Policy Week Ahead — Sep 14 – 20, 2026

113 events

113 think tank events from 62 organizations across 26 policy topics the week of Sep 14 – 20, 2026. Busiest topics: United States (64), Diplomacy (41), Europe (25). Most active organizers: Harvard Kennedy School (11), Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) (6), Foundation for Defense of Democracies (5). Multi-day: WTO Public Forum 2026 — Powering the Future (15–17 Sep 2026, Geneva), Tennessee World Affairs Council talk - 'The Middle East After the Iran War: A New (Dis)Order Emerging?' (2026-09-15, Nashville), Ocean of Peace — Exhibition (Sept 20, 2026–Jan 10, 2027). Last week the calendar listed 73 events. Times are US Eastern; each listing links to the event's own page.

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Diplomacy
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Conflict
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Diplomacy
41 events
Tibet at the epicentre: Geopolitics, religion and climate security — 14 Sep 2026, 6:00–7:30pm AEST
Mon, Sep 14 · 4:00 AM EDT·United States Studies CentreIn person
Origins of the War — A Conversation with Swasti Rao — Sep 14, 2026 11:00 AM ET (Zoom)
Mon, Sep 14 · 11:00 AM EDT·The Kennan InstituteVirtual
Teaching History Through Inquiry and Perspective (IB)
Mon, Sep 14 · 12:00 PM EDT·Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) EducationVirtual
Onderhandelen in de EU — Course for civil servants
Tue, Sep 15 · time not announced·Clingendael InstituteIn person
2026 Lowy Institute Media Lecture — Dennis Richardson AC (delivered at Media Award dinner, 15 Sep 2026)
Mon, Sep 14 · 8:00 PM EDT·Lowy InstituteIn person
36 more in Diplomacy
National Security
23 events
FDD Morning Brief — Bradley Bowman with Mark Cancian (Live)
Mon, Sep 14 · 8:30 AM EDT·Foundation for Defense of DemocraciesVirtual
UK PONI Annual Conference 2026
Mon, Sep 14 · 7:00 PM EDT·RUSIIn person
2026 Lowy Institute Media Lecture — Dennis Richardson AC (delivered at Media Award dinner, 15 Sep 2026)
Mon, Sep 14 · 8:00 PM EDT·Lowy InstituteIn person
Future Security Forum 2026
Tue, Sep 15 · 12:00 AM EDT·New AmericaHybrid
Redrawing the Map: Assessing Military- and Veteran-Serving Nonprofit Sector
Tue, Sep 15 · 12:00 PM EDT·Center for a New American SecurityVirtual
18 more in National Security
Conflict
19 events
Origins of the War — A Conversation with Swasti Rao — Sep 14, 2026 11:00 AM ET (Zoom)
Mon, Sep 14 · 11:00 AM EDT·The Kennan InstituteVirtual
Future Security Forum 2026
Tue, Sep 15 · 12:00 AM EDT·New AmericaHybrid
Tennessee World Affairs Council talk - 'The Middle East After the Iran War: A New (Dis)Order Emerging?' (2026-09-15, Nashville)
Tue, Sep 15 · 1:00 AM EDT·Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)In person
How War Reshaped Russia's Elite — Live on Zoom
Tue, Sep 15 · 11:00 AM EDT·The Kennan InstituteVirtual
Voices from the Territories: Ground-level perspectives on ten years of peace agreement implementation in Colombia
Tue, Sep 15 · 11:00 AM EDT·Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)Hybrid
14 more in Conflict
Trade Policy
16 events
WTO Public Forum 2026 — Powering the Future (15–17 Sep 2026, Geneva)
Mon, Sep 14 · 6:00 PM EDT·World Trade Organization (WTO)In person
WTO Public Forum
Mon, Sep 14 · 6:00 PM EDT·World Trade Organization (WTO)Hybrid
Changing the Narrative on African Investment — The Opportunity Horizon (Inaugural episode)
Tue, Sep 15 · 9:00 AM EDT·CSIS Global DevelopmentVirtual
U.S. Economic Statecraft in a Realigned World — Live
Tue, Sep 15 · 2:15 PM EDT·Foundation for Defense of DemocraciesVirtual
BRICS and the future of global power
Wed, Sep 16 · 7:00 AM EDT·Chatham HouseHybrid
11 more in Trade Policy
Human Rights
14 events
Tibet at the epicentre: Geopolitics, religion and climate security — 14 Sep 2026, 6:00–7:30pm AEST
Mon, Sep 14 · 4:00 AM EDT·United States Studies CentreIn person
WAPPP Seminar: "Abortion Politics and Democratic Backsliding: Lessons from Latin America" — Jocelyn Viterna
Mon, Sep 14 · 3:00 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolVirtual
Today's Meaning Crisis & What Leaders Can Do — Arthur Brooks & Anthony Foxx
Mon, Sep 14 · 6:00 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolIn person
Leadership In Conflict: Through the Lens of Indigenous Experiences — September 15–19, 2026; Santa Fe, New Mexico
Tue, Sep 15 · 2:00 AM EDT·Aspen InstituteIn person
African Inequality Review launch – online discussion (15 Sep 2026, 16:30 SAST)
Tue, Sep 15 · 10:30 AM EDT·UNU-WIDERVirtual
9 more in Human Rights
Energy
11 events
Energy at a Crossroad: Affordability, Fairness, and Transition
Tue, Sep 15 · time not announced·Urban InstituteVirtual
Powering America: The Grid, Affordability, and Energy Dominance
Tue, Sep 15 · 9:00 AM EDT·CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change ProgramHybrid
The Bhotekoshi-Trishuli Disaster in Nepal: What Comes Next?
Tue, Sep 15 · 9:15 AM EDT·Stimson CenterVirtual
Fireside chat on data centers with Nicol Turner Lee and Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (Live online)
Tue, Sep 15 · 10:00 AM EDT·Brookings InstitutionVirtual
Re-envisioning international cooperation through new partnership approaches: a focus on clean technology — 16 September 2026 (Geneva)
Tue, Sep 15 · 6:00 PM EDT·ODI GlobalIn person
6 more in Energy
Supply Chain Security
10 events
Webinar: Can the US and allies loosen China's chokehold on rare earths? — 14 Sep 2026, 6:00–7:30pm AEST
Mon, Sep 14 · 4:00 AM EDT·United States Studies CentreVirtual
The Bhotekoshi-Trishuli Disaster in Nepal: What Comes Next?
Tue, Sep 15 · 9:15 AM EDT·Stimson CenterVirtual
Import Controls: Tools to Counter the CCP's Industrial Policy and Supply Chain Threats — Live Sep 16, 2026 10:00 ET
Wed, Sep 16 · 10:00 AM EDT·Foundation for Defense of DemocraciesVirtual
Lanzamiento Repositorio GLACSED — Webinar — 16 Sep 2026 (09:00 Bogotá / 16:00 Geneva)
Wed, Sep 16 · 10:00 AM EDT·Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized CrimeVirtual
Fixing Shipping and Shipbuilding: Plotting the Course Ahead — Senators Mark Kelly & Todd Young
Wed, Sep 16 · 1:30 PM EDT·Hudson InstituteHybrid
5 more in Supply Chain Security
Climate Change
9 events
Tibet at the epicentre: Geopolitics, religion and climate security — 14 Sep 2026, 6:00–7:30pm AEST
Mon, Sep 14 · 4:00 AM EDT·United States Studies CentreIn person
Powering America: The Grid, Affordability, and Energy Dominance
Tue, Sep 15 · 9:00 AM EDT·CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change ProgramHybrid
The Bhotekoshi-Trishuli Disaster in Nepal: What Comes Next?
Tue, Sep 15 · 9:15 AM EDT·Stimson CenterVirtual
Re-envisioning international cooperation through new partnership approaches: a focus on clean technology — 16 September 2026 (Geneva)
Tue, Sep 15 · 6:00 PM EDT·ODI GlobalIn person
FACECO Seminar: The overlooked cost of Mozambique’s macroeconomic crises — Sam Jones
Wed, Sep 16 · 6:00 AM EDT·UNU-WIDERHybrid
4 more in Climate Change
Artificial Intelligence
7 events
Using Data and A.I. in Today's Politics — Panel with Doug Sosnik, Sara Fagen, Tom Bonier
Mon, Sep 14 · 12:00 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolIn person
Hybrid Policy Seminar: AI Policy Considerations for Food, Land, and Water Systems
Tue, Sep 15 · 9:30 AM EDT·International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)Hybrid
Who is Best Suited to Govern AI? — Live online conversation
Tue, Sep 15 · 10:00 AM EDT·Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceVirtual
govDATAx 2026: Realizing the Value of Public Data — Sep 15, 2026, 10:00–16:00 ET (In-person conference)
Tue, Sep 15 · 10:00 AM EDT·Data FoundationIn person
Global Guardrails for Agentic AI: Can the UN, or Anybody Else, Provide Them? — Sep 15, 2026, 2:00–3:00 PM ET (Live Online)
Tue, Sep 15 · 2:00 PM EDT·Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceVirtual
2 more in Artificial Intelligence
Finance
7 events
2026 UNU-WIDER Winter School on Public Finance — 15–18 September 2026 (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)
Mon, Sep 14 · 5:00 PM EDT·UNU-WIDERIn person
How will future banking crises be handled in the euro area? — 15 Sep 2026 (Online-only)
Tue, Sep 15 · time not announced·BruegelVirtual
DEME — Debí Estudiar Más Economía (15 Sep 2026, 17:00–20:00 AST)
Tue, Sep 15 · 5:00 PM EDT·Center for a New Economy (CNE)In person
FACECO Seminar: The overlooked cost of Mozambique’s macroeconomic crises — Sam Jones
Wed, Sep 16 · 6:00 AM EDT·UNU-WIDERHybrid
Veterans' Earnings in the Civilian Labor Market
Thu, Sep 17 · time not announced·RAND CorporationVirtual
2 more in Finance
Defense Technology
7 events
2026 Lowy Institute Media Lecture — Dennis Richardson AC (delivered at Media Award dinner, 15 Sep 2026)
Mon, Sep 14 · 8:00 PM EDT·Lowy InstituteIn person
IISS Prague Defence Summit 2026
Tue, Sep 15 · 6:00 PM EDT·International Institute for Strategic StudiesIn person
The Three-Body Problem: Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications
Wed, Sep 16 · 12:00 PM EDT·Center for Strategic and Budgetary AssessmentsVirtual
Delivering Autonomous Defence Systems: From Innovation to Operation — Breakfast Briefing
Wed, Sep 16 · 8:00 PM EDT·RUSIIn person
AUKUS at Five: Progress, Challenges, and the Way Forward
Thu, Sep 17 · 8:00 AM EDT·Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Korea ChairVirtual
2 more in Defense Technology
Elections
3 events
25th Annual Constitution Day: The Supreme Court: Past and Prologue — A Look at the 2025 and 2026 Terms (Sept 17, 2026) — Starts 10:35 AM EDT
Thu, Sep 17 · 10:35 AM EDT·Cato InstituteHybrid
US at 250: Separation vs. concentration of power — America's enduring constitutional debate
Thu, Sep 17 · 12:00 PM EDT·Chatham HouseHybrid
A Conversation with Governor Jared Polis — 2026-09-18 11:30 ET (Luncheon, L-163)
Fri, Sep 18 · 11:30 AM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolIn person
Commodities
2 events
Webinar: Can the US and allies loosen China's chokehold on rare earths? — 14 Sep 2026, 6:00–7:30pm AEST
Mon, Sep 14 · 4:00 AM EDT·United States Studies CentreVirtual
The Future of U.S.–Africa Minerals Diplomacy
Fri, Sep 18 · 10:00 AM EDT·CSIS Critical Minerals Security ProgramHybrid
Cybersecurity
1 event
From Silos to Statecraft: Whole-of-Government Cyber Deterrence in Europe
Sun, Sep 20 · 7:00 PM EDT·RUSIIn person
Aerospace
1 event
Using Drones to Expand Healthcare Delivery — Sep 17, 2026, 1:30 PM ET (In person & online webcast)
Thu, Sep 17 · 1:30 PM EDT·CSIS Global Health Policy CenterHybrid
Telecommunications
1 event
Fireside chat on data centers with Nicol Turner Lee and Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (Live online)
Tue, Sep 15 · 10:00 AM EDT·Brookings InstitutionVirtual
Disinformation
1 event
Using Data and A.I. in Today's Politics — Panel with Doug Sosnik, Sara Fagen, Tom Bonier
Mon, Sep 14 · 12:00 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolIn person
United States
64 events
Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee Public Meeting (Sep 14–15, 2026) — Hybrid (Washington, DC & Virtual)
Mon, Sep 14 · 12:00 AM EDT·NORC at the University of ChicagoHybrid
FDD Morning Brief — Bradley Bowman with Mark Cancian (Live)
Mon, Sep 14 · 8:30 AM EDT·Foundation for Defense of DemocraciesVirtual
Teaching History Through Inquiry and Perspective (IB)
Mon, Sep 14 · 12:00 PM EDT·Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) EducationVirtual
Using Data and A.I. in Today's Politics — Panel with Doug Sosnik, Sara Fagen, Tom Bonier
Mon, Sep 14 · 12:00 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolIn person
Today's Meaning Crisis & What Leaders Can Do — Arthur Brooks & Anthony Foxx
Mon, Sep 14 · 6:00 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolIn person
59 more in United States
Europe
25 events
Origins of the War — A Conversation with Swasti Rao — Sep 14, 2026 11:00 AM ET (Zoom)
Mon, Sep 14 · 11:00 AM EDT·The Kennan InstituteVirtual
WTO Public Forum
Mon, Sep 14 · 6:00 PM EDT·World Trade Organization (WTO)Hybrid
UK PONI Annual Conference 2026
Mon, Sep 14 · 7:00 PM EDT·RUSIIn person
Onderhandelen in de EU — Course for civil servants
Tue, Sep 15 · time not announced·Clingendael InstituteIn person
How will future banking crises be handled in the euro area? — 15 Sep 2026 (Online-only)
Tue, Sep 15 · time not announced·BruegelVirtual
20 more in Europe
Global
23 events
Webinar: Can the US and allies loosen China's chokehold on rare earths? — 14 Sep 2026, 6:00–7:30pm AEST
Mon, Sep 14 · 4:00 AM EDT·United States Studies CentreVirtual
Tibet at the epicentre: Geopolitics, religion and climate security — 14 Sep 2026, 6:00–7:30pm AEST
Mon, Sep 14 · 4:00 AM EDT·United States Studies CentreIn person
WTO Public Forum 2026 — Powering the Future (15–17 Sep 2026, Geneva)
Mon, Sep 14 · 6:00 PM EDT·World Trade Organization (WTO)In person
WTO Public Forum
Mon, Sep 14 · 6:00 PM EDT·World Trade Organization (WTO)Hybrid
Future Security Forum 2026
Tue, Sep 15 · 12:00 AM EDT·New AmericaHybrid
18 more in Global
Asia-Pacific
10 events
Tibet at the epicentre: Geopolitics, religion and climate security — 14 Sep 2026, 6:00–7:30pm AEST
Mon, Sep 14 · 4:00 AM EDT·United States Studies CentreIn person
2026 Lowy Institute Media Lecture — Dennis Richardson AC (delivered at Media Award dinner, 15 Sep 2026)
Mon, Sep 14 · 8:00 PM EDT·Lowy InstituteIn person
The Bhotekoshi-Trishuli Disaster in Nepal: What Comes Next?
Tue, Sep 15 · 9:15 AM EDT·Stimson CenterVirtual
A Conversation with Ambassador Raja Nushirwan
Tue, Sep 15 · 2:00 PM EDT·Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)Virtual
John Bonython Lecture & Gala Dinner — 'History's Warning' by Lord Roberts of Belgravia (Lecture + Gala Dinner) — 16 Sep 2026, 6:00 PM–9:30 PM AEST
Wed, Sep 16 · 4:00 AM EDT·Centre for Independent StudiesIn person
5 more in Asia-Pacific
Africa
9 events
2026 UNU-WIDER Winter School on Public Finance — 15–18 September 2026 (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)
Mon, Sep 14 · 5:00 PM EDT·UNU-WIDERIn person
Changing the Narrative on African Investment — The Opportunity Horizon (Inaugural episode)
Tue, Sep 15 · 9:00 AM EDT·CSIS Global DevelopmentVirtual
African Inequality Review launch – online discussion (15 Sep 2026, 16:30 SAST)
Tue, Sep 15 · 10:30 AM EDT·UNU-WIDERVirtual
Will Burnham's Reform Agenda Come to International Development? (Hybrid) — 15 Sep 2026, 4:00–5:00 PM London / 11:00 AM–12:00 PM DC
Tue, Sep 15 · 11:00 AM EDT·Center for Global DevelopmentHybrid
FACECO Seminar: The overlooked cost of Mozambique’s macroeconomic crises — Sam Jones
Wed, Sep 16 · 6:00 AM EDT·UNU-WIDERHybrid
4 more in Africa
China
8 events
Webinar: Can the US and allies loosen China's chokehold on rare earths? — 14 Sep 2026, 6:00–7:30pm AEST
Mon, Sep 14 · 4:00 AM EDT·United States Studies CentreVirtual
Who is Best Suited to Govern AI? — Live online conversation
Tue, Sep 15 · 10:00 AM EDT·Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceVirtual
Global Guardrails for Agentic AI: Can the UN, or Anybody Else, Provide Them? — Sep 15, 2026, 2:00–3:00 PM ET (Live Online)
Tue, Sep 15 · 2:00 PM EDT·Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceVirtual
Import Controls: Tools to Counter the CCP's Industrial Policy and Supply Chain Threats — Live Sep 16, 2026 10:00 ET
Wed, Sep 16 · 10:00 AM EDT·Foundation for Defense of DemocraciesVirtual
The Three-Body Problem: Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications
Wed, Sep 16 · 12:00 PM EDT·Center for Strategic and Budgetary AssessmentsVirtual
3 more in China
Middle East
8 events
Tennessee World Affairs Council talk - 'The Middle East After the Iran War: A New (Dis)Order Emerging?' (2026-09-15, Nashville)
Tue, Sep 15 · 1:00 AM EDT·Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)In person
Sectarianism in a Changing Middle East — MEI Study Group (Session 1: Sep 15, 2026, 4:00PM–5:30PM EDT)
Tue, Sep 15 · 4:00 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolIn person
Susan and John Klein Book Series — Scott Anderson on King of Kings — September 16, 2026; Washington, DC
Wed, Sep 16 · 12:00 AM EDT·Aspen InstituteIn person
Private roundtable with Qatari think tank and academic delegation (2026-09-17, hosted by CSIS Middle East Program)
Thu, Sep 17 · 12:00 AM EDT·Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)In person
A Strategy For Lebanon: A Conversation with Congressman Darin LaHood (In-person panel)
Thu, Sep 17 · 9:00 AM EDT·Middle East InstituteIn person
3 more in Middle East
Russia
6 events
Origins of the War — A Conversation with Swasti Rao — Sep 14, 2026 11:00 AM ET (Zoom)
Mon, Sep 14 · 11:00 AM EDT·The Kennan InstituteVirtual
How War Reshaped Russia's Elite — Live on Zoom
Tue, Sep 15 · 11:00 AM EDT·The Kennan InstituteVirtual
Origins of the War — A Conversation with Dr. Kateryna Shynkaruk (Live on Zoom)
Wed, Sep 16 · 11:00 AM EDT·The Kennan InstituteVirtual
The Three-Body Problem: Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications
Wed, Sep 16 · 12:00 PM EDT·Center for Strategic and Budgetary AssessmentsVirtual
Support or Step Back: The Stakes of U.S. Policy in Ukraine
Wed, Sep 16 · 1:00 PM EDT·Council on Foreign RelationsVirtual
1 more in Russia
South America
4 events
WAPPP Seminar: "Abortion Politics and Democratic Backsliding: Lessons from Latin America" — Jocelyn Viterna
Mon, Sep 14 · 3:00 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolVirtual
Voices from the Territories: Ground-level perspectives on ten years of peace agreement implementation in Colombia
Tue, Sep 15 · 11:00 AM EDT·Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)Hybrid
Lanzamiento Repositorio GLACSED — Webinar — 16 Sep 2026 (09:00 Bogotá / 16:00 Geneva)
Wed, Sep 16 · 10:00 AM EDT·Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized CrimeVirtual
Brazil’s Healthcare Policy Landscape—Recent Regulatory Developments and What to Watch
Thu, Sep 17 · 10:00 AM EDT·Inter-American DialogueVirtual
Opportunities closing this week
RA with MEI’s Syria Transition Lab
Closes Wed, Sep 16·Harvard Kennedy SchoolJob
Project Administrator
Closes Fri, Sep 18·ODI GlobalJob
Project Manager
Closes Fri, Sep 18·ODI GlobalJob
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