Speaking extends the conversation that begins on the page. It allows ideas not only to endure, but evolve.

Through keynote lectures, moderated conversations, broadcasts, and private gatherings, I explore the ideas shaping culture, politics, and design, bringing historical depth and an interdisciplinary perspective to contemporary questions.


BROADCAST & MEDIA


MONOCLE RADIO

The Globalist

International Newspaper Review (regular contributor)

  • 22 January 2026China’s Citizens in Afghanistan; Africa’s Largest Airport; Jacket Potatoes.

  • 26 June 2024ISIS's Global Expansion; Kenyan Forces in Haiti; Saharan Dust in Florida.

  • 26 April 2024Macron's "Mortal Threat"; Ukrainian Men in Poland; Milan's Late-Night Gelato Ban.

  • 20 October 2023 — Xi’s Gaza Ceasefire Proposal; Venezuelan Oil Sanctions; Sleep-Focused Hotels.

  • 14 July 2023 —Poland and EU Migrant Quotas; Germany–China Ties; Estate Planning for Tortoises.

  • 23 June 2023 — U.S.-South Korea Trade; U.S. Arms Sales to India; 4,000-Year-Old Dutch Shrine.

  • 21 April 2023 — China’s Israel-Palestine Peace Plan; Cyberattack on Europe’s Air Traffic Agency.

  • 10 March 2023 — Xi Jinping’s Third Term; The Geopolitics of the Oscars; Romania’s Danube Dispute.

  • 10 February 2023 — Lavrov in Africa; Berlin Elections; Super Bowl Food Traditions.

  • 7 October 2022 — Seating at the European Political Community; France's “Energy Sobriety.”

  • 15 September 2022 — Russia’s New Foreign Policy Doctrine; Afghanistan’s Frozen Assets.

  • 24 June 2022 — Airbus and China; The BRICS Summit; Russian Gold in Switzerland.

  • 14 March 2022 — The Pope and Ukraine; Russia–Venezuela Relations.

  • 3 March 2022 — The Ukrainian Foreign Legion; Switzerland’s Neutrality.

Featured Conversations

China’s Strategic Shift in Africa, 4 September 2024.

Redrawing Eurasian Trade Routes, 3 October 2023.

The New Geopolitics of Global Trade, 28 August 2023.

The Monocle Daily

India-Europe Relations, China in Africa, and Trump–Xi Prospects, 23 September 2025.

Swiss Neutrality, China’s Ideological Turn, War and Coffee, 19 May 2022.

Monocle on Sunday

Russia–Ukraine War, Hunger as a Weapon, Shangri-La Security Conference, 12 June 2022.

Telephone Diplomacy, Finland and NATO, Indian Wheat Exports, Eurovision, 15 May 2022.

CNN MONEY SWITZERLAND

The Living Markets (regular contributor, 2018)

  • U.S.–Chinese Trade Tensions at Risk of Escalating Again, 20 December

  • Europe is Waking Up to a New Reality, 8 November

  • The U.S.–China Trade Dispute Will Continue Well Into Next Year, 27 September

  • It’s An Important Week in Geopolitics, 27 August

  • U.S. Tariffs a Gift to the Chinese, 11 July

OTHER SELECTED BROADCAST & MEDIA

The Other Superpower in Africa. The Vandenberg Coalition Podcast, 24 September 2025.

The New Scramble for Africa: A Competition for Influence and Race for Resources. The Vandenberg Coalition Podcast, 29 November 2023.

China: Zehn Jahre Seidenstrasse – eine Bilanz. Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen, 17 October 2023.

Inside China’s Quest for Global Influence. “Sages of the Sun,” The New York Sun Podcast, 8 June 2022.

China and the World: Africa as China’s Policy Test Bed. Asia Society Switzerland Podcast, 16 April 2021.

Fintech: Powering Inclusive Growth in Africa. Policy Center for the New South Podcast, 13 June 2018.

KEYNOTES, PANELS & LECTURES


Norwegian Institute of International Affairs The U.S. Election and the Global Security Order, 20 June 2024.

United States Congress —House Republican Study Committee Briefing: China’s Discourse Power, 18 January 2024.

— Congressional Staff Briefing: China’s Political Warfare Strategy in Africa, 8 September 2023.

Northwestern Alumni Club of Switzerland What China Wants, 13 April 2023.

China and Africa: Relations in Changing Times, 30 May 2018.

Atlantic CouncilAfrica’s Digital Revolution: Opportunities and Challenges, 6 May 2021.

Consumers and Competition: America’s Business Edge in Africa, 7 September 2017.

United States Nuclear Industry Council — New Nuclear Capital Summit:The Geopolitics of Nuclear, 8 December 2021.

European ParliamentEuropean Conservatives and Reformists Group Africa Summit, 9 January 2019.

World Economic Forum — Caspian Week: Mobility: China’s Belt & Road Initiative, 22 January 2019.

— Caspian Week: Women’s Leadership: Keys to Success, 21 January 2019.