LSE: Public lectures and events

Contributor(s): Dr Nisrin Elamin | The ongoing war in Sudan has produced the world’s largest humanitarian and hunger crisis—devastating a country that could easily feed itself and its neighbours. As millions of Sudanese face starvation, global markets are also experiencing a surge in the value of key Sudanese commodities such as gold, gum Arabic and livestock that are smuggled out of the country to places like the UAE, Egypt and Kenya. This talk situates Sudan’s current famine within a broader historical context of neoliberal economic restructuring, US aid policies, foreign land investments and resource extractivism. It traces how this history is connected to the current dismantling of rural livelihoods and agricultural infrastructures and to the ongoing resource extraction facilitated by this war. Using food insecurity and hunger as a lens, the talk examines the role of foreign-particularly Gulf-actors in fuelling and sustaining the war.

Contributor(s): Dr Sophie Scott-Brown | Anarchism has had a more powerful impact on political life than most people realise. What are the roots of this radical tradition? How has it had this impact? And what is the contemporary case for embracing it?

Join Professor Arun Advani, an economics expert, Emma Chamberlain, a tax barrister, and Dr. Andy Summers, a law scholar, as they dissect the relevance of a wealth tax in the UK. They reveal how the Wealth Tax Commission emerged during COVID and debate the merits of a one-off versus an annual wealth levy. Discussion includes the challenges of valuation, the impact on savings and investment, and the political obstacles faced in implementing reforms. They also explore international tax examples and the implications for funding public services.

Contributor(s): Pablo Hernández de Cos | Sovereign debt levels have increased considerably since the Great Financial Crisis, reaching historical post-World War II highs in many advanced economies. This has been accompanied by a growing presence of non-bank financial institutions in sovereign bond markets. This combination generates new financial stability challenges, which have both domestic and international aspects. This lecture will discuss how policymakers should address these challenges by employing a carefully selected mix of tools that spans fiscal, monetary and prudential policy.

Contributor(s): Dr C Raja Mohan | America’s longstanding role as the guarantor of security in Europe and Asia is now under question at home. In this lecture, one of India’s leading strategic thinkers and commentators examines the roots of Donald Trump’s America First agenda and assesses its implications for the future of stability on the Eurasian landmass and its surrounding waters.

Contributor(s): Professor Christopher Freiman | urious about how free markets and social justice intersect? Join us for an engaging lecture by Christopher Freiman, author of the book Unequivocal Justice. Freiman offers a rethinking of the political theory of John Rawls and challenges the conventional wisdom surrounding liberal egalitarianism and free-market regimes. Freiman’s work highlights the importance of non-ideal theory, focusing on the real-world applications of political principles rather than abstract ideals. He argues that traditional Rawlsian liberalism does not consistently apply its idealising assumptions across its theory. By examining political liberty, economic sufficiency, fair opportunity, and social equality under realistic conditions, Freiman provides a fresh perspective on achieving justice in an imperfect world. This lecture is essential for anyone interested in the practical implications of political theory and the pursuit of social justice.

Contributor(s): | It seems every week we hear a new report of a cyber-attack. Recent examples include the hacks on Marks and Spencer's, Jaguar Land Rover, and the Co-op, all causing massive economic disruption. While these attacks seem to have come from cyber criminals working within the UK rather than other nation states, they highlight the destruction that cyber-attacks can wreak. What if those attacks were on our critical infrastructure? Our national grid? Our water supply? Is the UK prepared? Charlotte Kelloway meets former Director of Operations and Intelligence for the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), Nigel Inkster, who discusses when a cyber-attack could constitute a declaration of war. She also talks to former Director Cyber in the Foreign Office and Associate Dean for Strategic Development at the LSE School of Public Policy Professor Alexander Evans about what the UK is doing defensively and offensively to prevent cyber-attacks. Dr Lauren Sukin from Nuffield College at the University of Oxford explains why there is a lack of regulation in the cyberwar space and explores if depictions of cyberwar in the media are realistic. Contributors: Professor Alexander Evans, Dr Lauren Sukin, Nigel Inkster Research links: Lauren Sukin: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/00220027231153580 Nigel Inkster: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Decoupling-Struggle-Technological-Supremacy/dp/1787383830 LSE iQ is a university podcast by the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Contributor(s): Professor Cosmina Dorobantu, Marion Dumas, Professor Helen Margetts | AI is about people – the most sophisticated AI models are trained on trillions of tokens that capture human communication, behaviours, and interactions. And AI advancement affects people – it is changing our economies and societies, our interactions, our institutions, our ways of living and learning. Join us as our panel discuss how their work at the intersection of AI and the social sciences can help to ensure AI advancement serves the greater good. Exploring the how social science insights can shape AI innovation; the importance of research into the most consequential impacts of AI on our economies and societies; and how AI tools and methodologies can transform social science investigation. This event rounds up a year-long focus on AI, technology and society. You can browse our dedicated hub showcasing LSE research and commentary at AI at LSE.

Contributor(s): Gerison Lansdown, Dr Kim R. Sylwander, Gastón Wright | In 2021, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child introduced General Comment No. 25 on children’s rights in the digital environment, marking a milestone in aligning child rights with the digital age. But what real impact has it had? Join our discussion of new in-depth research findings by the Digital Futures for Children centre, which tracked the recognition, uptake, and implementation of children’s rights in an increasingly connected world. Drawing from UN treaty monitoring, national policies, regional frameworks, and civil society advocacy, the panel will consider how international law influences policy and practice, recognising progress, obstacles, and pathways for change.

Contributor(s): Professor Ronald Krebs, Katharine M Millar, Dr Luca Tardelli, Dr Boram Lee | In January 2025, Donald Trump returned to the White House. The ensuing months have been a dizzying blur for American foreign and security policy. Unprecedented U.S. import tariffs have been threatened, reversed, and imposed. Allies have been lectured and harangued, while adversaries have been warmly welcomed. Trump dressed down Ukraine’s president, embraced Russia’s, and then did a U-turn. He stood by Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, backed its escalation against Hizballah in Lebanon, and joined in bombing Iran, but then pressured Israel into a peace deal. His administration, which seemed to see China as a rival to American dominance, cultivated allies in the Pacific and launched a trade war, but has also signalled a pullback from East Asia and a renewed focus on the Western hemisphere. Amidst the turmoil of the Trump administration, is there an emerging logic to US foreign and security policy? Is a Trump doctrine taking shape?