Policy Events (April 19 – April 25, 2021)
The "Polypandemic", Biden's foreign policy, climate policy, education reform and Kochi's urban culture are among the topics being discussed at think tank events next week.
This week there are a number of events focusing on Biden’s foreign policy. There is an interesting talk that seeks to conceptually recasts the pandemic as a “Polypandemic” due to the myriad of detrimental effects it has brought on. There are a couple of events on climate and education policy and an interesting talk on development and urban culture in Kochi, India.
Want to get the word out about your institute's upcoming event? I’m happy to help. Simply reply to this email and send me the details with a link to the event page.
Enjoy the events!
Web talk
GERMAN COUNCIL FOR FOREIGN RELATIONS, Monday, 19 April @ 6pm (UTC+2)
Back to democracy and diplomacy - Impact of the Biden Presidency on Transatlantic Relations with the EU
With Joe Biden taking office, there are great hopes in Europe of reviving transatlantic relations. Biden's first speech on US foreign policy and his statements at the Munich Security Conference strengthen this hope, but also raise the question of whether and how the US and the EU will act together in the future - not least with a view to China. This web talk will discuss the paths that the EU and the USA can take, and how local foreign policy and international activities are playing an increasingly important role for local authorities to face global challenges.
For more information and registration: https://dgap.org/de/veranstaltungen/zurueck-zu-demokratie-und-diplomatie
Online Policy Debate
FRIENDS OF EUROPE, Tuesday 20 April 20 @ 2pm (UTC+2)
Green Europe: building the ‘brand’ on fairness and quality?
This policy debate will discuss the recommendations of the Green Europe Working Group Meeting with a multi-stakeholder audience. The power of connectivity is beyond imagination. If developed properly and fairly, it can boost and transform lives, create a sense of community, and enable Europe to live up to its values. Connectivity opens up a world of access to education, skills and training, enabling self-agency in tackling climate change & the housing crisis as well as improving mobility and agriculture – and so much more. Solutions cannot be not determined by a single institution or approach. It isn’t about access to jobs vs. access to health, or a greener Europe vs. a strong economy. It’s about wiring things around people and communities to improve livelihoods.
For more information and registration: https://www.friendsofeurope.org/events/green-europe-policy-debate/
Online Event
ASIA CENTRE, Wednesday, 21 April @ 3pm Bangkok Time (UTC+7)
Under Attack: Academic Freedoms in Asia
This webinar looks closer at infringements on academic freedom in East, South and South-East Asia. It tackles questions on what can be done to better protect and promote academic freedom for scholars and students. Around the world academic freedom is increasingly coming under attack. The core value of academic freedom and what it means for society at large is also gaining more attention. For scholars and students, it means not only the freedom to research and teach but freedom of academic exchange. The Academic Freedom Index (2020) lists also institutional autonomy, campus integrity, and freedom of academic and cultural expression as key elements to the realization of academic freedom. In the index that covers 175 countries, the Asian region fares relatively badly with Thailand, China and Laos ending up in the lowest level (E).
For more information and registration: https://asiacentre.org/event/under-attack-academic-freedoms-in-asia/
In-person event
AUSTRALIAN STRATEGIC POLICY INSTITUTE, Thursday, 22 April @ 9am Australian Eastern Daylight Time (UTC+11)
ASPI Masterclass: The US-Australia alliance in a more contested Asia
This is a one-day intensive event that will give participants a strategic overview of the alliance and the shared challenges and opportunities for increased cooperation. This Masterclass will explore options for expanding alliance cooperation beyond traditional security domains into areas such as secure supply chains, critical technology and sovereign industry capabilities. The event will consider US domestic dynamics, US-China strategic competition, regional flashpoints, disinformation and engagement in the multilateral system.
For more information and registration: https://www.aspi.org.au/event/aspi-masterclass-us-australia-alliance-more-contested-asia
Webcast
ASIA SOCIETY POLICY INSTITUTE, Friday, 22 April @ 5pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (UTC+10)
Biden and Asia: Perspectives from the Region
What have been Biden’s priorities in his first 100 days in the White House? Is Washington’s approach to China shifting? Where is the US Indo-Pacific strategy heading? And what is Asia’s view of this new administration? 100 days after Joe Biden’s inauguration as the United States’ 46th President, join this discussion on what has already been achieved and what still need to be done. The experts will review Biden’s first few months as President from an Asia-Pacific perspective and highlight the various impacts of this planned policies on the region.
For more information and registration: https://asiasociety.org/australia/events/biden-and-asia-perspectives-region
Webinar
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EUROPEAN AFFAIRS, Thursday, 22 April @ 1pm (UTC+1)
Circularity to restore the earth
In this webinar, Inger Andersen, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, will argue that the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution threaten to undermine decades of progress in reducing poverty, and global efforts to achieve the sustainable development goals. She will discuss how societies can build a more resilient future. She will then outline the transformative impact that circularity practices will have on the ways we produce and consume, but which will be vital to restore the earth and secure the future of humanity.
For more information and registration: https://www.iiea.com/event/webinar-circularity-to-restore-the-earth/
Online Interactive Lecture
THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ASIAN STUDIES, Thursday, 22 April @ 12:30pm Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
Kochi’s changing shores: narratives of development, religion and urbanity in India
In her forthcoming book, Carmel Christy captures the embodied urban geography of Kochi by analysing its post-Independence development initiatives as well as its representative and artistic practices. Kochi’s urbanity is conceived herein as an amalgam of its history, post-Independence structures, people’s experience and imagery about the city. By adopting an interdisciplinary lens, the following are some of the questions that she asks in the book. How do communities along the shores of Kochi experience development? What do the negotiations between the various state, community and religious agents reveal about urban space-making in Kochi? How can one think about the methodological possibilities to understand development as experienced by people at multiple levels; and as the affective realm also shaping the city and the ‘citi’zen in many ways? What would it be like to narrate a city as a seamless spatiality of people’s experiences of development, literary texts, cinema and artistic practices?
For more information and registration: https://www.iias.asia/events/kochis-changing-shores-narratives-development-religion-and-urbanity-india
Webcast
BROOKINGS, Thursday, 22 April @ 10am Eastern Time (UTC-4)
The path forward for education and climate action
On April 22—Earth Day—the Center for Universal Education and Education International will host a webinar to discuss the path forward for education and climate action, and the recent Brookings policy brief “Unleashing the creativity of teachers and students to combat climate change: An opportunity for global leadership.” As millions of students have engaged in civic action over the last several years by leaving school to protest the lack of progress in addressing the climate crisis, how can the script be flipped? How can students, teachers, and schools be on the forefront of addressing climate action by helping support the development of young people’s green civic skills? What do teachers and student leaders need to do around the globe?
For more information and registration: https://www.brookings.edu/events/the-path-forward-for-education-and-climate-action/
Zoom Webinar
FOREIGN POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE, Thursday, 22 April @ 12pm Eastern Time (UTC-4)
The “Polypandemic” Threat: Impacts on Development, Fragility, and Conflict
The coronavirus has sparked multiple pandemics that are not only occurring simultaneously but are also reinforcing each other in their detrimental effects. According to the democracy index V-DEM, in the fourth quarter of 2020, the coronavirus responses of 69 countries violated democratic standards. Because of increases in the number of people projected to be pushed into extreme poverty by COVID-19 and the growth of illicit economies, one may no longer speak of one pandemic only. Instead, we should speak of a “polypandemic.” How will the world meet these growing crises as it continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic? This webinar will focus on discussing the probable answers to this question and other related issues.
For more information and registration: https://www.fpri.org/event/2021/the-polypandemic-threat-impacts-on-development-fragility-and-conflict/
Online Discussion
ISEAS YUSOF ISHAK INSTITUTE, Friday, 23 April @ 9am (UTC+8)
Autonomy and Agency in Southeast Asia: Rethinking “Don’t Make Us Choose” and Resolving the Deer-Dragon Dilemma
The popularity of “Don’t Make Us Choose” (DMUC) as a Southeast Asian plea to the United States and China in light of their rivalry in the region is not surprising. However, the speaker will argue that DMUC is negative, external, and passive. It asks Washington and Beijing not to do something without saying what those choices might be and without recommending what should actually happen in a positive, internal, and proactive sense. The speaker instead advocates “Rethinking the Deer-Dragon Dilemma” (RDDD), an approach reflected in his edited book, The Deer and the Dragon: Southeast Asia and China in the 21st Century (2020). Unlike DMUC, RDDD means asking what ASEAN and/or its member states themselves could/should decide to do and then try to do, thus living up to the attributes of autonomy and agency featured in the title of his talk.
For more information and registration: https://www.iseas.edu.sg/mec-events/autonomy-and-agency-in-southeast-asia-rethinking-dont-make-us-choose-and-resolving-the-deer-dragon-dilemma/
That’s all for now. Don’t forget to check in next week for more updates.
If you have any feedback or questions, feel free to reply to this email, leave a comment or message me at my LinkedIn profile.
Stay well,
- Liam
Founder of Policy People