Geopolitics

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

April 17, 2026

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

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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...

Politics of the Red Sea: A Conversation with Ethan Chorin of Red Sea Futures

April 16, 2026

April 28, 2026 | 12:30 - 2:00 PM | 223 Philosophy Hall

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Join IIS and Ethan Chorin, Founder and Director Red Sea Futures, for a lunchtime talk to discuss the intense competition between regional and global powers in the Red Sea. Over one fifth of the world’s trade passes through this critically important waterway.

The...

Surviving Rupture: California’s Subnational Diplomacy in Today’s World with Evan Reade

March 30, 2026
April 17, 2026| 12:30 – 2 PM | 223 Philosophy Hall Join IIS to learn how the State of California is navigating international cooperation and standing as a global leader during a period of global rupture. About Evan Reade:

Evan Reade ('79) is a career diplomat and national security professional with over three decades of service across the U.S. Department of State, the National Security Council, and the U.S. military. His foreign service postings span four continents, including assignments as Deputy Counselor for Political-Military Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, First Secretary at...

China's Rare Earth Monopoly

April 2, 2026

April 14, 2026|1:00PM-3:00PM |223 Philosophy Hall

China's Rare Earth Monopoly: Hong Kong Finance and Threats to Taiwan & the Pacific

Organizer: Hong Kong Affairs Association of Berkeley

Learn how Beijing’s dominance in rare earth mineral mining is enabled by Hong Kong’s USD-pegged markets, banking networks, dollar clearing, and sanctions evasion. Join us for an assessment of risks to Taiwanese security, and potential countermeasures via the US led Rare Earth Alliance.

Panelists:

-Ray Wong...

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScTRgsUEOmqegsn892l07nxb8aS32TKKRDfCm8O…

Cloud Capitalism and the AI Transition

April 2, 2026
Berkeley Economy & Society Initiative
April 09, 2026| 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM|820 Social Sciences Building Cloud Capitalism and the AI Transition With Kathy Thelen, Ford Professor of Political Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Join MIT political scientist Kathy Thelen at BESI as she explores the origins and implications of the new cloud business model powering the AI boom. She’ll elaborate on how this model differs from the traditional platform model out of which it grew, as well as the technological, political, and distributional impacts of the rise of this new business model. She...

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeGJHd26W4iVk87J58LodpCjmLb2cj3idodGERn…

Ask a North Korean: A Conversation with Defector Charles Ryu

March 30, 2026

April 16, 2026 | 12:30 – 2 PM | 223 Philosophy Hall

Join IIS for an open and honest conversation about life, escape, and starting again with Charles Ryu, a North Korean defector, speaker, and founder of Freedom Bridge Foundation. Charles Ryu is a North Korean defector who rebuilt his life in the United States after surviving multiple escape attempts. Today, he shares his story to help others better understand life inside North Korea and the challenges many face when starting over.

Through his work, Charles has reached a global audience, offering a rare, firsthand perspective on one...

The U.S. Dollar Hegemony in Transition

March 31, 2026

Wednesday, April 8 | 12:00pm | 820 Social Sciences Building

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More info: https://matrix.berkeley.edu/events/matrix-on-point-us-hegemony-in-transition/

This Matrix on Point panel will bring together scholars and industry voices to examine the foundation of U.S. monetary influence and...

Upcoming events at Berkeley Risk and Security Lab

March 20, 2026

The Berkeley Risk and Security Lab has several events coming up that may be of interest to members of the IIS community:

BRSL Webinar: Military AI Governance

Date: April 2, 2026

Time: 10:00 – 11:00 am PT

Location: Zoom

Register to attend.

The U.S. War on Iran has drawn widespread attention to the influence of AI and data science tools on military choices previously left to human judgement. At...

Film screening: Invisible Nation - PBS documentary on Taiwan

March 19, 2026

April 10, 2026 | 4 - 7 PM | VLSB 2040 (Valley Life Sciences Building)

The Alexander Hamilton Society is invites you to a special screening of the award-winning PBS documentary Invisible Nation.

Invisible Nation invites viewers on an unprecedented journey with Taiwan’s first female president as she works to secure her nation’s future. The film offers an in-depth look at Taiwan’s past, present, and uncertain future. As a young democracy...

April learning opportunity for students - Introduction to Quantum + Policy

March 17, 2026
This unique upcoming course will offer a practical introduction to quantum technology and why it matters for policy, business, security, and innovation. Through expert guest speakers (Irfan Siddiq, Claire Cramer, Bert de Jong (QSA), Brandon Severin (Conductor Quantum), and others) and a hands-on simulation (wargame led by Reddie), students will explore the real-world implications of quantum and build confidence engaging with one of the most important emerging technologies.