In the world of international affairs, the overriding philosophy for global professionals has been one of restraint and rationality – whether you are negotiating, mediating or observing. So how is this tradional idea of “being diplomatic” and even-handed faring in a more emotional and expressive age? 

Three thinkers with an international perspective discuss how the expression and interpretation of emotions differs around the world.

Described by VS Naipaul as ‘a young writer to watch’ Aatish Taseer has been lauded for his novels – The Temple-Goers was shortlisted for the Costa First novel award – and is a contributor to the International New York Times. He will be chatting with Ellen Barry, the former India correspondent for the New York Times. 

Join us for an evening with William J Burns, the long-serving American diplomat and Foreign Service Officer who President Obama praised as a man who “doesn’t speak loud, but actually has something to say”. Burns entered the Foreign Service in 1982, and overaaa

Novelist Aatish Taseer talks about his search for the Brahmins and his attempt to understand his own estrangement from India through their ties to tradition.

One of America’s most distinguished diplomats William Burns throws light on some of the biggest episodes of recent decades including the end of the Cold War and the post-9/11 climate and makes a case for the enduring power of diplomacy in a volatile world.

Available to all, and free at the point of use: Nye Bevan’s vision for ensuring Britons received equal treatment revolutionised the health of a nation and became one of the greatest achievements of the 20th century. Seventy years on, though, and the NHS is creaking, suffering from endless cuts and little impact on a growing, and ageing, population.

Ever since the 1918 Spanish influenza pandemic, scientists have dreamed of preventing catastrophic outbreaks of infectious disease. Yet, despite a century of medical progress, viral and bacterial disasters continue to take us by surprise, inciting panic and dominating news cycles.

Christophe Jaffrelot traces the ascendance of Hindu nationalism in contemporary India.

Karoline Kan was born in 1989, the same year as the Tiananmen Square protests: her generation has always been caught between China’s political landscape, its hyper-modern technology and urban and economic boom.