The Oxford Conservative Thought (OCT) Reading Group is a non-partisan group devoted to academic exploration of small-c conservative political thought.

We welcome, and actively encourage, viewpoint diversity and constructive engagement across ideological divides (all good-willed participants are welcome!)

Each week we read one assigned text, and we recommend more for anyone who is very keen!

You can view our reading list here: docs.google.com/document/d/1-FnMPnWCQm3urAvD38jjRQkTEGA2EuSSjZjWm41Eszw/edit?usp=sharing

After the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that left 50,000 people dead in Turkey and Syria, DEATH WITHOUT MERCY follows two Syrian families over the course of 10 days as they piece together the tragedy and uncover the corruption and government incompetence that exacerbated the disaster and its response.

Please join us for a screening of BAFTA-winning director Waad Al-Kateab's new documentary 'Death Without Mercy'. After the screening, Ms. Al-Kateab will participate in a Q&A with the film's Syrian producer Hasan Kattan chaired by Professor Dawn Chatty.

The discussion is free and open to all members of the University of Oxford. The event will be followed by refreshments. Registration is required from all attendees.

In a text written in Jerusalem in 1926, Gershom Scholem, who later became one of the greatest Jewish scholars and intellectuals in the twentieth century, pointed to the dangers inherent in Zionism’s attempt to secularize and nationalize Judaism. Involved in the organization ‘Brit Shalom’ (Covenant of Peace), that advocated a binational arrangement in Israel-Palestine, Scholem at that time argued that binationalism was essential for distinguishing Zionism from messianism.

Canada’s rapid rise in deaths from euthanasia and physician assisted suicide, termed Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) in the country, now ranks it second only to the Netherlands in terms of MAiD deaths as percentage of overall deaths, with one province already hosting the highest rate of all jurisdictions in the world.

We are very excited to be hosting Dr. Kevin Rowlands on Seapower and Statecraft on Tuesday, March 11th at 8:30 PM in the Old Library at All Souls College. There will be a drinks reception prior to the talk at 8. Dr. Kevin Rowlands is the Head of the Royal Navy Strategic Studies Centre, the Royal Navy’s internal think tank which serves to strengthen the conceptual component of the Navy’s fighting power.

We are very excited to be hosting Chris Lavers on Threats in Urban Environments Posed by the Proliferation of Modified Commercially Available UAVs by Asymmetrical Warfare Actors on Tuesday, March 4th at 8:30 PM in the Old Library at All Souls College. There will be a drinks reception prior to the talk at 8. Chris Lavers is a Visiting Research Fellow at the Strategy, Statecraft, and Technology - Changing Character of War Centre, University of Oxford.

We are very excited to be hosting Målfrid Braut-Hegghammer next week on The Black Brant Scare: Early Warning, Nuclear Alerts, and the 1995 Rocket Incident. The talk will take place on Tuesday (February 25th) at 8:30 PM in the Old Library at All Souls College. There will be a drinks reception prior-to the talk from 8 PM. Målfrid Braut-Hegghammer is Professor of Political Science at the University of Oslo, and is the founding director of the Oslo Nuclear Project.

We are very excited to be hosting Beatrice Heuser on Can Strategic Intelligence Failure be Avoided? on Tuesday, February 10th at 8:30 PM in the Old Library at All Souls College. There will be a drinks reception prior to the talk at 8. Beatrice Heuser is Distinguished Professor at the Brussels School of Governance, Free University of Brussels (VUB). She heads the Strategy teaching section at the German General Staff College (Führungsakademie) of the Bundeswehr in Hamburg and previously the Chair in International Relations at the University of Glasgow.