This panel aims to discuss possibilities for settlement in Syria and reappraise the role of regional and global powers, including Türkiye. 

In its 13th year, the Syrian Civil War continues without a formal ceasefire and attempts at post-war settlement have proven futile. Ongoing localized clashes between regime forces and the opposition persist, with President Bashar al-Assad securing approximately 70% of Syria. Although some view al-Assad’s resilience as a pyrrhic victory that is supported by Russia and Iran, he has maintained relative control and normalized relations with several Arab states. Amid evolving regional dynamics, Türkiye's Syria policy also has undergone multiple shifts in the past decade. The longstanding impasse in Turkish-Syrian relations further complicates efforts to achieve a lasting settlement in the Syrian conflict.   

In light of these developments, this panel addresses the following questions:    

In the context of peace settlement efforts, what is the current status and evolution of the Syrian Civil War, and who are the key players actively involved in conflict resolution? 
How has Türkiye’s Syria policy evolved since the onset of the Civil War, and what are the prospects for a normalization between Türkiye and Syria?
What are the factors driving the rapprochement between the Arab states and Bashar al-Assad and what will be the implications of renewed relations for the Syrian conflict? 
Speakers:   

Rim Turkmani (@Rim_Turkmani) is Senior Policy Fellow at LSE Middle East Centre and LSE IDEAS. She is the Principal Investigator of the Legitimacy and Civicness in the Arab World research project funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York. Her research is centred around legitimate governance in the Middle East, local conflict and peace drivers and the role of civil society in conflict zones. She has produced wide -reaching research on the lack of democracy and persistent violent conflicts in the Arab World with focus on the Levant. 

Soli Özel is a Senior Lecturer at Istanbul Kadir Has University and a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations, is a BA in Economics from Bennington College (1981) and an MA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University SAIS (1983) graduate. In 2021-2022, he was a fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna. Özel, an accomplished writer and commentator, contributes to publications like Deutsche Welle-Turkish, Politikyol, and GazeteDuvar TV. He co-authored "Elite Origins of Development and Democracy" with Michael T. Rock, published by Routledge in December 2023.

Selin Nasi (@selinnasi) is a Visiting Fellow at the European Institute of the London School of Economics and Ankara Policy Center's London representative, is a political scientist with a focus on Turkey's Israel policy post-Cold War. She holds a 2021 PhD from Boğaziçi University and has contributed to various media outlets, including Politikyol and Hurriyet Daily News. Her recent co-authored work, "How the Syrian War shifted the balance of power in Turkish-Israeli relations," is featured in the book "Israeli-Turkish Relations in Comparative Perspective" (2019).

Chair:

Michael Mason is Director of the Middle East Centre. At LSE, he is also Professor of Environmental Geography in the Department of Geography and Environment and an Associate of the Grantham Research Institute for Climate Change and the Environment. He is interested in ecological politics and governance as applied to questions of accountability, security and sovereignty. This research addresses both global environmental politics and regional environmental change in Western Asia/the Middle East.

The Civil War in Syria: Prospects for Peace and the Role of External Actors

What type of person falls for an online scam?  Who are the fraudsters and how does colonialism motivate them? And what’s the connection between criminality and pop music? 

This episode of LSE iQ looks at how we can avoid falling for online scams. We think it couldn’t happen to us, but incidents of online fraud are escalating at an alarming rate, affecting all areas of our day-to-day lives, from social media and dating apps to banking and business. 

As AI deepfakes and impersonation tactics become more advanced, scammers are finding new ways to exploit us, leaving victims emotionally and financially devastated. 

In this episode Oliver Johnson talks to a victim of a devastating romance scam, he hears about what motivates some of the fraudsters and what legal protections we have in the battle against the scammers.

Contributors: Dr Suleman Lazarus, Professor Andrew Murray, Lisa Mills, Nikki MacLeod

Research:
Fraud as Legitimate Retribution for Colonial Injustice, Dr Suleman Lazarus et al

Examining fifty cases of convicted online romance fraud offenders Dr Suleman Lazarus et al
Information Technology Law Professor Andrew Murray

Rethinking the Jurisprudence of Cyberspace Professor Andrew Murray et al

LSE iQ is a university podcast by the London School of Economics and Political Science. We’re keen to find out more about our audience so we can better tailor our content to suit your interests. With this in mind, we would be grateful if you could please take the time to fill out this short survey and share your feedback.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=_epnVXfnpUKRu5RA_UO4k9i3ygPzxbNDuStfrFFNRBNUMzYxS1BITDlHTkdYMVhaVE9LRDhNQkxaVC4u

How do we avoid falling for online scams?

In March 2025 the Phelan US Centre spoke to John Minnich, Assistant Professor in the Department of International Relations at LSE about why semiconductors are so important in the global economy, and why the US is willing to go to what Dr Minnich terms, economic war, over them. They also discussed how the semiconductor trade is framed as a national security issue in the US and China, and how President Trump may approach the ‘chip-war’ in coming months. 

This episode was produced by Chris Gilson and Luke Digweed.   

Further reading and resources 

Ling S. Chen and Miles M. Evers, "'Wars without Gun Smoke': Global Supply Chains, Power Transitions, and Economic Statecraft," International Security 48, no. 2 (Fall 2023): 164–204. 

Cornell University Press. (2024). Disaggregating China, Inc. by Yeling Tan | Hardcover | Cornell University Press. [online] Available at: https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501759635/disaggregating-china-inc/ [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025]. 

Cornell University Press. (2024). Disaggregating China, Inc. by Yeling Tan | Hardcover | Cornell University Press. [online] Available at: https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501759635/disaggregating-china-inc/ [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025]. 

Paragraph locked by Gilson,CH
11 November 2024 - China’s evolving approach to economic security with Professor Yeling Tan | The Ballpark podcast - https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2024/11/11/chinas-evolving-approach-to-economic-security-with-professor-yeling-tan-the-ballpark-podcast/  

13 February 2023 - China’s Belt and Road with Professor Taylor Fravel | The Ballpark podcast - https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/usappblog/2023/02/13/the-ballpark-podcast-extra-innings-chinas-belt-and-road-with-professor-taylor-fravel/  

 

 

LSE: The Ballpark | The Origins of the US-China Chip War with Dr John Minnich

in February 2025 the Phelan US Centre spoke to Michael Latner, Professor of Political Science at California Polytechnic State University and Director of Research on Democratic Reform at the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard Law School.   

They discussed the recent history of voting rights and the state of democracy in America in 2025.  

This episode was produced by Chris Gilson and Luke Digweed.   

Further reading and resources 

Keena, A., Latner, M., McGann, A.J.M. and Smith, C.A. (2021). Gerrymandering the States. doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108995849  

The Guinier Project at the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute - https://charleshamiltonhouston.org/events/a-convening-race-reform-and-multiracial-democracy/  

LSE: The Ballpark | The state of American Democracy with Professor Michael Latner

Artificial intelligence is transforming the world around us, offering increased productivity and promising to help tackle difficult problems like global warming.  
But behind the scenes, its environmental costs are mounting. From massive energy use to vast quantities of water required to cool data centres, AI’s footprint is growing fast. So, in an age of water scarcity and climate crisis, can we justify this technological boom?
In this episode of LSE iQ, Anna Bevan asks: Is AI destroying the planet?
She travels to a data centre in Slough to find out exactly how data centres work, and speaks to Nick Couldry, Professor of Media, Communications and Social Theory at LSE; Eugenie Dugoua, Assistant Professor in Environmental Economics at LSE; and Ceara Carney, an actor and climate activist. 

This episode explores the AI sustainability paradox: can AI be both a climate solution and a climate problem? And discusses surprising ways AI is being used for good, such as catching poachers in the Serengeti. 

Research
Data Grab: The New Colonialism of Big Tech and How to Fight it, Nick Couldry and Ulises Mejias https://lnk.to/DataGrabBook

The Space of the World: can Human Solidarity Survive Social Media and What if it Can't? Nick Couldry https://linktr.ee/SpaceOfTheWorldBook

Induced innovation, inventors and the energy transition, Eugenie Dugoua and Todd D. Gerarden
https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/121309/1/dp1951.pdf

Directed technological change and general purpose technologies: can AI accelerate clean energy innovation? Pia Andres, Eugenie Dugoua and Marion Dumas
https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/publication/directed-technological-change-and-general-purpose-technologies-can-ai-accelerate-clean-energy-innovation/

Could artificial intelligence deliver a green transition? Marion Dumas
https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/news/could-artificial-intelligence-deliver-a-green-transition/

LSE iQ is a university podcast by the London School of Economics and Political Science. We’re keen to find out more about our audience so we can better tailor our content to suit your interests. With this in mind, we would be grateful if you could please take the time to fill out this short survey and share your feedback.

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=_epnVXfnpUKRu5RA_UO4k9i3ygPzxbNDuStfrFFNRBNUMzYxS1BITDlHTkdYMVhaVE9LRDhNQkxaVC4u

Is AI destroying the planet?

In this public event, Jens Weidmann, Head of supervisory board of Commerzbank AG and former President of Deutsche Bundesbank, presents his views on how to preserve Europe’s role in a changing geopolitical and economic world order and how to restore Europe’s competitiveness.

Meet our speaker and chair

Jens Weidmann is Supervisory Board Chairman of Commerzbank AG, Professor at the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management for Practice in Central Banking and Former President of the German Central Bank.

Iain Begg is Professorial Research Fellow at the LSE European Institute.

More about this event

The European Institute (@LSEEI) is a centre for research and graduate teaching on the processes of integration and fragmentation within Europe.

OMFIF (@OMFIF), the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum, is an independent forum for central banking, economic policy and public investment.

Geography is back: a German view on Europe's perspectives in times of global uncertainty

Liste to for this public event with Reid Hoffman — Co-Founder of LinkedIn, Inflection AI, and Manas AI, and Partner at Greylock — where he discusses his new book, Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future.

"Superagency offers a roadmap for using AI inclusively and adaptively to improve our lives and create positive change. While acknowledging challenges such as disinformation and potential job disruption, the book focuses on AI’s immense potential to enhance individual agency and generate better outcomes for society as a whole.

Imagine AI tutors personalising education for each child, researchers rapidly discovering cures for diseases like Alzheimer’s and cancer, and AI advisors empowering people to navigate complex systems and achieve their goals. Hoffman and co-author, tech and culture writer Greg Beato, envision a world where these possibilities – and many more – become reality.

Superagency challenges conventional fears, inviting us to view the future through a lens of opportunity rather than apprehension. It’s a call to action – to embrace AI with excitement and actively shape a world where human ingenuity and the power of AI combine to create something extraordinary."

Meet our speaker and chair

Reid Hoffman (@reidhoffman) is an accomplished entrepreneur, executive, and investor who has played an integral role in building many of today’s leading consumer technology businesses. In 2003, he co-founded LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional networking service, and in 2009, he joined Greylock as a partner. In 2022, Hoffman co-founded Inflection AI, an AI studio that created Pi. In 2025, he co-founded Manas AI, a company that leverages proprietary AI and best-in-class biology to cure cancer.

Andrés Velasco (@AndresVelasco) is Professor of Public Policy and Dean of the School of Public Policy at LSE. In 2017-19 he was a member of the G20 Eminent Persons Group. During 2015-16 he co-chaired the Global Panel on the Future of the Multilateral Lending Institutions. In 2013-16 he was a member of the Global Oceans Commission.

More about  this event

The LSE School of Public Policy (@LSEPublicPolicy) equips you with the skills and ideas to transform people and societies. It is an international community where ideas and practice meet. Their approach creates professionals with the ability to analyse, understand and resolve the challenges of contemporary governance.

The Data Science Institute (@LSEDataScience) is an interdisciplinary institute established to foster the study of data science and new forms of data with a focus on their social, economic and political aspects.

Hashtag for this event: #LSEEvents



Superagency: what could possibly go right with our AI future

Many institutions are now using artificial intelligence (AI) models as tools to think about solutions to a variety of challenges, from the everyday to the global. At the same time, many commentators have expressed concerns about AI and its effects on society, the economy and democracy.  

In the first episode of The Ballpark’s miniseries on AI and the US, we explore the implications of AI for intellectual property. The rise of AI tools has been fuelled by the scraping of online resources as training data for the large language models that power them. This has important implications for how we think about intellectual property and the rights of those who created this training data. 

To find out more, in May 2025, the Phelan US Centre spoke to Professor Bhamati Viswanathan of New England Law Boston. Dr Viswanathan is an expert in the areas of copyright law, intellectual property, innovation and creativity law, and on cultural property and appropriation.

This episode was produced by Chris Gilson and Luke Digweed.

LSE: The Ballpark | AI and intellectual property with Dr Bhamati Viswanathan

The US-led international order is under strain from without and within. Authoritarian powers such as Russia and China are challenging the core tenets of global cooperation and conflict management. Rising states of the Global South like India, Brazil, and South Africa demand reformed multilateralism in the institutions of global governance, and the US and its Western allies face a domestic surge of right-wing populism that seeks to reverse the eighty-year-old open and interdependent system of international relations. At stake is democracy, a core tenet of American political life and foreign policy. 

 

To discuss and consider these issues, in May 2025, the LSE Phelan US Centre held the conference: International relations and Democracy in a Multipolar World. The conference brought together scholars and experts to examine how important these democratic discourses and practices are in the broader context of challenges to the US-led international order and the domestic contestation over the future direction of US foreign policy. 

 

The conference was convened by Phelan US Centre Affiliates Dr Rohan Mukherjee and Dr Luca Tardelli of LSE’s International Relations Department, and by Theresa Squatrito also of LSE’s Department of International Relations and Mathias Koenig-Archibugi of LSE’s Department of Government. 

 

In this episode of The Ballpark, we speak to Rohan Mukherjee and Theresa Squatrito about the main themes and takeaways from the conference. We also talked to three of the conference participants, Agnes Yu (LSE Department of Government), Farsan Ghassim (University of Oxford), and Tim Murithi (University of Cape Town), about their thoughts on the future of democracy and global governance. 

  

This episode of The Ballpark was produced by Chris Gilson and Luke Digweed.   

 

LSE: The Ballpark | International relations and Democracy in a Multipolar World

Europe has witnessed significant political and social turbulence over the past decade. The rise of anti-immigrant, nativist, and populist movements, the erosion of traditional political parties, widening socioeconomic disparities, and increasing polarisation have profoundly unsettled the European order. From the shock of the 2016 Brexit referendum to the seismic impact of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, recent developments have challenged long-held assumptions.

In this lecture, Siniša Malešević critically examines the conventional wisdom that nationalism and war are relics of Europe’s past. Drawing on a longue durée sociological perspective, he will argue that these forces remain deeply embedded in modernity. Rather than anomalies, the resurgence of nationalism and organised violence should be understood as part of broader historical patterns shaping contemporary Europe.

The lecture will be followed by an interactive Q&A session and a networking reception, offering a valuable opportunity for scholars and students to exchange ideas and build connections.

This event is the Annual Lecture of the Annual Review of the JCMS, hosted by the LSE European Institute and UACES.

Meet our speaker and chair 

Siniša Malešević is Full Professor of Comparative Historical Sociology at the University College Dublin. He was appointed UCD Chair of Sociology in September 2011. Previously he held research and teaching appointments at the Institute for International Relations (Zagreb), the Centre for the Study of Nationalism, CEU (Prague) - where he worked with late Ernest Gellner -, and at the University of Galway. He also held visiting professorships and fellowships at NIAS/NIOD Amsterdam, Uppsala University, Universite Libre de Bruxelles (Eric Remacle Chair in Conflict and Peace Studies), the London School of Economics, the Institute for Human Sciences, Vienna and the Australian Defence College, Canberra. Professor Malesevic is a Member of the Royal Irish Academy (elected in 2010), Academia Europaea (The Academy of Europe, elected in 2014) and an Associated Member of the Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina (elected in 2012). He is also Senior Fellow and Associated Researcher at CNAM, Paris. Prof Malesevic's main research interests include the study of war and violence, ethnicity, nation-states, and nationalism, empires, ideology, sociological theory and the comparative historical sociology.

Jasna Dragovic-Soso is Visiting Professor at LSEE Research on South East Europe, Hellenic Observatory Centre for Research on Contemporary Greece & Cyprus, LSE. She has written extensively about memory politics, transitional justice, nationalism, state disintegration and international intervention, with a focus on former Yugoslavia and the post-Yugoslav region. She is currently writing a book about truth commission initiatives and memory politics in the post-conflict Balkans and co-editing the Brill Handbook on Regions of Memory: Southeastern Europe. From 2022 to 2024, she was Director of Centre for the Study of the Balkans at Goldsmiths, University of London.

Maya Tudor is Professor of Politics and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government and Fellow at St Hilda's College at the University of Oxford. Her research investigates the origins of effective and democratic states with a regional focus on South Asia. Before embarking on an academic career, Maya worked as a Special Assistant to Chief Economist Joseph Stiglitz at the World Bank, at UNICEF, in the United States Senate, and at the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee.

Vesna Popovski is LSE Fellow in Conflict and Post-Conflict Studies. 


Nationalism and War in 21st-Century Europe

The LSE European Institute,  is a world class centre for the study of Europe. Follow our podcast feed, for the latest analysis and research  on European politics and current affairs, and the policy challenges confronting the EU and the UK.

The Civil War in Syria: Prospects for Peace and the Role of External Actors

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