These sessions will run concurrently in different rooms. Please note that spaces will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Spotlight session A will be available to in-person and virtual participants and held on the record. All other spotlight sessions will be in-person only and held under the Chatham House Rule. Each session takes a deep dive into critical topics, offering dynamic and interactive discussions for participants.
Session topics:
Democratic resilience in the face of global disruption
The scramble for critical minerals
Why are conflicts on the rise? War in a shifting world order
AI – key players and who will prevail?
Spotlight A | Democratic resilience in the face of global disruption
What are the main threats to democracy now? How does global disruption contribute to weakening democratic movements? What does democratic resilience look like under authoritarian rule? What’s working? How do you measure success? How can democratic resilience and renewal be supported across borders and movements?
Speakers
Anne Applebaum, Senior Fellow, SNF Agora Institute and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies; Journalist and Author
Grace Gondwe, Research and Policy Specialist, BeRelevant Leadership Initiative
Nathan Law, Legislator of Hong Kong (2016 – 17)
Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, National Leader of Belarus, Head of the United Transitional Cabinet (virtual)
Chair: Orysia Lutsevych, Deputy Director, Russia and Eurasia Programme; Head of the Ukraine Forum, Chatham House
Spotlight B | The scramble for critical minerals
What new alliances and deals are emerging as a result of national, economic and energy security concerns? How can supply chain vulnerabilities be mitigated to meet the rising demand from critical sectors including energy, tech and defence? What threats do supply risks and geopolitical tensions present to businesses and investors? What are the key barriers to investment? To what extent is the growing demand for critical material being considered in conjunction with policies relating to climate risks, land use and agriculture?
Speakers
Alexander Kasterine, Senior Advisor, Trade and Environment, International Trade Centre
Naaja Nathanielsen, Minister for Business, Trade and Raw Materials, Greenland (virtual)
Olena Pavlenko, President, DiXi Group (virtual)
Chair: Kwasi Ampofo, Head of Metals and Mining, BloombergNEF
Spotlight C | Why are conflicts on the rise? War in a shifting world order
To what extent is the rise in global conflicts linked to the changing global order? How are geoeconomic dynamics – including Sudan’s gold trade, Iran’s sanctioned oil and gas exports, and migrant smuggling through Libya – driving or sustaining conflicts in the Middle East and Africa? What must the West rethink to be more effective in a world defined by multi alignment?
Speakers
Comfort Ero, President and CEO, International Crisis Group
Ambassador Barbara Leaf, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, US (2022 – 25)
Renad Mansour, Senior Research Fellow, Middle East and North Africa Programme; Project Director, Iraq Initiative, Chatham House
Chair: Ahmed Soliman, Senior Research Fellow, Africa Programme, Chatham House
Spotlight D | AI – key players and who will prevail?
With the US and China at the forefront of AI development, what other countries are making notable advancements and how do they intend to use AI? Where do countries face bottlenecks? Is it a lack of capital, talent, pro-innovation environments, or all the above? Which middle powers provide the most promising lessons on tech and AI sovereignty, and can those lessons scale?
Speakers
Cristina Caffarra, Co-Founder, Competition Policy Research Network, CEPR
Rohit Chopra, Director, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (2021 – 25)
Kenneth Cukier, Deputy Executive Editor, The Economist
Chair: Alex Krasodomski, Director, Digital Society Programme, Chatham House
