Comparative Politics

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Cross-Cutting Global Challenges



Conflict & Fragility

Oct. 6 Book Talk | How to Survive Authoritarianism: A Russian’s Phrasebook for Everyday Life in America

September 14, 2026
Book talk by Maria Kuznetsova and Dan Storyev Authors How to Survive Authoritarianismoffers Americans the tools needed to face the threat of authoritarianism today—from a country that’s been surviving it for a century. Across the globe, far-right extremists are gaining power as checks and balances between branches of government dissolve at alarming rates. Author and activist Maria Kuznetsova and researcher Dan Storyev - who...

Sep. 17 Talk | The Once and Future World Order - Why Global Civilization Will Survive the Decline of the West

September 10, 2026
Public lecture by Professor Amitav Acharya Distinguished Professor of International Relations, American University The Institute of International Studies & the Goldman School of Public Policy are pleased to welcome Prof. Amitav Acharya for a public talk at IIS. Since the dawn of the twenty-first century, the West has been in crisis. Social unrest, political polarization, and...

Oct. 7 Book Talk | Enemies in Agreement: Political Volatility and the Design of Arms Control

September 10, 2026
Book talk by Jane Vaynman Assistant Professor of Strategic Studies at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) Johns Hopkins University

Co-sponsors: Berkeley Institute of Security and Governance, Berkeley Risk and Security Lab

Why do adversaries sometimes cooperate to restrain their military competition? Why do they design arms control agreements with intrusive verification in some cases but rely on minimal transparency in others? Amidst ongoing international competition, arms control remains rare despite potential mutual...

Endowed Elberg Lecture Series: Howard French in Conversation With Adam Hochschild

February 17, 2026

March 16, 2026 | 1230 - 2 PM | Geballe Room, 220 Stephens Hall

(*NOTE: Stephens Hall is next door to the IIS office in Philosophy Hall)

IIS is delighted to welcome the renowned author, journalist and professor Howard French on March 16 in conversation with journalist and UC Berkeley lecturer Adam Hochschild.

Howard W. French is a professor of journalism at Columbia University and a former New York Times bureau chief for Central America and the Caribbean, West and Central Africa, Japan and the Koreas, and China, based in Shanghai. The author of six books,...

The April 2026 Hungarian Parliamentary Elections

April 21, 2026

April 29, 2026 | 4:00 PM | Geballe Room - 220 Stephens Hall

Sponsor(s): Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies, Institute of European Studies, Institute of International Studies, Global, International & Area...
https://events.berkeley.edu/iis/event/320297-the-april-2026-hungarian-parliament…

Rupture: The U.S. and the Fate of World Order - Multilateralism

April 17, 2026

April 30, 2026 | 12:30 - 2 PM | 223 Philosophy Hall

REGISTER


Rupture #4: Multilateralism

How may global governance and multilateral cooperation evolve in a world without US leadership?

Thursday, April 30, 2026
223 Philosophy Hall
12 - 2:30 PM
*Lunchtime talk*

Panelists:

Philip Yun - IIS Senior Fellow and President, Commonwealth Club of California Steve Vogel - UC Berkeley Professor of Political Economy Amy Hawthorne - Expert...

Can You Say That Here? Free Speech in a Global Context

April 1, 2026
April 14, 2026 | 3:30 - 5 pm | 223 Philosophy Hall *Followed by reception* REGISTER The Berkeley Institute of International Studies and Berkeley Liberty Initiative invite you to a panel on the governance of free speech in different political, legal, and cultural contexts.

Joined by digital rights veteran Rebecca MacKinnon, First Amendment scholar and political scientist Sean Gailmard, and Mexican journalism...