Professor Bill Emmott speaks on trends in European economics and geopolitics and lays out a roadmap for the continent's future.
Wednesday, 22. May 2019, 18:30 – 20:00 h
At the University of Zurich, Rämistrasse 71, 8006 Zurich, KOH-B-10
Shortly after President Trump was elected, Angela Merkel said that Europa now had to take its destiny into its own hands. But which Europe and which hands? Germany is entering a post-Merkel era, Italian politics is dominated by Matteo Salvini’s ‘sovereign’ right wing, and Emmanuel Macron’s liberal lighthouse looks to have lost its glow. The lecture examines the trends in European economics and geopolitics that have brought this situation about, and presents a route map for the future of the continent that is menaced by nationalist, populist powers.
Bill Emmott is a writer and consultant best known for his 13 years as editor in chief of “The Economist” (1993–2006), a publication he first joined in 1980 and served in Brussels, Tokyo and London. He is now chairman of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, of Trinity College Dublin’s Long Room Hub for Arts & Humanities, of the Japan Society of the UK, and of the International Trade Institute, an Irish-based educational body. He served on Swiss Re’s senior advisory panel from 2006–2019, is now Senior Adviser for Geopolitics at Montrose Associates, a Strategic Intelligence consultancy, and serves on the advisory board for Airfinity, a life-sciences data consultancy, and the Scientific Committee for the Centro Einaudi in Turin. He is also an Ushioda Fellow at Tokyo College and a trustee of the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin.
Mr. Emmott is the author of 14 books on Japan, Asia, the 20th century and Italy. His next book, to be published in 2024 by Taylor & Francis for the International Institute for Strategic Studies, will be entitled “Deterrence, Diplomacy and the Risk of Conflict over Taiwan”.