Publications

Antonio Lessa discusses the importance of knowledge sharing and education in bridging the intergenerational gap across borders

Photo Credit: Katrin Kerschbaumer

Antonio Carlos Lessa is a professor of International Relations at Universidade de Brasília. Since 2007, he has been a Research Fellow with the Brazilian Council for Scientific and Technological Development and serves as Deputy Director at the Center for Global Studies at the University of Brasília. His research and teaching interests include Brazilian Foreign Policy, Global Issues, and Contemporary International Politics and his current work is centered on contemporary global challenges such as climate change, humanitarian crises, and the rivalry between the US and China.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Paul Matangcas, Salzburg Global Communications Intern: The inaugural cohort of the KFAS-Salzburg Global Leadership Initiative comes from diverse backgrounds. As someone from academia, how does education contribute to addressing the many challenges faced by our world today? 
 
Antonio Lessa, Full Professor, Universidade de Brasília: In the context of the formation of leadership and intergenerational issues, I think that education is a tool that gives solutions to the problems that are rising nowadays. Through education at all levels, we can have more skilled youth [who can] apply for better jobs and can deal better with innovation and new technologies. The geopolitical conditions are changing; we have global issues that are changing the perception of the centrality of traditional issues. For instance, climate change, population decrease, economic instability, geopolitical instability, [and] new conflicts in areas, regions, and actors that we could not suspect years ago. We are facing a new era of instability with new elements; the role of education is crucial to give all generations the tools to face these issues. 

PM: What pathways should we pursue to ensure that the work done in academia translates to policies for the common good?

AL: This is a traditional [and] crucial problem in academia—the concept of the “ivory tower”. Academicians and political [and] social scientists are very closed in their research projects [and are more focused] on finding their solutions and increasing their publications. Usually, we forget to translate our findings into elements to subsidize the formulation of policies and our findings to help, for instance, practitioners, people working in NGOs, and government officials. I think that a lot of things [need to be] done, for instance, training academicians [and] scientists to be more open to the ambition to broadly [and] openly communicate their findings [and] their conclusions to the general public. We have to be concerned about the application of our findings in the “real world”; [there is a] need to be open to the demands of society—to play the role of a provider of information [and] resources for society. 

PM: As someone who researches geopolitics and international relations, specifically in Brazil, are there trends or key findings that you believe are also applicable to other countries or contexts?

AL: I work with international politics, and I think that the most important solution that I try to look for in my work is this connection, not only with the Brazilian reality, the Brazilian demands, [and] the Brazilian foreign policy, but how Brazil and the Brazilian reality connects with the realities from the countries of the Global South. We share the same conditions [and] the same problems on different scales. We are a part of the same reality. I think that [studying] Brazilian problems and perspectives of international issues from the Global South is a way to enrich these debates and connect with other academicians, scientists, and specialists in other countries [who] are also working with contemporary international politics. 

PM: What were your expectations coming into the program and how has that changed throughout your participation?

AL: The first and most important thing for me is to learn from different perspectives, to learn from practitioners, [and] to learn [from] different experiences which I don't have access [to]. To be a part of this first cohort is not only a great honor for me in terms of how the program was designed, but also an important design of a combination of views. For instance, bringing [together] experienced scholars and professionals and putting them to work together with younger professionals. For me, this is really a transformative experience to learn, for instance, [from] a young practitioner who is operating with refugee policies in Greece or the Philippines. This is really transformative [and] life-changing, and I think the next cohort who will focus on other critical issues will enjoy the same experience.

PM: What are your key takeaways from the KFAS-Salzburg Global Leadership Initiative?

AL: First, we can work with different levels of analysis to understand international issues. Let us consider the theme of this first cohort which is “Uncertain Futures and Connections Reimagined: Connecting Generations” - this is a level of analysis that is hardly considered [in] international politics [and] international relations. [This is a breath] of fresh air in my understanding of global issues [such as] the impact of climate change. So, this is a different level of analysis, and for me, it's a transformation in the way that I'm thinking and considering this whole agenda of problems and issues that I'm presented here in this first cohort.

Antonio Lessa is part of the inaugural cohort of Fellows in the KFAS-Salzburg Global Leadership Initiative, a multi-year program that annually brings together an international, intergenerational, and interdisciplinary network of Korean and global thought leaders to create new connections and tackle global challenges. This year’s cohort focused on the theme of "Uncertain Futures and Connections Reimagined: Connecting Generations". We talked to him during the first in-person gathering of KFAS-Salzburg Global Leadership Initiative Fellows from October 9-13, 2023, at Schloss Leopoldskron in Salzburg, Austria.