After the United-States in 2018, the Geopolitics Festival, organized by Grenoble Ecole de Management (GEM), will be looking at Europe for its 2019 edition.
Après les Etats-Unis en 2018, le Festival de Géopolitique organisé par Grenoble Ecole de Management (GEM) se penchera sur l’Europe l’an prochain.
“Several events of the past years drive us to think about the future of the Union,” says Jean-Marc Huissoud, Director of the Festival and Professor at GEM.
“Brexit, the Common Agricultural Policy mutation, the rise of populism, the Italian and the Catalan crises, all question the solidity of the EU construction. Will the Union be dragged down to the point of disintegration? What Europe lies ahead of us?”
Several events of the past years drive us to think about the future of the Union
Open to an informed but not necessarily specialist audience, the event will take place from March 13th to 16th, 2019, in Grenoble, primarily on the premises of Grenoble Ecole de Management, on the theme “The European Union Discord” ((DES)UNION EUROPEENNE ?).
Record-breaking attendance for the 10th edition
With 19,345 visits, including 11,900 on-site visitors, representing a 50% rise compared to the previous year: the 10th edition of the Festival, which took place from March 14th to 17th, 2018, saw a record number of attendees. The theme “An American 21st Century?” was certainly the reason for such a large number of visitors.
According to Jean-Marc Huissoud, “The success of the event is based on the fact that, regardless of the numerous criticisms of American politics, the Festival did not suffer from the anti-American syndrome, tinged with jealousy, that affects similar events in Europe. Furthermore, it wasn’t excessively focused on Donald Trump either. From a geopolitical point of view, the event stimulated thorough questioning. The American case shows that certain concepts must be redefined or revamped in the geopolitical field. The Festival also led to reconsider several preconceived ideas. The big lesson here is that no sequence of events is based on absolute historical necessity and that what we take for granted is not. There is no doubt that the 11th edition will reinforce this feeling on the European Union this time.”
