Greetings all. A week obviously overshadowed by events in Brussels. You can read my quick analysis on the attack from Tuesday in my Reuters column here.

For a relatively depressing take on Al events in the Middle East might progress from here, it’s definitely worth reading Hayat Alvi‘s contribution to our always fascinating imagining 2030 series. She imagines an even more dystopian region in which the Syrian civil war continues to rage in 14 years time as nothing else is going particularly well either. Definitely worth a read.

On a more positive night, a fantastic discussion in New York this week on the wider implications of the recent commodity and energy price crash.  Many thanks to NYU’s Carolyn Kissane, Oxford Analytica’s Simon Coombe and the always fantastic Christina Madden from Women In International Security for moderating.

Should have a great event in Washington on Monday on think tanks on think tanks followed by next week’s London discussion on the managing of strategic shocks.

All the best and once again, many thanks for your support to us on the always interesting PS21 journey.

Peter Apps

executive director, PS21

WASHINGTON DC EVENTS

Think tanks — What Do They Really Contribute?

Monday, March 28, 6 PM. Open Gov Hub, 110 Vermont Ave., Northwest, Washington DC

Washington DC is to think tanks what Detroit once was to the global auto industry. But what do these institutions really bring to the table? Are they best thought of as academic institutions like universities, simple generators for policy or a storage center for those temporarily outside government.  How useful are they to policymakers, journalists and others? What kind of people do they attract — and who do they marginalize or do without? Do they operate differently in other countries or even cities? PS21 and a great panel of think tank types will be getting more even more introspective than usual…

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LONDON

Managing Strategic Shocks

Thursday, March 31. Kings College London

This year marks the 15th anniversary off 9/11 and the 75th of Pearl Harbor. PS 21 examines how major shocks such as these —  also including natural disasters such as Fukushima –can be managed by both government and others. How do they change our actions, how do they shift public opinion? PS21 will host another world class panel, while introducing two new Global Fellows.
Tom Bruxner [moderator] – former British Army officer

Group Captain Ian Shields – former RAF officer with experience in Afghanistan, currently teaching at Anglia Ruskin University

Frederic Ischebeck-Baum — former UNODC Counter-Piracy Advisor, Fellow of the Cambridge Security Initiative

John Bassett– former GCHQ official and head of London and Washington stations

This is a joint event between the Sir Michael Howard Centre for the History of War at King’s College London and PS21.

Guests can arrive from 5.30pm and the discussion starts at 6.00pm.

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The Changing Arctic — Local Challenges, Global Implications

Monday, April 4, 6 PM. London location TBC

Changes in the Arctic landscape are altering the relationship Arctic and non-Arctic states alike have with the Far North. Opportunities created by rapid environmental changes in the Arctic have sparked numerous debates regarding the global consequences of the development of natural resources and shipping routes, as well as their impact on the local communities and regional states.

Jennifer Brindisi (Moderator) – London Executive Director of Young Professionals in Foreign Policy, Board Member PS21.

Wim Jolles – Director of European Operations at Canatec and an Arctic shipping specialist.

Michael Burgass – Marine scientist within the Imperial College Conservation Science group working to assessing ocean health for polar regions.

Dr Klaus Dodds – Professor at Royal Holloway specialising in geopolitics, security, and international governance of the Antarctic and the Arctic.

Registration will begin at 5:30 and the event will commence at 6:00. Please note that we will not be able to guarantee entry to those arriving after 6:15.

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NEW YORK

Further events details to follow