Catz Zurich Drinks 2026
Catz is coming to Switzerland in 2026.
Courtesy of our wonderful hosts Swiss Friends of Oxford (SFOU), we will host an alumni drinks reception and dinner in Zurich on Wednesday, 18th February 2026. Our guest of honour and speaker is Inken von Borzyskowski, Catz Fellow and Professor of International Relations.
Howard Rosen CBE, President of the Swiss Friends of Oxford University, together with Rachel Shepherd, Deputy Director of Development at St Catherine’s College, request the pleasure of your company at an exclusive drinks reception, followed by a special SFOU dinner.
On Wednesday, 18th February, we will convene in the Salon „Zürichsee“ in Club Baur au Lac, Claridenstrasse 10, 8002 Zürich. Guests are warmly welcome to join us at 5.30pm for drinks, followed by dinner at 6.30pm.
Please RSVP by Wednesday, 11th February to secure your place. RSVPs for the drinks should be directed to Rachel Shepherd (development.office@stcatz.ox.ac.uk), while RSVPs for the SFOU dinner should be directed to Helen Baumgartner (info@oxfordfriends.ch). Please make sure to inform us of any dietary or accessibility requirements at the time of sending an email.
“Why Do Countries Walk Away from International Organisations (IOs)? Understanding Breakups in Global Politics”
Why do states exit international organizations (IOs)? How often does exit from IOs – including voluntary withdrawal and forced suspension – occur? What are the effects of leaving IOs for the exiting state?
Professor Inken von Borzyskowski joins us to explore some of the themes in her new book, Exit from International Organizations, co-authored by Felicity Vabulas. Despite the importance of membership in IOs, a broader understanding of exit across states, organizations, and time has been limited. Professor von Borzyskowski argues that there is a common logic to IO exit which helps explain both its causes and consequences. By examining IO exit across 198 states, 534 IOs, and over a hundred years of history, she shows that exit is driven by states’ dissatisfaction, preference divergence, and is a strategy to negotiate institutional change/push for reform. Professor von Borzyskowski demonstrates that exit is costly, has reputational consequences and can significantly affect other forms of international cooperation.
Whether you’re interested in global governance, international relations, or the politics of cooperation and conflict, this event will offer fresh insights into the causes and consequences of countries leaving the global stage.
Inken von Borzyskowski is a Fellow of St Catherine’s College and Professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford. Her research focuses on the domestic politics of international relations with an emphasis on international organizations and their effect on domestic conflict and elections. Her research has been awarded a British Academy Mid-Career Fellowship and a Philip Leverhulme Prize, best paper awards from the American Political Science Association and the European Consortium for Political Research, and a Dissertation Prize from the International Studies Association. She received her PhD at UW-Madison and spent a year at Duke. She has been a research fellow at the European University Institute in Florence, at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) in Washington DC, and a consultant at the US Institute of Peace. Before joining Oxford, she spent four years at University College London and four years at Florida State University.
Pricing
Catz alumni drinks reception: Free
Dinner: CHF 180 for SFOU members, CHF 220 non-members/guests
Further Information
This invitation is not transferable, however if you know of other Catz alumni in the region who may be interested in attending, or if you would like to meet with Rachel separately whilst she is in the area, do please let us know.
Image courtesy of Britannic
Date
18 February, 2026
Time
5pm CET
Venue
Club Baur au Lac, Claridenstrasse 10, 8002 Zürich
Price
TBC
Dress Code
Business casual