This term, EAS will produce information cards on each of their speakers. They will appear here about a week before the talk, so make sure to check back often! Alternatively, you can subscribe to the RSS feed, or join the mailing list or Facebook group.

You can also download a complete PDF of the Hilary 2010 Termcard.

Topic: “Europe and its age of anxiety”

Who: BBC Editor (Europe) – Gavin Hewitt

Gavin Hewitt – BBC Europe Editor – an experienced correspondent, Hewitt has covered many major events from the Soham murders and Potters Bar rail crash in the UK to the Kashmir disputes and recent United States elections.  He joined the BBC’s Panorama programme in 1984 as a presenter and was in East Berlin when the Berlin wall came down.  Whilst at Panorama, Hewitt made a programme which led to the largest ever investigation into police corruption in the UK, as well as programmes about the Kosovo crisis and about how student leaders were smuggled out of China following Tiananmen Square.

Meanwhile, in 2000 Gavin Hewitt became a Special Correspondent and in 2001 he won the Television Society Award for his coverage of the Oldham riots and, also won the Broadcast Award for England’s Shame, an investigation into England’s football hooliganism at Euro 2000.  Since then, Gavin has covered the war in the Middle East in 2006 in Israel and Lebanon – narrowly escaping a missile attack in Lebanon, has toured with Obama in Europe and the Middle East as well as Hurrican Katrina, the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan and the London bombings.

For more information please see the information card on Gavin Hewitt here. To find Mansfield College see this map. For Gavin’s BBC blog, see here.

Topic: “Should we tax the bankers”

Sven Giegold is a current Member of the European Parliament for the Green Party. Within the parliament he is a member of the “Special Committee on the Financial, Economic and Social Crisis” and the “Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs ,“ as such he has a firsthand insight into the work of the European Parliament concerning European wide regulations of the financial sector.

Giegold is a founding member of one of Europe’s largest NGOs “Attac” (Association for the Taxation of Financial Transactions for the Aid of Citizens). Having joined politics only in 2008, he has kept his vision for a better Europe. In a recent press statement Giegold claimed “the EU can go it alone on financial transaction tax.” In his speech he will elaborate on why that is the case and is very much looking forward to engage in a discussion with students about their ideas and thoughts concerning the crisis and financial regulations.

Life

In 2008 he became a member of The Green Party in Germany and took part in elaborating the report “Green New Deal” as a policy proposal to tackle climate change, the current financial crisis, and peak oil. Within the party his fields of expertise are economic crisis, taxation, tax havens and ecological issues.
Before starting his political career within the Green Party he was a cofounder of Attac Germany  as well as initiator of the ‘Tax Justice Network’ which is an independent organisation that aims to encourage tax reform at both the national and global levels through high-level research, analysis and advocacy in the area of tax research.  Giegold engages with the network in attempting to prevent capital flight.  With such a wide-ranging, wealth of experience surrounding the financial system and regulation of it, Giegold will be able to provide a stimulating discussion when he answers the question of whether or not we should tax bankers.
Giegold studied politics and economics, he got a Master of Social Science in economic policy and economic development. He also studied different aspects of globalization and international macroeconomics.

For more information please see the Wikipedia article and join the event on Facebook. You can see an information card on Sven Giegold here. To find Trinity College see this map.

Speaker: The Italian Acting Ambassador – Giovanni Brauzzi

Topic: “Italy in Europe after the Lisbon treaty”

The recent political development in Italy has caused many to turn their backs on serious Italian politics. Italian politics has for many become synonymous with Mr. Belusconi’s involvement with women. Mr. Brauzzi, a vocal supporter of his country, will demonstrate that Italian politics ought to be taken serious and that Europe will need Italy to meet many of its most pressing challenges, such as immigration and defense.

Giovanni Brauzzi – The Minister and Deputy Head of Mission at the Italian Mission in London – is an experienced diplomat and regular contributor to academic discussions in universities across the UK.  He has spoken at both the University of Edinburgh and the University of Birmingham on Italy: its role in NATO and the EU, and the differences and similarities between Italy and the UK.

His speech at Oxford will focus on the role of the Italy in the EU in the post-Lisbon Treaty world, as well as whether an European Army is required. A passionate believer in his country’s potential, Brauzzi believes Italy can rise to meet the challenges it faces with immigration and continued EU integration.

For more information please see the information card on Mr. Brauzzi and join the Facebook event for this talk.

Week (22/02/2010)

Speaker: Jonathan Derbyshire – Journalist for the New Statesman

Topic: ” Cultural criticism and literary journalism in France and England”

Ever thought about becoming a journalist? Or are you interested in the immense influence that journalism has in todays society? Either way Mr. Derbyshire’s talk will give you an insight into journalism and examine the different forms that journalism takes in different countries (mainly the UK and France).

Life

Jonathan Derbyshire – Culture Editor of the New Statesman – is an extremely successful journalist who has contributed to many newspapers and periodicals in France, Britain and America.  These include the Guardian, Le Monde, the Financial Times, Prospect, The Times Literary Supplement, Time Out and the New York Sun.  In 2007, he also edited the Time Out: 1000 Books to change your life: which contains contributions from over 50 authors and critics about the books that have changed their lives and is structured around themes inspired by Shakespeare’s “Seven Ages of Man”.

His successful experience as a cultural journalist in Europe means that he is well-placed to discuss not just the differences between literary journalism and cultural criticism in France and England but also to discuss more general European cultural issues.

For more information please see the information card on Mr. Derbyshire and join the Facebook event for this talk.

Week (18/02/2010)

Speaker: The Swiss Ambassador – HE Alexis Lautenberg

Topic: “Switzerland in the tail end of the economic crisis”

Switzerland is home to some of Europe’s largest banks (e.g. UBS) and to the controversial rule of not disclosing details about assets held by foreigners in the country. This has led to much controversy about Switzerland’s role as a tax haven. Those issues will ensure an interesting and entertaining discussion.

Life

HE Mr Alexis Lautenberg – Swiss Ambassador to the UK – has over thirty years experience in the Swiss diplomatic service having joined the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs in 1974.  This has involved him being Ambassador to both Italy and the European Communities in Brussels, as well as serving in Berne, Geneva and Stockholm.

Lautenberg has also been heavily involved in the economic interests of his country having held the post of Head of the Economic and Finance Divsion at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs between 1985 and 1993.  This led him to be the Chairman of the Group for negotiations on financial services within the Uruguay Round between 1990 and 1991, as well as Chairman of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering between 1991 and 1992.

This wide wealth of experience will be brought to bear in his talk to the EAS on ‘Switzerland in the tail-end of the economic crises’ which will cover Switzerland’s role as a tax haven post-crisis. The topic of Switzerland’s bank secret is of special interest, as the recent purchase of a CD with data about foreign tax evaders in Switzerland by the German government has led to an international diplomatic uproar.

In addition, his lifelong interest in the UK, having holidayed in the UK every year between the ages of four and 18, will help him answer the related question of whether Switzerland’s relationship with the EU could be a model for the UK.

For more information please see the information card on Mr. Lautenberg and join the Facebook event for this talk.

Speaker: Steven Cowley

Topic: “International Collaboration Rising to the Energy Challenge – the world’s Fusion Experiment”

Physicist Steven Cowley is certain that nuclear fusion is the only truly sustainable solution to the fuel crisis. He will explain why fusion will work — and details the projects that he and many others have devoted their lives to, working against the clock to create a new source of energy.

The international fusion experiment ITER will start operating in the south of France late in the next decade.  This historic experiment will generate up to 500 megawatts of fusion power and provide a proof of principle for fusion energy.  Fusion has the potential to provide a large fraction of our energy for millions of years – Mr. Cowley will outline the scale of this promise.  He will also discuss the challenge of coordinating a project on a truly international scale and Europe’s role as the host partner.

Who is Steven Cowley?

Steven Cowley – Director of the United Kingdom’s Atomic Energy Authority’s (UKAEA) Culham laboratory– is a leading British physicist who is involved in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER).  He received his BA from Oxford before moving to Princeton University to get his PhD.  From 2001 to 2003 he led the plasma physics group at Imperial College London and remains a part-time professor there.  In addition, from 2004 to 2008, Cowley was the Director of the Center for Multi-Scale Plasma Dynamics at the University of California, Los Angeles.  There he researched some of the most violent phenomena in the local universe, including solar flares and storms in the Earth’s magnetosphere. Nowadays, he is Director of UKAEA Culham and is collaborating with researchers on the France-based ITER fusion device on projects aimed at finding cheap, nearly limitless carbon-free energy: he is planning devices that, theoretically at least, would contain 100 million degree gas using powerful magnetic fields.

For more information please see the information card on Mr. Lenczner and join the Facebook event for this talk.

Speaker: Alistair Lenczner

Topic: “Architecture vs Engineering”

The Foster + Partner bureau is today’s leading architecture bureau. They built avant-garde buildings like the Two World Trade Center and the new Wembley Stadium.

Life

Alistair Lenczner is one of the bureau’s leading architects and has been involved in various major Foster + Partners projects, including the Millennium Footbridge in London, the highest bridge in Europe (Viaduc de Millau) and the new Wembley Stadium.

He has considerable experience in working on projects across Europe including France, Spain and Italy and is currently involved in projects including a Masterplan for the City of Stockholm and the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona. Further afield he has been involved in the construction of new high speed railway stations in the Middle East and infrastructure projects in Asia and Latin America.

Whilst he is now a partner with Foster + Partners, he was originally qualified as a chartered engineer. He therefore has a perspective of the design of buildings and the built environment that includes both engineering and architectural viewpoint.

His talk, “Architecture vs Engineering” will therefore focus on the evolution of the design disciplines that shape our built environment today.

For more information please see the information card on Mr. Lenczner and join the Facebook event for this talk.

Update: Mr. Lenczner’s slides are available here.

Topic: Transnationality - How To Achieve A “New” Europe

Life

Bonnie Greer – Deputy Chairman of the British Museum’s Board of Trustees – is an inspirational playwright, poet, author and critic who regularly features on Newsnight Review, is an occassional contributor to The Guardian and New Statesman, and who has been part of the British theatre scene since arriving in London from the USA in 1986. Most recently she is famed for having appeared on a Question Time panel with the leader of the BNP, Nick Griffin.

In addition, Greer has just released a book “Obama Music”, mixing anecdotes, history and culture, to show that only the unique culture of the South Side of Chicago, from which both she and Obama come, could have produced the first African American President.

On Tuesday of 3^rd week, she will be speaking on the topic ‘Transnationality: How to achieve a “New” Europe’ discussing diversity and how to create a Europe that recognises that its own history and heritage have always been dominated by migration and diversity.  Having moved to the UK in order to get involved in the then burgeoning black theatre scene, Greer is highly qualified to discuss the issues Europe faces in relation to diversity.  Although black theatre in the UK never took off as Greer would have liked, she has never stopped pushing for general recognition of the value diversity brings to all of our lives.

For more information please see the information card on Bonnie Greer here and you can find more information on her book Obama Music here. There is a Facebook event for this talk.

Topic: Europe’s future with Islam

In 2008 Ramadan was listed 8^th out of the world’s top intellectuals by Prospect and Foreign Affairs magazines. An eminent Islamic scholar, Ramadan emphasises the difference between culture and religion and advocates the continued re-interpretation of the Qur’an in order to correctly interpret its philosophy; he believes that Western Muslims must create a “Western Islam” in much the say way as there is an “African Islam” and “Asian Islam.” Prominent political appearances include a Television debate with Sarkozy in 2003 and the participation in a British Government Taskforce in 2005 following the 7/7 bombings.

Life

Born in Switzerland, Ramadan is the grandson of Hassan al-Banna, who in 1928 founded the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt – the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states and the world’s oldest and largest Islamic political group. Today Tariq Ramadan is a Research Fellow at St Antony’s College and was appointed to the His Highness Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani Chair in Contemporary Islamic Studies on 1 September 2009 at St. Anthony’s College, Oxford.

For more information please see his website, tariqramadan.com and join the event on Facebook. You can see an information card on Prof Ramadan here.