ATHENS — Just a few hours after Joe Biden and Donald Trump take the stage for the first debate in the U.S. presidential election, the SNF DIALOGUES met to discuss the new global geopolitical balances of a multipolar world. It’s a world in which a casual remark at a podium in Ohio can have real consequences for people in Greece, the position of a ship in the Mediterranean can influence the shape of European relations, and the business decisions of individual companies in China can propel U.S. political movements.

“The Butterfly Effect: Entangled Geopolitics", was streamed live at snfdialogues.org on September 30. The wide-ranging discussion  covered the showdown for the American presidency, flaring tensions between Greece and Turkey in the Southeastern Mediterranean, and economic brinksmanship between the U.S. and China. In the midst of a pandemic that has left little oxygen for other stories, the speakers refocused our attention on local developments that may soon have enormous consequences around our interconnected world.

Participants in the “The Butterfly Effect: Entangled Geopolitics” webcast:

– Constantinos Filis, Executive Director of Institute of International Relations

– Brady Kiesling, Author and former U.S. diplomat

– Katerina Sokou, Washington DC Correspondent/ Nonresident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council

– Dr. George Tzogopoulos, Senior Fellow at BESA and ELIAMEP, Director of EU-China Programmes at CIFE, Lecturer in International Relations at the Democritus University of Thrace

A video interview of Robin Niblett, Director of Chatham House (the Royal Institute of International Affairs) and Tara Varma, Head of office & Policy Fellow European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), were streamed during the discussion.

The DIALOGUES are curated and moderated by Anna-Kynthia Bousdoukou.

*The opinions expressed by DIALOGUES participants are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the views of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) or iMEdD. Speakers’ remarks are made freely, without prior guidance or intervention from the team.