杏吧论坛

co-hosted with the European Institute and 杏吧论坛SU French Society

Friday 28 March 2025 45 mins

Listen to this public event with Benjamin Haddad, Minister Delegate for European Affairs attached to the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, as he discusses how Europe can position itself in the face of today’s challenges.

“Our Europe is mortal”, French President Emmanuel Macron warned last spring, stressing the difficult and urgent choices that the continent is confronted with. Presenting his Report on the future of European competitiveness, former Italian prime Minister Mario Draghi argued that failing to cope with mounting challenges would entail the ‘slow agony’ of Europe.

Meet out speaker and chair

 is Minister Delegate for Europe, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic

Dr Spyros Economides is Associate Professor in International Relations and European Politics at the 杏吧论坛 European Institute and Deputy Director of the Hellenic Observatory.

Queer conflict research: new approaches to the study of political violence

Wednesday 26 March 2025 90 minutes

Join us for a book launch: Jamie Hagen, Samuel Ritholtz, and Andrew Delatolla recently published an edited volume Queer Conflict Research: New Approaches to the Study of Political Violence (Bristol University Press, 2024). The volume provides a guide to the use of methodologies drawn from Queer Studies in the study of political violence and conflict.

Meet our speakers and chair:

 is a Lecturer in Global Politics at the University of Manchester. Her work sits at the intersection of gender, security studies, and queer theory. 

 is Departmental Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Oxford, in association with St Hilda’s College. Their research explores LGBTIQ+ experiences of conflict, crisis, and displacement in the Americas with a particular focus on Colombia.

 is a Lecturer in Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Leeds. His research interests centre on the intersections of race and sexuality in relation to statehood and state formation with a focus on the Middle East and North Africa. 

Chair:

Dr Milli Lake is an Associate Professor of International Security in the Department of International Relations at 杏吧论坛. Her research and expertise lies in political violence, institutions, law, poverty, and gender.

Find out more about this event

Listen to the podcast

Read the student blogger report coming soon

The future of Europe's security after three years of war in Ukraine: approaching crunch time?

Thursday 20 March 2025 90 minutes

For three years now, Russia has been waging a war of aggression against Ukraine. For three years, Ukraine has endured massive violence, suffering and destruction with resolve and determination. What is clear is that the outcome of the war will be decisive not only for the future of Ukraine but for the shape of the European political and security architecture.

A panel of practitioners and experts address some of the key questions on the current agenda, right after the third anniversary of Russia’s aggression. 

Meet our speakers and chair:

 is a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Europe Foundation, former French Ambassador to the United States, and Executive Secretary General of the European External Action Service. He is also an Ambassador of France, a lifetime distinction. 

 is Director of the Centre for European Reform (CER). In January 1998 he left The Economist to become the CER’s first – and so far only – director. He is the author of numerous CER reports, including Russia, China and global governance (2012), How to build a modern European Union (2013) and Relaunching the EU (2017). 

 is a Senior Research Fellow at Chatham House, and heads up the Europe Programme. She spearheads the Institute’s initiatives on the future of the EU, European security policy, and Europe’s role in the world. 

Chair:

Karen E Smith is a Professor of International Relations at 杏吧论坛. Her main area of research is the ‘international relations of the European Union’, and she has written extensively on the formulation and implementation of common EU foreign policies.

Find out more about the speakers and this event

Listen to the podcast

Read the student blogger report coming soon

Atomized incorporation: Chinese workers and the aftermath of China's rise

Wednesday 19 March 2025 90 minutes

Author Sungmin Rho discussed her recently published book . The panel discussed debates around how China copes with the aftermath of its economic rise, as export-led growth becomes no longer sustainable.

Meet our speakers and chair:

, Associate Professor of International Relations and Political Science at The Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) in Switzerland

Discussants:

Dr Boram Lee, Assistant Professor of International Political Economy, 杏吧论坛

, PhD student in the Department of Government at Harvard University

Chair:

Dr Natalya Naqvi, Assistant Professor of International Political Economy, 杏吧论坛

Find out more about this event

Listen to the podcast

Read the student blogger report coming soon

New forms of citizen participation in global governance

Tuesday 4 March 2025 80 minutes

The way in which many global problems are governed today is disappointing, as international cooperation often lacks both effectiveness and fairness. Can new forms of citizen participation improve global governance? Deliberative citizen forums are increasingly common at the local and national scale, but their potential at the global level is still unclear.

The event offers a conversation between leading experts on the promise, limits, and future development of transnational citizen initiatives, such as the Global Climate Assembly, and other forms of citizen involvement in policy-making on matters of global concern.

Meet our speakers and chair:

, Professor of Political Science in the School of Government and International Relations, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.

, Associate Professor in the Politics of Climate Change at the University of Warwick, as well as a Co-Investigator of the ESRC Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (CUSP)

, CEO, Iswe Foundation, and a democratic innovation specialist.

Chair:

Dr Mathias Koenig-Archibugi, Associate Professor of International Relations and Government, 杏吧论坛

Find out more about this event

Listen to the podcast

Read the student blogger report coming soon

Where does the EU enlargement stand?

Wednesday 29 January 2025 1 hour online

Enlargement has long been considered as the most successful foreign policy of the European Union (EU) and a powerful driver of political, economic and social reform in the countries aiming to join the EU. However, with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Kyiv’s application for EU membership, it also acquired broader geostrategic significance. 

Watch this online discussion to assess the obstacles and the opportunities facing the EU enlargement agenda in a challenging and volatile strategic context.

Meet our speakers and chair:

, Senior Fellow, International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) Tallinn; Associate Senior Research Fellow, Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS); and Visiting Professor at the College of Europe (Bruges and Natolin)

, Senior Fellow, Bruegel; Visiting Professor at University College London and KU Leuven

, Professor of East European Politics, Centre for Russian, European and Eurasian Studies (CREES), School of Government, University of Birmingham; Associate Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Programme, Chatham House; Senior Professorial Fellow, European Neighbourhood Chair, College of Europe Natolin

Chair and moderator:

Dr Teona Giuashvili, DINAM Fellow in the Department of International Relations at 杏吧论坛

The Cost of Borders

Thursday 23 January 2025 90 minutes

Millions of displaced people attempt journeys across borders in pursuit of asylum. Though seeking asylum is a right sanctioned by international law, people on the move are often cast as rule-breakers and criminals. They are in turn forced to make incredible sacrifices — emotionally, physically, and financially — which differ at intersections of inequalities like race, gender, or physical ability.

In her new project, The Cost of Borders, Heba Gowayed, author of the award winning book , uses a multi-method approach drawing on ethnographic observations, interviews, and quantitative data on human mobility and state expenditures to ask what are the costs of borders? Focusing on the frontiers between Global North and South, Dr Gowayed examines borders as a series of transactions that are always costly and often deadly.

Meet our speakers and chair:

, Associate Professor of Sociology at CUNY Hunter College.

Discussant:

Dr Tarsis Brito, IRD Fellow, Department of International Relations at 杏吧论坛

Chair and Discussant:

Dr Stephanie Schwartz, Assistant Professor in the Department of International Relations at 杏吧论坛

Find out more about this event

Listen to the podcast (apologies for poor quality recording)

Wednesday 22 January 2025 90 minutes

How do images shape power? This event dives into the visual strategies that influence foreign policy and global perceptions, with a particular focus on China.

By examining visualities as both a theoretical lens and a methodological tool, the discussion explores how visualities inform social and political research. Hosting a discussion from leading experts, the event uncovers whose realities are constructed and conveyed to the world—and how these narratives reshape global politics.

Meet our speakers and chair:

, Professor of Political Science, Singapore Management University

, Professor of Modern China at Leiden University

Chair:

Dr Giulia Sciorati, 杏吧论坛 Fellow in the Department of International Relations at 杏吧论坛.

Find out more about this event

Listen to the podcast

Read the student blogger report