The Dilemmas and Opportunities of the New Global Disorder

Speakers: 

Arianna Huffington, Thrive Global

MODERATED BY DEAN ELIOT A. COHEN

OPENING REMARKS BY CARLA FREEMAN, Associate Research Professor of China Studies and Executive Director of the Johns Hopkins SAIS Foreign Policy Institute

CLOSING REMARKS BY AMBASSADOR MARK F. BRZEZINSKI, FORMER US AMBASSADOR TO SWEDEN AND FORMER DIRECTOR OF RUSSIAN/EURASIAN AFFAIRS AND DIRECTOR OF SOUTHEAST EUROPEAN AFFAIRS AT THE NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL

The Johns Hopkins SAIS Foreign Policy Institute Brzezinski Current Issues Seminar series welcomed Arianna Huffington, founder of The Huffington Post, for a discussion on global disorder. 

Huffington opened the conversation by sharing insights from her book “Thrive: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder.” She discussed how burnout has led to a global epidemic, but through meditation, mindfulness, and unplugging, we can change our behavior and improve the way we work and live.
 
Huffington’s personal struggle with burnout and exhaustion led her to co-found Thrive Global – a company devoted to helping the world’s leading enterprises and their people build healthy habits through inspirational storytelling and actionable microsteps. Huffington believes that at the center of each human being is wisdom, peace and strength. Through Thrive Global, she has worked to provide people with the tools to tap into these elements.
 
The conversation turned to the COVID-19 pandemic, in which Huffington mentioned that even before the pandemic, the world was facing unprecedented and neglected disorder such as growing inequalities that were clearly destabilizing. However, Huffington expressed optimism about the future, noting that this challenging time will lead to fundamental changes that were greatly needed before the pandemic. 
 
In regards to today’s political climate, Huffington emphasized the reverence of fact and science, which she said has had a significant effect in bringing a divided nation together. Furthermore, she noted the importance of providing people the opportunity to redeem themselves, which she said is at the heart of social progress.
 
The event concluded with a Q&A from the audience that touched on topics such as economic disparities, US-China relations, and the today’s media landscape.