This Azure Forum seminar series was established to understand, track and critically examine key peace, security and defence questions that are exacerbated or manifesting during the Covid-19 pandemic with a view to identifying lessons for future crises of a global nature. It is hoped that these discussions will help policymakers to optimise national and international responses in the near to medium term by providing improved strategic choices that prepare our nations. Speakers in the series included the former Managing Director of the China Investment Corporation, the CEO of Ibec, the former Deputy National Security Advisor to the United Kingdom, the Head of the EU, Competition and Regulatory Law Group at Matheson, and the Director of the Oxford Internet Institute.
The Azure Forum 2020 Webinar Series
Peace, security and defence during and beyond the Covid-19 Crisis: Lessons for future global crises
Events in this series included:
- Combatting low cost foreign takeovers of vulnerable companies in medical and strategic sectors in the wake of Covid-19, 24 June 2020
- Global disinformation campaigns during the Covid-19 crisis, 29 July 2020
- Supply chain security: Strategic overreliance on global supply chains for healthcare equipment and medical supplies?, 26 August 2020
- Malicious cyber-enabled state activity in the healthcare sector: State espionage, cyber attacks, and international law responses, 30 September 2020
- Covid-19 and European Strategic Autonomy: Is the emergency driving an expanded ‘soft security’ concept?, 29 October 2020
This webinar series was kindly supported by University College Dublin (UCD)

Project Lead: Caitríona Heinl, Executive Director
Project Team: Jack McCarthy, Junior Analyst
Contact The Azure Forum Team at events@azureforum.org if you would like to hear more or become involved in future seminars.