Photo courtesy of Bertelsmann Foundation
"Tinderbox, Belt & Road: China in the Balkans"
A Documentary by Samuel George ’07, Co-sponsored with the Bertelsmann Foundation
Featuring Comments by Anne Krueger ’53, Senior Fellow at the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, and Ricardo Barrios ’12, Asian Affairs Analyst, Congressional Research Service
China’s Belt and Road Initiative, unveiled in 2013, represents China’s effort to extend its trade, diplomatic, and national security interests through developmental projects that nominally benefit recipient countries. In recent years, Chinese investment has poured into Southeast Europe. This is an extension of the controversial approach China has already taken in Africa and Latin America. The Initiative offers countries access to desperately needed development financing, but at what cost? The conditions around the financial arrangements have raised concerns related to debt, democracy, labor standards, the environment, and who ultimately benefits from the projects. Why are European countries now turning to China, and what does this mean for the continent’s future? As the US Government reviews its China policies, how should China’s BRI activities be considered in the context of its rising power?
Join filmmaker Samuel George ’07 for a viewing of the film and a discussion with alumni experts in the fields of economics and China policies. Taking us from the copper mines of Eastern Serbia to Montenegro’s billion-dollar highway to nowhere, this Bertelsmann Foundation film transports us to the frontlines of China’s economic advancements into Europe.
Samuel George ’07 is the Bertelsmann Foundation’s Global Markets and Digital Advisor. Since joining the Bertelsmann Foundation in 2012, his work has focused on economics, politics, the digital revolution, and daily life with a specific emphasis on where these issues intersect. His multimedia approach features documentary film, animated video, and written analysis. Samuel’s documentaries bring viewers up close and personal to people and communities facing the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century, offering candid perspectives that allow viewers to draw their own conclusions. He has screened for our alumni community his documentaries Go-Go City: Displacement and Protest in Washington, DC; Out to Vote: A Story of Redemption. A Story of Democracy; Local 1196: A Steelworkers Strike; and Barry Farm: Community, Land and Justice in Washington, DC. George is currently completing a PhD at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. At Oberlin, Sam majored in History.
Anne Krueger ’53 is an eminent economist and one of Oberlin’s most distinguished graduates. Anne is a Senior Fellow at the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, and the Herald L. and Caroline Ritch Emeritus Professor of Sciences and Humanities in the Economics Department at Stanford University. Her career includes service as First Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, and Vice President, Economics and Research at the World Bank. Anne has taught at prestigious universities and organizations, both in the US and abroad. She is a Distinguished Fellow and past President of the American Economic Association, a Senior Research Fellow of the National Bureau of Economic Research, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Econometric Society, and the American Philosophical Society. She has published extensively on economic development, international trade and finance, and economic policy reform. Anne earned her PhD at the University of Wisconsin. At Oberlin, she majored in Economics.
Ricardo Barrios ’12 is an Analyst in Asian Affairs at the Congressional Research Service. A specialist in Chinese affairs, Ricardo focuses on China's diplomacy and foreign policy, particularly its engagements with developing countries. He previously worked at the Inter-American Dialogue, a Latin America-focused think tank, and at a private sector risk-advisory firm. His writings have been featured in publications including The Diplomat, The National Interest, World Politics Review, and Diálogo Chino. He is the author of the chapter “Reimagining US Engagement with Latin America & the Caribbean in Response to a Risen China” in From Trump to Biden and Beyond: Reimagining US-China Relations, edited by Earl A. Carr Jr. He is a founding member of the Latinx China Network (LACHINET). Ricardo was a fellow at the Center for Advanced China Research and one of the American Mandarin Society’s 2019 Next Generation Scholars. He holds a master’s degree in international politics from Peking University. After graduating from Oberlin, Ricardo was a Shansi Fellow. At Oberlin he majored in Politics and East Asian Studies.
