MARK LEONARD IN CONVERSATION WITH KIRSTY LANG
SAMSTAG, 26.09.2026 / 15h30
AKADEMIE DER BILDENDEN KÜNSTE WIEN, SITZUNGSSAAL
How to navigate a world of un-order, defined by overlapping crises and disruptive geopolitical shifts? Renowned UK political scientist and director of the ECFR, MARK LEONARD, argues that Western policymakers need to abandon nostalgic attempts to rigidly “architect” the world and instead adopt an “artisan” mindset by learning to improvise, adapt, and leverage strategic connections. In a conversation with British journalist KIRSTY LANG, he will guide us through his vision of a strategy for Europe that would allow it to regain geopolitical agency amid turbulent and confusing times.
MARK LEONARD is cofounder and director of the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR). His work focuses on geopolitics, geoeconomics, China, and the future of Europe. He hosts the podcast Mark Leonard’s World in 30 Minutes and is a frequent commentator for leading international publications. Leonard is the author of several bestselling books, including Why Europe Will Run the 21st Century (PublicAffairs, 2006), What Does China Think? (PublicAffairs, 2008), and, most recently, Surviving Chaos: Geopolitics When the Rules Fail (Polity, 2026).
