IIEA Talks

'Security, Strategy and Statecraft'

Former advisor to four British prime ministers, Prof John Bew, joins this edition of IIEA Insights to discuss the strategic predicament of Europe, the UK, and Ireland. He explores how Britain’s national security strategy has evolved, along with the implications for Ireland, the risks of a full-scale European war, and possible future security architecture for the continent. He also examines current and future transatlantic relations and what sort of equilibrium might emerge in EU-UK relations.

John Bew CMG is Professor of History and Foreign Policy at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London and former advisor to four British prime ministers. He served as penholder on the last three UK national security strategies and was closely involved in the shaping of the most recent NATO Strategic Concept. In 2012, he became the youngest ever holder of the Henry A. Kissinger Chair at the Library of Congress and in 2015 he won the Philip Leverhulme Prize for International Studies. The Ulsterman is the author of five books, many academic articles, and a number of edited collections.

In the second in a series of short interviews, the IIEA’s Director of Research Barry Colfer talks to Minister for European Affairs Thomas Byrne about his priorities and hopes for the forthcoming Irish President of the Council of the EU. The Minister shares his views on the single market, competitiveness, EU enlargement, EU-UK and EU-US relations and more.

The global economy has endured multiple shocks in recent years and is currently coping with a fresh surge in energy prices as a result of conflict in the Middle East. In this edition of IIEA Insights, Dr David Kelly will assess the implications for inflation and economic growth from his position on Wall Street. He will also discuss a range of other issues, including the potential productivity gains from AI, the medium and long term effects of tariffs and the efficacy of monetary policy.

David Kelly is the Chief Global Strategist and Head of the Global Market Insights Strategy Team for J.P. Morgan Asset Management in New York. His research focuses on the investment implications of an evolving economic environment, while his proprietary U.S. economic forecasting model helps shape his views on both the economic landscape and prospective asset class returns. He is a frequent keynote speaker at investment conferences in the US and a regular guest on CNBC, Bloomberg, and other financial media outlets. He previously served as a senior strategist/economist at SPP Investment Management, Primark Decision Economics, Lehman Brothers and DRI/McGraw-Hill. Born in Dublin, he is a graduate of U.C.D. and Michigan State University.

'Europe’s Economic Security: The State of Play'

As trade has become weaponised by major powers, protectionism rises and conflicts proliferate, long-held assumptions about economic security have been cast aside. Supply disruption of vital goods such as energy, rare earths, and semiconductors require active risk management and proactive policy measures to increase resilience. In this Insights, Andrew McDowell discusses various EU initiatives designed to enhance the bloc’s economic security, including the Chips Act and the Industrial Accelerator Act, as well as assessing how the screening of inward investment into the EU is working in practice. Andrew McDowell is Director General of EIB Global and a former Vice-President of the European Investment Bank. Previously he worked as a Partner in PwC’s strategy consulting business in Luxembourg and as Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s Chief Economic Advisor, when he played a central role in steering Ireland out of the 2010-2013 EU-IMF bailout.

Six years on from the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a decrease in momentum for coordinated EU public health action, particularly on respiratory disease. Despite mounting pressures from climate change, ageing populations, and strained health systems, this trend has continued. This panel discussion brings together healthcare professionals, policymakers, industry representatives, and other experts to explore how Ireland’s forthcoming EU Presidency can help to re-energise Europe’s public health agenda. With a particular focus on respiratory health, the panellists discuss how EU-level cooperation on prevention, early diagnosis, surveillance, data-sharing, and innovation can deliver more resilient, equitable, and future-ready health systems across Europe.

This event is organised by the Institute of International and European Affairs in partnership with Sanofi.

The panel includes:

José Luis Castro, Director-General Special Envoy for Chronic Respiratory Diseases at the World Health Organisation (WHO)
Professor Mary Horgan, Chief Medical Officer at the Department of Health
Mark Canavan, EU Public Affairs Senior Director at Sanofi
Mandy Daly, Founder of the Irish Neonatal Health Alliance and Embedded Patient Researcher