The Global Strand allows us to explore themes which impact how states relate to each other, recognising that multilateral organisations, transnational movements, finance, climate, health, trade, technology, resources, development, crime, and terrorism cut across state boundaries and geographical regions. It is led by Professor Bill Hurst and Suzanne Raine.

Throughout our programming we consider these issues within the context of our geographical area research. This strand also allows us to think about cross-cutting issues and their impact through events and networking, with the aim of bringing together figures from business and industry, academia, government, and the wider general public.

We make the most of our position within the University of Cambridge to make connections between disciplines and show how they impact on each other. This autumn we will be launching our new “Geopolitics and…” programme which will feature conversations with academics from different departments of the university to examine how their research interacts with, is dependent on, or has the potential to change, geopolitics.

People

Professor William Hurst

Professor William Hurst

Deputy Director & Strand Leader

Indo-Pacific & Global Strands

Suzanne Raine

Suzanne Raine

Joint Strand Leader

Global Research Strand

Dr Lisa Vickers

Dr Lisa Vickers

Research Assistant

Global & Europe Strands

Dr Timothy Less

Dr Timothy Less

Convener

Geopolitical Risk Study Group

Latest

Diplomacy, Security

Global Germany

Monday 10th June, 2024

Global Germany

Risk

Geopolitical risk analysis study group

History, Law

Ancient Geopolitics: Ancient law for modern politics

History, Intelligence, World War II

The Spy Who Came in from the Circus: The Secret Life of Cyril Bertram Mills

Economics

Goodbye Globalization, with Elisabeth Braw

History

Ancient Geopolitics: Iran

Friday 12th April, 2024

Ancient Geopolitics: Iran

In the press

EI Talks… Terrorism

Friday 5th April, 2024

EI Talks… Terrorism

Engelsberg Ideas’ deputy editor Alastair Benn speaks to Suzanne Raine, Global Research Strand leader at the Centre for Geopolitics and visiting professor in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, about the evolution of the terrorist threat and its long history.

Podcast

Episode 45: Cyber

Tuesday 19th March, 2024

Episode 45: Cyber

Suzanne and Ali talk with Ciaran Martin, the former head of the National Cyber Security Centre.

History, Military

Military History Working Group, with Dr Daniel Cowling and Cherish Watton

Event Review

Art & War

Friday 8th March, 2024

Art & War

History, War

Art & War

Thursday 7th March, 2024

Art & War

Podcast

Episode 44: Sinjar – an arena for other conflicts?

Tuesday 5th March, 2024

Episode 44: Sinjar – an arena for other conflicts?

Ali and Suzanne are joined by Renad Mansour and Zmkan Ali of Chatham House to discuss their new report on cross-border conflict.

Podcast

Episode 43: Taiwan’s elections – what do the results signify?

Thursday 8th February, 2024

Episode 43: Taiwan’s elections – what do the results signify?

Professor Ali Ansari and Suzanne Raine are joined by Professor Bill Hurst, Director of the Centre for Geopolitics, to ask what we should conclude from the results of the Taiwanese elections on 13 January.

Podcast

Episode 42: Iran’s wars

Tuesday 30th January, 2024

Episode 42: Iran’s wars

Suzanne Raine and Ali Ansari start with Baluchistan, and then widen the lens to look at what is driving Iranian aggression in the Middle East. They examine how the threat of force becomes the use of force, and the extent to which apparent co-ordinated Iranian activity might not be quite as simple as it seems.

Diplomacy, Feminism

Women in foreign policy, with Kristina Lunz

Thursday 23rd November, 2023

Women in foreign policy, with Kristina Lunz

Podcast

Episode 40: Taking Difficult Decisions

Tuesday 21st November, 2023

Episode 40: Taking Difficult Decisions

Recent events in Israel and Gaza have highlighted how hard it is to orientate in the absence of clear facts. At these times of crisis, how do political leaders decide what to do? Ali Ansari and Suzanne Raine are joined by the Rt Hon Charles Clarke, who was British Home Secretary at the time of […]

History, Military

Military History Working Group

Monday 13th November, 2023

Military History Working Group

Risk

Geopolitical Risk Analysis Reading Group

Wednesday 18th October, 2023

Geopolitical Risk Analysis Reading Group

Podcast

Episode 38: A year of elections

Wednesday 27th September, 2023

Episode 38: A year of elections

In 2024, approximately four billion people will be involved in national elections, which in turn will shape how states take geopolitical positions and decisions. Suzanne and Ali consider key themes such as misinformation, manipulation and division which are likely to feature heavily in this major global electoral year.

Podcast

Episode 37: Realpolitik

Monday 25th September, 2023

Episode 37: Realpolitik

Suzanne and Ali discuss the origins of the term and ask how states navigate between pursuit of their interests and being true to their values and ideals.  

Podcast

Episode 36: China and BRICS

Tuesday 12th September, 2023

Episode 36: China and BRICS

Professor Bill Hurst joins Suzanne to explore what — if anything — the expansion of the BRICS signifies for those countries joining and for China, and look at how to interpret indicators about the current state of the Chinese economy.  

Podcast

Episode 35: Heroic leadership

Thursday 17th August, 2023

Episode 35: Heroic leadership

Suzanne and Ali are joined by Air Marshal (Retd) Ed Stringer to look at what defines heroic leadership, whether it can be taught and whether the idea of the genius leader is fit for today’s challenges.  

Podcast

Episode 33: Rethinking authoritarian resilience

Monday 7th August, 2023

Episode 33: Rethinking authoritarian resilience

Ali and Suzanne discuss the idea of ‘authoritarian resilience’, the broader relationship between theory and practice, and how we should avoid becoming prisoners of paradigms.

Event Review

Event review – The Holocaust and the Second World War

Commentary

Authoritarian Resilience

Thursday 6th July, 2023

Authoritarian Resilience

In the press

China US rivalry dividing the European Union

Tuesday 20th June, 2023

China US rivalry dividing the European Union

Timothy Less writes in Engelsberg Ideas about the risk of China US rivalry dividing the European Union.

Podcast

Episode 32: The battle for global resources

Friday 16th June, 2023

Episode 32: The battle for global resources

Ali and Suzanne are joined by Richard Williams of Bunker Hill Mining Corporation to explore global competition for resource, and look at how and whether the US aim to ‘de-risk’ global supply will work in practice.  

History, Military

Military History Working Group, with Dr Dan Larsen and Dr Matilda Greig

Podcast

On Geopolitics Episode 31: Japan, South Korea and the US

Monday 22nd May, 2023

On Geopolitics Episode 31: Japan, South Korea and the US

Ali and Suzanne are joined by Centre Affiliate Dr John Nilsson-Wright to consider this trilateral relationship in the run-up to the G7.  

Event Review

The geopolitics of academic freedom, with Michael Ignatieff

In the press

Guns before butter? Multi-dimensional diplomacy in China-Europe relations

Wednesday 17th May, 2023

Guns before butter? Multi-dimensional diplomacy in China-Europe relations

9DASHLINE publishes Guns before butter? Multi-dimensional diplomacy in China-Europe relations by Professor William Hurst.

World War II

The Holocaust and the Second World War

Podcast

Episode 29: What is the deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia?

Thursday 11th May, 2023

Episode 29: What is the deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia?

The Centre’s Iran-China expert Bill Figueroa joins Ali and Suzanne to look at the dynamics of the new triumvirate of Iran, Saudi Arabia and China.  

Intelligence

Seeking intelligence in the Churchill Archives Centre collections

Education

The geopolitics of academic freedom, with Michael Ignatieff

History, Law

Global Discord, with Sir Paul Tucker

Tuesday 25th April, 2023

Global Discord, with Sir Paul Tucker

In the press

The Risks and Rewards of China’s New Mideast Diplomacy

Thursday 13th April, 2023

The Risks and Rewards of China’s New Mideast Diplomacy

Dr William Figueroa discusses The Risks and Rewards of China’s New Mideast Diplomacy on The China-Global South Podcast.

In the press

Chris Mann on BBC Radio Cambridge about Donald Trump

Wednesday 5th April, 2023

Chris Mann on BBC Radio Cambridge about Donald Trump

Professor William Hurst interviewed by Chris Mann on BBC Radio Cambridge about Donald Trump.

Podcast

Episode 27: Knowing your enemy (part 1)

Thursday 30th March, 2023

Episode 27: Knowing your enemy (part 1)

Suzanne and Ali ask how much difference personal relationships between leaders make at critical geopolitical moments.

In the press

Historic precedent of a possible alliance between Russia and China.

Saturday 18th March, 2023

Historic precedent of a possible alliance between Russia and China.

Professor Brendan Simms and Charlie Laderman write in the Telegraph Online on the historic precedent of a possible alliance between Russia and China.

History, Military

The Personality of American Power: Empire Imagined

Announcement

Munich Security Conference

Wednesday 8th March, 2023

Munich Security Conference

Podcast

Episode 24: Can we escape history?  (Part 1 of 2)

Friday 3rd March, 2023

Episode 24: Can we escape history? (Part 1 of 2)

Ali and Suzanne ask whether we are trapped by history — and how we might use it better to approach today’s challenges.  

History, Intelligence

Chips at the Foreign Office, with Simon Heffer

History, Intelligence, World War II

Military History Working Group, Visit to the Churchill Archives Centre

Military, War

Military History Working Group, with Italo Brandimarte

In the press

Disraeli and the Rothschilds provide a study in the power of political patronage

Friday 3rd February, 2023

Disraeli and the Rothschilds provide a study in the power of political patronage

Engelsberg Ideas publishes Disraeli and the Rothschilds provide a study in the power of political patronage by Suzanne Raine.

History, Human rights

Humanitarian Governance and the British Antislavery World System, with Maeve Ryan

History, Intelligence, World War II

Why the history of intelligence matters today, with Chris Andrew

In the press

Trust is the key to geopolitical strength for Engelsberg Ideas

Thursday 26th January, 2023

Trust is the key to geopolitical strength for Engelsberg Ideas

Professor Brendan Simms writes Trust is the key to geopolitical strength for Engelsberg Ideas.

Announcement

Military History Working Group – Lent Term 2023

Military

Military History Working Group, with Tom Lowman and Danny Orbach

Podcast

Episode 23: At the summit!

Friday 23rd December, 2022

Episode 23: At the summit!

Expert on international summits Professor Tristen Naylor joins Ali and Suzanne to ask what summits are for, whether they are worth it, and what makes them successful (or not).  

Military

The army and the union in the long eighteenth century

Podcast

Episode 21: Protest in China

Wednesday 7th December, 2022

Episode 21: Protest in China

Professor Bill Hurst and Suzanne Raine examine the significance of the recent outbreak of protests in many cities in China, and the CCP’s response.  

Borders, History, Military

First meeting: Military History Working Group

In the press

Suzanne Raine writes Robert Louis Stevenson knew about guerrilla warfare for Engelsberg Ideas.

Thursday 24th November, 2022

Suzanne Raine writes Robert Louis Stevenson knew about guerrilla warfare for Engelsberg Ideas.

Suzanne Raine writes Robert Louis Stevenson knew about guerrilla warfare for Engelsberg Ideas.

Diplomacy, Peace building, Security

NATO enlargement: Causes, consequences, and controversies

In the press

Superforecasting will not save us, by Suzanne Raine

Friday 4th November, 2022

Superforecasting will not save us, by Suzanne Raine

Suzanne Raine’s Superforecasting will not save us is published in Engelsberg Ideas.

Podcast

Episode 18: The single narrative

Thursday 27th October, 2022

Episode 18: The single narrative

Suzanne and Ali discuss how the anti-Western case is made by leaders from Putin to Bin Laden (and everyone in between)  

In the press

The New Statesman publishes How oil become the world’s most contested resource by Professor Brendan Simms.

Wednesday 19th October, 2022

The New Statesman publishes How oil become the world’s most contested resource by Professor Brendan Simms.

The New Statesman publishes How oil become the world’s most contested resource by Professor Brendan Simms.

Economics

States, markets, and conflict

Thursday 13th October, 2022

States, markets, and conflict

Event Review

Writing military history today

Wednesday 28th September, 2022

Writing military history today

Announcement

Call for papers – Political theologies after Christendom

Event Review

How on earth can supply of critical metals meet demand?

Event Review

Hitler’s American Gamble

Thursday 2nd December, 2021

Hitler’s American Gamble

Event Review

Applied History Online Workshop 2021 – summary of proceedings

Commentary

9/11 becomes history

Friday 17th September, 2021

9/11 becomes history

Event Review

What can we learn from the geopolitical consequences of the Spanish Flu?

Commentary

The Atlantic Charter of August 1941 eighty years on

Commentary

Right-wing movements as moderators of the far-right?

Commentary

Historical dimensions of ‘Humanitarian’ Intervention

Announcement

IR2P Symposium – Call for Papers

Tuesday 30th March, 2021

IR2P Symposium – Call for Papers

Announcement

Centre for Geopolitics launches podcast channel

Announcement

Call for Papers

Friday 15th January, 2021

Call for Papers

Event Review

The 2020 Engelsberg Annual Lecture on International Order

Event Review

Are we at the end of the long twentieth century?