Who Are We Now? Citizenship, Civil Society, and the Multipolar New World Order [Podcast]

Margaret Mead’s famous assertion – “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has” – remains a profound rallying cry, yet its urgency has seldom been clearer than in the current global state of affairs.

2. As the world transitions into a multipolar new world order, defined by shifting power centres, geopolitical fragmentation, and the erosion of established international norms, the meaning of citizenship itself is under extraordinary pressure. The civil society that Mead championed—a space for independent, thoughtful action—is now both more necessary and more contested than ever before.

3. In a world where global issues demand multilateral solutions but nationalism increasingly pushes for unilateral action, our question, “Who Are We Now?”, is not just about national identity but about the bedrock principles of collective responsibility, dialogue, and resilience required for citizens to navigate this complex, uncertain era.

4. No one is better suited to launch our 2026 series than Lord Alf Dubs. He famously captured the essence of our inquiry when he said, “All I say to people is, I think for all its faults, I think [the UK] is a terrific country. I want to do everything I can to make it better for everybody, and I identify totally with Britain. And so I think the important thing is one’s sense of identity. If one identifies as being British, one identifies with this country; one is well on the way to answering the question as to how one should move forward.”

5. Lord Alfred Dubs is a British Labour life peer, a former Member of Parliament, and a lifelong campaigner for the rights of refugees.

6. Born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, in December 1932, he is one of the Kindertransport children, having been rescued from the Nazis at the age of six. He travelled on a train organised by Sir Nicholas Winton, where he was fortunate to be reunited with his father upon arriving in London. His early life as a refugee deeply informed his subsequent career and political commitments.

7. Lord Dubs studied at the London School of Economics (LSE). He served as a Labour MP for Battersea South and Battersea between 1979 and 1987. From 1988 to 1995, he was the Director of the Refugee Council. After being appointed a Labour life peer in the House of Lords in 1994, he served as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Northern Ireland Office from 1997 to 1999.

8. He is widely known for successfully campaigning for an amendment to the Immigration Act in 2016, which compelled the UK government to relocate a specified number of unaccompanied child refugees from Europe to the UK, an effort often referred to as the Dubs Amendment. He remains an active and independent-minded member of the House of Lords, continuing to champion human rights, social justice, and refugee policy.

9. In this episode, we discuss the topic: Who Are We Now? Citizenship, Civil Society, and the Multipolar New World Order.

10. Please take a moment to listen to Episode 024 of Conversations with Stephen Kamugasa. We invite you to follow us on your preferred podcast app to stay updated with the latest insights from our esteemed guest thought leaders.

Resources & Mentions:

In this episode, we referenced Antony Loewenstein’s book The Palestine Laboratory: How Israel Exports the Technology of Occupation Around the World. We also highlighted the contribution of Dr Maria Chamberlain, who joined our genocide series in 2024 with her podcast Genocide: Why It Is Important to Bear Witness, underscoring the importance of testimony in confronting atrocity.