Julian Jacobs

I am a DPhil candidate in Political Economy at the University of Oxford, where my research examines how AI-driven technological shocks influence labor markets, worker retraining, and public attitudes toward economic policy. Prior to Oxford, I earned an MSc in Political Science and Political Economy as a Fulbright Scholar at the LSE and a BA in PPE from Brown University.

The Compass Rose meets the Rising Sun: a new era of NATO-Japan Relations

After nearly 70 years of distant relations, ties between NATO and Japan are flourishing. Over the past year alone, an unpreceded level of integration and planned commitment has taken place with the adoption of a number of important initiatives, including high-level political dialogues, joint military training, and cooperation in science, technology, and cyber security. This seminar considers the drivers and objectives of the institutionalization of NATO-Japan relations and their implications for broader global security in both the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific.

Japan’s “three national security documents” and fundamental reinforcement of defence capabilities: reinforcing a radical military trajectory

Japan’s government posits that its 2022 three national security documents are at the same time transformational and yet maintain overall continuity in military and security policy. This talk through investigating several pivotal aspects of the defence reforms weighs the arguments for essential continuity versus step change. It concludes that the three documents fundamentally change Japan’s exclusively defence-oriented policy and the US-Japan alliance division of labour, further accelerate Japan’s radical military trajectory, and pose important implications for regional security.

The universal language of the body

Corporeal Mime is a theatrical art based on the expressive power of the body. Born in early 20th century France it is now practised across the globe - including Japan. In this seminar, the directors of Japan-based Tarinainanika Theatre Company will share with you the story of this globe-trotting art. You will experience for yourself its startling but intuitive corporeal grammar. And together we will flesh out the case for a new departure in transnational understanding, based on the universal language of the body.

The Buddhist Body of the King: Ritual practices of consecration in medieval Japan

The medieval period (11-16c) in Japan was a moment of great creativity in the religious and political sphere. Shaped by Tantric Buddhism, new notions of attainment emerged, articulated through distinctive practices and unconventional visual forms. This talk re-reads a curious portrait of Go-Daigo Tenno in light of an influential ritual of Tantric consecration that was constructed anew in the medieval period.

Luke Williams

I am currently researching the historical development of today's far-right conservative political philosophies in America and Europe as part of my MPhil at DPIR. I graduated with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Social Studies from Harvard University in 2023, where I focused on studying history, economics, and political theory.

Mental Health and the Moral Component of Warfighting

Surgeon Commander Charlotte Evans MBChB MSc MRCPsych RN is the Royal Navy Hudson Visiting Fellow at St Antony’s College, Oxford. She recently served as the Consultant Advisor in Psychiatry to the Head of Royal Navy Healthcare, where she provided subject matter expertise in her clinical role as a consultant psychiatrist, as well as non-clinical support and advice on mental health and illness on strategic, operational and tactical levels.

Climate, Defence, and Security: Weird Bedfellows?

Lieutenant General Richard Nugee CB CVO CBE was appointed as Non-Executive Director for Climate Change and Sustainability at the Ministry of Defence in March 2021. Before this appointment, Lt Gen Nugee wrote the review of the Ministry of Defence’s approach to climate change and sustainability, leading directly to the 2021 Ministry of Defence Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach.
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