IIEA Talks

Artificial intelligence (AI) already plays a role in deciding what unemployment benefits someone gets, where a burglary is likely to take place, whether someone is at risk of cancer, or who sees an advertisement for low mortgage rates. Its use keeps growing, presenting seemingly endless possibilities. However, AI also poses major challenges to upholding fundamental rights standards in Europe. In his address to the IIEA, Michael O’Flaherty, the Director of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, discusses the implications of AI for human rights, the new AI Act, as well as the wider challenges facing human rights standards in an age of rapid digitalisation. About the Speaker: Michael O’Flaherty is Director of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights. Previously, Michael O'Flaherty was Established Professor of Human Rights Law and Director of the Irish Centre for Human Rights at the National University of Ireland, Galway. He has served as Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, Member of the UN Human Rights Committee, and head of a number of UN Human Rights Field Operations.

The UK has seen significant levels of industrial action taken by many public sector trades union over the past 18 months. Just three years after the COVID-19 pandemic led to an outpouring of public support for the NHS, major strike action has been taken by nursing staff across the UK to fight for better pay and patient safety. In her keynote address to the IIEA, Director of Nursing of the Royal College of Nursing, Nicola Ranger, discusses the current challenges faced by nursing staff in both the NHS and independent health care settings, and the role of the RCN in influencing political change in the UK. About the Speaker: Professor Nicola Ranger joined the RCN in December 2022. She was previously Chief Nurse and Executive Director of Midwifery at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in London. Before that, she held Chief Nurse posts at both Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust and Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust. She has also held a number of senior nursing roles at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust. Earlier in her career, she worked at America’s George Washington University Hospital in Washington and at Mount Sinai Medical Centre in New York.

Professor Eftimiades contends that The People’s Republic of China's massive ‘whole-of-society’ approach to espionage is creating a new paradigm on how intelligence activities are conducted, viewed, and addressed by nations and businesses. In his address, Professor Nicholas Eftimiades discusses how specific espionage and covert action tradecraft is used by China's intelligence services, State Owned Enterprises, universities, and private companies to target companies, governments, and even citizens worldwide. About the Speaker: Nicholas Eftimiades is a professor at Penn State University. He is a member of the graduate faculty teaching homeland security, intelligence, and national security policy. He conducts research on China’s economic espionage, intelligence, and emerging threats/disruptive technologies. Mr. Eftimiades retired from a 34 year government career in intelligence and diplomacy. He has extensive experience and has published widely on China and the national security space. Mr. Eftimiades held senior appointments to the Department of Defence Defence Science Board, the Department of Homeland Security's Advisory Council and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence National Intelligence Council. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, and Auburn University, McCrary Institute for Cyber and Critical Infrastructure Security.

'EU policy outlook: what, how and when?' Professor Desmond Dinan, Jean Monnet Professor at the George Mason School of Public Policy in Arlington Virginia, in conversation with Dan O’Brien, IIEA Chief Economist

In his remarks, Dr Bassuener focuses on the EU’s relationship with the Western Balkans in advance of the country reports which will be published in October 2023. Dr Bassuener’s contention is that, writ broadly, the political elites of the region have demonstrated that they do not want to do the heavy lifting regarding EU accession. Yet, according to Dr Bassuener, the EU’s interest in the region remains its desire to demonstrate its transformative power and geopolitical potency. Overall, in his discussion, Dr Bassuener argues that enlargement should not be abandoned, but rather there should be a reassessment of who the primary EU partners need to be – the citizens of the region. About the Speaker: Kurt Bassuener is a Co-Founder and Senior Associate of the Democratization Policy Council, a Berlin-based think-tank established in 2005. He received his PhD in 2021 from the University of St. Andrews’ Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence. Dr Bassuener is co-author and research director for the Diplomat’s Handbook for Democracy Development Support. Prior to studying at St. Andrews, he lived for 11 years in Sarajevo, starting in 2005 as a strategist for then-High Representative, Paddy Ashdown. He was a political and campaign analyst for the OSCE-ODIHR election observation mission in Ukraine in 2004–2005, and previously conducted analysis-based advocacy in Washington D.C. for the Balkan Institute, the Balkan Action Council, the U.S. Institute of Peace, and the International Rescue Committee.

What are the pros and cons of Putin’s regime maintaining its grip on power after the Prigozhin mutiny? Does the Kremlin have a war strategy in Ukraine and if so, what is it? How are Western sanctions impacting Russia? Will China distance itself from Russia? And is there a chance of negotiations beginning between Moscow and Kyiv in 2024? DW’s Russian affairs analyst Konstantin Eggert, who recently travelled to Ukraine, addresses these issues in a webinar hosted by IIEA. About the Speaker: Konstantin Eggert (also known as Konstantin von Eggert) is an independent journalist, political analyst and communications consultant. He is a Baltic States correspondent and commentator on Russian affairs for DW (Deutsche Welle), Germany’s international broadcaster. From 1998 until 2009, Eggert was Senior Correspondent, then Editor-in-Chief of the BBC Russian Service Moscow bureau. In 2008, Mr Eggert was honoured with an MBE by Queen Elizabeth II and was also awarded with the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of Lithuania by President Valdas Adamkus.

Panel 2 The question of how to ensure the Russian Federation, and its political and military leadership, are held to account for serious breaches of international law in and Ukraine, including its war of aggression, has been an important aspect of the international response since the onset of Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ireland has taken a strong position on the topic of ensuring accountability, having had it as one of the priorities for its latest term on the UN Security Council in 2021-2022. This symposium will hear the views of senior diplomats from Ukraine and Ireland, academics, and practitioners including from the field of international criminal law and accountability regarding this vital subject. Speakers at this session include: Ms Oleksandra Matviychuk, Ukrainian human rights lawyer and civil society leader, Head of Center for Civil Liberties, 2022 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and renowned human rights defender;  Ms Iryna Mudra, Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine; Günter Schirmer, Head Of Department of Legal Affairs and Human Rights, Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly · Council of Europe Dr Anton Moiseienko, Lecturer, Australian National University College of Law.

Panel 1 The question of how to ensure the Russian Federation, and its political and military leadership, are held to account for serious breaches of international law in and Ukraine, including its war of aggression, has been an important aspect of the international response since the onset of Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ireland has taken a strong position on the topic of ensuring accountability, having had it as one of the priorities for its latest term on the UN Security Council in 2021-2022. This symposium will hear the views of senior diplomats from Ukraine and Ireland, academics, and practitioners including from the field of international criminal law and accountability regarding this vital subject. Following opening remarks from Michael Clausen (Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Mission Ireland), Ms Larysa Gerasko (Ambassador of Ukraine to Ireland), Ms Sonja Hyland (Deputy Secretary General & Political Director, Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland) and Mr Alex White (Director General, Institute for International and European Affairs/IIEA), Speakers at this session include: Dr Anton Korynevych, Ambassador-at-Large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine; Prof Claus Kreß, Director of the Institute of International Peace and Security Law, University of Cologne; Dr Carrie Mc Dougall, Senior Lecturer, Melbourne Law School, The University of Melbourne; Margarita Šniutytė-Daugėlienė, Vice-President of Eurojust.

Senator Lisa Chambers, Leader of Seanad Éireann and Fianna Fáil Spokesperson, discusses Europe's resilience, the relationship between the economy and migration, responsible AI development, and the impact of AI on political campaigns and elections.

Join Eliot Higgins, the founder of Bellingcat, as he delves into the significant role of open-source investigation in comprehending the Ukrainian conflict. This lecture covers the role open-source intelligence played in the tracking of the conflict's build-up, the swift debunking of misinformation, an analysis of open-source evidence to comprehend the war's impact on civilians, and an exploration of the online communities that formed in response to the conflict. About the Speaker: Eliot Higgins is a renowned British journalist and founder of Bellingcat, an investigative journalism platform that uses open-source intelligence to solve critical international cases. Born in 1979, Higgins' contributions, including MH17 investigation and exposure of Syrian Civil War atrocities, have revolutionised journalism. His work on the Salisbury poisonings won the prestigious 2019 European Press Prize Investigation Award. In 2020, he was also awarded the Machiavelli Prize for his role in enhancing digital investigative journalism. Recognized as a trailblazer, Higgins continues to catalyse transformative changes in how the world understands news, truth, and fact-checking in the digital age.