As experts argue in a forthcoming series of essays from the International Forum, 'Waking Up to Reputation Laundering as a Mechanism for Transnational Kleptocracy,' reputation laundering and transnational kleptocracy inflict a serious threat to democracy around the world. In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, democracies have begun to respond by proposing unprecedented sanctions of oligarchs living abroad who have begun to step down from long-standing positions of prestige as board members for businesses and cultural institutions.

Commissioner Gentiloni will discuss the impact of the Russian aggression against Ukraine for the EU’s policy priorities in a range of areas. What must be done to ensure that the post-pandemic economic recovery is not derailed? How can we reduce our dependence on Russian oil and gas while maintaining our commitment to the climate transition? And what are the implications for European defence and the transatlantic alliance?

The panel includes Prof Petra Schleiter, Prof Andrea Ruggeri and Dr Matteo Garavoglia, and there will be a Q&A session at the end of the talk.

Members of the University are welcome to attend online.

Please contact graduate-studies@sociology.ox.ac.uk to request the link to attend via MS Teams.

This roundtable revisits the perceived ‘truthfulness’ of imagery in the face of decisions–intentional or not–that omit, edit, and erase elements. These practices potentially matter for how people make sense of issues, yet are not always apparent in visual outputs’ final forms. By considering the notion of truth-telling via a range of images and settings–including artificial intelligence, urban development, and data journalism–this event aims to highlight how visuals and their creators relate to facts, misinformation, and yet-to-be-realized realities.

Biography:

Raphaël Lefèvre investigates Islamist armed groups in the Middle East. His latest book is Jihad in the City: Militant Islamism and Contentious Politics in Tripoli (Cambridge University Press, 2021). He is also the author of Ashes of Hama, the Muslim Brotherhood in Syria (Oxford University Press, 2013). His PhD thesis which he did at the University of Cambridge was awarded the Bill Gates Sr Prize by the Gates Cambridge Trust and the Syrian Studies Association Prize.

Abstract:

Relations between the US and China are at the tensest point for half a century. Can we look to history to understand why we have reached this point? In the next decade, global prosperity and peace will depend on this bilateral relationship being managed well. How likely are the prospects of that? In conversation with historian of China Rana Mitter, Robert B. Zoellick will draw on his long experience of public service relating to China and his new book on US diplomacy to discuss these urgent issues.

Beliefs in equality of opportunity and intergenerational mobility are increasingly popular as an explanation for redistribution preferences. Some individuals (even if they are poor) may be more willing to accept inequality as a result of a fair meritocratic process. Others (even when they are rich) may support redistribution if they believe inequality to be the result of an unfair system. In this project, we start with the relationship between material self-interest and redistribution preferences as a baseline.