Democratic dissatisfaction is at levels not seen in decades, generating intense pressure for new policies and reformed institutions. And yet the current landscape — marked by geopolitical contestation, transactional diplomacy, deep interconnectedness, and strategic uncertainty — is increasingly constraining. The challenges facing ambitious, long-horizon, transformative projects are likely to deepen, not ease, in the coming years.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear directly from our visiting UN practitioners shaping global peace and security. Join us for a special seminar marking the culmination of the inaugural Peace and Security Fellowship, a unique collaboration between the University of Oxford and the United Nations Department of Peace Operations. Be among the first to hear ten UN Fellows present their research and real-world insights on peacekeeping, conflict prevention, and political missions—work that is actively influencing policy and practice worldwide. Hosted by Professor of International Relations, R

Christophe Jaffrelot and Laurent Gayer will be presenting their latest books, respectively Gujarat Under Modi: Laboratory of Today’s India (Hurst, 2024), following Modi’s India: Hindu Nationalism and the Rise of Ethnic Democracy (Princeton University Press, 2021), and Gunpoint Capitalism: Enforcing Industrial Order in Karachi (Hurst and Oxford University Press, 2025). Christophe Jaffrelot, Gujarat Under Modi: Laboratory of Today’s India, Hurst, 2024 In 2012 Narendra Modi became the first Hindu nationalist politician thrice elected to lead a state of the Indian Union, his stewardship as Chi

Across the world, religious and cultural identities are being weaponized for political gains. South Asia is no exception, with frequent conflicts between faith communities strengthening politico-religious organisations, and severely straining social cohesion. Yet this region also has a history of religious intermingling, exemplified by shared sacred sites such as saints’ tombs, temples, churches, and natural elements, serving as places of worship. Such ‘sites in common’ offer rich insights into the dynamics of religious interaction.

This event from the Business and Operations Managers (BOM) Network is intended as a focused thematic session responding to a rapidly developing operational need identified by network members, presenting practical experience and guidance for how meeting attendees could implement AI and automation solutions in their own roles. Our motivation is to help colleagues improve operational efficiency while maintaining appropriate consideration of wellbeing, change management, and the human impact of AI-enabled working.

Radu Marian is a Member of Parliament in Moldova, Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Economy, Budget and Finance, and Vice President of the governing PAS party. As Moldova faces intensifying Russian hybrid pressure alongside its ambitious push toward European integration, Marian offers a frontline perspective on democratic resilience, economic reform, and the geopolitical struggle shaping the country’s future.

Join us for an expert talk with Dr. Ashley Sweetman exploring how financial institutions have become a critical arena where cyber security, operational resilience, and national economic security intersect.

Helmut Brandstätter is a Member of the European Parliament and a prominent Austrian journalist and politician known for his work on democracy, European integration, media freedom, and foreign policy. Europe's democracies are under sustained external pressure: Russian interference in elections, online disinformation at industrial scale, an entrenched dictatorship on the Union's eastern border, and a full-scale war in Ukraine that has reopened the most basic question of how the continent defends itself. Brandstätter sits at the centre of Parliament's response.

The speakers will discuss why the weakening of state institutions may be as pernicious as democratic backsliding and examine the long-term implications for governance, democracy, and the rule of law. This is part of the two-day workshop at the University of Note Dame titled Hollowing Out the State: Understanding Executive-Led State Erosion, which includes DPIR colleagues Ezequiel Gonzalez Ocantos, David Doyle, and Tim Power. The workshop is co-hosted by Javier Perez Sandoval, Associate Member of DPIR, as part of his British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship.