Policy Week Ahead — Oct 5 – 11, 2026

119 events

119 think tank events from 59 organizations across 30 policy topics the week of Oct 5 – 11, 2026. Busiest topics: United States (75), Global (37), Diplomacy (32). Most active organizers: Harvard Kennedy School (22), American Enterprise Institute (7), Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (Stanford University) (6). Multi-day: TMRE: The Market Research Expo (Oct 5-7, 2026) - Denver, CO, Joburg Indaba: Investing in Resources & Mining in Africa (October 7-8, 2026), Ninth International CREA Conference (Oct 7-9, 2026) - Chicago, IL. Last week the calendar listed 116 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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Elections
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Diplomacy
32 events
Canada–EU Alliance for the Future Forum — Oct 5, 2026, 09:00–12:00 (local)
Mon, Oct 5 · 9:00 AM EDT·Canadian Global Affairs InstituteIn person
Tiergarten Talk — "Who holds the world together?" Livestream
Mon, Oct 5 · 9:30 AM EDT·Friedrich-Ebert-StiftungVirtual
Conservative party conference fringe: 'Europe in the world: Building international partnerships'
Mon, Oct 5 · 10:30 AM EDT·Centre for European ReformIn person
Progress, Power, and Peace at the AI Frontier — Mon Oct 5 2:00–3:00 PM (US Eastern)
Mon, Oct 5 · 2:00 PM EDT·Stimson CenterHybrid
What Is Syria Transitioning To? — Session 2
Mon, Oct 5 · 4:30 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolIn person
27 more in Diplomacy
Conflict
21 events
Progress, Power, and Peace at the AI Frontier — Mon Oct 5 2:00–3:00 PM (US Eastern)
Mon, Oct 5 · 2:00 PM EDT·Stimson CenterHybrid
What Is Syria Transitioning To? — Session 2
Mon, Oct 5 · 4:30 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolIn person
Carnegie Connects: "October 7 — Three Years Later, What’s Changed?"
Tue, Oct 6 · 5:30 AM EDT·Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceVirtual
Three Years After October 7th: Costs and Consequences — Oct 6, 2026, 9:30 AM ET (Live Online)
Tue, Oct 6 · 9:30 AM EDT·Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceVirtual
Three Years After October 7th: Costs and Consequences — Oct 6, 2026 — Live Online
Tue, Oct 6 · 9:30 AM EDT·Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceVirtual
16 more in Conflict
Elections
21 events
Gerrymandering and Representation: What Have We Done, and Where Are We Going?
Mon, Oct 5 · 9:00 AM EDT·American Enterprise InstituteIn person
Gerrymandering and Representation: What Have We Done, and Where Are We Going? — In person (livestream available)
Mon, Oct 5 · 9:00 AM EDT·American Enterprise InstituteHybrid
Carnegie Connects: "October 7 — Three Years Later, What’s Changed?"
Tue, Oct 6 · 5:30 AM EDT·Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceVirtual
Three Years After October 7th: Costs and Consequences — Oct 6, 2026 — Live Online
Tue, Oct 6 · 9:30 AM EDT·Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceVirtual
Issues in Election Administration Ahead of the 2026 Midterms
Tue, Oct 6 · 10:00 AM EDT·American Enterprise InstituteVirtual
16 more in Elections
National Security
20 events
FDD Morning Brief (Live) — Jonathan Schanzer with Rep. Brad Sherman
Mon, Oct 5 · 8:30 AM EDT·Foundation for Defense of DemocraciesVirtual
Study Group: Service, Security, and the American Dream: Leadership in a Changing America — Mon, Oct 5, 2026, 4:00pm ET (Study Group — Harvard community)
Mon, Oct 5 · 4:00 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolIn person
Assessing the AI Race: The U.S. vs. China
Mon, Oct 5 · 6:00 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolHybrid
Lead & Influence with Impact - #LIMPACT 17th edition
Mon, Oct 5 · 8:00 PM EDT·GCSPIn person
The Australia-US alliance in the age of Trump: A national conversation — 6 Oct 2026 6:00-7:30pm (AEDT)
Tue, Oct 6 · 3:00 AM EDT·United States Studies CentreIn person
15 more in National Security
Human Rights
17 events
Advancing Research on Sexual Harassment: Race, Sexual Orientation, and Power
Mon, Oct 5 · 3:00 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy School Women and Public Policy ProgramVirtual
Book Talk: How to Survive Authoritarianism
Mon, Oct 5 · 3:00 PM EDT·Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (Stanford University)Hybrid
What Is Syria Transitioning To? — Session 2
Mon, Oct 5 · 4:30 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolIn person
Three Years After October 7th: Costs and Consequences — Oct 6, 2026, 9:30 AM ET (Live Online)
Tue, Oct 6 · 9:30 AM EDT·Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceVirtual
Strategic Litigation: Advancing LGBTQI+ Rights Through the Courts
Tue, Oct 6 · 12:00 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy School Women and Public Policy ProgramVirtual
12 more in Human Rights
Trade Policy
17 events
Canada–EU Alliance for the Future Forum — Oct 5, 2026, 09:00–12:00 (local)
Mon, Oct 5 · 9:00 AM EDT·Canadian Global Affairs InstituteIn person
What is the European Idea of Power in an Age of Chaos? — In-person presentation (6 Oct 2026, 11:30–12:30 Berlin time) at SDA Bocconi, Rome
Tue, Oct 6 · 5:30 AM EDT·European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)In person
Food For Thought — The Future of Labor, America and Abroad
Tue, Oct 6 · 12:00 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolIn person
Global Economic Prospects: Fall 2026
Tue, Oct 6 · 1:00 PM EDT·Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE)Virtual
Book Talk | Traversing the Belt and Road
Wed, Oct 7 · 11:00 AM EDT·Quincy InstituteVirtual
12 more in Trade Policy
Finance
13 events
Food For Thought — The Future of Labor, America and Abroad
Tue, Oct 6 · 12:00 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolIn person
Global Economic Prospects: Fall 2026
Tue, Oct 6 · 1:00 PM EDT·Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE)Virtual
Building Economic Security: A Book Talk with Arindrajit Dube and Carrie Joy Grimes
Wed, Oct 7 · time not announced·Aspen InstituteVirtual
Lunch with Ian Harper (discussion on cash rates)
Tue, Oct 6 · 8:00 PM EDT·Centre for Independent StudiesIn person
Actions to Improve Living Standards in Canada — October 7, 2026 — Hybrid (Lecture: The Canadian Standard of Living series)
Wed, Oct 7 · time not announced·Centre for International Governance InnovationHybrid
8 more in Finance
Climate Change
12 events
Tackling the Grid Reliability and Affordability Challenge in the Age of AI — Energy Policy Seminar with Manu Asthana
Mon, Oct 5 · 12:00 PM EDT·Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (Harvard Kennedy School) - Environment and Natural Resources ProgramHybrid
Past and Future Tales of the Transmission Grid — Energy Policy Seminar with Michael Skelly
Tue, Oct 6 · 12:00 PM EDT·Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (Harvard Kennedy School) - Environment and Natural Resources ProgramHybrid
Environmental, social, and energy impacts of data centers — October 6, 2026, 2:00 PM (America/New_York)
Tue, Oct 6 · 2:00 PM EDT·Center on Global Energy PolicyIn person
Building Consensus for Conservation in the Southern Ocean — Oct 6, 2026, 2:00–3:00 PM US Eastern
Tue, Oct 6 · 2:00 PM EDT·Stimson CenterHybrid
Roundtable 'Del Ártico a la Antártida: geopolítica e investigación en los espacios remotos' — 07 Oct 2026, 12:00–13:30 CEST (CSIC Campus, Madrid)
Wed, Oct 7 · 6:00 AM EDT·Real Instituto ElcanoIn person
7 more in Climate Change
Energy
10 events
Tackling the Grid Reliability and Affordability Challenge in the Age of AI — Energy Policy Seminar with Manu Asthana
Mon, Oct 5 · 12:00 PM EDT·Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (Harvard Kennedy School) - Environment and Natural Resources ProgramHybrid
Past and Future Tales of the Transmission Grid — Energy Policy Seminar with Michael Skelly
Tue, Oct 6 · 12:00 PM EDT·Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (Harvard Kennedy School) - Environment and Natural Resources ProgramHybrid
Environmental, social, and energy impacts of data centers — October 6, 2026, 2:00 PM (America/New_York)
Tue, Oct 6 · 2:00 PM EDT·Center on Global Energy PolicyIn person
The Nuclear Energy Renaissance: The Challenges of Governance with the Advent of AI
Wed, Oct 7 · 12:00 PM EDT·Stimson CenterVirtual
Powering Southeast Asia's connected energy future: ASEAN partnerships with Australia and the Republic of Korea — 8 October 2026 (Bangkok)
Wed, Oct 7 · 1:00 PM EDT·ODI GlobalIn person
5 more in Energy
Artificial Intelligence
9 events
Progress, Power, and Peace at the AI Frontier — Mon Oct 5 2:00–3:00 PM (US Eastern)
Mon, Oct 5 · 2:00 PM EDT·Stimson CenterHybrid
Assessing the AI Race: The U.S. vs. China
Mon, Oct 5 · 6:00 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolHybrid
AI and economic transformation: Growth, adoption, and who captures the gains
Tue, Oct 6 · 9:00 AM EDT·Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE)Virtual
The Nuclear Energy Renaissance: The Challenges of Governance with the Advent of AI
Wed, Oct 7 · 12:00 PM EDT·Stimson CenterVirtual
Inu Manak on the future of North American economic integration — Oct 7, 2026 5:30–6:00 PM ET (Hybrid, virtual streaming)
Wed, Oct 7 · 5:30 PM EDT·Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE)Hybrid
4 more in Artificial Intelligence
Disinformation
9 events
Book Talk: How to Survive Authoritarianism
Mon, Oct 5 · 3:00 PM EDT·Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (Stanford University)Hybrid
Russian Roulette Live Podcast: Putin's Global Campaign to Defeat the West (Oct 6, 2026, 11:30–12:30 ET) — Live video episode
Tue, Oct 6 · 11:30 AM EDT·CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia ProgramVirtual
The Press and the President — Don Lemon & Chris Whipple — Oct 6, 2026 6:00pm ET (JFK Jr. Forum)
Tue, Oct 6 · 6:00 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolHybrid
Study Group: All the President's Men and Women: Retribution and the First Amendment — Wed, Oct 7, 2026, 3:00pm ET (Guest: Amb. Cofer Black)
Wed, Oct 7 · 3:00 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolIn person
Public Health in Polarized Times
Thu, Oct 8 · 5:00 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolIn person
4 more in Disinformation
Cybersecurity
4 events
4th Annual Stanford DEFCON Conference
Tue, Oct 6 · time not announced·Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (Stanford University)In person
Cyber Espionage in the Age of US-China Competition — 8 Oct 2026 (In person, London) Conversation with Dr Ahana Datta Fasel
Wed, Oct 7 · 7:00 PM EDT·RUSIIn person
Study Group: Is Our Country's Infrastructure Safe: The Promise and Threat of Technological Advance — Thu, Oct 8, 2026, 4:30pm ET (Guest: David Cohen)
Thu, Oct 8 · 4:30 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolIn person
Warsaw Security Forum
Mon, Oct 12 · time not announced·European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)Virtual
Defense Technology
4 events
Aerospace Nation: Brig. Gen. Mark Massaro — Oct 6, 2026 (Register)
Tue, Oct 6 · time not announced·Mitchell Institute for Aerospace StudiesVirtual
25 Years Since the Anthrax Attacks: Where Are We Now? — Wednesday, October 7, 2026, 4:00–5:00 PM ET (Online Webcast)
Wed, Oct 7 · 4:00 PM EDT·CSIS Global Health Policy CenterVirtual
Military History in Contemporary Conflict Working Group workshop
Fri, Oct 9 · 3:00 AM EDT·Hoover InstitutionIn person
Warsaw Security Forum
Mon, Oct 12 · time not announced·European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)Virtual
Aerospace
3 events
Aerospace Nation: Brig. Gen. Mark Massaro — Oct 6, 2026 (Register)
Tue, Oct 6 · time not announced·Mitchell Institute for Aerospace StudiesVirtual
Nerds of the Roundtable: The Distributed Space Age
Tue, Oct 6 · 1:00 PM EDT·Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (Stanford University)In person
Continental Power, Maritime Power, and the New World Order
Thu, Oct 8 · 5:30 PM EDT·World Affairs Council of New HampshireIn person
Commodities
3 events
Joburg Indaba: Investing in Resources & Mining in Africa
Tue, Oct 6 · 6:00 PM EDT·Joburg IndabaIn person
Capital, Consolidation, and Leadership in the New Minerals Era — Virtual Fireside
Wed, Oct 7 · time not announced·CSIS Critical Minerals Security ProgramVirtual
Virtual Policy Seminar: Double exposure — How El Niño and the Iran crisis could reshape food security
Thu, Oct 8 · 9:30 AM EDT·International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)Virtual
Supply Chain Security
3 events
Canada–EU Alliance for the Future Forum — Oct 5, 2026, 09:00–12:00 (local)
Mon, Oct 5 · 9:00 AM EDT·Canadian Global Affairs InstituteIn person
Securing the Supply Chain: Critical Minerals Permitting Reform
Wed, Oct 7 · time not announced·Kleinman Center for Energy Policy (University of Pennsylvania)Virtual
Plugged In: China's EV Export Boom
Thu, Oct 8 · 2:00 PM EDT·Silverado Policy Accelerator, Inc.Virtual
Quantum Computing
1 event
Managing Quantum Computer Export Controls — SIPRI webinar
Thu, Oct 8 · 6:00 AM EDT·SIPRIVirtual
Currencies
1 event
Inu Manak on the future of North American economic integration — Oct 7, 2026 5:30–6:00 PM ET (Hybrid, virtual streaming)
Wed, Oct 7 · 5:30 PM EDT·Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE)Hybrid
Space Policy
1 event
Nerds of the Roundtable: The Distributed Space Age
Tue, Oct 6 · 1:00 PM EDT·Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (Stanford University)In person
United States
75 events
TMRE: The Market Research Expo (Oct 5-7, 2026) - Denver, CO
Mon, Oct 5 · 2:00 AM EDT·NORC at the University of ChicagoIn person
FDD Morning Brief (Live) — Jonathan Schanzer with Rep. Brad Sherman
Mon, Oct 5 · 8:30 AM EDT·Foundation for Defense of DemocraciesVirtual
Gerrymandering and Representation: What Have We Done, and Where Are We Going?
Mon, Oct 5 · 9:00 AM EDT·American Enterprise InstituteIn person
Gerrymandering and Representation: What Have We Done, and Where Are We Going? — In person (livestream available)
Mon, Oct 5 · 9:00 AM EDT·American Enterprise InstituteHybrid
Tackling the Grid Reliability and Affordability Challenge in the Age of AI — Energy Policy Seminar with Manu Asthana
Mon, Oct 5 · 12:00 PM EDT·Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs (Harvard Kennedy School) - Environment and Natural Resources ProgramHybrid
70 more in United States
Global
37 events
Canada–EU Alliance for the Future Forum — Oct 5, 2026, 09:00–12:00 (local)
Mon, Oct 5 · 9:00 AM EDT·Canadian Global Affairs InstituteIn person
Tiergarten Talk — "Who holds the world together?" Livestream
Mon, Oct 5 · 9:30 AM EDT·Friedrich-Ebert-StiftungVirtual
Progress, Power, and Peace at the AI Frontier — Mon Oct 5 2:00–3:00 PM (US Eastern)
Mon, Oct 5 · 2:00 PM EDT·Stimson CenterHybrid
Book Talk: How to Survive Authoritarianism
Mon, Oct 5 · 3:00 PM EDT·Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (Stanford University)Hybrid
Lead & Influence with Impact - #LIMPACT 17th edition
Mon, Oct 5 · 8:00 PM EDT·GCSPIn person
32 more in Global
Europe
22 events
Canada–EU Alliance for the Future Forum — Oct 5, 2026, 09:00–12:00 (local)
Mon, Oct 5 · 9:00 AM EDT·Canadian Global Affairs InstituteIn person
Tiergarten Talk — "Who holds the world together?" Livestream
Mon, Oct 5 · 9:30 AM EDT·Friedrich-Ebert-StiftungVirtual
Conservative party conference fringe: 'Europe in the world: Building international partnerships'
Mon, Oct 5 · 10:30 AM EDT·Centre for European ReformIn person
'This is Europe' debate — Speech by Luís Montenegro, Prime Minister of Portugal
Tue, Oct 6 · time not announced·European ParliamentIn person
What is the European Idea of Power in an Age of Chaos? — In-person presentation (6 Oct 2026, 11:30–12:30 Berlin time) at SDA Bocconi, Rome
Tue, Oct 6 · 5:30 AM EDT·European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR)In person
17 more in Europe
Asia-Pacific
15 events
The Australia-US alliance in the age of Trump: A national conversation — 6 Oct 2026 6:00-7:30pm (AEDT)
Tue, Oct 6 · 3:00 AM EDT·United States Studies CentreIn person
Lunch with Ian Harper (discussion on cash rates)
Tue, Oct 6 · 8:00 PM EDT·Centre for Independent StudiesIn person
Bangkok 2026: What We’re Watching at the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings — Virtual (Oct 7, 2026, 10:00–11:00 AM DC)
Wed, Oct 7 · 10:00 AM EDT·Center for Global DevelopmentVirtual
Book Talk: Traversing the Belt and Road
Wed, Oct 7 · 11:00 AM EDT·Quincy Institute for Responsible StatecraftVirtual
Powering Southeast Asia's connected energy future: ASEAN partnerships with Australia and the Republic of Korea — 8 October 2026 (Bangkok)
Wed, Oct 7 · 1:00 PM EDT·ODI GlobalIn person
10 more in Asia-Pacific
Middle East
13 events
What Is Syria Transitioning To? — Session 2
Mon, Oct 5 · 4:30 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolIn person
Carnegie Connects: "October 7 — Three Years Later, What’s Changed?"
Tue, Oct 6 · 5:30 AM EDT·Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceVirtual
Three Years After October 7th: Costs and Consequences — Oct 6, 2026, 9:30 AM ET (Live Online)
Tue, Oct 6 · 9:30 AM EDT·Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceVirtual
Three Years After October 7th: Costs and Consequences — Oct 6, 2026 — Live Online
Tue, Oct 6 · 9:30 AM EDT·Carnegie Endowment for International PeaceVirtual
Sectarianism in a Changing Middle East — Session 3
Tue, Oct 6 · 4:00 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolIn person
8 more in Middle East
China
11 events
Assessing the AI Race: The U.S. vs. China
Mon, Oct 5 · 6:00 PM EDT·Harvard Kennedy SchoolHybrid
AI and economic transformation: Growth, adoption, and who captures the gains
Tue, Oct 6 · 9:00 AM EDT·Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE)Virtual
Book Talk | Traversing the Belt and Road
Wed, Oct 7 · 11:00 AM EDT·Quincy InstituteVirtual
Book Talk: Traversing the Belt and Road
Wed, Oct 7 · 11:00 AM EDT·Quincy Institute for Responsible StatecraftVirtual
Inu Manak on the future of North American economic integration — Oct 7, 2026 5:30–6:00 PM ET (Hybrid, virtual streaming)
Wed, Oct 7 · 5:30 PM EDT·Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE)Hybrid
6 more in China
Russia
7 events
Book Talk: How to Survive Authoritarianism
Mon, Oct 5 · 3:00 PM EDT·Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (Stanford University)Hybrid
Russian Roulette Live Podcast: Putin's Global Campaign to Defeat the West (Oct 6, 2026, 11:30–12:30 ET) — Live video episode
Tue, Oct 6 · 11:30 AM EDT·CSIS Europe, Russia, and Eurasia ProgramVirtual
The Kremlin's Pressure Cooker: Restraint and Escalation in Russia's War on Ukraine — Presentation
Thu, Oct 8 · time not announced·Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (Stanford University)In person
The Kremlin's Pressure Cooker: Restraint and Escalation in Russia's War on Ukraine
Thu, Oct 8 · 8:00 AM EDT·Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (Stanford University)Virtual
Military History in Contemporary Conflict Working Group workshop
Fri, Oct 9 · 3:00 AM EDT·Hoover InstitutionIn person
2 more in Russia
Africa
5 events
Joburg Indaba: Investing in Resources & Mining in Africa
Tue, Oct 6 · 6:00 PM EDT·Joburg IndabaIn person
Committed but disenchanted: Young Africans’ perspectives on democracy, governance and the economy — Public seminar
Wed, Oct 7 · 8:00 AM EDT·Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)Hybrid
Africa and the New Global Order
Wed, Oct 7 · 6:30 PM EDT·Chicago Council on Global AffairsHybrid
Virtual Policy Seminar: Double exposure — How El Niño and the Iran crisis could reshape food security
Thu, Oct 8 · 9:30 AM EDT·International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)Virtual
WTO-ITC joint technical assistance activity in Mogadishu
Fri, Oct 9 · 5:00 PM EDT·World Trade Organization (WTO)In person
South America
1 event
Building Consensus for Conservation in the Southern Ocean — Oct 6, 2026, 2:00–3:00 PM US Eastern
Tue, Oct 6 · 2:00 PM EDT·Stimson CenterHybrid
Arctic
1 event
Roundtable 'Del Ártico a la Antártida: geopolítica e investigación en los espacios remotos' — 07 Oct 2026, 12:00–13:30 CEST (CSIC Campus, Madrid)
Wed, Oct 7 · 6:00 AM EDT·Real Instituto ElcanoIn person
Outer Space
1 event
Nerds of the Roundtable: The Distributed Space Age
Tue, Oct 6 · 1:00 PM EDT·Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (Stanford University)In person
Opportunities closing this week
National Security Applications of AI Research Lead
Closes Mon, Oct 5·Center for Security and Emerging TechnologyJob
From Harvard Square to the Oval Office — Spring 2027 cohort
Closes Thu, Oct 8·Women and Public Policy Program (Harvard Kennedy School)Fellowship
Research Assistant for Democracy Action Lab
Closes Sat, Oct 10·Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (Stanford University)Job
Power Insights — Summer Associate (apply by Oct 11)
Closes Sun, Oct 11·Center on Global Energy PolicyJob
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