BRAVER NEW WORLD. Bravely into the future

How do we tackle the major challenges of our time? The housing crisis, healthcare, education – right through to migration, digitalisation and democratic resilience – if you look closely, you’ll realise that solutions to most of these problems already exist all over the world. It’s not a lack of ideas. What is lacking is the political courage to put these initiatives into practice.

In his latest book, John Kampfner examines countries and societies that have successfully overcome some of these complex challenges. He demonstrates how substantial progress is possible when policymakers and citizens are prepared to think beyond short-term political cycles, learn from one another and embrace innovation.

Together with Tessa Szyszkowitz, John Kampfner will discuss what we can learn from these examples and how successful approaches can be applied to our own societies. The discussion will focus on the decisions, opportunities and obstacles that determine whether and how good ideas can be translated into effective political action.

John Kampfner is a British journalist and author specialising in international relations and German, Russian and European politics. He began his career as a foreign correspondent for *The Daily Telegraph* in East Berlin and Moscow; he later served as chief political correspondent for the *Financial Times* and as a political commentator for the BBC. From 2005 to 2008, he was editor-in-chief of *The New Statesman* and has written several books, including *Blair’s Wars*, *Why the Germans Do It Better* and *In Search of Berlin*. His latest book, *Braver New World*, was published in 2026.

Moderation
Tessa Szyszkowitz, author and journalist, writing for, amongst others, the Austrian weekly newspaper *Falter*, and a Distinguished Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London.