Dear UiB colleagues,
The 2025 Holberg Debate
The Holberg Prize has the pleasure of inviting everyone to attend the 2025 Holberg Debate at the University Aula, on Tuesday 9th December, 17:00 – 19:30.
The debate is entitled “Is Collective Security Dead?”. The panel will discuss such topics as the future of the transatlantic alliance, the role of democracy in global stability, and the relevance of liberal internationalism in an era of great power competition.
In the panel:
- Boris Johnson is a former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (2019 – 2022), Leader of the Conservative Party (2019 – 2022), Foreign Secretary (2016 – 2018), and Mayor of London (2008 – 2016). In 2022, Mr. Johnson played a prominent role in the UK’s response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He has remained a key ally of President Volodomyr Zelenskyy, regularly advocating for Ukraine in speeches and media appearances worldwide.
- Mary Kaldor is Professor Emeritus of Global Governance and Director of the Conflict and Civicness Research Group at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She has pioneered the concepts of new wars and global civil society. Her books include New and Old Wars: Organised Violence in a Global Era (3rd edition, 2012), International Law and New Wars (with Christine Chinkin, 2017), and Global Security Cultures (2018).
- Stephen Walt is the Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and a is widely recognized as a leading scholar in the neo-realist school of international relations. His books include The Origins of Alliances (1987); Taming American Power: The Global Response to U.S. Primacy (2005); and (with John J. Mearsheimer) The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy (2007, and The Hell of Good Intentions: America’s Foreign Policy Elite and the Decline of U.S. Primacy (2018).
The event will be moderated by Stephen Sackur, who is a British writer, broadcaster and internationally renowned journalist. He was presenter of HARDtalk, the BBC’s flagship international current affairs interview show from 2005-2025. He is now a presenter of Times Radio’s Times at One.
Please see the Holberg Prize website for more information on the event.
For in-person attendance: Please register for the event here.
We encourage everyone to be early. You can also follow our Facebook event page. We invite everyone to submit questions for the panel here.
Previous instalments of the Holberg Debate can be found here.
The 2026 Announcement and Holberg Week.
The Announcement of the 2026 Holberg Laureate and Nils Klim Laureate will take place at the University Aula on 17th March, 2026, between 09:00 and 10:00.
The 2026 Holberg Week will take place on 2nd – 5th June, with award ceremonies in Bergen and other events in Bergen and Oslo.
We ask everyone to note these dates and check our website for updates on the different events.
Nominations
Nominations for the 2027 Holberg Prize and Nils Klim Prize may now be submitted. The deadline is 15th June, 2026. Please see our website for more information.
Queries may be directed to: info@holbergprisen.no.
Kind regards,
Bjørn Enge Bertelsen
Prof. Bjørn Enge Bertelsen
Academic Director
The Holberg Prize
e: bjorn.bertelsen@uib.no
m: +47 4110 3883
https://holbergprize.org