Abstract: Geopolitics is one of the oldest ways of thinking about world politics. Yet it is a way of thinking that is remarkably marginal in the discipline of International Relations. This absence is not an accident. It has a politics and a history. Putting sophisticated traditions of geopolitics back into IR challenges not only its dominant historical narratives and theoretical perspectives, but many of the most important political commitments that lie beneath those narratives and perspectives.
Geopolitics and the Critique of Liberal Order: Two-Day Workshop
The rise of the political far right across western democracies in the 2010s and the Russian invasions of Ukraine in 2014 and 2022 have drawn attention to the role of illiberal and anti-liberal thought in world politics. There is today a growing awareness, both in scholarly and media debates, of the ways in which formal geopolitical visions of the political right shape the formulation of contemporary foreign policy.
Blavatnik Election Briefings: Indonesia Votes - Understanding the Indonesian Election: Lessons from the World's Third-Largest Democracy
Indonesia, the world's fourth-most populous country (270 million), held its election on 14 February 2024. As the world's third-largest democracy and the largest Muslim-majority democracy, Indonesia's election is not only a crucial domestic affair but also an event with global significance.
UK-China Relations: The State of Play
Join the Oxford China Policy Lab for a discussion on the future of UK-China relations with Sam Hogg, founder and editor of the weekly Beijing to Britain newsletter. A Q&A session will follow the discussion.
From Space Internet to Cloud Computing: the future of big tech is in infrastructure
The future of the tech industry is in infrastructure not data. This means that those who control the infrastructure of Internet—and other key infrastructural technologies like cloud computing and chips—control the bounds of public speech, economic production, social cohesion, and politics, making infrastructure a core political terrain in the networked age. This afternoon we bring together three expert panelists to discuss this topic through their contributions to a recently published book, called Eaten by the Internet.
Kim Jong Un has broken with decades of North Korean policy – does it mean he’s planning for war?
The New Era of Digital Diplomacy: The Future of AI and the Metaverse for International Relations
In our rapidly evolving digital world, the realms of diplomacy and peacebuilding are experiencing transformative changes, guided by advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), and other emerging technologies. This session will offer an insightful exploration into how these technologies are being integrated into global diplomacy efforts and peace initiatives.
DPIR’s Biruk Terrefe publishes paper on infrastructure and sovereignty in the Horn of Africa
Nawara Alaboud
I am a second-year graduate student reading for an MPhil in Comparative Government at University College. Prior to joining Oxford, I completed a BA in Ethics and Politics at Bard College Berlin, with a year of study abroad at Sciences Po's Euro-American Campus.
My academic interests revolve around violent conflict, social movements and political economy of development in the MENA region. My current research focuses on the political trajectories that countries take in the aftermath of civil wars and the social and political dynamics that drive them.
Panel Discussion: 'The great carbon market debate: is it over for offsetting?'
Critics and proponents of offsetting agree: achieving global net zero emissions is essential. But how we get there is up for debate.
Once hailed as a key solution to help individuals, organisations and governments achieve net zero emissions, offsetting approaches, and the carbon market underpinning them, have been plagued by bad actors, bad credits, and bad press.
Once hailed as a key solution to help individuals, organisations and governments achieve net zero emissions, offsetting approaches, and the carbon market underpinning them, have been plagued by bad actors, bad credits, and bad press.