IIEA Talks

Medical facilities have been increasingly targeted in conflict settings to inflict terror on civilian populations as well as maximise disruption to critical lifesaving services. Though protected under international law, medical facilities around the world in places such as Syria and Ukraine continue to be attacked. In their remarks, Waad Al-Kateab and Dr Hamza al-Kateab discuss how their Stop Bombing Hospitals campaign is working to build a movement to protect healthcare in conflict and seek accountability. About the Speakers: Waad Al-Kateab is the director of For Sama (2019), winner of a BAFTA and nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary, in which she introduced global audiences to the unimaginable lived realities of civilians and medical personnel under attack in Syria. Dr. Hamza al-Kateab was the director of the last remaining hospital in East Aleppo, Al-Quds, during continued attacks by the Syrian and Russian regimes. He was responsible for the healthcare of the entire population in the area during the besiegement of the city and for the medical evacuation during the forced displacement in 2016. Together, Hamza and Waad Al-Kateab founded Action for Sama and have since led the Stop Bombing Hospitals campaign, with the aim to shed light on the attacks perpetrated against healthcare facilities, seeking accountability for such crimes and amplifying the voices of healthcare professionals on the ground.

As Xi Jinping's third term as General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party gets under way in earnest after a series of top-level appointments in March, China faces formidable challenges at home and abroad. After three years of COVID restrictions, parts of the economy are rebounding but important sectors including real estate are troubled and foreign investors have been unnerved by a crackdown on high-profile entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, as relations with the United States become more tense, the war in Ukraine has complicated Beijing's relationship with Europe. Irish Times China Correspondent Denis Staunton, the only correspondent for an Irish news organisation based in China, offers an update from Beijing. About the Speaker: Denis Staunton has been China Correspondent for The Irish Times since October 2022. He was previously London Editor from 2015 to 2022 and has also served as the newspaper's correspondent in Washington, Brussels and Berlin, as Foreign Editor, and as Deputy Editor.

The European Declaration on Digital Rights and Principles was signed in December 2022. In his address, Thibaut Kleiner, Director for Policy, Strategy and Outreach in DG CONNECT in the European Commission, outlines the Declaration’s underpinning vision of a human-centred, secure, and sustainable digital transformation, in which no one is left behind. Mr Kleiner also explains how the Declaration may help to provide a framework to shape the future of EU digital policy and Europe’s digital transformation. About the Speaker: Thibaut Kleiner is the Director for Policy, Strategy, and Outreach at the Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT) in the European Commission. He has worked in the European Commission since 2001, including in areas such as competition policy and state aid. He has also previously supervised internet policies relating to internet governance, cybersecurity, cloud and data. From January 2014 to June 2016, he was head of unit in charge of network technologies such as 5G and the Internet of Things. An economist by training, Mr Kleiner holds a Master’s degree from HEC Paris and a PhD from the London School of Economics.

Greyzone aggression refers to acts of aggression which are below the threshold of armed military violence causing harm to another country. Often these means are even legal. That makes defence against greyzone aggression an enormous challenge for the targeted countries, and that also means the armed forces are not best placed to drive the defence. In her remarks, Elisabeth Braw argues that defence against greyzone aggression instead requires the involvement of all parts of society: the government, the private sector, the third sector, and the public, with people taking on responsibilities that can be as basic as knowing what to do when power goes out. About the Speaker: Elisabeth Braw is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where she focuses on defence against greyzone threats. She is also a columnist with Foreign Policy and Politico Europe and the author of The Defender’s Dilemma: Identifying and Deterring Grayzone Aggression (2022). Elisabeth is writing a book about globalisation and geopolitics for Yale University Press. She is a member of GALLOS Technologies’ advisory board, a member of the UK National Preparedness Commission and a member of the steering committee of the Aurora Forum. She is also the author of God’s Spies, about the Stasi (2019).

According to General Brieger, the response to the Russian criminal posture by EU Member States has been massive and unanimous, cemented ties, and strengthened the credibility of the EU security and defence agenda.   In the first year since its signing, the EU has made significant progress in all 4 interlinked areas of the Strategic Compass: ACT, SECURE, INVEST and PARTNER. Each chapter, strictly interwoven with the others, contains actionable items, with strict deadlines. Though much has been done, there remains much to do. Member states must now continue to mobilize their resources to meet the commitments and ambitions outlined in the Strategic Compass. What is at stake is nothing less than the security and well-being of future EU (and non-EU) generations.    About the Speaker:  General Robert Brieger is the Chairperson of the European Union Military Committee, a committee comprised of the Chiefs of Staff of Europe’s 27 Member State Militaries. General Brieger joined the Austrian Armed Forces in 1975 and graduated from the Theresian Military Academy as an Armour Officer in 1979. He became Chief of Staff of the Austrian Armed Forces in 2018. He has served as Commander of the Austrian Contingent of KFOR, Kosovo from 2001-2002; Force Commander of Operation Althea, Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2011-12.

At the IIEA’s first in-person student event, ‘Fresh Perspectives: A guide to your career in public service and international affairs’, a panel of young people from diplomacy and public service reflect on their experiences in middle management leadership roles. The panellists offer practical perspectives on how to forge and sustain a career in public life and will also discuss how changes in the geopolitical order are impacting their industries and affect their roles in the future. Geared towards students and young professionals, we hope this panel discussion will inspire young people who are hoping to pursue a career in government and/or international affairs. Panellists include: Luke O Callaghan-White, Programme Manager for Climate, Energy & Sustainability at Friends of Europe (based in Brussels) Amy Stapleton, Policy Officer, European Migration Network Ireland, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) Kevin Culligan, Desk Officer, International Security Policy Unit (EU Common Security and Defence Policy), Political Division, Irish Department of Foreign Affairs Aine Earley, Administrative Officer at Department of Finance

According to Pat Cox, the war in Ukraine is set to intensify in the coming months. Its duration and outcome are indeterminate. Neither the Russian aggressor nor the Ukrainian defender is yet prepared to take any decisive step towards a cessation of hostilities. For both sides, establishing a premature peace would carry significant risks. Making peace would be infused with politically sensitive complexity, not only for Ukraine and Russia but also for Ukraine’s allies, and especially for the EU. In his address to the IIEA, Pat Cox suggests that underpinning a sustainable and just peace for the EU is a geo-strategic investment which is in the interest of both the EU and Ukraine. About the Speaker: Pat Cox serves as the President of the Jean Monnet Foundation for Europe in Lausanne, Switzerland. He is also the leader of the European Parliament’s Needs Assessment and Implementation Mission on Parliamentary Reform of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Previously, Pat Cox served as President of the European Parliament from 2002 to 2004, President of the ELDR Group in the European Parliament from 1998 to 2001, and President of European Movement International from 2005 to 2011.

At the first IIEA Young Professionals Network (YPN) event of 2023, the IIEA will welcome Bertie Ahern, former Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland. According to a poll by The Sunday Times in November 2022, 50% of young people in the Republic of Ireland between the ages of 18 to 34 feel that they “do not fully understand the history of the Troubles”. To commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, Bertie Ahern, Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland from 1997 to 2008, and co-negotiator and co-signatory of the Good Friday Agreement, speaks to the IIEA’s Young Professionals Network regarding the progress that has been made on the island of Ireland towards achieving peace, as well as the challenges the Good Friday Agreement, and peace more broadly, might face over the next 25 years.

On 20 March 2003, a US-led coalition invaded Iraq. Both as part of the Global War on Terror and with the intention to bring freedom and democracy to a country led by Saddam Hussein, the invasion quickly caused Iraq to fall into disarray, and ultimately into civil war. Since the invasion by coalition forces, the country has not only struggled with increased interference by Iran, but has also seen the rise, fall and resurgence of the Islamic State. 20 years after the invasion began, Renad Mansour, Director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House reflects upon the implications of the invasion not just for Iraq itself, but for global politics as a whole. About the Speaker: Dr. Renad Mansour is a senior research fellow and project director of the Iraq Initiative at Chatham House. He is also a senior research fellow at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani. Mansour was previously a lecturer at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), where he taught the international relations of the Middle East. He is a research fellow at the Cambridge Security Initiative based at Cambridge University, and from 2013 he held positions as Lecturer of International Studies and Supervisor at the Faculty of Politics, at Cambridge, where he also received his PhD. He is co-author of Once Upon a Time in Iraq, published by BBC Books/Penguin to accompany the BAFTA/Emmy winning BBC series.

'Corporate subsidies, competition policy and the future of the EU’s single market' Stephanie Rickard, Professor of Political Science at the London School of Economics, in conversation with Dan O’Brien, IIEA Chief Economist