Geopolitics in 40 Minutes: A Practical Guide to What’s Changing

From “the liberal order is dead” to “a new Cold War,” the headlines are loud—but rarely helpful. This session cuts through the noise with a simple five-lever map of how world order really shifts—norms, authority, liberal imprint, fragmentation, and inequality—so curious non-experts can make sense of today’s rivalry and what it means for Europe, business, and everyday life.

We’ll unpack what actually changed since the 1990s (when global rules were thick and optimistic), why the backlash built, and how we got to a patchwork world of competing blocs, mini-lateral deals, and forum-shopping—plus what signals to watch next.

We’ll cover:

- The five levers of order (a plain-English framework you can use the next time geopolitics hits the news)

- From LIO I to LIO II: why the 1990s “thick” liberal order grew—and why it provoked resistance

- Beyond “Cold War 2.0”: a three-camp world (liberal democracies, bureaucratic authoritarians, populist authoritarians)

- Fragmentation in practice: trade, tech, climate, and security when universal rules thin out

- Europe’s playbook: de-risking vs. decoupling, coalition-building, and practical risk management

- Scenarios to 2030 + the few things that could still bend the curve (with audience Q&A)

⚖️ Speaker: Prof. Michael Zürn — Director of the Research Unit "Global Governance" at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center and Professor of International Relations at Freie Universität Berlin; author of A Theory of Global Governance and co-author of Die demokratische Regression; recipient of the 2021 Berliner Wissenschaftspreis.

📅 Date: Tuesday, 4 November 2025

📍 Location: Berlin — venue TBA (announced via email)

🕐 Doors: 6:30 p.m. | Talk: 7:00 p.m. | Stay for the discussion & drinks

🌍 Language: English

Because the world is messy—but your map doesn’t have to be.

Tickets are limited.

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