Summer 2015 | Public lectures and events | Audio and pdf London School of Economics and Political Science

Contributor(s): Nick Giles, Michael Hayman | Business as usual is over. Belief is the new currency and to succeed you must follow new rules: purpose as the route to profit; mind share to gain market share. At this event you will discover the secrets of some of the world's most renowned business leaders, and find out how to harness the power of purpose to win in business. Michael Hayman (@michaelhayman) and Nick Giles (@nick_giles) are the co-authors of Mission: How the Best in Business Break Through and the co-founders of Seven Hills, the highly acclaimed campaigns firm founded to generate momentum for Britain’s explosive growth companies and most exciting entrepreneurs. Michael is an alumnus of LSE. Erik Eyster is a Reader in Economics, and Academic Director of the LSE Summer School at LSE.

Contributor(s): Professor Michael Cox | We have been told for years that war between great powers is a thing of the past: something that has been consigned into that proverbial dustbin of history. Yet today serious writers and influential strategic thinkers in the USA and China are now suggesting that war in East Asia is a very real possibility as China rises - and becomes more assertive - and the United States supported by its Asian allies seeks to limit China’s reach. But how real is the danger of war? Is this just wild speculation by old style thinkers who have not caught up with globalization? Or is the threat real? In this debate between two experts we shall seek to answer these difficult but important questions.

Contributor(s): Professor Fawaz Gerges | Fawaz A. Gerges is Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and holder of the Emirates Professorship in Contemporary Middle East Studies. He wasalso the inaugural Director of the LSE Middle East Centre from 2010 until 2013. Gerges’ most recent books are The New Middle East: Protest and Revolution in the Arab World (Cambridge University Press, January 2014) and Obama and the Middle East: The End of America’s Moment? (Palgrave Macmillan, September 2013). On the ten-year anniversary of 9/11, Oxford University Press released Gerges’ book, The Rise and Fall of Al Qaeda.

Contributor(s): Ryan Pyle | Join adventurer and renowned photographer, Ryan Pyle, as he spends months exploring and photographing Western China’s remote Sacred Mountains in an effort to better understand these most sacred Tibetan regions. His human-powered adventure is “one of the ages” as he explores the remote provinces of Qinghai, Tibet, Sichuan and Yunnan. Born in Toronto, Canada, Ryan Pyle (@RyanPyle) spent his early years close to home. After obtaining a degree in International Politics from the University of Toronto in 2001, Ryan realised a life long dream and travelled to China on an exploratory mission. In 2002 Ryan moved to China permanently and in 2004 Ryan became a regular contributor to the New York Times. In 2009 Ryan was listed by PDN Magazine as one of the 30 emerging photographers in the world. In 2010 Ryan began working full time on television and documentary film production and has produced and presented several large multi-episode television series for major broadcasters in the USA, Canada, UK, Asia, CHINA and continental Europe.

Contributor(s): David Smith | Sunday Times economics editor and best-selling author David Smith leads us through the mire of government policy and long-term economic trends to paint a vivid picture of how we got to now – and where we might go from here. David Smith (@dsmitheconomics) is economics editor of the Sunday Times and the author of a number of books including The Dragon and the Elephant and the best-selling guide to economics Free Lunch. This event marks the launch of his new book, Something Will Turn Up: Britain’s Economy, Past, Present and Future. Sushil Wadhwani is the founder of Wadhwani Asset Management LLP and a former member of the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee. Dr Wadhwani was educated at the London School of Economics and Political Science, where he obtained a BSc (Econ), MSc (Econ) and PhD (Econ).

Contributor(s): Tim Marshall | Foreign Affairs Broadcaster and Journalist, Tim Marshall, author of new book Prisoners of Geography explains how decisions made by world leaders are constrained by geography. It is true that to understand world events (such as President Putin's invasion of Crimea and events in the Middle East), you need to understand people, ideas and movements… but if you don’t know geography, you’ll never have the full picture. Tim Marshall (@itwitius), journalist, writer and broadcaster, is best known for his reporting and analysis of events in the world of foreign affairs and international diplomacy. Whilst at Sky News, Marshall covered twelve wars over a twenty-four year period. He is the founder and editor of 'thewhatandthewhy.com', a web platform for journalists, politicians and students to share their views on world events. Charlie Beckett (@CharlieBeckett) is the founding director of POLIS, the think-tank for research and debate in to international journalism and society in the Media and Communications Department.