Cyber-warfare. The sequencing of the human genome. Instant communication between peoples and countries. All this sets the 21stcentury apart from earlier centuries. Yet some actors on the international scene remain the same. Hard power still matters. Empires exist, even if they go by other names. Nations rise and fall, societies change, and ideas and ideologies remain potent. In a public lecture, acclaimed author and historian Margaret MacMillan explores how history can help us think about today’s world, and about the world of tomorrow.

Please join the International Development Research Centre for the lecture by Margaret MacMillan, “New powers and new types of power: Is history any help in understanding the 21st century?”

When: Tuesday, September 7, 2010, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Where: National Gallery of Canada, Auditorium, 380 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario

One of Canada’s best-known historians, Margaret MacMillan is author of several critically acclaimed books including Paris 1919: Six Months that Changed the World, which won the Governor-General’s prize for non-fiction in 2003, and Nixon in China: The Week That Changed the World, shortlisted in 2007 for a Gelber Prize. She is a frequent commentator on historical issues and current affairs in the international media. Her most recent book, The Uses and Abuses of History, takes aim at politicians and countries that misrepresent the past in order to justify war and aggression.

Margaret MacMillan is Warden of St. Antony’s College, Oxford, where she is also professor of history. She previously served as Provost of Trinity College and professor of history at the University of Toronto. In 2006 she was named an officer of the Order of Canada.

Margaret MacMillan's public lecture is part of the Speakers of Renown series, being held throughout 2010 to mark IDRC's 40th anniversary.