For information on our upcoming events, see our Facebook page, here. You can read about our events held in 2018-19 below:
What Role Should the State Play in Integration?
4 December 2017
The King’s Think Tank’s Religion, Ethics, and Culture policy centre hosted their first-ever expert panel on “What Role Should the State Play in Integration?” Amidst a refugee crisis and a post-Brexit world, the discussion on integration has become omnipresent, with European states desperately vying for a solution. The REC policy centre was proud to host a stimulating and engaging discussion, involving the following speakers:
- Dr Nooralhaq Nasimi, Director & Founder of the Afghanistan and Central Asian Association (ACAA)
- Dr Tony Milligan, Teaching fellow in ethics and the philosophy of religion at King’s
- Dr Justin Gest, Assistant Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University, and co-founder of the LSE Migration Studies Unit.
The Price of Knowledge
30 November 2017
The King’s Think Tank’s Education Policy Centre put together an expert panel to discuss ‘The Price of Knowledge.’ Our event aimed to explore income inequality between students who graduate from state and private schools, as well as the inequalities engendered by student debt in higher education. Our guest speakers included:
- Sean Coughlan, BBC News Education Correspondent. Mr. Coughlan is an award-winning BBC News correspondent, writing for the BBC News website and broadcasting on TV and radio. He has twice won top prizes at the Education Journalism Awards.
- Professor Francis Green, Professor of Labour Economics and Skills Development at Institute of Education, University of London. Prof. Green conducts research in the Centre for Learning and Life Chances in Knowledge Economies and Societies (LLAKES) and in the Centre for Global Higher Education. His research interests include education economics and labour economics.
- Dr. Wanda Wyporska, Executive Director at The Equality Trust. Ms. Wyporska leads the work of the organisation in its mission to improve the quality of life in the UK by reducing social and economic inequality.
- David Kynaston, historian and author. Mr. Kynaston has been a professional historian since 1973 and has written eighteen books, including The City of London (1994-2001), a widely acclaimed four-volume history.
The Paris Agreement: A Global Solution Beyond US?
21 November 2017
Following President Trump’s rejection of the Paris Agreement, The King’s Think Tank’s Energy & Environment Policy Centre assembled an expert panel discussion on said agreement, its significance, and its future. We were honoured to host a stimulating and insightful discussion, involving the following guests:
- Mike Helmsley, Expert in the field of sustainable energy and acting as UK Government Advisor on Climate Change as part of the Committee on Climate Change. Mr. Helmsley specialized in energy policy for his MSc Environmental Technology at Imperial College London and have vast experience in both public and private sectors.
- Dr. George Adamson, King’s lecturer in the geography department and interdisciplinary geographer with past experience in environmental consulting. Dr. Adamson’s research interests include institutional responses to natural disasters and socio-political discourse of the climate today.
- Dr. Helen James Adams, lecturer in the geography department and a environmental social scientists. Dr. Adams also held posts with the Climate Change Expert Group in Paris prior her PhD and worked on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat in supporting negotiations on adaptations.
Private Military Companies: Armies of the Future?
16 November 2017
The King’s Think Tank’s Defence and Diplomacy Policy Centre assembled an expert panel to discuss the future uses and abuses of Private Military Companies on the international stage. As security is increasingly outsourced to private actors we ask ourselves how PMCs operate, what legal and ethical issues surround their use, and whether PMCs will shape future conflicts. As part of our research into this field we gathered several high-profile individuals whom we believe are invaluable in understanding the issue at hand:
- Major General Graham Binns CBE DSO MC, retired British Army officer and former CEO of Aegis Defence Services Ltd. Having served with the British Armed forces in Iraq Mr. Binns went on to lead a major Private Security Company which has been active in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East.
- Professor Gabor Rona, Member of the UN Working Group on the Use of Mercenaries. As an expert in international humanitarian law and international human rights law, Mr. Rona has undertaken substantial work with the UNHRC on monitoring and studying the use of PMCs and addressing legal questions pertaining to their use.
- Professor Trevor Taylor, Professorial Research Fellow at RUSI. Mr. Taylor specialises on Defence Management and currently leads a research programme on Defence, Industries and Society parallel to writing about the defence sector.
- Dr. Sean McFate, Author and novelist, Fellow at the University of Oxford and expert on Foreign Policy. Mr. McFate has written extensively on the privatisation of war (The Modern Mercenary, Oxford University Press 2014) and the inevitability of change in future international conflict.
Radicalisation and Violent Extremism in the Digital Era
14 November 2017
The King’s Think Tank’s European Affairs Policy Centre put together an expert panel on radicalisation and countering violent extremism within and beyond the digital sphere. In light of the recent spate of terrorist attacks in Europe, the discussion revolved around the ‘radicalisation process’ and how leading figures from the public-private sector and civil society are tackling the problem. Speakers included:
- Dr Laura Zahra McDonald, Director at ConnectFutures, an organisation providing expertise to clients with a focus on the connectivity between the local and transnational levels of extremism
- Mr Abu Ahmed, Head of Counter-Terrorism Communications & Engagement at the Home Office (Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism)
- Dr Salah al-Ansari, Senior Researcher (Theology and Outreach) at Quilliam International, the world’s first counter-extremism organisation
KTT Relaunch: Fake News and the Credibility of Our Opinions
