Upcoming Live and Online Events
Sinica tapings, talks, and webinars — don't miss these!
Folks, I’ve got a couple of speaking events coming up next week. I’ll be here in Chapel Hill, online with folks in Riga, Kyiv, and Beijing, in Pittsburgh at Pitt and Carnegie-Mellon, and early next month, at my alma mater, U.C. Berkeley.
With the Munich Security Conference underway, Trump and Hegseth pushing a deal for a frozen conflict and major territorial concessions, and the third anniversary of Russia’s unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine coming up on February 24, there are some related events I’m a part of:
UNC Chapel Hill:
First, for those of you lucky enough to live in the Triangle here in beautiful North Carolina, come see me speak at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill on Wednesday, February 19. Details on the flyer below:
The topic for the talk was decided on months ago, but obviously, in light of what’s happening right now, I’ll be making some last-minute changes. Still, the angle will remain the same, and I hope some of you can join for that.
Online Webinar on China and the Ukraine War February 20
On Thursday, February 20, I’ll be moderating a panel called “China’s Strategy in Global Power Transitions: Challenges in a Turbulent World.” This is the third in what, sadly, has become an annual series of events falling each year close to the anniversary of the invasion, organized by my friend Vita Golod of the Ukrainian Association of Sinologists. I’ll be publishing the audio as a podcast on Sinica, but please join to watch live as well. There’s a terrific lineup of speakers, all hand-picked by Vita and representing a variety of perspectives.
Talk at Carnegie Mellon February 20
I’ll be giving a talk at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA, also on February 20. Details in the flyer below.
Live Sinica Taping at the University of Pittsburgh on February 21
The next day, I’ll be doing a live taping of the Sinica Podcast with Professor Benno Weiner of Carnegie Mellon at Pitt on the topic of China’s evolving minzu (“ethnicity” or “nationalities”) policy. Benno has a deep historical perspective on this issue, and it promises to be an excellent conversation. Ignore the title in the poster below: We’re not talking about DeepSeek in this podcast recording!
Live Sinica Taping at UC Berkeley, March 6
I’m thrilled that I’ll be back on my old college stomping grounds to tape a show with two of the people in the world of China policy I admire most: Jessica Chen Weiss and Ryan Hass. They require no introduction to Sinica listeners; they’ve both been on the show multiple times. Make sure to RSVP here if you can attend this event!
Jessica is now the David M. Lampton Professor of China Studies at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) after moving there last year from Cornell. She’s long been a leading voice of reason and moderation on China policy, including during her stint at the State Department’s Policy Planning office. Now, as the inaugural director of SAIS’s new Institute for the Future of China, America, and Global Affairs (ACF), she has already begun convening important conversations, the first of which you can follow along here on Sinica: “Getting China Right.”
Ryan was China Director for the National Security Council under Obama, and is the author of a marvelous book called Stronger: Adapting America's China Strategy in an Age of Competitive Interdependence, about which I’ve interviewed him on Sinica. He is now the director of the John L. Thornton China Center and the Chen-Fu and Cecilia Yen Koo Chair in Taiwan Studies at the Brookings Institution. Most importantly, along with Jessica, he’s one of the wisest, most sensible individuals helping to shape American policy on China: deeply patriotic in the best possible sense, empathetic, humble, and well-informed.
I really hope to see some of you at one or more of these events! But the real lesson here is that I really need to get some different headshots taken. This picture is over 10 years old now!!