Room for Discussion

Halsema studeerde Algemene Sociale Wetenschappen (ASW) met een specialisatie in Criminologie aan de Universiteit Utrecht. Ze was tot 1997 lid van de Partij van de Arbeid, maar verruilde deze voor GroenLinks toen ze door Paul Rosenmöller werd gevraagd zich voor die partij te kandideren voor de Tweede Kamerverkiezingen van 1998. Met plek 3 op de lijst haalde ze eenvoudig een zetel. In 2003 werd ze fractievoorzitter van GroenLinks, waar ze pleitte voor een links-liberale in plaats van socialistische koers en pleitte ze voor meer linkse samenwerking.
In 2018 werd Halsema burgemeester van onze hoofdstad waarmee ze de populaire Eberhard van der Laan (PvdA) opvolgde, die na zijn overlijden tijdelijk door Jozias van Aartsen (VVD) was vervangen. Hiermee werd Halsema de eerste vrouwelijke en eerste GroenLinks burgemeester van Amsterdam.
Haar burgemeesterschap kende in de afgelopen drie jaar veel uitdagingen. Zo werd haar zoon in 2019 gearresteerd voor wapenbezit, kreeg ze veel kritiek te verduren toen ze in juni vorig jaar de Black Lives Matter-protesten op de Dam toestond en moet ze de stad leiden met alle problemen die de pandemie met zich meebrengt. Onze ervaren interviewers Abel en Sarah zullen het met Halsema onder andere hebben over de stad tijdens en na corona, over Amsterdams gemeentelijk beleid met betrekking tot studenten en over wat Halsema zélf nu eigenlijk wil voor de stad.

Op 28 mei interviewen wij schrijver en Nederlands student Lale Gül. Zij schreef een autobiografische roman over haar ervaringen in een conservatief Turks Islamitisch huishouden. Na het publiceren van haar boek werd ze overspoelt met haar reacties en zelfs bedreigingen. De gespannen situatie thuis bereikte ook een hoogtepunt, waardoor Gül haar ouderlijk huis moest verlaten.
In voorgaande interviews werd er vooral gesproken over de reacties op haar boek van haar omgeving en de maatschappij. Wij willen het echter hebben over Lale Gül als schrijver, opiniemarker en leeftijdsgenoot.

Interviewers: Loïs en Simba

We are honoured to welcome the next President of the European Council, and former prime minister of Belgium, Charles Michel. Mr. Michel does not only have a significant relationship with the European Union, but he also has his own personal relationship with the University of Amsterdam as a former alumnus. The interview will not only touch upon the president-elect’s prior experience at the UvA, but they will also dive into the topics of Europe Divided, the European Project, Europe’s Global Position, and ultimately what his position as the next president of the European Council will mean for our Union in the coming years.

Deirdre McCloskey, Distinguished Professor of Economics, History, English, and Communication at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). She was also a visiting Professor of Philosophy for 5 years at the Erasmus University, Rotterdam. How can we think of liberalism in the 21st century? What kind of transformations has the idea of liberalism faced over the course of history, and to what extent are these applicable to our current political and economic realities? With Professor McCloskey we aim to delve into what produces 'bourgeois virtues', and understand how her religious beliefs can fit into the mould of liberal values. The discussion will centre on issues that are paramount to the disciplines of philosophy, governance, politics, morality and economic history.

Jill Lepore is Professor of American History at Harvard University and a journalist at The New Yorker. She specialises in American history, specifically early American history and undocumented history. During our interview with Lepore, we will focus on history as a subject and the implications it has had for society today. How do politicians like Donald Trump use history? How has the way we remember history affected minorities? Apart from this, the questions of whether these truths are self-evident and how the lack of these truths has changed America will be explored extensively during the session.

Dan Ariely joins us as we discuss the irrational behaviours that underpin our actions and the implications that they have for society, as well as the solutions employed to address them.

In addition, we will talk about global societal issues that are a result of our own irrational behaviour. From inequality to the online dating market; we will try to pin down how structures that can correct for our own irrationality can be expected to help.

The Democratic Party is changing.

From establishment to non-establishment; from centrists to progressive; from universal basic income to abolishment of private insurance, it seems odd that *one* party can encompass the vast differences in policy proposals, sentiments, and ideologies that are taking place within it under *one* name.

With the election of President Donald Trump we’ve seen dramatic overhauls within the United States congress. If there is one thing that unifies the Democrats, it’s an unparalleled hatred for the current President of the United States.

However; will a common strive to get rid of the current president result in deeper cuts within the Democratic party? Or will the new nominee reveal the new face of the democrats, rather than a break off from it?

With George Blaustein, Senior Lecturer of American Studies at the UvA, we will do our best to understand, predict, and discuss the future of the Democratic Party.

The interview will touch upon the economic and political dynamics between Europe and China. We will attempt to understand how China’s actions within Europe are shaped by its world vision. In addition, we will ask how the domestic and internal politics between these two regions contribute to these dynamics.

We are joined by Ties Dams and Alexandr Lagazzi. Ties Dams is a writer and strategist. He has been studying the Chinese state since his studies as a philosopher, political scientist, and economist in Utrecht, London, and China. He is also the author of the book, ‘De Nieuwe Keizer,’ which details the life of the most powerful man in China, Xi Jinping. Alexandr Lagazzi, holds a BA in International Economic Relations and Diplomacy from the Faculty of International Relations of the University of Economics in Prague. Alexandr Lagazzi is an expert in the fields of international economic relations and diplomacy, international security and terrorism.

H.E. Mr. Ranieri Sabatucci, is the Ambassador and Head of the European Union Delegation to the African Union. In his 30 years with the European Institutions, he has covered thematic areas ranging from trade and development to Political and Peace and Security, having worked out of Brussels, Dar-Es Salaam and Pretoria.

The interview revolved around the relationship between the European Union and the African Union. How does the EU's position compare to that of China? Further, we will ask what the future of the African Union entails. This and more during our interview with the Ambassador.

Although many of us have been sweltering this summer in what has been the hottest month ever recorded, international investors and market analysts have been sweating for different reasons. Dark clouds are looming over the global economy, as a No-Deal Brexit becomes ever more likely, the US-China trade war worsens, recession in several countries is bearing down, and central bankers are struggling to find new monetary policy instruments. All this is represented by an inverted yield curve in US treasury bills, an omen of a potential future downturn. What, then, should we expect from the global economy in 2020 and what should we do to avoid another global recession?

To help us answer these questions and more is Chief Economist of the IMF, Dr. Gita Gopinath. Dr. Gopinath is an expert and leading scholar in exchange rates, sovereign debt, and capital flows. As well as being Chief Economist of the IMF, Dr. Gopinath is also the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and Economics at Harvard University’s economics department.