This talk is co-hosted with the Bonavero Institute for Human Rights and the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict.

Avril D. Haines will give a talk discussing the intersection of international law, foreign policy, and national security in the context of state-actor asymmetric threats.

Using previously un-mined data on more than 600 members of Indonesia's Constitutional Assembly (1956-1959), this seminar will present a detailed picture of the political elites of post-independence Indonesia. The data, self-reported by members, includes age, educational level, past organizational activity, gender distribution, and more. This allows broader conclusions about the nature of a post-decolonization elite in the world's largest Muslim country.

*Abstract:* The cyber revolution is the revolution of our time. The rapid expansion of cyberspace in society brings both promise and peril. It promotes new modes of political cooperation, but it also disrupts interstate dealings and empowers subversive actors who may instigate diplomatic and military crises. Despite significant experience with cyber incidents, the conceptual apparatus to analyse, understand, and address their effects on international order remains primitive.

Abstract: Elections are a blunt tool for accountability. Can enhanced politician-voter communication in the periods between elections improve democratic outcomes? We partner with a politician in Pakistan and design an experiment with Interactive Voice Response (IVR) --- a technology that enables him to robocall a large number of voters in his own voice to ask them questions and receive feedback. We randomize whether respondents receive a call soliciting preferences about upcoming decisions the politician must make.

*Abstract:* In the study and practice of International Relations (IR), contributions from area studies face mounting challenges. These emanate from both the disciplinary mainstream, which privileges large-N, quantifiable knowledge, and from the policy arena, which is trending towards de-funding and de-legitimization of fine-grained expertise on other world regions. Yet, the realities of global power shift and Western retrenchment suggest that the time has never been riper to infuse IR with insights into political perspectives driving pathways beyond the West.

The German election of September 2017 saw a weakened Angela Merkel returned to power for a fourth term. Merkel must now bring new parties into her coalition, which is likely to include the Greens. The election also brought a far-right party into the national parliament for the first time since 1945.

What impact will this have on Germany, the EU and the world? Join the panel for a discussion of the possible consequences, followed by a Q&A.