When U.S. Senator Arthur Vandenberg famously told President Harry Truman that he’d have to “scare the hell out of the American people” to secure support for the coming Cold War, Vandenburg was tapping into a tried-and-true tradition of strategically cultivating fear to influence attitudes and change behavior. While this tactic has a long history of use, strikingly little has been written on precisely how, why, and when it actually works. In this talk, Greenhill offers just such an explanation. Drawing upon findings from her next book, Greenhill describes how and why cognitive and psychological biases can be triggered and strategically manipulated as means to political and military ends. Greenhill further explains why actors engaged in this particular kind of cognitive hacking frequently eschew fact-based arguments in favor of “truthier” alternatives, such as rumors, conspiracy theories, propaganda, fiction and so-called fake news, sources she collectively refers to as “extra-factual information” (EFI). She identifies the conditions under which policymakers and the public tend to find EFI-infused threat narratives persuasive, and shows that while information content and delivery platforms have changed, the underlying mechanisms that make this tool such an effective instrument of political influence, and EFI, such a useful handmaiden to it, have not.

Kelly M. Greenhill is a scholar of international relations and security studies. Greenhill’s research focuses on foreign and defense policy; the politics of information; the use of military force; and what are frequently called “new security challenges,” including civil wars and insurgencies, the use of migration as a weapon, and international crime as a challenge to domestic governance. She holds a Ph.D. and an S.M. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), a C.S.S. from Harvard University, and a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley. During the 2020-21 academic year, Professor Greenhill is on leave as a Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professor. Upon her return to campus in September 2021, Greenhill assumed the directorship of the MIT-Seminar XXI Program alongside her appointment at Tufts. Since September 2020, Greenhill has also served as an Editor of the Cornell Studies in Security Affairs book series. MIT Seminar XXI is an educational program for national security professionals.

This event is open to the public and registration is not required. You may simply show up at the door.

As geopolitical tensions in the Indo-Pacific continue to rise, the Republic of China (Taiwan) finds itself at the heart of global security debates. How can Taiwan navigate the complex landscape of U.S.-China relations, technological competition, and defense preparedness? What role does artificial intelligence and emerging technology play in securing its future?

Join the Oxford University International Relations Society for an engaging discussion with Jason Hsu Yu-jen, a senior fellow at Hudson Institute, where he focuses on the United States’ technological cooperation with allies and partners. Drawing on his expertise in defense, technology policy, and international strategy, Hsu will explore Taiwan’s evolving security challenges, the role of AI in modern warfare, and how international partnerships can shape the island’s future. In the wake of the protests that erupted in March 2014 as part of the Sunflower Movement, Hsu became involved in public affairs in an effort to better represent Taiwan’s students and young generation. From 2016 to 2020, Hsu served as legislator-at-large in Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan (the national parliament) where he focused on defense, technology, trade, and foreign policy. He received an MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a BA from National Chengchi University.

This event is open to the public and registration is not required. You may simply show up at the door.

Senator Jaziri Alkaf Abdillah Suffian is a prominent Malaysian politician and architect, having served as a member of the Dewan Negara (Senate) of Malaysia. Appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on December 21, 2020, he represents the Perikatan Nasional coalition in the upper house of Parliament. Senator Jaziri has played a key role in Sarawak’s political landscape, having been appointed as the Chairman of the State Leadership Body for Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (BERSATU) Sarawak in 2019 and later assuming the role of Chairman for Perikatan Nasional Sarawak in 2021. Before his leadership positions, he served as the Interim Secretary for BERSATU Sarawak, overseeing the party’s establishment in the state.

In this fireside chat, Senator Jaziri will share his insights on ASEAN’s role in navigating the intensifying US-China competition. As economic and security tensions between the two great powers shape the geopolitical landscape, ASEAN faces both challenges and opportunities in maintaining regional stability, economic resilience, and strategic autonomy. Drawing from his experience in Malaysian politics and governance, Senator Jaziri will discuss ASEAN’s strategies for engagement, the importance of regional unity, and the implications of great-power rivalry for Southeast Asia’s future.

This event is open to the public and registration is not required. Simply show up at the door.

In the current geopolitical situation, the Visegrád Group (Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia) faces mounting challenges that threaten democratic values and regional stability. With pro-Russian governments and democratic backsliding in Slovakia and Hungary, the upcoming parliamentary elections in the Czechia, as well as Poland’s upcoming presidential election, the political landscape brings with itself many uncertainties.

Join us for an in-depth discussion with the former prime minister of Slovakia and former minister of defence of Slovakia on the state of democracy in the V4, Russian influence in the region, and the implications for defense and foreign policy— with a particular focus on Slovakia. Our expert panel will analyse the broader geopolitical outlook and what the future holds for the region in this era of uncertainty.

This event is open to the public and you do not need to register to attend. Simply show up at the door.

Annette Weber is a German political scientist specialised in Northeast Africa and gender studies. She has been serving as European Union Special Representative (EUSR) for the Horn of Africa since 1 July 2021. Weber previously worked as a journalist, a human rights defender and most recently as the regional expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (German: Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik; SWP). She is also a novelist.

This event is open to the public. Registration for this event is not required, you may simply show up at the door.

How do we know when we are investing wisely in security? Answering this question requires investigating what things are worth securing (and why); what threatens them; how best to protect them; and how to think about it. Is it possible to protect them? How best go about protecting them? What trade-offs are involved in allocating resources to security problems? This book responds to these questions by stripping down our preconceptions and rebuilding an understanding of security from the ground up on the basis of a common-sense ontology and an explicit theory of value. It argues for a clear distinction between objective and subjective security threats, a non-anthropocentric understanding of security, and a particular hierarchy of security referents, looking closely at four in particular-the ecosphere, the state, culture, and individual human beings. The analysis will be of interest not only to students and scholars of International Relations, but also to practitioners. Professor Welch is University Research Chair and Professor of Political Science at the University of Waterloo and at the Balsillie School of International Affairs. 

This event is open to the public. Registration for this event is not required, you may simply show up at the door.

China and the United States are heading for a war that neither wants. According to Professor Graham Allison (Harvard), the reason is Thucydides’s Trap, a deadly pattern of structural stress that results when a rising power challenges a ruling one.

Join Oxford University International Relations Society and Oxford Diplomatic Society to revisit Thucydides’s Trap as Donald Trump has returned to the White House and renewed tensions between the United States and China seem inevitable. Is Thucydides’s Trap really the best lens for understanding U.S.-China relations in the twenty-first century? What painful steps do the United States and China must take to avoid disaster today?

Professor Allison is the Douglas Dillon Professor of Government at Harvard University and a graduate of Hertford College (PPE, 1964). This event is open to all members of the University of Oxford, and we encourage interested participants to register via the link below.

Members of Oxford University International Relations Society are also cordially invited to the drinks reception with Prof Allison at the Common Room of Manor Road Building at 4 pm. If you are a member interested in attending, please select this ticket option when registering so we can plan accordingly.

The veneration of militaries around the world has surged around the world in recent decades. Public confidence in armed forces has risen and political and cultural leaders have increasingly idealized soldiers and officers. Join the Oxford University International Relations Society for a discussion with Professor Ron Krebs on his ongoing book project exploring the proliferation of global militarism and its implications for soldiers, national and international security, and democracy.

Date: 13 February 2025

Time: 17:00-18:30 GMT

Location: Harris Seminar Room, Oriel College

This event is open to all members of the University of Oxford, and we encourage interested participants to register via the link below.

Speaker Bio: Ron Krebs is Distinguished McKnight University Professor and Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota. Krebs is immediate past editor-in-chief of the leading scholarly journal Security Studies and is coeditor of the Oxford Handbook of Grand Strategy (Oxford UP, 2021). He is currently writing a book titled The Age of Global Militarism: How Veneration of the Military Spread—and Why it Matters.

Join us for a presentation by Doug Umberger, Director of Admissions and Alumni Engagement & Adjunct Professor, to learn about opportunities with the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

This event is open to the public and registration is not required. Simply show up at the door to be admitted!

Join us for a night of unlimited drinks (included in ticket price) and lively debate on the following motions:

• This house believes that International law is no longer relevant in an age of geopolitical rivalry.

• This house believes that low income developing countries should not have to abide by current climate regulations.

• This house believes that Greenland should be sold to the highest bidder.

Tickets for this event are £6 for members and £9 for non-members, and include free drinks. Tickets can be purchased at the door with cash or online below by clicking on your preferred option.

Join Oxford University International Relations Society and the Oxford University Lithuanian Society for an exclusive discussion with Dr Deividas Šlekys, Associate Professor at Vilnius University, on the evolving defense strategies of the Baltic States amid Russia's war in Ukraine.  

Dr Šlekys specializes in war studies and has contributed to pivotal defense initiatives. He has held prestigious positions at the Changing Character of War Centre at Oxford University and as a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Harvard University’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies. A member of Lithuania’s Total Defense Council, Dr Šlekys collaborates with Lithuania’s Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces on military education and doctrinal development. 

This event starts at 17:30 on Thursday 23 January at Seminar Room G, Manor Road Building, Manor Rd, Oxford OX1 3UQ. 

On this event you can prepare to discover: 

• Lithuania’s Total Defense approach and discuss how the entire population contributes to national security;

• insights on NATO’s new mission, protecting undersea cables and its implications for Baltic defense;

• expert analysis, analyzing the shifting dynamics of security, public perception of defense, and the global impact of Baltic strategies. 

In the face of unprecedented threats, this discussion is essential for anyone passionate about global security, geopolitics, and innovative defense strategies. 

This event is open to the general public. You can use the buttons below to register for the event. Although we encourage in-person attendance, you can attend the event online.

Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman is Emeritus Professor of War Studies, King's College London. He was Professor of War Studies from 1982 to 2014 and Vice-Principal from 2003 to 2013.He was educated at Whitley Bay Grammar School and the Universities of Manchester, York and Oxford. Before joining King's he held research appointments at Nuffield College Oxford, the International Institute for Strategic Studies and the Royal Institute of International Affairs. Elected a Fellow of the British Academy in 1995 and awarded the CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in 1996, he was appointed Official Historian of the Falklands Campaign in 1997. In 2003, he was awarded the KCMG (Knight Commander of St Michael and St George). In June 2009 he was appointed to serve as a member of the official inquiry into Britain and the 2003 Iraq War.

This event is jointly organized by Oxford Diplomatic Society and Oxford University International Relations Society. Registration is not required, you may simply show up at the door.

Where will US-China relations go when Donald Trump returns to the Oval Office? Join Oxford University International Relations Society, King’s Politics Society at the University of Cambridge, and Cambridge Journal of Political Affairs for an online discussion with Dr Maria Adele Carrai, Assistant Professor of Global China Studies at NYU Shanghai. Dr Carrai's research explores the history of international law in East Asia and investigates how China’s rise as a global power shapes norms and redefines the international distribution of power. She co-leads the Research Initiative ‘Mapping Global China,’ and is the author of Sovereignty in China. A Genealogy of a Concept since 1840 (CUP 2019) and co-editor of The China Questions 2 – Critical Insights into US-China Relations (HUP 2022). 

Made possible by UK PolSoc Partnership, this event is open to the general public. We ask that interested participants register via the link below so we may monitor attendance.