Room for Discussion

The Netherlands looks like the richest and most stable country in Europe today. We all moved here for a reason…However, reality looks very different: Dutch households carry nearly double the EU’s average debt. House prices keep climbing. A trillion euros in pension assets is mid-transition to a new system, one deadline at a time. And on interest rates, the country is just one vote in Frankfurt on...

Societies today face issues far more wicked than those of their predecessors. From the environmental crisis to artificial intelligence to mass misinformation, policymaking has never been harder. As the modern state struggles to handle it all, one question remains: How can an increasingly powerless state elaborate and implement effective policies to handle increasingly complex grievances? Join us i...

From exposing the Sackler dynasty’s role in the opioid crisis to investigating the Northern Irish Troubles, Russian oligarchs, and organized crime, Patrick Radden Keefe has built a career uncovering stories that powerful people would rather keep hidden. We were thrilled to welcome Patrick Radden Keefe, award-winning investigative journalist at  The New Yorker  and bestselling author of  Empire of...

Investment bank or political organ? Climate bank or war chest? The European Union is asking the European Investment Bank to do more than ever, and all at once: finance the green transition, strengthen European infrastructure, boost competitiveness, and now even help rebuild our defences. Where does the money for all these projects come from? Who determines which projects across the Union deserve f...

🎙 Together with Laurent Richard, investigative journalist of 25+ years, Emmy-winning documentarian for his series on Pegasus, and founder of Forbidden Stories, we will discuss the implications of declining press freedoms and increasing threats to journalists around the world. 🔗: https://roomfordiscussion.com/ 📸: https://www.instagram.com/roomfordiscussion/

Grocery prices are increasing, Meta flaunts its dominant position on the market, and the Paramount acquisition of WarnerBros marks an era of massive media consolidation. It seems that companies hold all the power, but who can hold them accountable? Join us on 20th of May, 13:00-14:00 at the REC E-Hall for an interview with Martijn Snoep, Chairman of the Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets (A...

Few academic concepts have travelled as far as intersectionality. Coined nearly four decades ago, it transformed how we think about race, gender, power, and inequality, while also becoming one of the most debated ideas of our time. We were thrilled to welcome Kimberlé Crenshaw, legal scholar, author of  Backtalker: An American Memoir , co-founder of Critical Race Theory, and the person behind inte...

Palestine, Sudan, Iran. Global conflicts dominate the headlines every day. But what does it actually take to build lasting peace? And who gets to decide what that peace looks like? Together with  Paige Alexander, the CEO of the Carter Center , we explore the role of the international community in conflict resolution, democracy promotion, and the politics of peacebuilding. Founded by former US Pres...

With war at its doorstep, Türkiye is once again in the middle of geopolitical turmoil. Whether it’s the Syrian refugee crisis, the war in Gaza, or the closure of the strait of Hormuz, Türkiye has had to consistently re-balance and re-negotiate its partnerships.  Turkish Ambassador H.E. Fatma Ceren Yazgan will join us to talk about how Türkiye does this in practice. With a long career as a high ran...

Germany has been Europe’s economic engine for quite some time, both its industrial powerhouse and fiscal anchor in times of deep uncertainty. While Southern Europe suffered deep recessions during the Eurocrisis, Germany maintained low unemployment and a massive trade surplus. After 5 years of economic stagnation induced by the Covid-19 pandemic, that role is now under strain.  In a conversation wi...

The relationship between the Netherlands and South Africa stretches back centuries, shaped by both painful history and meaningful cooperation. It includes dark chapters, such as the Netherlands’ role in using South Africa as part of the slave trade, but also moments of solidarity, including the Netherlands’ early opposition to apartheid and its current position as one of South Africa’s key economi...

What happens when wealth does not just buy comfort, but an entirely different reality? When power does not mean responsibility anymore, but the option to escape all consequences? When ambition turns into status anxiety?   From rural China to billionaire bunkers, Evan Osnos gets up close to people, telling bigger stories through human details. These stories trace how pursuit, aspiration and prosper...

While the way we live has changed a lot in the last few years, the way we learn has remained largely the same. Our education systems have stagnated, relying on inflexible grading systems and standardized tests, as they need to conform to the demands of the job market. Is now the time for academia to adapt and implement a more holistic approach to learning?  Professor Lars Strannegård, president of...

What does it mean when the United States bombs a neighboring country, seizes its president, and flies him to New York to face criminal charges? Days into 2026, US forces launched a dramatic operation in Venezuela, bombing targets in Caracas and capturing President Nicolás Maduro. Such flagrant violations of sovereignty and international law beget the questions: why does the US act this way in the...

Europe is entering a period of growing fragmentation. Rising defence pressures, economic stagnation, and geopolitical dependence are colliding at a moment when the European Union appears increasingly unable to act collectively. We welcome Marco Buti, former Director General for Economic and Financial Affairs at the European Commission and one of the key figures behind Europe’s response to the Euro...

🫵Student well-being, collaborations with other countries and affordability of education. These are all issues in which the Central Student Council, the CSR, has influence over decisions made by the UvA which have tangible effects on the daily life of all students. Vote here: https://uva.digitaleverkiezing.nl/ 🗳️To make your voice heard and shape those decisions, you should cast your vote in the u...

❗️On11th of May, Christian Schmidt announced that he will step down as High Representative for Bosnia and Hercegovina as soon as his successor is found. This interview took place on Wednesday, April 22nd at Roeterseiland Campus Thirty years after the end of one of Europe's bloodiest post-Cold War conflicts, Bosnia and Herzegovina remains caught between promise and paralysis. Ethnic power-shar...

Human exceptionalism, the idea that humans are intellectually, morally and socially superior to other lifeforms on this planet, is so fundamental that we barely recognise that it is there. Dr. Christine Webb is assistant professor of environmental studies at New York University and Author of recently published The Arrogant Ape: The Myth of Human Exceptionalism and Why It Matters and lecturer of a...

“The billionaires’ nightmare”, “Rockstar Economist”, or “far-left activist”, Professor Gabriel Zucman goes by many names. With Elon Musk on his way to reaching trillionaire status, public debt accelerating, and far-right parties threatening democratic institutions, a consensus is emerging that economic inequality is reaching excessive levels. The most important question now becomes not why, but ho...

We are living through a collision of overlapping crises: an increasing cost-of-living, climate change and a deepening state of political disillusionment. While these issues are often treated as isolated government failures, our next guest argues that they share a single, predatory origin: the Global Casino, commonly known as the international financial market. We were thrilled to welcome Ann Petti...

Fifteen years on from the Eurozone crisis, with surging public debt, increasing climate risks, rising geopolitical tensions, and a constant need for monetary injections, the need for change in Europe has never been more obvious. But how do we get there? Is more or less integration the answer that we need? Can a monetary union survive without a fiscal one and if not, who is there to bear its cost?...

Myanmar remains one of the world’s most repressive states. Political prisoners fill its jails, civil freedoms are crushed, and the military junta presses ahead with sham elections while defending itself at the International Court of Justice. What responsibilities do foreign governments and businesses realistically pursue in such a context? Who is tasked with upholding international human rights st...

Without formal recognition from the Netherlands, the Palestinian Mission is forced to rely on law, institutions, and words in a political landscape where others wield hard power. These constraints shape every aspect of how Palestine is represented internationally, even amidst what the UNHRC classifies as a genocide. Together with Ambassador Ammar Hijazi (Permanent Representative of the State of Pa...

What does it mean to grow up in a war? On the 20th October, from 13:00 to 14:00 in the E-Hall, Room for Discussion will host Kyrylo Lapko, Head of Reintegration and International Relations at the Coordination Center for Family Upbringing and Child Care Development in Ukraine. As the war continues, thousands of Ukrainian children have been separated from their families, displaced, or abducted by Ru...

As global tensions sharpen, the world is asking whether a new great power rivalry is emerging, with China at the center of attention. Understanding its direction has never been more urgent. Join us for a focused conversation tracing the forces behind China’s rise: the legacy of the century of humiliation, Deng Xiaoping’s bold reforms, shifting Party ideology, and Xi Jinping’s consolidation of powe...