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41. The Future of the 'Special Relationship'

Author:
Kim Darroch and Evie Aspinall
Publication Date:
02-2025
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
Since Winston Churchill first coined the term in 1946, successive American Presidents and Prime Ministers have hailed the ‘Special Relationship’ between the United Kingdom and the United States. For over 80 years, the exceptionally close political, diplomatic, economic, military and intelligence relationship between the two countries has endured changes of government, the end of the Cold War, the ‘War on Terror’, and globalisation. In the week that Donald Trump returned to the White House, the former British Ambassador to the United States, Kim Darroch, the Director of the British Foreign Policy Group, Evie Aspinall, and Dr James Ellison explored the future of Anglo-American relations. With tariffs looming and Elon Musk waging war on the Starmer government, they asked how should Britain handle this relationship - and explored the challenges it will face over the coming years.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, Politics, Bilateral Relations, Tariffs, and Transatlantic Relations
Political Geography:
United Kingdom, Europe, North America, and United States of America

42. The Conservative Party in Opposition

Author:
Tim Bale, Nigel Fletcher, Lee David Evans, and Mercy Muroki
Publication Date:
01-2025
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
As Kemi Badenoch began her tenure as Leader of the Conservative Party and the Leader of His Majesty's Official Opposition, Prof Tim Bale was joined by Dr Nigel Fletcher, Lee David Evans and Mercy Muroki to explore her approach to leadership and what her Shadow Cabinet appointments tell us about the future of Conservative policy. After the most successful electoral force in British history suffered the worst defeat in its 200-year existence, our expert panel of academics, historians and political commentators considered how the new Conservative leader might approach the challenges and dilemmas of Opposition.
Topic:
Elections, Domestic Politics, Political Parties, and Conservative Party
Political Geography:
Britain and Europe

43. Displacement and Erasure in Palestine: The Politics of Hope

Author:
Noa Shaindlinger
Publication Date:
02-2025
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), Rutgers University School of Law
Abstract:
The lecture explores the ways in which Palestinians negotiate physical and symbolic erasures by producing their own archives and historical narratives. With a focus on the city of Jaffa and its displaced Palestinian population, Professor Noa Shaindlinger argues that the Israeli state ‘buried’ histories of mass expulsions and spatial appropriations.
Topic:
Human Rights, International Law, and Justice
Political Geography:
Middle East, Israel, and Palestine

44. Through Protest to Reform: Euromaidan and Decentralization in Ukraine (10/03/2025)

Author:
Anastasiia Vlasenko and Petro Jacyk
Publication Date:
10-2025
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
The Harriman Institute
Abstract:
What happens when mass protests don’t just demand change, but actually reshape the way power works on the ground? This talk dives into that question through the story of Ukraine’s Euromaidan movement and the sweeping decentralization reform that followed. In the wake of Euromaidan, Ukraine undertook one of its most ambitious transformations: transferring authority, budgets, and decision-making from the central government to local communities. But here is the twist: different places embraced this reform at very different speeds. Why? And what did protest have to do with it? Drawing on rich local-level data, this study uncovers a fascinating paradox: communities touched by protest often moved more slowly to adopt decentralization. However, once they did, they used it more effectively. The protest areas developed polycentric, multivoice decision-making structures that made early reform harder, but later implementation stronger, more competitive, and more participatory. From budget battles to e-democracy initiatives, this research shows how protest can leave behind more than memories. It can build the skills, networks, and civic muscle needed to turn reforms into real functioning democracy. Whether you are interested in Ukrainian politics, the afterlife of protest movements, or the mechanics of grassroots democracy, this talk offers fresh insight into how collective action can rewrite the rules of governance from the bottom up.
Topic:
Governance, Reform, Protests, Decentralization, and Euromaidan Revolution
Political Geography:
Europe and Ukraine

45. Pop-Propaganda: How the Kremlin Markets Its War Like Netflix and Coca-Cola (09/30/2025)

Author:
Andrew Ryvkin and Elise Giuliano
Publication Date:
09-2025
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
The Harriman Institute
Abstract:
How does a government sell war, repression, or the curbing of freedoms to millions of people in the age of attention economy? If you think Russian propaganda is just burly TV hosts threatening to drown the Eastern Seaboard and millions of bots on X, then you haven’t been paying attention. In today’s Russia, the boundaries between entertainment and propaganda have all but disappeared. The Kremlin’s disinformation machine is no longer built only on bureaucracy and censorship—it operates like a modern media conglomerate, blending state messaging with digital marketing, social media influencers, and Netflix (yes, the Kremlin has its own streaming platform). Modern propaganda is memes, influencers, and sophisticated campaigns to market government initiatives in ways that resemble consumer brands. Drawing on his experience as both a Kremlin propagandist and a journalist covering Russia for The Atlantic and Air Mail, Andrew Ryvkin will show how propaganda is packaged and spread, and what can we do to counter it.
Topic:
Media, Propaganda, Disinformation, Entertainment, Consumer Behavior, and Russia-Ukraine War
Political Geography:
Russia and Eurasia

46. 10 Years of Observing US-Russia Relations (09/18/2025)

Author:
Timothy Frye, Samuel Greene, Nina Khrushcheva, Maria Snegovaya, Joshua Tucker, and Alexander Cooley
Publication Date:
09-2025
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
The Harriman Institute
Abstract:
Please join the New York University Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia and Harriman Institute at Columbia University for the concluding event in the New York-Russia Public Policy series, held in person at NYU. This panel of four distinguished researchers and commentators on Russia will reflect on a decade of observing U.S.-Russia relations, how the two countries represent their relations and understand their interests, and the challenges inherent in communicating the many nuances of these relationships. Our panelists will also speculate on what we are likely to see in the next decade to come.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, National Security, Bilateral Relations, and Democracy
Political Geography:
Russia, Eurasia, North America, and United States of America

47. Reclaiming Trust: Inga Springe on the Role of Independent Media in the Baltics

Author:
Masha Udensiva-Brenner and Inga Springe
Publication Date:
10-2025
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
The Harriman Institute
Abstract:
Harriman Magazine editor Masha Udensiva-Brenner interviews Latvian investigative journalist Inga Springe of Re:Baltica about the rise and fall of the newspaper Diena, Latvia's journey to join NATO and the EU, and how investigative journalism addresses corruption and Russian influence in the Baltic region.
Topic:
NATO, Corruption, European Union, Media, Journalism, and Foreign Influence
Political Geography:
Russia, Europe, Eurasia, Latvia, and Baltic States

48. Yulia Navalnaya in the Václav Havel Library

Author:
Yulia Navalnaya and Ondřej Kundra
Publication Date:
12-2025
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Vaclav Havel Library
Abstract:
In her first live interview in the Czech Republic, Yulia Navalnaya spoke with Ondřej Kundra, a journalist from Respekt, about the book Patriot (Universum, 2025), which is about the life and work of her husband, Alexei Navalny, a leader of the Russian opposition, who was brutally murdered by Putin's regime. The debate between Navalnaya and Kundra touches on some of the most difficult moments of Julia and Alexei’s lives, but also delves into Alexei’s childhood, his entrance into public life and politics, and his fight for a free Russia.
Topic:
Repression, Vladimir Putin, Opposition, and Alexei Navalny
Political Geography:
Russia

49. From Glasnost to Crackdown: Ann Cooper on Covering the Fall of the USSR and What Came After

Author:
Masha Udensiva-Brenner and Ann Cooper
Publication Date:
10-2025
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
The Harriman Institute
Abstract:
Harriman Magazine editor Masha Udensiva-Brenner interviews editor-in-chief Ann Cooper about her experiences covering the end of the Soviet Union for NPR; how we might reframe that period; and some of the articles in the 2025 issue of Harriman Magazine.
Topic:
History, Journalism, Soviet Union, National Public Radio (NPR), and Glasnost
Political Geography:
Europe, Eurasia, and Soviet Union

50. The Showman: An Interview With President Zelensky’s Wartime Biographer

Author:
Simon Shuster
Publication Date:
10-2025
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
The Harriman Institute
Abstract:
Time Magazine Senior Correspondent Simon Shuster discusses his book on Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and the first year of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine; the current state of affairs; and some of the historical context that brought us here.
Topic:
Journalism, Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia-Ukraine War, and History
Political Geography:
Russia, Europe, and Ukraine

51. Václav Havel European Dialogues - Human rights and values in international affairs

Author:
Michael Ignatieff, Martin Palouš, Jiri Pehe, and Jacques Rupnik
Publication Date:
11-2025
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Vaclav Havel Library
Abstract:
In the aftermath of 1989, Vaclav Havel thought that human rights, democratic values and foreign policy could advance hand in hand. Today the dominant trend seems, on the contrary, to favour power politics at the expense of Havel’s legacy. The language of human rights, spoken in the past by dissidents, and still used today by lawyers and advocates for victims’ groups, is rarely shared by diplomats and the wider public. In an international arena marked by brutal conflict and war, human rights discourse seems increasingly inadequate. What is left of Havel’s legacy is the possibility to formulate a foreign policy that does not ignore the defence of human rights. The Vaclav Havel Library, in cooperation with the Faculty of Social Sciences of Charles University and supported by the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, invited Michael Ignatieff, politician, academic and author, to address the issue of human rights in international affairs. He discussed this topic with Martin Palouš, Jiri Pehe and Jacques Rupnik, who chaired the event.
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Human Rights, International Affairs, European Union, and Democracy
Political Geography:
Europe

52. Turkey, Far and Near

Author:
Zuzana Kutišová, Mesut Özcan, Veysel Ok, and Tereza Engelová
Publication Date:
10-2025
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Vaclav Havel Library
Abstract:
After a century of building a secular state and having recent hopes for EU membership, Turkey, our ally, embarked on a path of harsh repression against political opposition and civil society. Unless it was hit by an earthquake, or we were heading for its beaches, we took virtually zero interest in Turkey. Ready to convince us that this had been a mistake, and that it had been important to monitor the country and keep it as close to Europe as possible, especially in that turbulent world, were Zuzana Kutišová, a PhD student in the Department of Middle Eastern Studies at Charles University in Prague, and, remotely, Prof. Burak Bilgehan Özpek, a political scientist at TOBB University of Economics and Technology and a respected expert on Turkish politics and foreign policy, and Veysel Ok, a lawyer for many journalists in Turkey and Co-Director of the Media and Law Studies Association. It was moderated by Tereza Engelová, journalist and documentary filmmaker.
Topic:
Civil Society, European Union, Domestic Politics, and Regional Politics
Political Geography:
Europe, Turkey, and Middle East

53. The Fragility of Democracy | Interview with the Georgian first female president Salome Zourabichvili

Author:
Salomé Zourabichvili and Tomáš Sedláček
Publication Date:
04-2025
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Vaclav Havel Library
Abstract:
Salome Zourabichvili, a Georgian politician and the first female president of her country, is set to visit the Czech Republic at the invitation of the Václav Havel Library and of Pavel Fischer, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Security of the Senate of the Czech Parliament. Following parliamentary elections in Georgia in October 2024, the pro-Western president said the result had been manipulated by Russia, pledging to remain in office until new elections were held. However, MPs from the ruling Georgian Dream party, which has a majority in parliament after October’s elections, installed Mikheil Kavelashvili as the country’s new president. The director of the Václav Havel Library, Tomáš Sedláček, conducted an interview with Salome Zourabichvili on recent developments in the country, the backsliding of democracy and Georgia’s geopolitical importance at the Václav Havel Library on Wednesday 9 April 2025.
Topic:
Politics, Elections, Democracy, Democratic Backsliding, and Foreign Influence
Political Geography:
Russia, Eurasia, Caucasus, and Georgia

54. Emile Bustani Middle East Seminar: Gaza: ‘Can Anyone Hear Us?’

Author:
Sara Roy
Publication Date:
04-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
MIT Center for International Studies
Abstract:
The Emile Bustani Middle East Seminar: “Gaza: ‘Can Anyone Hear Us?’" Dr. Sara Roy, Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Harvard University
Topic:
Human Rights and Armed Conflict
Political Geography:
Middle East, Israel, Palestine, and Gaza

55. Starr Forum: China: The Rise and Fall of the EAST

Author:
Yasheng Huang and Will Knight
Publication Date:
04-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
MIT Center for International Studies
Abstract:
Speaker: Yasheng Huang, Epoch Foundation Professor of Global Economics and Management, MIT Sloan School of Management, and faculty director of the MIT-China Program at the Center for International Studies. Discussant: Will Knight, senior writer, Wired magazine, covers artificial intelligence and other emerging technology. He was previously a senior editor at MIT Technology Review, where he wrote about fundamental advances in AI and China’s AI boom.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Geopolitics, and Autocracy
Political Geography:
China and Asia

56. Mapping exile: Bridging knowledge and advocating for scholars at risk

Author:
Pascale Laborier
Publication Date:
03-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
MIT Center for International Studies
Abstract:
About the speaker: Pascale Laborier is a professor of political science at Paris Nanterre whose research over the past decade has focused on the history of scholars in exile. Some of her recent scholarship has focused on refugee scholars from Uruguay and Chile during the dictatorships. She is one of the founders of PAUSE, a French organization with private and government funding that helps refugee scholars in France find university jobs and funds them for their first year of teaching. Together with an artist-photographer she has created an exposition on these themes that will be shown at MIT in April. The exposition has been shown in Germany, France, and Belgium and currently in Uruguay and Chile.
Topic:
Refugees, Advocacy, Exile, and Scholars
Political Geography:
Global Focus

57. Dying Abroad: The Political Afterlives of Migration in Europe

Author:
Osman Balkan
Publication Date:
02-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
MIT Center for International Studies
Abstract:
On any given day, the remains of countless deceased migrants are shipped around the world to be buried in ancestral soils. Others are laid to rest in countries of settlement, sometimes in cemeteries established for religious and ethnic minorities, where available. For immigrants and their descendants, perennial questions about the meaning of home and homeland take on a particular gravitas in death. When the boundaries of a nation and its members are contested, burial decisions are political acts. Building on multi-sited fieldwork in Berlin and Istanbul – where the author worked as an undertaker – Dying Abroad offers a moving and powerful account of migrants' end-of-life dilemmas, vividly illustrating how they are connected to ongoing political struggles over the stakes of citizenship, belonging, and collective identity in contemporary Europe.
Topic:
Migration, Refugees, Identity, and Death
Political Geography:
Europe

58. MIT reflects on COP28

Author:
MIT Center for International Studies
Publication Date:
01-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
MIT Center for International Studies
Abstract:
This is the Zoom recording of the COP28 debrief and reflections event held on January 17th at the MIT Center for International Studies. Professional captioning will be added soon. Approximately 30 members of the MIT community were among the 100,000 attendees at COP28. While there were some major takeaways from the conference that have already been shared in the media and more that will continue to be published into the new year, much of the progress happened on a smaller scale in meetings and side events. Some attendees gathered to debrief and learn about some of the specific interests and goals that members of the MIT delegation had in attending the COP, and the value that they gained from participating.
Topic:
Climate Change, Environment, Conference, Sustainability, and Conference of the Parties (COP)
Political Geography:
Global Focus

59. Conservatism and the Climate Crisis

Author:
Sam Hall, Pilita Clark, Rachel Coxcoon, and Robert Saunders
Publication Date:
06-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
The climate crisis poses new challenges to all parties and traditions, and will require the intellectual resources of both right and left to meet it effectively. In this event in May 2024, the Mile End Institute brought together Sam Hall (Director of the Conservative Environment Network), Pilita Clark (leading environmental journalist), Rachel Coxcoon (Director of ClimateGuide) and Dr Robert Saunders to explore what Conservatism can contribute to the climate debate. They explored the Conservative Party's record in government, the place of the environment in the Conservative tradition, and the challenges facing Conservative environmentalists at a time of growing political polarisation.
Topic:
Climate Change, Environment, Politics, Conservatism, Crisis Management, and Polarization
Political Geography:
United Kingdom and Europe

60. Remembering John Smith: His Legacy and Lessons

Author:
Robert Saunders, David Ward, Richard Johnson, and Dame Pauline Green
Publication Date:
05-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
The night before John Smith QC died in May 1994, he spoke at the Park Lane Hotel to raise money for the Labour Party's campaign for the next general election. To the 500 people in attendance, Smith remarked that 'the opportunity to serve our country—that is all we ask'. 30 years on from his death, Smith is often recalled as one of the 'best Prime Ministers we never had' and is still viewed with affection by many people regardless of their political views. However, in his own party, John Smith's legacy has often been more contentious. For supporters of the 'New Labour' project pursued by his successor, John Smith - as David Miliband told the Mile End Institute in May 2022 - failed to 'understand that in 1992 the electorate told us, in no uncertain terms, that they wanted a different offer from Labour'. On Thursday 9 May 2024, the Mile End Institute marked the 30th anniversary of John Smith's death by inviting a distinguished panel of historians and eyewitnesses to consider John Smith's legacy and lessons for the Labour Party today. Chaired by Dr Robert Saunders, it featured David Ward (John Smith's Head of Policy and Adviser from 1988 to 1994), Dr Richard Johnson (Senior Lecturer at QMUL), and Dame Pauline Green (former Chair of the Party of European Socialists).
Topic:
Politics, History, Labour Party, and John Smith
Political Geography:
United Kingdom and Europe