Geopolitics seminars

Steven Bernstein examines how international norms and practices interact to produce change and continuity in global governance. Contemporary descriptions of a rupture in the international order may exaggerate some changes while overlooking slower developments over preceding decades. The lecture develops four scenarios of change, using examples from ecological governance, development and the rules-based international system to assess the strengths and limitations of prevailing conceptual frameworks.

Yael Parag proposes degrees of isolation and connection as a framework for analysing energy systems, rather than a binary distinction between isolated islands and connected grids. The framework links infrastructure design, governance, operating practices, resource dependence and collective perceptions across spacecraft, community systems, microgrids, islands and countries. Comparative cases examine how security, independence, climate goals, costs, technical constraints, ideology and geopolitics shape these arrangements and change over time. Montserrat illustrates both vulnerabilities and opportunities, including coordinated design of water, sewage and energy microgrids. The lecture also considers how regional exchange, cooperation and shared identity influence resilience, treating energy islands as evolving configurations within wider social and geographical settings.

David Obura draws on IPBES and other assessments to examine interconnected disruptions affecting biodiversity, climate, economies, societies and governance. The lecture asks how underlying drivers and potential tipping points relate to the international order and what constructive transformations could emerge from present crises. It considers differentiated responsibilities across countries and sectors, pathways that recognise ecosystems as foundations of human wellbeing, and ways to balance nature, economies and social outcomes. Existing multilateral institutions offer starting points, but changes in conservation priorities, finance and governance are needed to move towards safer and more equitable conditions.

Francesca Albanese presents the analysis developed in her October 2024 report, Genocide as Colonial Erasure. She examines Israel’s actions in Gaza within a historical and international-law framework, explaining her report’s argument and the evidence on which she bases it. The discussion considers the responsibilities of third states, especially European Union members, and mechanisms for accountability at domestic and international levels. In conversation with Dimitris Bouris, Albanese connects the report to questions of forced displacement, international institutions and the protection of human rights.

Nicholas Papachrysostomou describes the humanitarian and medical response in Gaza, drawing on his work establishing Médecins Sans Frontières operations in November and December 2023 and subsequent emergency coordination. He examines displacement, damaged health infrastructure, restricted movement and supply routes, and the practical consequences for delivering care. The lecture discusses access to water, medical supplies, hospital services and patient evacuation, including the repeated disruption of facilities supported by MSF. Papachrysostomou connects these operational constraints with the protection of civilians and medical personnel, international humanitarian obligations, and the limits of an aid response during continued hostilities. The discussion also considers the interpretation of reported casualty figures and the difficulties of maintaining reliable information in a crisis.

Oh Joon examines children’s rights through the United Nations’ interconnected concerns with peace, development and human rights. He discusses the shift from treating children only as recipients of protection and education to recognizing them as rights-holders, and considers the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the role of development cooperation. The lecture applies this framework to Rohingya children displaced to Bangladesh, focusing on statelessness and barriers to education. It considers diplomatic cooperation between Bangladesh and Myanmar and the need for sustained international attention to the humanitarian situation.