Date: Tuesday, October 20 
Run Time: 5:30pm-6:45pm ET

How do we explain breakthroughs in international cooperation that seem to defy the odds, especially during periods of great power competition and geopolitical tension? The answer centers on social power: the capacity of transnational networks—groups of individuals who transcend national boundaries at the societal or elite levels—to champion transformational ideas that reshape global norms and move governments, without coercion or payment. 

This event showcases insights from “Transnational Political Networks and the Future of Global Order,” a multi-year research initiative funded by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation and led by Northeastern University’s Professor Mai'a K. Davis Cross. The project’s core finding is that networks oriented toward the common good, operating at a global or regional scale, and pursuing transformational rather than transactional goals are consistently more likely to achieve cooperative breakthroughs. 

The event brings together five key contributors to the project for a focused panel conversation that will run counter to geopolitical pessimism, with topics ranging from AI to human rights to Russia’s war against Ukraine to environmental protection. 

Join us on October 20 at 5:30pm ET for “Cooperation Against All Odds: Transnational Networks and the Future of Global Order.” The event will feature a 75-minute panel discussion and audience Q&A.

This event is generously supported by the Andrew Carnegie Foundation.

Register for the event
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Eleonore Fournier Tombs headshot

Eleonore 
Fournier-Tombs

Chief AI Officer, New York State
Alexis Crews

Alexis Crews

Senior Fellow, All Tech is Human

Eduardo Albrecht

Eduardo Albrecht

CEO and Co-founder, Dublr.ai and Professor, Mercy University

Speakers

Host:

  • Mai’a K. Davis Cross, Director, Center for International Affairs and World Cultures, Northeastern University; Nonresident Fellow, Carnegie Council

Moderator:

  • Marianne Riddervold, Research Professor, ARENA - Centre for European Studies, University of Oslo

Panelists:

    • Denise Garcia, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, Northeastern University
    • Karolina Pomorska, Jean Monnet Chair and Associate Professor in International Relations, Institute of Political Science, Leiden University
    • Patrícia Rinaldi, Associate Professor of International Relations, College of Campinas; Director, Center of Studies and Research in International Relations (CERI-FACAMP); Marie Curie Fellow
    • Ben Tonra, Full Professor of International Relations, University College Dublin School of Politics and International Relations