Wine and Cheese Evening: "Emergence of China: End of the West's Dominance?"

The first Wine and Cheese evening of the Spring semester was held on February 22nd on the theme: "Emergence of China: End of the West's Dominance?" The discussion was animated by H.E. Dominique Dreyer, former Ambassador of Switzerland to China and India, and a faculty member at AGS, who lived and worked in China for almost twenty years. His position as a diplomat and ambassador gave him expert insight on the political, economic and social structures underlying China's recent development.

Introducing the discussion with the famous quote attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte: "Let China sleep, for when China wakes, it will shake the world" ("Laissez donc la Chine dormir, car lorsque la Chine s'éveillera, le monde tremblera"), Ambassador Dreyer then reviewed the post-WWII history of China before examining today's situation and assuming possible scenarios for the future.

"China started developing at a speed that took the world by surprise. After initial tender feelings of sympathy, the world was astonished, and now it is going through various phases of fear, anger, as well as admiration and cooperation," says Dreyer.

AGS Wine and Cheese evenings are informal debates gathering AGS students, alumni, faculty, staff, and outside guests in a convivial setting around good French wine and cheese to discuss a topic of international relations. These events are held twice a semester and the topic varies each time. The discussion is animated by an AGS faculty member or an outside expert on the subject. If you are interested in attending in the future, please contact Matthew Delabre.

See photos of the Wine and Cheese evening: