Geopolitical Risk: Learning from the Past – Shaping the Future.
A Churchill Archives Conference
“Last time I saw it all coming and cried aloud to my own fellow-countrymen and the world, but no one paid any attention.”
In Fulton, Missouri on 5 March 1946, Winston Churchill gave an address entitled ‘The Sinews of Peace’, in which he warned of an ‘iron curtain’ descending across the European continent and called for a strengthening of the Western alliance against Soviet expansionism. His remarks were delivered at a time of heightened international tension, in the aftermath of the Second World War and in the shadow of the atomic bomb.
Eighty years on, the global outlook seems equally challenging as the leaders of today grapple with the rise of totalitarianism, the resurgence of nationalism, the pace of new technology, and the risks posed by a rapidly changing world.
What can we learn from the past and how? What are the main geopolitical risks facing the world today, where do they come from and how are they best identified, prioritized and managed? This conference will be of interest to aspiring leaders. It will bring together historians with practitioners and analysts. It aims to provide context and to create a better framework for understanding and harnessing the complex links between past, present and future.
There will be an opportunity to tour the Churchill Archives Centre and view some of our most celebrated documents and artefacts, and the conference concludes with a dinner in the Dining Hall of Churchill College, hosted by the Master of Churchill College, Professor Sharon Peacock.
Our outstanding lineup of speakers and panelists includes: Michael Chertoff; Admiral Michael McConnell; General Lord Dannatt; Sir David Spiegelhalter; Dame Diane Coyle; Professor David Reynolds; and Professor Sharon Peacock. Lord (Andrew) Roberts will give the closing address. Lord (Nicholas) Soames, grandson of Winston Churchill, who will open the conference, commented:
“It is now 80 years since my grandfather’s ‘iron curtain’ speech in which he warned of the dangers confronting the post war world and outlined the need for ‘sinews of peace’. I am delighted that his words will form the starting point for this conference, looking at global risk today.”
A detailed programme, including biographies of speakers and panellists, can be downloaded here. Hosted by the Churchill Archives Centre and held at the Møller Institute.
9 March, 2026 @ 12:30 pm – 11 March, 2026 @ 12:00 pm
If you have any questions about the conference, please contact Samuel Venn.
