The Director’s Annual Lecture 2024

A lecture and discussion on the year ahead in international relations with Bronwen Maddox, director and chief executive of Chatham House.

Geopolitics will continue to test leaders in 2024. The Israel/Hamas conflict is ongoing and discussions about solutions are not yet in sight. Russia continues to bombard Ukraine; the outcome of that conflict may well hang on the US elections in November.

In response, the European Union is considering its first expansion for a decade. An acceleration in AI and a blazing hot summer – literally, in Canada and Mediterranean countries – made the point about the speed of change on those fronts.

Meanwhile, stubborn inflation, 'higher for longer' interest rates, and a possible slowdown in China and the US give a difficult backdrop to a year of elections. More than half the world’s population live in countries that will hold national elections in 2024, including in the UK, US, India and Taiwan - the greatest number ever.

This event examines the forces that will shape 2024 and what that means for international relations.