Public Affairs

Overview

Public Affairs hosted speakers who are prominent people in the world of international affairs, from acclaimed authors, to Nobel laureates, to high-ranking UN officials.

Bad Elements: Chinese Rebels from Los Angeles to Beijing by Ian Buruma

DEC 5, 2001 Transcript

Bad Elements: Chinese Rebels from Los Angeles to Beijing

The Chinese government sees itself as the caretaker of the entire "cosmic order" in China and views democracy as a destabilizing force that would cause ...

Riot: A Love Story by Shashi Tharoor

NOV 28, 2001 Transcript

Sectarian Violence in India: The Story of the One Riot

In this talk, Shashi Tharoor discusses his latest novel, based on a series of religious riots in India in the late 1980s and addressing issues ...

NOV 19, 2001 Transcript

In the Wake of September 11: Human Security and Human Development in the 21st Century

The "real lesson of September the 11th was that states don't have the right to fail," asserts Brown. The international community should place priority on ...

NOV 19, 2001 Podcast

Holy War, Inc.: Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden

Who is bin Laden? What drives him? Peter Bergen is one of the few Westerners who has interviewed bin Laden face to face. He has ...

NOV 14, 2001 Transcript

The European Union's Foreign Policy: Making a Difference in the World

Chris Patten explains Europe's role in the 21st century and why a multilateralist approach is needed to address "the dark side of globalization."

NOV 2, 2001 Transcript

Human Rights as Politics and Idolatry

Human rights scholar Michael Ignatieff happened to be in Kabul when the Taliban came to power. He has never forgotten his conversations with Afghan women ...

OCT 29, 2001 Transcript

America and Political Islam: Clash of Cultures or Clash of Interests?

Fifty years ago, the entire Middle East used to admire the United States, viewing it as an island of progressivism in a Europe-centric world. Today ...

OCT 3, 2001 Transcript

Israel and Palestine: Coexistence?

If Oslo is dead, asks Alain Epp Weaver, then what lies beyond it?

SEP 26, 2001 Transcript

The European Response to Terrorism

How should the European Union respond to the threat of terrorism? Ambassador De Ruyt presents several concrete measures agreed upon by the member ...

SEP 20, 2001 Transcript

The UN and the Global Fight Against HIV/AIDS: Myth and Reality

Will the "new war" on terrorism usurp resources that might otherwise have gone to causes such as the global fight on AIDS? UN official Louise ...