Special Lecture by Prof. Ms. Maiko Ichihara on "The Shifting Landscape of Global Governance and the Role of Middle Powers."

On 4 November, the Embassy of Japan in Georgia hosted a special lecture by Prof. Ms. Maiko Ichihara, Professor at the Graduate School of Law and the School of International and Public Policy, Hitotsubashi University, on the theme "The Shifting Landscape of Global Governance and the Role of Middle Powers". 
 

Prof. Ichihara is a renowned expert in international relations, Japanese foreign policy, human rights/democracy diplomacy, and cognitive security. She earned her Ph.D. from the George Washington University and has served as a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, as well as the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 
 

The event was attended by H.E. Mr. Ishizuka Hideki, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Georgia, Prof. Ms. Nino Doborjginidze, Rector of Ilia State University, alongside university faculty, researchers, a large audience of students and others. 
 

During the lecture, Prof. Ichihara examined the changing "rules of the game" in international relations, the intense battles over global norms, and the increasingly influential role of non-state actors. Against this backdrop, she explored the critical role that middle powers can play in revitalizing and restructuring global governance. Following her presentation, an engaging Q&A session took place, where students and attendees actively posed questions regarding the future of global governance, international cooperation, and the strategic positioning of middle-power nations.