This series aims to combine several theories of international relations with topical and current world events. Questions are raised about democracy, privacy, terrorism, conflicts, feminism, foreign policy and more. In the first two lectures, Krommendijk will join Erdogan. They will enter into an engaging and lively debate with one another and with the audience. One side explains an argument, and the other  questions it with provocative and well-founded criticisms and arguments. In this series, there is plenty of interaction between the speakers and the participants.

The individual lectures/debates

1. How Realist(ic) is Trump’s Foreign Policy? (2 Nov/Erdogan & Krommendijk)
In this first lecture two lecturers will discuss the Realist theory and its variants in International Relations. One of the oldest theories of International Relations, Realism is well known for its accurate analyses of the importance of power and the international system as being anarchic. It mainly aims to answer the question of “What do states do in order to survive in such a competitive international system”. 
The lecturers will look into new president Trump`s foreign policyfrom the perspective of Realism and take stock of his policies and strategies to “make the America great again”. They will blend this case study with theoretical and academic insights.

2. The End of Liberal World Order? (9 Nov/Erdogan & Krommendijk)
When Fukuyama wrote that the liberal world order was the final stage in the political progression of the human civilization, liberalism and democratic values indeed were living their heydays. However, more and more analysists think that this trend is reversed now: we have a decreasing number of liberal democratic states while the number of semi-democracies or autocratic regimes is increasing. At the same time, individual freedoms and human rights have come under attack, even in Europe and the European Union, which is the model-case of Kant’s liberal peace theory. The EU is also  facing one of the biggest identity crises of its history. 
In this lecture the lecturers ask whether the liberal and democratic world order are ending. Can Liberalism and its assumptions about international politics (still) explain world politics?

3. Feminists: Crazy Bra-Burners? (16 Nov/Livaha)
“Women are their own enemies because they have abandoned their duties to raise families for work outside the home, and this breaks up families.” A gentleman made this statement during one of the lectures on feminism. Some people think that feminism encourages women to abandon their roles and try to establish a female dominance in the world. There are different opinions on what feminism is and unfortunately many of them are not well-informed. As one of the most popular approaches in social sciences, feminism is not only about gender roles but it is also a scientific method of inquiry.
In this lecture Livaha introduces the feminist theory and discusses its relevance in International Relations together with its assumptions and its promises. The case study will be whether the role of women in global politics is important or not.

4. Is Colonialism still going on? Othering People and Marketing of Environment (23 Nov/Erdogan)
This lecture is about a couple of significant issues and developments taking place in the world and affecting everybody to a great degree. Hence, in this provocative lecture Erdogan will discuss Post-colonial and Green theories of International Relations. By combining the assumptions of two theories (and getting some inspiration from the critical approaches such as from the Frankfurt School), she will analyse the current world politics, its economic-social-cultural-racial structures and the future of our earth. She will ask difficult questions such as: are people put into different categories and segregated from each other (such as refugees)? Is our environment dying and can we reverse this process? Is colonialization over or has it changed its appearance?

5. Facing the ‘Cam’ Era: Terrorism, Surveillance Society and Resistance (30 Nov/Erdogan)
This lecture is about the most controversial approach in International Relations: Post-structuralism. It will cover a group of problematic issues such as terrorism, surveillance and limitations in liberties and freedoms, violence and control in various forms. These issues will be analysed from a post-structural perspective especially inspired by Foucault and Agamben. The lecture will discuss the current forms of governance, control and resistance against it.