Einaudi Center for International Studies
At G20 Summit, Some U.S. Allies Push Back on Trump’s Economic Approach
Eswar Prasad, SAP
Eswar Prasad, a Cornell University economist, commented on tensions between the U.S. administration and its G20 allies over economic policy.
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Tim Cook Hands Apple Reins to John Ternus, but Remains Trump Whisperer
Sarah Kreps, PACS
Sarah Kreps, director of the Tech Policy Institute at Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy, comments on Apple's decision to appoint a product-focused CEO to accelerate AI development.
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Sea-ing Indonesia: Wayang Plastik
September 25, 2026
5:00 pm
Johnson Museum of Art, Robinson Lecture Hall, Floor 2L
Part of the two-day symposium Sea-ing Indonesia
Wayang Plastik is a new collaborative work drawing upon Javanese and Balinese traditions of music and shadow puppetry, evoking the Queen of the South Sea, and addressing the scourge of plastic waste. Featured guests Peni Candra Rini, vocalist and composer from Java, and I Gusti Sudarta, multidisciplinary artist from Bali, will be joined by Cornell Gamelan Ensemble director Christopher J. Miller, violist Stephanie Griffin, and doctoral composition students Eliot Burk and Siravith Kongbandalsuk.
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Program
Einaudi Center for International Studies
Southeast Asia Program
Bessent Huddles with the G20 to Rally Allies on Iran
Nicholas Mulder, IES
Nicholas Mulder, a Cornell historian specializing in sanctions, provided expert analysis on the risks of escalating financial sanctions and their potential impact on global economic stability.
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Are WA Millionaires Really Leaving to Avoid Tax?
Cristobal Young, IES
Cristobal Young, a Cornell University sociologist, estimates Washington's new millionaires tax would result in a net loss of only 1.9% of the state's high earners.
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A New Era of Political Mobilization: Who were the Yellow Vests in France?
October 19, 2026
5:00 pm
Uris Hall, G08
When the Yellow Vest movement rushed through the streets of Paris in 2018 most analysts as well as the general public were mystified and not sure how to react. It was an extraordinary movement of hundreds of thousands of people throughout France and it was not clear whether it represented the left or the right or even whether such categories were still relevant.
I followed this movement, joining the protests in the urban streets and then following participants back to the provinces, from its earliest stages and have continued to study it and its aftermath. The Yellow Vests were comprised of “ordinary” citizens who were outraged by government policies to raise the gas tax and whose anger quicky morphed into opposition to the cutbacks in state transportation services, healthcare and education. The Yellow Vests faced the kind of massive opposition from the police that we have seen on the streets of Minneapolis and elsewhere in the United States.
Americans might not use the same language, but the paper discusses some parallels with the community reactions to ICE raids, Trump’s gutting of public institutions, and the skyrocketing cost of essential items and services.
This paper analyzes the ways in which grass roots movements have regrouped in new ways to combat growing incursions in democratic expectations combined with the transformation in class relations and the ever-increasing inequality of the current era.
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About the Speaker
Ida Susser, PHD is Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at the Graduate Center and Hunter College, CUNY. Her recent book The Yellow Vests and the Battle for Democracy: taking to the streets of Paris in the 21st Century (Routledge 2026) focuses on commoning movements and new visions. Her previous books include: Norman Street (Oxford, 2012) a study of working class opposition to cutbacks during the New York City fiscal crisis and the transition of Greenpoint-Williamsburg from a working class neighborhood to a gentrified enclave, and AIDS, Sex and Culture: Global Politics and Survival in Southern Africa (Wiley-Blackwell 2009), a history of the power of social movements to transform health.
About the Event
This event is hosted by the Institute for European Studies (IES), part of the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies.
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Program
Einaudi Center for International Studies
Institute for European Studies
New IES, LACS, SAP Directors
Einaudi Welcomes Program Directors
Three program directors join our leadership this fall: Chris Way, Ken Roberts, and Robert Travers.
We're excited to introduce new program directors in the Institute for European Studies, Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program, and South Asia Program. Below, meet the directors and learn about their plans for the year.
IES: Chris Way
Chris Way is an associate professor of government in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S). His research focuses on OECD democracies, the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and the relationship between economic interdependence and conflict.
“Europe is at the center of many consequential questions in international affairs," Way said, "including the war in Ukraine and the future of European security, changing relations with the United States, migration, and economic transformation. IES brings together scholars across disciplines and approaches, so we are well-positioned to shed light on these and other challenges facing Europe and the world.”
LACS: Ken Roberts
Ken Roberts is the Susan August Rubinstein Professor of Government in A&S. His current research focuses on political parties, populism, and polarization in contemporary Latin American democracies and crises of democracy in the global arena.
"LACS continues to be a meeting ground for undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and members of the larger community who take a special interest in Latin America," said Roberts. "We've planned a full year of activities, including seminars, cultural events, a research symposium, and support for student internships, research, and study abroad opportunities."
SAP: Robert Travers
Robert Travers is a professor in the Department of History in A&S. His research on the consolidation of the British empire in India focuses on encounters between British and South Asian forms of political life. Travers kicked off the South Asia Program's fall seminars with his August 31 talk, Sex, Lies, and the Company State: An Indo-Persian Counter-History of the Early British Empire in India.
“Our seminar series this fall will showcase new directions in South Asian studies across many disciplines," Travers said. "We are especially excited to welcome back two professors who received their PhDs at Cornell, Anaar Desai-Stephens (CUNY Graduate Center) and Rishad Choudhury (Oberlin).”
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Finding South Asia in the Library: Library Orientation for Graduate Students
September 9, 2026
4:30 pm
Olin Library, 108
South Asia Librarian Kelsey Utne will introduce graduate students to resources available through the Cornell University Library for doing research on South Asia.
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Program
Einaudi Center for International Studies
South Asia Program
Immigration Policy Updates: What Cornell’s International Community Needs to Know
August 31, 2026
3:30 pm
Cornell’s international community faces evolving questions about rights and mobility. To help our students, faculty, and staff navigate immigration policy changes, Global Cornell hosts regular webinars featuring legal and immigration experts. These virtual sessions provide guidance on recent policy updates, legal protections, and Cornell-specific implications and include Q&A. The webinars are restricted to the Cornell community. Register with your NetID or CWID to attend.
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Immigration Policy Updates: What Cornell’s International Community Needs to Know
Monday, August 31 | 3:30 p.m. | eCornell
Join Cornell immigration law and International Services experts for an update on federal developments affecting Cornell’s international community. Topics include the rule ending duration of status (D/S) for F and J visa holders on September 15 and recent guidance on F-1 Curricular Practical Training (CPT).
Panelists
Dan Berger, Cornell Law SchoolLaura Taylor, Director, International ServicesModerator: Wendy Wolford, Vice Provost for International Affairs***
Register for the webinar on August 31. Submit your questions anonymously.
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Sponsored by Global Cornell and its Office of Global Learning.
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Program
Einaudi Center for International Studies
China’s Solar Buildout Hampers Bird Diversity
Amanda Rodewald, Migrations
Amanda Rodewald, senior director of the Center for Avian Population Studies at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, comments on the significance of species diversity and renewable energy development.