academia, the world of politics, economic and social actors and citizens in general, with its sights set on a more peaceful and just globalization for Spain and for the world.

Goals

The Opex sets itself three kinds of goals: institutional, general and specific goals.

The institutional goal consists of galvanizing around the Fundación Alternativas the best human resources of a critical spirit and intellectual independence capable of generating ideas in the field of foreign policy and international relations.

The general goal is to shape in the medium term a coherent and progressive view of foreign policy with a series of studies and activities of use to political leaders via multidisciplinary exchange and debate.

The specific goals are the following:

Generate alternative ideas on Spanish foreign policy in the government, political parties and among other economic and social actors.

Go more deeply into the study of Spanish foreign policy, creating a school of studies in this field.

Contribute to the adoption of correct policies with specific proposals that conform to rigorous intellectual standards.

Create a foreign policy network which connects different agents.

Maintain a permanent channel of communication with the activities and courses of action at the nerve centres of foreign policy: the Office of the Prime Minister, the Foreign Ministry and the Congress.

Act as an alert to changes and crises in the international sphere liable to affect our foreign policy.

Create an instrument of debate and citizens' participation in foreign policy.

Inform on the main issues of our foreign policy among specialists and citizens via continuous monitoring.