November 2011
4 posts
Beware the Dragon: Africa Should Not Look to China...
Vote Before - For: 154 Against: 106 Don’t Know: 124 The no-nonsense Chair Lindsey Hilsum kicked off the night in Cadogan Hall, insisting that by the end of the night those who voted don’t know/haven’t a clue what’s going on had made a decision by the end. It set the sharp, divided and yet joshing tone of the event. George Ayittey’s central tenet was that the solutions to African problems lie...
Britain's Former Colonies Should Stop Blaming the...
Pre-Debate Vote: There was everything to play for with 191 for, 136 don’t knows and 68 against. Between them, they’d published enough books to stock a small Waterstones, and yet such is the nature of their subject is that they fail to agree on anything, often opening new avenues of argument to sidestep each others points. It is Cadogan Hall, the speakers an array of respected historians and the...
Still to come this November...
It’s been quite a month for Intelligence2. On November 1st Canadian Cognitive Scientist Steven Pinker, ‘the optimistic voice of science’, told a sell-out Royal Geographical Society that humans are becoming less, not more, violent. Then to Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall on November 9th where Stephen Fry, Sean Penn, Salman Rushdie, Martin Amis and others discussed the life, loves and...
Laurie Penny's Speech: 'The Baby Boomers have...
Believe it or not, Laurie Penny was on the same side as David Willetts, supposedly supporting her team-mate ‘for’ the motion. Here is her speech.
Ladies, gentleman and everyone else here present. My teammate, Mr Willetts, has made worthy representations for the motion, and I am honoured to have been invited by Intelligence Squared to follow his points.
Now, the framing of this...
October 2011
3 posts
London’s Climate Policy Should Start in Beijing
Simon Zadek is today’s guest blogger. He’ll be speaking at our debate this Thursday, ‘London’s Policy on climate change should begin in Beijing’ at the Royal Society, in association with the IHT and supported by Shell.
Is Westminster or even Number 10 driving the UK’s impacts on climate change, or are such matters being determined eastwards in Beijing. Does that matter and what should we do...
London's policy on climate change should begin in...
Malcolm Grimston is today’s guest blogger. He’ll be speaking at our debate this Thursday, ‘London’s Policy on climate change should begin in Beijing’ at the Royal Society, in association with the IHT and supported by Shell.
On the face of it it seems almost a no-brainer. Taking 1990, the Kyoto base year, and 2010 as the standards, global primary energy use has...
‘I wish I could live in a boring place, where I...
On Tuesday night, celebrated Israeli novelist and political thinker David Grossman sat down with Linda Grant at the Cadogan Hall to discuss his latest novel, ‘To the End of the Land’. Soft spoken and with a lilting accent, the audience hung on his every word, his statements on Israeli life, politics and literature carrying an effortless gravitas. Grossman introduced ‘matsav’ (‘the situation’),...
September 2011
7 posts
Get switched on!
How can UK climate change policy expect to have any impact when booming cities in China are belching millions of tons of C02 everyday? Shouldn’t we focus on cleaning up electricity production in the emerging world before we build more windmills on British soil? But then again, wasn’t the “green new deal” all about creating jobs in a new sort of economy? Making Britain a leader in an...
Debate: Democracy is India’s Achilles Heel - Royal...
Pre-debate vote: For: 117 Against: 155 Uncertain: 175 The Royal Geographic hummed with curiosity on Tuesday evening for an issue hugely important in the democratic world, and yet buried underground. Suhel Seth, the Indian marketing guru, businessman, actor and columnist opened for the proposition with a re-telling of the Achilles myth. Just as the Greek hero’s dodgy tendo calcaneus was ...
Vicky Pryce: Megastar Economist
Who? Vicky Pryce, economist. Born Vasiliki Courmouzis. An Athenian by birth she took and kept the surname of her first husband, an academic she met while studying at LSE. Career A sparkling academic career at LSE led into an equally sparkling professional career at Williams & Glyn’s Bank, where in 10 years she rose to chief economist. She then spent three years at Exonn...
Cycling away, a review of the Cycling Festival
At The Royal Geographical Society last week, bike-lovers gathered to listen to a panel of writers, journalists and professional riders – all there to praise one thing: cycling. Rocco Forte, the hotelier and triathlon enthusiast, opened the festival and held forth as its chair. Topics discussed ranged from Bella Bathurst’s talk on how Victorian women were emancipated by the two-wheeled...
Brooks in the saddle for our Cycling Festival
We are proud to announce that Brooks, a byword in quality bicycle craftsmanship, will be sponsoring tonight’s Cycling Festival at the Royal Geographical Society. Chaired by Sir Rocco Forte, the festival will see “Flying Scotsman” Graeme Obree, essayist and author Geoff Dyer, authoress Bella Bathurst, award winning fiction writer Will Self...
10 Years on, the IQ2 audience vote against the war...
London’s Cadogan Hall reached full capacity last night as four senior political figures battled it out in a fierce debate over the motion, ‘The war on terror was the right response to 9/11’, chaired by the BBC’s Zeinab Badawi. Sir Jeremy Greenstock, the former UK Permanent Representative at the UN in New York, opened for the opposition. He used the failures of the war 10 years on in order to...
The Quirkier Side of Cycling
We all know that a bike is very useful, both for the commute and for leisure, but there are some who have taken it to a whole new level… Cinema powered by cycling
Magnificent Revolutions have created a cycling generator than can power 600W of audio visual equipment for public film screenings. It uses up to 8 bicycles so you can have a gentle exercise with your friends while...
August 2011
17 posts
A Guide to Al-Qaeda
Definitions: Fatwa: A formal legal opinion issued by a recognised religious law authority; a religious edict Jihad: (In the context of Al Qaeda) A duty towards god, fighting against the opponents of Islam Sharia: Strict Islamic Law Jahilyyah: A state of ignorance that existed in pre-Islamic Arabia before the revelations of the Koran; this ignorance now exists in most modern societies and...
Democracy's Saviour or Subverter?
Anna Hazare has enjoyed remarkable success with his anti-corruption campaign. On Saturday he succeeded in forcing concessions from lawmakers reviewing an upcoming bill after Hazare under-took a 12-day fast. This success has stimulated both admiration and concern in India as he is viewed by some as the saviour and by others as the subverter of Indian Democracy; today we examine these two...
A Country in Conflict (Part 5) - Iraq
In the final post of our series on Countries in Conflict we look at the sectarian strife that threatens to tear apart Iraq. Prior to World War One the area now known as Iraq had been under the control of the Ottoman Empire. After the war the Ottoman Empire was divided up, and the British Mandate of Mesopotamia was established by League of Nations mandate. Unfortunately the territorial limits of...
A Country in Conflict (Part 4) - Turkey
In today’s blog we examine the tensions within Turkeys culture; a secular state with an overwhelmingly Muslim population. In Turkey, whether the prime minister’s wife wears a hijab in public or not can cause a huge public outcry and generates hundreds of column inches of comment and debate. More dramatically, the military, who view themselves as the protectors of Turkey’s secular...
A Country in Conflict (part 2) - Kashmir
Kashmir has long been a disputed region with India, Pakistan and even China laying claim to it. After multiple wars in the last century, Kashmir continues to be a source of conflict between India and Pakistan today; here we examine the region from its birth to present day:
1846:
Jammu and Kashmir State is created with the signing of the Second Treaty of Amritsar between the British...
A Country in Conflict (part 1) - Afghanistan
This week we shall be posting a series of blogs about countries and societies of the world that exist in a state of tension and conflict. We start off by examining the history of Afghanistan, a country defined by its past 170 years of warfare:
1839 to 1842 - The First Anglo-Afghan War (also known as Auckland’s Folly) was fought between British India and Afghanistan. It was one of the...
What is an IQ2 Short?
What is an IQ2 Short? It is an animated argument, a distilled version of a debate containing only its most powerful moments and arguments. This is our second video in the Shorts series, in which the motion ‘The Jasmine Revolution will wither in North Africa’ is opposed by NY Times columnist Roger Cohen and backed by Egyptian Youth Activist Nora Ayman. Nora’s argument is strong; she...
The Impact of the Bicycle
The first bike had solid wheels, no steering or pedals and was made of wood. But it’s good looking… The vintage aesthetic still proves popular - one can imagine seeing this Draisine being ridden by a glasses-wearing fellow on his way to a gallery opening. In a way, this use of a bike as a social symbol, a sign of the rider’s personality, has existed since its creation. Throughout ...
Life after British Rule
Some historians would argue that many former colonies have been left with a post-colonial hangover that’s been hard to shake. Nowhere is this more true, they stress, than with the British Empire… Sudan… The British announced its decision to leave in 1953 declaring 1956 as the date of the independence of Sudan. Just a year into independence, the tensions between the North...
Democracy’s Weaknesses: Part 3 - Partisanship
In our final instalment on the weaknesses of democracy we look at the problem of partisanship. In countries with entrenched ethnic, religious or cultural divisions, there is a strong argument that democracy deepens these divides rather than bridging them. Iraq In the wake of the deposition of Saddam Hussein, Iraq embarked upon the establishment of a democratic political system....
Afghan Star
image: visual.dichotomy Discourse around the war on terror often focuses on troops, militia, car bombs and oppression. But ‘Afghan Star’, Afghanistan’s version of the X-Factor attracts over 11 million viewers, enabling Afghan citizens to escape the violence of their everyday lives through pop music, and was made into an award winning documentary in 2009. The people of Afghanistan love it,...
Democracy’s Weaknesses: Part 2 - The Environment
Today, in the second installment of our ‘Democracy’s Weaknesses’ series, we look how democratic systems are struggling and failing to tackle environmental problems like climate change… Environmental issues present a particular problem to the democratic process for many reasons: Firstly, politicians tend to view issues on a time-scale of no more than six years. The prevailing...
10 Things That Really Annoy Norman Stone
Hailed as a ‘legendary teacher, Thatcher adviser, hero of fiction, exiled maverick’ by the Independent, and an ‘advertisement for the regenerative powers of booze, fags and limitless curiosity’ by the Sunday Times, Norman Stone isn’t your average academic. He holds nothing back, doesn’t always follow the path of least resistance, and along the way has picked up a few enemies. During Stone’s...
London Riots: Most compelling videos
photo by hughepaul We’re breaking form slightly today; as a London-based company it is impossible to ignore the current events. So in this blog post we present the videos and articles which have caught our attention and moved us in the last 48 hours.
Young people in Harringey express their fears for the future of gang culture following the closure of 13 youth clubs. The film closes with an...
Democracy’s Weaknesses: Part 1 - Fear
It is the received wisdom of the Western world that, in the words of Ronald Reagan, Democracy is “the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man”. The logic goes that Democracy ought to be the universal form of government and in turn our foreign policy should be geared towards the promotion, protection and in some cases installation of Democracy in other countries. ...
The World of Tomorrow
Predicting the future of technology can be a tricky business with many supposed experts making startlingly wrong judgements. Here are some howlers from people who really should have known better…
“We will never make a 32 bit operating system.” – Bill Gates
“Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible.” – Lord Kelvin, British mathematician and physicist, president of the...
China in Africa: Part Two
On Friday we posted ‘Africa in China: Part one’ which broadly outlined the argument in favour of China’s involvement in the continent. Today we look at the criticisms of China’s emerging role in the region… China has invested large sums of money into Africa’s economy and infrastructure but is Africa getting a fair deal from this investment? There have been numerous accusations of...
July 2011
17 posts
China in Africa: Part One
We present the first part of the debate with the argument in favour of China’s involvement in Africa: The West’s warnings over China’s involvement in Africa are growing in volume. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has described Chinese movements on the continent as a ‘new colonialism’, while David Cameron has denounced what he calls China’s ‘authoritarian capitalism’. Is this advice the...
Steven Pinker: Timeline
If you’re never heard of Steven Pinker, the Canadian born experimental psychologist, our timeline will give you a nice and easy introduction to his long and distinguished career:
1954 - Born September 18th, in Montreal, Canada
1976 – BA degree in psychology at McGill University
1979 – Receives PhD degree in experimental psychology at Harvard University. Much of his initial research is in...
Life after the White House: What US Presidents did...
Photo by Sebastian Bergmann
As we prepare for Jimmy Carter’s talk at the Royal Festival Hall on October 5, let’s take a look back at what other ex-presidents did after they left the White House. Who stayed politically active, and who opted for a quieter life of country homes and chinos?
George Washington: Went into farming after his 1797 retirement. Produced spirits in his own distillery,...
Lost Generations
Photo from Arslan on Flickr.com
The generation reaching maturity right now may feel aggrieved at the hurdles that are presented to them: high house prices, sluggish job market, rising prices… But is their lot uniquely bad?
The generation growing up in the mid 1300s faced multiple plague epidemics which killed up to 80% of the population in some areas. European culture was...
Is India a safe bet?
Photo from vm2827 on flickr.com
During her recent trip to India, Hillary Clinton declared that America was betting on India for the future. This has led to America pressuring the UN to get India a permanent seat on the Security Council and also the forging of ever-stronger trade links. Prima facie this looks like a smart move. India has recorded astonishing rates of economic growth, funds...
The Empire Strikes Back
by Norman B. Leventhal Map Center at the BPL Historian turned Labour MP Tristram Hunt will be speaking for the motion at our November 17 debate, ‘Britain’s former colonies should stop blaming the Empire for their ills’. In an article for The Mirror he gives us a taste of what might be coming up. And it’s pretty convincing; criticizing David Cameron’s statement in April of this year, that...
You clear it up
photo from svacher on flickr.com
David Willetts, has asked the question in his book “The Pinch”, ‘Have the baby boomers thrown a party only to leave the mess for the next generation to clear up?’ And the Baby Boomer generation, it seems, did enjoy quite a party:
Demographics were in their favour. They had relatively few dependents to support during their working life, a trend now reversed...
Bernard Henri-Lévy: In quotes
You may know Bernard-Henri Lévy as the founder of the ‘New Philosophy’ movement, or for his influential work ‘L’idéologie française’. Perhaps you’ve heard of his dandy-like narcissism that caused Noel Godin to repeatedly throw pies at him in the street. Or, perhaps, you know him for his vociferous defense of his recently scandalised friend, Dominique Strauss...
Best of Bicycling
On September 8th, Intelligence2 hosts the ‘Cycling Festival’, pulling together professional cyclists and cycling enthusiasts for an evening of cultural, sporting and personal musings on the bike. Following our tradition of listomania, here’s a round-up of our favourite bicycle related content on the web at the moment:
1. The Guardian Bike Blog - From features on the...
Umberto Eco in 30 Seconds
Umberto Eco’s CV would read as a dizzyingly long catalogue of academic achievements and literary success. From the developing the term ‘opera aperta’ to rallying Italians against Berlusconi (“So far we believed that Mubarak and our prime minister only had a niece in common. Now we realize that they also share a refusal to resign”), Eco’s career has been...
Beware the Dragon?
Intelligence2 will be discussing China’s involvement in Africa at our forthcoming debate “Beware of the dragon: Africa should not look to China”, here are a few of the more interesting aspects of this increasingly influential relationship:
The Standard Bank Group Ltd has projected that China’s investment in Africa will increase by 70% to $50 billion by 2015.
Worries about the treatment of...
The Politics of Memory
by jdsmith 1021 Tomorrow, tickets for the 9/11 Memorial Plaza & Museum which opens on 12 September can be reserved online. The Memorial Plaza & Museum on the World Trade Centre, built to honor victims of the attacks and their families, is expecting to be inundated with visitors. But the plaza itself raises issues of memory and closure. The official website asserts that ‘the Museum...
A day in Dystopia
What if the future goes wrong? iq2 If speaker and futurologist Ian Pearson has drawn a Dystopian future where technology will only highlight your various failings in a society bereft of human contact…
You begin your day with your loo telling you how bad your diet is (and other impertinent mod cons intervening determined to rectify it). The cat purring around your feet will have a...
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Mani Shankar Aiyar - "A complete Marxist"
Photo from rajkumar1220 on Flickr
“Every five years, it is the masses who determine who will form the government. And in between those five years the classes determine what that government will do.”
Mani Shankar Aiyar, who will be speaking against the motion ‘Democracy is India’s Achilles’ Heel’ this September, is one of the most vocal critics of his country’s social...
Ideology is going for a Starbucks coffee
All rights reserved by Michael Eleftheriades
Modern radical thinker Slavoj Žižek spoke on the 1st July as part of the ‘Great Minds’ series, and affirmed his status as a great mind of modern philosophy and social, cultural and political theory. Starbucks, social solidarity and self-commodification were among the varied and enlightening topics touched upon by Žižek, all grounded by his...
The Ultimate Pervert Art
“Cinema is the ultimate pervert art. It doesn’t give you what you desire - it tells you how to desire’ - Slavoj Zizek Today, in a special lecture for Intelligence2, radical philosopher Slavoj Zizek will put forward his argument that global capitalism is on the verge of self-destruction. But the celebrated left-wing scholar is just as famous for his musings on film theory as he is for...
Ten years after 9/11: The world remade
On the 27th June, as the West’s involvement in Libya hit 100 days, an audience convened at the Royal Geographical Society to discuss, ’Ten years after 9/11: The world remade’. An event organised in collaboration with our friends at the global analysis and advisory firm, Oxford Analytica. Beginning with a general analysis of the decade, former UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband described...
June 2011
10 posts
Musharraf: One Year On
The last time we saw Perez Musharraf, in conversation with Sir Christopher Meyer on September 29th 2010, he was two days shy of announcing his desire to return to the Pakistani presidency. And what a year it’s been for him. In light of IQ2’s newly announced autumn season, we thought it would be worth seeing what’s changed since the last time we encountered the former Pakistani President. Here’s...
Museums: Have They Got it Wrong?
On the 21st June, the Saatchi Gallery played host to some of the most eminent art curators and critics from around the world. A roomful of well-coiffed, Mont Blanc-clutching art enthusiasts gathered to thrash out the question: are museums bad at telling us why art matters? Alain de Botton quickly got to the heart of the matter: why do we need art at all? He answered by drawing a parallel...