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Our 52nd Year

Global Issues
Venice Friday Series
Shannon

Diplomacy in an Age of Uncertainty: How the United States Can Defend Its Interests, Promote Its Values, and Keep the Peace in the 21st Century
1/13/23
Thomas Shannon

Amb. Thomas Shannon will address the challenges posed to the liberal international order. Faced with a changing global environment, and struggling with deep political change at home, what can the United States do to shape the future to benefit the American people and our vision of a democratic, open society.


Milani

Iran: Is Reconciliation With the U.S. Possible?
1/20/23
Moshen Milani

Dr. Mohsen Milani has studied US-Iranian tensions for 40 years. Direct warfare was avoided but proxy wars, assassinations, cyber attacks, and harsh sanctions took its place. Attempts to break this pattern— the grand nuclear deal, failed. Dr. Milani explores our complex relationship and discusses prospects for change.


Schudson

The Prosecutor’s Art from the Streets to the Suites to the Oval Office
1/27/23
Charles Schudson

Judge Charles B. Schudson returns to SILL to address street crime, white collar crime, presidential crime … whatever the crime, prosecutors must direct investigations, assemble evidence, and present cases to judges and juries. But how? Does the Constitution restrain them? Do their own constitutions guide them? Can corruption or politics influence them?


Walker

Macron's Europe - or Putin's?
2/3/23
Martin Walker

After President Macron's striking loss of his parliamentary majority in June, Martin Walker contends that the EU faces the double challenge of a combined energy and economic crisis with no obvious leader and a new Cold War. But the EU has no coherent nor agreed strategy to address Putin's menace in the East.


Suri

Civil War by Other Means
2/10/23
Jeremi Suri

Worries about a new civil war in America are misplaced because the Civil War never fully ended. Dr. Jeremi Suri will discuss the two decades after the Confederate surrender at Appomattox, when some Americans tried to build a multiracial nation, and others refused. It shows how those years are still relevant.


McFate

The Sneaky War: Russia, China, the U.S. and the Emerging Strategic Paradigm
2/17/23
Sean McFate

Russia invades Ukraine. China covets Taiwan. Iran wants the Middle East. Everywhere, autocracies are bullying democracies. Wars are no longer won by the strong but by the sneaky, who employ an arsenal of dark arts. Dr. Sean McFate will explain what "sneaky war" entails, why it succeeds, and how the U.S. can use it to defend freedom globally.


Ross

Changing World: Changing Middle East
2/24/23
Dennis Ross

The Biden administration is facing simultaneous geopolitical crises. Russia's invasion of Ukraine threatens the stability of the post-Cold War World Order, Iran's nuclear program continues to advance, and China's increasing hostility and power requires strenuous US competition. Amb. Dennis Ross will discuss the implications for US policy and the Middle East.


Miller

India and the World: Its Rise, Power, and Influence
3/3/23
Manjari Chatterjee Miller

Dr. Manjari Chatterjee Miller will discuss the history of India's foreign policy, its relationships with the United States and China, and how these relationships shape its role on the global stage. As the United States faces an increasingly antagonistic China and Russia, the India-U.S. partnership will be critical for the future of the Indo-Pacific.


DeFrank

Presidential Politics
3/10/23
Thomas DeFrank

Thomas DeFrank will discuss how leaks to the media are often derided as scandalous and unprofessional. Sometimes it's true. It's also true that government officials often use leaks to influence public opinion, send messages to other world leaders, and shape policy. For all their notoriety, leaks are elements of statecraft and public policy.


Beyrle

Russia: Preparing for the Post-Putin Era
3/17/23
John Beyrle

After two decades as the Russian President and Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin’s career may be nearing an end. Amb John Beyrle will address the implications of this transition to Russia and what it might mean for the United States, Europe, and the international community.


Aydintasbas

Understanding Turkey — And Its Rise in the Great Power Game
3/24/23
Asli Aydintasbas

Turkey was once a loyal NATO ally with sketchy democratic development. More recently, a more independent Turkey emerged as an actor in the Middle East, but its democracy went south. The Ukraine war again highlights Ankara's importance between NATO and Russia. Ms Asli Aydintasbas will examine Turkey's positioning in the global competition.


Kupchan

Is the West Back? Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine and the Future of the Atlantic Alliance
3/31/23
Charles Kupchan

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine constitutes a historical watershed, reviving NATO by returning Europe to militarized division. The alliance now faces three critical challenges: 1) managing rivalry with a Sino-Russian bloc; 2) working across ideological lines to tame a globalized and interdependent world; 3) redressing the West’s political and economic vulnerabilities to ensure that democratic societies outperform illiberal alternatives.