Humphrey Hawksley Keynote Speaker

Humphrey Hawksley is an author and long-time BBC correspondent. His new book Asian Waters: The Struggle Over the South China Sea and the Strategy of Chinese Expansion, is the first to break down the politics and tensions among the countries of the Indo-Pacific and is published in June. Asian Waters looks into the risk of war and the chance of peace as the United States, a fracturing Europe and a worried Asia handle the juggernaut advance of China.

In his illustrated talk, Humphrey Hawksley will explain vividly and clearly the cross-currents that could impact on the global economy, our investments and all our lives.  The conflict scenarios in Humphrey’s previous books have fed government policy and are taught at military war colleges.

Lord Patten, Chancellor of Oxford University, describes Asian Waters as a ‘very well-informed guide to an area of real tension’. Bill Emmott insists that the book ‘deserves to be widely read and debated, all over the world.’ Kerry Brown says there are few better guides to the ‘true face of Chinese power’. One of the most influential Chinese officials on the subject, Dr. Wu Shicun describes Humphrey as a ‘respected analyst who does not disappoint’. From the United States, former senior state department assistant secretary for Asia, James Clad, says Asian Waters is a must-read because Humphrey’s ‘conclusions are surprising and often disturbing, but always based on the evidence.’  And India’s Minister for Development and former ambassador to the United Nations, Hardeep Puri, praises Humphrey for focusing ‘his ‘his immense skills at forensic political analysis to dissect 21^st century Asia’s latest trouble spot.’

Humphrey’s work has appeared in mainstream media, including the New York Times, The Guardian and the Financial Times. He is a columnist for the prestigious financial magazine, Nikkei Asian Review, and the respected political journal, Yale Global. His many guest lectures include Columbia Business School, University College London, and Jinan University in China. He is a regular speaker and panelist.

His award-winning television work includes the documentaries The Curse of Gold, Supply Chain Children and Bitter Sweet that uncover the link between multi-national retail industries and war in the developing world; Old Man Atom that investigates the global nuclear program; and Danger: Democracy at Work examines risks in bringing Western-style democracy too quickly to some societies.

Humphrey Hawksley’s other books include an internationally acclaimed ‘Future History’ series (Dragon Strike, Dragon Fire and The Third World War) that explores global conflict. His non-fiction  Democracy Kills: What’s so Good About Having the Vote, pre-empted the ill-fated Arab uprisings by examining the difficult modern-day path to democracy from dictatorship. He has published five international thrillers. The latest in January 2018 is Man on Ice set on the wild and remote US-Russian border.

Humphrey’s incredibly diverse career, his eloquence developed through extensive TV experience and his unwavering passion for his work is a combination that ensures he is able to educate, enthuse and humour in equal measure.