Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan: crisis and conflict in the context of a new cold war

Event on 7 November 2023
For five years, Niall Ferguson has warned of the dangers of a new cold war. The Russian invasion of Ukraine, the terrorist attacks on Israel, and the growing Chinese pressure on Taiwan cannot be seen in isolation, but must be understood as part of a global challenge to the predominance of the United States and its allies.
There are however important differences between Cold War II and Cold War I. In this lecture Niall Ferguson, visiting professor at the School of Public Policy will bring historical perspectives to his analysis of the emergent breakdown of the U.S.-led world order.
Meet our speaker and chair
Niall Ferguson (@nfergus) is visiting professor at the LSE School of Public Policy. He is the Milbank Family Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and a senior faculty fellow of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard. A historian by training, Professor Ferguson received his DPhil from the University of Oxford in 1989. He has had a distinguished teaching career, having been a professor at Oxford, New York University and Harvard. He is the author of 16 books, and an accomplished biographer and journalist.
Andrés Velasco (@AndresVelasco) is Professor of Public Policy and Dean of the School of Public Policy at LSE. He was previously the Minister of Finance of Chile between March 2006 and March 2010.

[@truth135]

Niall would make a great east india trading company man

[@jakubjodlowski8416]

Whoa this LSE audio quality? Disappointing in 2023…

[@SukhdeepBrar-lu9ds]

lol

[@linmal2242]

Yes, totally agree. Very drummy here in AUS !

[@joem0088]

Academics talk and spin and clearly gets paid by one side. But it is events which makes history, events which define the character of nations. To understand US power just look at the war on Iraq, Afghanistan, and Ukraine. Look at the results including the human toll and geopolitical consequences. Look at US domestic politics and economy. You don't need a big name historian to see it's not going well for American power.

[@jasongray4517]

Would be better if the camera wasn't on the moon. Difficult to see, difficult to hear.

[@yingzhang7637]

What niall was saying, Chinese should not have any interest in new and advanced technology including to have a modern army. if they do, it is a treat. Because it becomes not controllable by the West! China should remain poor and unable to defend itself. So those, UK, Canada, US should continue to get close to its shores and sky? i think niall has a problem!

[@stephenlight647]

Do the words “IP theft” ring a bell? 😂 The West’s biggest mistake was trying to integrate China into the WTO and a rules based system. The elites in the West, who profited greatly from their dreams of integration have been awakened to the issue of Chinese gaming of the system. I have no doubt that the Chinese, a clever and hardworking culture, will be able to increase their tech prowess. They are just going to find it more difficult to steal the tech involved.

[@paulklee5790]

That’s exactly what he’s not saying.

[@yingzhang7637]

​@@paulklee5790 please don't challenge Chinese' IQ as if we could not understand meaning of his implication! you would be happy that Chinese master his language not the other way around! After bought, read his books and listened his talks, it was a gradual realization that niall is a neocon and imperialist who does not have humanity in mind. i wonder how Kissinger would choose him to write his bio. At least kissinger, at the end of his life hoped a peace between two big powers for the sake of the humanity.

[@paulklee5790]

@@yingzhang7637 whatever

[@spade1974]

NIALL IS A RACIST AND SUPREMACIST?I STOP LISTENING TO HIMA A LONG TIME AGO LIKE ZAIHAN?CUT FROM THE SAME MOULD???

[@Spudgun81]

Interesting lecture but can the slides be made legible?

[@epscomms7856]

Are the charts available? Can't really see them on the video.

[@richarddebono7092]

This is an insult to any well informed person. To say "The Russians are landing as many hits on Ukraine as Ukraine is landing on Russian held territory" tells the audience that you have no clue about the reality. What a disgrace. I feel sorry for anyone who takes this seriously.

[@ansa336]

Thanks for saving me precious time, I would rather watch something else.

[@richarddebono7092]

@ansa336 my pleasure. This is the first time yt has left my comment visible to someone other than me. Thanks youtube! 😂

[@hellachan8080]

Thanks for the review!

[@nowithinkyouknowyourewrong8675]

Can't hear anything after Nial's first spiel

[@anuragsinha2013]

Niall Ferguson is legendary Corny.

[@hugokolontaj6051]

I love the lectures at LSE, but please have mercy with the public and invest a little in the hardware. Stream quality of London surveillance cameras is better than yours. Still love the content, so keep going! 🙂

[@zeitgestig]

Is there a link to the slides? Very sad that you can only see people sitting in a room and stupid lights in front of the slides, instead of the slides.

[@linmal2242]

Not that important.

[@yingzhang7637]

What Niall ventilating that China took away US jobs. I would say, US focuses on Financial and capital because the money comes quicker and exponential. While the US capitalist goes to China, it looks for it's profit be made in China. China does not hold the guns to the US, "you have to come to China to manufacture in China". After the Chinese cheap labours being used, profit was made, who become richer? the USA. the life of labour in China improved a little. I don't see there should be a reason that US started to complain about it. Chinese is a group like all eastern Asian countries, they save. US likes to use creditcards, Chinese has been historically a saver than a purchaser on credit card. I want to know these not be taken into Niall's consideration?!

[@kenziemcneil7179]

Interesting and engaging. I would have liked to hear Niall's view on how brittle the regimes are in Russia and Iran-- China is so complicated and its hard to comprehend what is going on there.

[@richarddebono7092]

The fact that you believe Russia & Iran to be brittle means that you are the victim of TV news. They have never been stronger. China is not complicated either. All they want is economic prosperity. They have no interest in spreading an empire. How many military bases have they outside their boarders?- 0 . How many have USA? OVER 900! The US is always projecting... endlessly!

[@harryloo8544]

horrible audio and video quality

[@davidlai399]

When Niall’s predictions don’t account for any of USA’s own internal problems, sure.

[@tb8865]

Niall thinks the US can just keep importing immigrants to supplement population growth indefinitely, that this will not cause internal problems perhaps as severe if not more severe than China's population shrinking. On top of that, American society isn't anywhere near as united as it was during Cold War 1, and militarily far worse off. There is no way America fights another Korea or Vietnam war, not this decade and not during the rest of the century.

[@marathonx3]

Graphics, video and audio are absolutely amateur.

[@mistman5640]

Very good rendition of a southern accent

[@jamesruscheinski8602]

,divine central authority for unity

[@cpvertigo4903]

Terrible sound. What a shame. Thank you for this anyway.

[@80trailer]

Sound sucks, shame LSE, should care more having such a brilliant guest.

[@linmal2242]

Yes, bad mikes, dodgy room acoustics ?

[@julientyt]

The projectors are kinda funny

[@albietg2544]

Leave Taiwan alone. Taiwan is not in a crisis. Just tell your master not to interfere between China and Taiwan. Taiwan is a part of greater China. And both of them are doing great. Just leave them alone.

[@kinanebudet]

I stoped listening after Niall said Soviet Union never had a semiconductor industry. Huh?

[@ganymede7294]

Jolly nice to hear the views of a Hoover Institute upper crust NeoCon

[@cetviesauthor-writer.3043]

sound not ok

[@Jeffrey2323]

Can the USA survive a second term of Trump?

[@linmal2242]

The 64 dollar question. But even if it does, what damage will he do to America and its reputation.?

[@user-fc5vg9fk5g]

A number of valuable insights into the state of immensely kaleidoscopic geopolitics, It wouls appear all current events are well underpined by historic mutatis mutandis. The actual crux of prodigious super powers vying for global hegemony with seismic side effects bears political dynamic out.

[@leebarry5686]

The deterrence of injustice is a sin and therefore a failure from the very beginning! Without holding justice as the top principle, a scholarship or a scholar is a disaster by nature and cursed by God! How can this kind of unjust people be qualified to teach students who’s nature is still pure

[@linmal2242]

Lose your god nonsense. For a real education go read "The God Delusion" by Richrd DAWKINS or "God is not Great" by Christopher HITCHENS. Go on, I dare you !

[@devilishdeed]

Ukraine is losing. Stop the war.

[@michaeltse321]

Taiwan: crisis has been reported ever year for many years - lol

[@notlimey]

Fascinating to hear the Left wing commentary below

[@tb8865]

European uselessness is a feature, not a bug, of the current American order in the West. If Europe (Germany in particular) become too autonomous, and too assertive, then there is the potential of it deviating from American directives. Germany being friendly with Russia, and China, is the sensible position--if it is to ever break free of American domination, it needs Russia. A consolidated Eurasian block is a doomsday scenario for American power.

[@efghggdxlmfn33]

delusinal.

[@katarinakrajna4911]

Je to BRÁNA pre HLAVU USA😂😂😂 AKO DOBIŤ SVET😅😅😅 200-ročný SEN ANGLOSASOV.

[@cassiesunyich9730]

*promo sm* ☹️

[@joshuapaul2022]

The war is lost by Ukraine. Before the latest offensive that proved to be an epic unmitigated disaster Zaluzhny said in The Economist interview: "I need 300 tanks, 600-700 ifvs, 500 Howitzers. Then, I think it is completely realistic to get to the lines of February 23rd. " He got what he was begging for, lost it along with 90 000 of hapless Ukrainian cannon fodder and there is nothing to show for it. Yeah, basically this war is a story how media hype obsessed Zelenskyy and his minions traded 450 000 lives of hapless Ukrainian cannon fodder for Russian artillery rounds. It was a mistake of a monumental proportion.

[@anyq_CS]

lol its not a mistake. they destabilize the region and europe economy. thats what they want

[@williedigital]

Total Ukrainian military casualties are around 70,000, not 450,000. Most of those Ukrainian soldiers volunteered. What was their reason? Ukraine maintains complete control of its capital city, its primary port, and 80% of its territory, facts that have not changed in two years of conflict.

[@joshuapaul2022]

@@williedigital You are still living in a fantasy land. Zelenskyy is running out of cannon fodder. He is forced conscripting even amputees, HIV positive and people with hepatitis. Ukraine is a big concentration camp. All men from 18 to 60 are banned from leaving and it's only a matter of time when other categories will be banned too. Hundreds of people drowned and froze to death trying to escape this concentration camp.

[@anyq_CS]

@@williedigital the first casualty of war is the truth. 70000 is too low to believe since how desperate they acting right now. western media will definitely deflate the figure to fit their narrative. look how they will say ukraine is the winner but lost big chunk of their land and still... still wont be accepted as nato member.

[@richarddebono7092]

​@@williedigital😂😂😂 turn off your TV fool.

[@davidkoh7097]

Is Niall Ferguson what passes for a "public intellectual" these days?!?? More like a populist pseudo-intellectual.

[@davidlai399]

Think tanks can be considered the “intellectual” arm of the lobbying industry. They pay mercenaries like Ferguson a lot of money to babble nonsenses justifying certain policy directions to benefit constituents such as the Military Industrial Complex.

[@haihuaho6991]

cannot agree more

[@linmal2242]

Yes. Fame was/is the new wifey !

[@user-yb7vl9it5w]

a robber's logic, Niall Ferguson has.