Policy Events (Oct 5 - Oct 11)
Your weekly update on upcoming webinars, conferences and other events held at think tanks around the world.
Each week Policy People compiles a list of think tank events from around the globe. Below is our selection for October 5 to October 11. This week’s events cover a wide range of topics, from US Arctic defense strategy to Sino-Indian relations, from Asian Urbanism to blockchain-based nuclear security. In addition to numerous webinars, there is an in-person event being held in Brussels.
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Webcast
THE WILSON CENTER - Monday, October 5 @ 12pm Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4)
United States Air Force Arctic Strategy: Perspectives and Insights
The U.S. Air Force Arctic Strategy notes the “Arctic is among the most strategically significant regions of the world today.” The Air Force Arctic Strategy outlines four lines of effort to include vigilance in all domains; projecting power through a combat-credible force; cooperation with allies and partners and preparation for Arctic operations. We are honored to host a group of distinguished military leaders for a facilitated round table discussion regarding the Air Force Arctic Strategy to include contextual perspectives about the new Arctic, the Arctic in context of Great Power Competition, and the role and importance of the Air Force in Alaska and the Arctic.
For more information and registration: https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/united-states-air-force-arctic-strategy-perspectives-and-insights
Zoom Webinar
INSTITUTE OF CHINESE STUDIES - Wednesday, October 7 @ 6pm India Standard Time (UTC+5:30)
India as teacher by negative example: Chinese perceptions of India during the British Colonial Period and their impact on contemporary India-China relations
The history of ancient civilizational links between India and China are often cited as the enduring basis for India-China friendship. However, contemporary relations have been much more influenced by Chinese encounters with British imperialism, with Indians playing the role of subordinate instruments of British depredations in China, including the dumping of opium on China. India was held up by Chinese intellectuals as a teacher by negative example, its easy subjugation by the British being the result of its stagnant and stratified society, its fragmented and disunited polity and a slavish temperament among its people. China would need to avoid these dangers if it were to regain its full independence and modernisation. These perceptions persist and influence Chinese policy towards India in contemporary times and need careful analysis.
Former Foreign Secretary of India, Amb. Shyam Saran, will deliver this VP Dutt Memorial Lecture at a time when Sino-Indian relations are at a critical juncture.
For more information and registration: https://www.icsin.org/activity/show/vp-dutt-memorial-lecture-india-as-teacher-by-negative-example-chinese-perceptions-of-india-during-the-british-colonial-period-and-their-impact-on-contemporary-india-china-relations
Webinar
CENTRE FOR POLICY RESEARCH - Wednesday, October 7 & Thursday, October 8 9am India Standard Time (UTC+5:30)
The Future of Governance
The Accountability Initiative at the CPR has been researching and studying the nuts and bolts of government functioning for over 10 years. With India having over 3 million non-profit organizations, it is imperative that accessible, relevant and applicable information on government functioning is available to all Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) who either directly engage with or complement government efforts. There are three critical interrelated pieces of information on government functioning that all development professionals should know - information on flow of funds in government programmes; information on administrative structure across levels of government and an understanding of the local self-government itself. The Future of Governance virtual conference will not only engage with the why of government engagement, but also talk about how this can be made possible.
Tickets for this two-day event are priced between US$18-30.
For more information and registration: https://www.cprindia.org/events/9197
Webinar
YUSOF ISHAK INSTITUTE - Wednesday, October 7 @ 9:30am Singapore Time (UTC+8)
The Future of Responsible Business in Southeast Asia
The current pandemic coincides with an exceptional and challenging time for Southeast Asia as its countries try to navigate difficult internal conditions, major geopolitical shifts and international trade tensions. The challenges appear to be many for the future of responsible business in the region where the corporate sector have been already lagging behind societal demands for responsibility. This panel discussion examines how governments, businesses, industry associations, civil society organizations, and business and human rights stakeholders can respond to the challenges facing responsible business, and what will be needed to prepare for the changes that lie ahead in efforts to tackle societal problems like climate change, and the impacts of business activities on individuals and societies.
For more information and registration: https://www.iseas.edu.sg/mec-events/the-future-of-responsible-business-in-southeast-asia/
Webcast
ASIA SOCIETY - Wednesday, October 7 @ 11am Australian Eastern Standard Time (UTC+10)
Reporting on China: How do we understand China with no one on the ground?
The recent departure of Australia’s Bill Birtles (ABC) and Mike Smith (Australian Financial Review) from China, and the detainment of Australian journalist Cheng Lei, has raised important questions about that country’s approach to press freedom, its deteriorating relationship with Australia, and its ambitions as an assertive global power. Asia Society Australia and the Alliance for Journalists’ Freedom invite you to a public panel discussion with former China foreign correspondents. The lack of Australian news coverage is a loss for all seeking to understand what is happening within China. This forward-looking conversation focusses on the consequences of this apparent censorship and loss of a more free and open coverage of this critically important country.
For more information and registration: https://asiasociety.org/australia/events/webcast-reporting-china-how-do-we-understand-china-no-one-ground
Webinar
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC STUDIES - Wednesday, October 7 @ 4pm British Summer Time (UTC+1)
Defence and security implications of COVID-19: European allies and partners
The panel will look beyond the US to its bi-lateral, multilateral and institutional relationships to assess how decisions taken in Washington may affect its allies and partners and how those nations will tackle the strains of COVID-19 from their own perspectives. The NATO Alliance, the European Union and individual nations will all face similar pressures on their budgets in the defence and security domain. Where are the likely places they can, and will, compromise? Will short-term fixes lead to long-term impacts? How will pre-COVID-19 obligations fare in an environment of compressed resources? What trade-offs are likely and what can be the expected impact of those decisions? Chaired by E.J. Herold, the expert speakers for this webinar are Paul Belkin, Rose Gottemoeller, Fenella McGerty and Peter Round.
For more information and registration: https://www.iiss.org/events/2020/10/covid-19-defence-and-security-europe
Webinar
THE STIMSON CENTER - Wednesday, October 7 @ 11:30am Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4)
Leading the Blueprint: International Perspectives on Blockchain for Nuclear Security
As the nuclear community assesses the potential for distributed ledger technology, commonly called blockchain, what does it take to turn discussion into experimentation and action? Join the Stimson Center in a virtual discussion with a panel of experts from five countries – United States (inQ), Canada (OARO), Argentina (CNEA); Jordan (MESIS); and Finland (STUK) – to discuss the unique security challenges within their national or regional contexts, and how they are testing the viability of blockchain as a solution. Prior reading of the policy paper Complementing the Padlock is recommended. (See link: https://www.stimson.org/2020/complementing-the-padlock-the-prospect-of-blockchain-for-strengthening-nuclear-security/)
For more information and registration: https://www.stimson.org/event/leading-the-blueprint-international-perspectives-on-blockchain-for-nuclear-security/
Webinar
THE STIMSON CENTER - Thursday, October 8 @ 8:30am Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4)
How Will the U.S. Election Impact Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan?
In this virtual panel discussion based on a South Asian Voices series, contributors from India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan will convene to discuss what a Trump or Biden victory might look like for the region. The outcome of the upcoming U.S. Presidential election will have far-ranging impact in South Asia, from the Afghanistan peace process to dynamics in the Indo-Pacific, from ties with China to the India-Pakistan relationship. The following experts will form the panel of this webinar event - Vivek Mishra, Indian Council of World Affairs; Sitara Noor, Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies; Arash Yaqin, Institute of World Politics; and Akriti Vasudeva, Stimson Center.
For more information and registration: https://www.stimson.org/event/how-will-the-u-s-election-impact-afghanistan-india-and-pakistan/
Interactive webinar
INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ASIAN STUDIES - Thursday, October 8 @ 3pm Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
Does the ‘Asian City’ exist?
Professor Shiqiao Li will argue that the normative methods of urban analysis are too narrow to account for the full realities of cities in Asia. While conceptualizing and guiding the construction of cities in Asia in specific ways, many of these methods simultaneously conceal qualities that do not match the provinces of methods. To frame this problematic, he focuses on three foundational concepts of the city in the Western sense – exclusive land ownership, divisions of labor, and primacy of architecture – by tracing their intellectual trajectories. Against this characterization, he will examine how cities can take shape with a set of divergent concepts that can be characterized by way of ancient and indigenous thoughts in Asia, enabling a meaningful understanding of “the Asian city”. This divergence of urban thoughts not only would allow us to better explain complex urban phenomena in Asian cities, but also offer insights into ways of building cities that aspire to a more viable planetary habitation.
For more information and registration: https://www.iias.asia/events/does-asian-city-exist
Webinar
FOREIGN POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE - Thursday, October 8 @ 3pm Eastern Time (UTC-4)
Abe’s Foreign Policy Legacy
Shinzo Abe has ended his tenure as Japan’s longest-serving Prime Minister, having held office for nearly eight years consecutively. He leaves a large and complex record in foreign policy: improving relations with Xi Jinping’s China from the nadir reached over the East China Sea dispute near the beginning of Abe’s premiership; a strikingly and, among U.S. allies, exceptionally strong relationship Donald Trump; substantial but limited progress on his high-priority goal of loosening domestic restrictions on Japan’s defense policies; a sour turn in Japan’s long-fraught relations with South Korea; frustrated efforts to make progress on long-running territorial disputes with Russia; expanded engagement with several nations around Asia and with Europe; and an unaccustomed leadership role for Tokyo in international economic relations. What is Abe’s foreign policy legacy? How enduring are his accomplishments? In this discussion, FPRI’s Asia Program Director Jacques deLisle is joined by Dr. Thomas Berger, Director of the Center for the Study of Asia at Boston University, and Sheila Smith, author of Japan Rearmed: The Politics of Military Power.
For more information and registration: https://www.fpri.org/event/2020/abes-foreign-policy-legacy/
Webinar
THE ASPEN CENTER - Thursday, October 7 @ 2:30pm Eastern Time (UTC-4)
The Future of Work: Maintaining Career Goals in a time of Turmoil
2020 has featured lots of ducks and turns that have completely upended the economy and the future of work and leadership. Be that as it may, many are trying to figure out how to plan for their next roles amid remote hiring processes. How we utilize this disruption to energize our career goals is a question to which many career coaches and job seekers are seeking answers. Chaka Booker, a leading thinker on these issues has spent that last two decades creating hiring process, identifying and developing talent from a range of industries. He has compiled his lessons learned into two books, The Empowered Candidate, and Mastering the Hire, covering his expertise from both sides of the hiring spectrum.
For more information and registration: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/career-future-in-time-of-turmoil/
Zoom webcast
THE S. RAJARATNAM SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL STUDIES - Friday, October 9 @ 10am Singapore Time (UTC+8)
Malaysia’s Interests in the South China Sea
On 12 December 2019, Malaysia submitted to the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), a partial submission to establish limits of Malaysia’s continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles in the South China Sea from. This would effectively advance the delimitation of its territorial waters. Malaysia has various interests in the South China Sea that puts it in real and potential conflict with other claimants in Southeast Asia and beyond. The US has in recent years stepped up its presence and support for the Southeast Asian claimants in the South China Sea, vis-à-vis China. Observers have warned of potential confrontation between the two powers in the waters. While some in the region welcome US engagement on this matter, Malaysia appears to prefer maintaining an equidistance between the two, often suggesting that US-China rivalry in the South China Sea is its paramount concern in the area.
For more information and registration: https://www.rsis.edu.sg/event/rsis-webinar-on-malaysias-interests-in-the-south-china-sea/#.X3FtIpMzYkg
In-person event - live stream provided
INSTITUT D’ÉTUDES EUROPÉENNES, Egmont Palace, Place du Petit Sablon 8bis, 1000 Brussels - Friday, October 9 @ 8:30am Central European Summer Time (UTC+2)
The Charter is 20 Years Old : Exchanging Views
In June 2019, the Commission published the results of a Eurobarometer survey on the knowledge of EU citizens about the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union. According to this survey, only 12% of these citizens “really know what the Charter of Fundamental Rights is”. Twenty years after its proclamation, the objective of this conference is to examine the practical effectiveness of this instrument, which is presented as a pillar of the European Union. What is the real impact of the Charter of Fundamental Rights on the citizen? What are the practical weaknesses of this instrument? How to strengthen the awareness of the civil society and the judicial actors in that regard? These will be, among others, the questions that will be addressed by the conference.
This is a bilingual event presented in French and English. Registration is free but mandatory.
For more information and registration: http://www.egmontinstitute.be/events/la-charte-a-20-ans-regards-croises-pour-un-anniversaire/
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