Conference Schedule
Join us for an engaging online conference on October 8, 2024, from 1:50 to 7:00 pm (Munich time), where renowned scholars and journalists will explore key topics shaping public life and the future of the US. Discussions will cover the country’s global power, trade policy, the 2024 presidential elections, black entrepreneurship, military influence, and migration.
Following the success of last year’s conference, which focused on Ukraine’s future, this year’s event promises to deliver equally insightful perspectives on pressing global and national issues. For details on last year’s event, visit: Perspectives shaping the future of Ukraine.
This Conference is organized by Prof. Christopher Weilage (International Management) and Prof. Gabriella Maráz (Intercultural Management).
Speakers
Christian Johann is a member of various boards and advisory councils, including the European Movement Germany and the Global Impact Capital Alliance. He regularly lectures on democracy and has been part of the Study Group on European Policy at DGAP and the national jury for the European Citizen Prize 2023.
Presentation: Battleship vs. Fortress: American Foreign Policy between Internationalism and Isolationism
Robert Ward is the IISS UK Chair, carrying out independent research and writing extensively on strategic issues related to Japan, including its contemporary security and foreign policies. He is also co-author of a book on Japan for the IISS’s Adelphi series: Japan’s Effectiveness as a Geo-economic Power. He also leads the Institute’s Geo-economics, Geopolitics and Strategy research programme, which focuses on a range of issues including global economic governance, rules and standards setting, and how economic coercion impacts policy at a national and corporate level.
Prior to joining the IISS in 2019, Robert was Editorial Director at The Economist Intelligence Unit, a sister company of The Economist Newspaper. In this capacity, he led the EIU’s country and industry analysis and forecasting teams. He was also a member of the EIU’s Executive Committee. Robert lived and worked in Japan from 1989 to 1996, latterly holding a position in Japan’s largest credit-rating agency, The Japan Bond Research Institute. Robert holds bachelor's and master's degrees from Cambridge University.
Presentation: Navigating Sino-US Competition
Presentation: The Campaign for the Presidential Elections
At the Center, Khadijah has studied a variety of topics related to race and identity, including Black Americans’ views on success, capitalism, racism and beyond, including the Center’s National Survey of Black Americans. She holds a PhD in African American and African Diaspora Studies from Indiana University.
Presentation: Fighting for the American Dream: Examining Capitalism, Income Inequality and Perceptions of Success Among Black Adults in the United States
Before joining the MSC, he served as Senior Advisor for Strategic Affairs at the CSU and previous to that he was the Special Assistant for former Secretary-General of the United Nations and Nobel Laureate Kofi Annan.
Benedikt holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and a master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He publishes regularly on foreign and security policy topics and sits on a number of relevant committees such as the Foundation Council of the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen and the International Commission of the CSU. In his (limited) leisure time he works as Special Envoy of the Sovereign Order of Malta.“
Presentation: The US as World Power, Transatlantic Relations, Global Security Architecture and Resilience
Presentation: Shifting Sands in Cross-Border Supply Chains: How Mexico Emerged as a Key Player in the Us-China Trade War
Previously he was the Executive Vice President at the Woodrow Wilson Center. He is the author of several books and has contributed recent articles to the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Dallas Morning News, Foreign Affairs, and Foreign Policy.
Presentation: Why Is Immigration So Important — And So Controversial — In the United States.
The award- winning reporter has broken news and covered several stories both nationally and internationally.
Interview: Interview With Miguel Marquez on Current Topics From US Media.
Gabriella Maráz has a PhD in General Linguistics and Intercultural Communication from Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany.
In 2022, he was awarded Researcher of the Year with colleague Prof. Dr. Eva Stumpfegger. He is currently involved in case studies on diversity and the Dominican Republic, and his current research is focused on learning (online learning, technology acceptance, integration through social service), digital onboarding, and sustainability.
He earned degrees from five universities, among others two MBAs - from the University of South Carolina and Aalto University in Finland. He obtained his doctorate at the LMU in Munich on the topic of “Knowledge Transfer in eLearning”. His professional career includes positions in asset management and the real estate business in Florida, USA. Since 2002, Prof. Weilage has been teaching in Germany. He has been a member of Munich Business School since 2007.
