The Hon. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, Executive Director, Graduate School of Political Management, George Washington University - We are delighted to announce that our first speaker of the 2026-27 season will be the Hon. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, who will speak on U.S. relations from the perspective of a former Member of Congress and senior educator. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell was born in Ecuador and immigrated to the United States at… … Read More
Ms. Lauren Kahn, Senior Research Analyst at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology - Lauren Kahn is a Senior Research Analyst at Georgetown’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), focusing on the national security applications of AI. Previously, she was a Policy Advisor for Force Development and Emerging Capabilities in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy at the U.S.… … Read More
Dr. Joshua W. Busby, Professor of Public Affairs, University of Texas, and winner of the 2026 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order - Dr. Joshua Busby, winner of the 2026 Grawemeyer Award in World Order, is Professor of Public Affairs at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas-Austin. He is also a distinguished scholar at the Strauss Center, nonresident fellow with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs,… … Read More
Dr. Justyna Zajac, Professor of Practice in European Security Studies Department of International Studies and Department of Political Science, Jean Monnet Chair of European Security, Indiana University - Dr. Justyna Zayac is Professor of Practice in European Security Studies Department of International Studies and Department of Political Science, and Jean Monnet Chair of European Security at Indiana University—Bloomington. She is also full professor of politics at Warsaw University, Poland. Dr. Zayac is a specialist on international relations with… … Read More
Ms. Uzra Zeya, President and CEO, Human Rights First - Ms. Uzra Zeya joined Human Rights First (HRF) as President and CEO in April 2025. In this role, she leads HRF efforts to advance human rights for all, defend democracy at home and abroad, uphold the rule of law, and protect vulnerable populations fleeing oppression. As U.S. Under Secretary of… … Read More
Mr. Eric Jacobstein, Senior Fellow, Inter-American Dialogue - Eric Jacobstein is a senior fellow at the Inter-American Dialogue, where he provides expertise on Central America, the Caribbean, and regional migration. He also is the founder and principal of Puentes Global Advisory, a consulting firm which he launched after nearly two decades of U.S. government service as a senior… … Read More
Dr. Mohsen Milani, Executive Director of the Center for Strategic & Diplomatic Studies, Professor of Politics, University of South Florida - Professor Mohsen Milani is an internationally renowned scholar of modern Iran and Professor of Politics at the University of South Florida. A prolific author, he has published over 80 works in academic and popular journals. His seminal book, The Making of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, is widely regarded as a classic… … Read More
Dr. Robert Sutter, Professor of Practice of International Affairs, Elliott School, George Washington University - Robert Sutter has been Professor of Practice of International Affairs at the Elliott School of George Washington University since 2011. He also served as Director of the School’s main undergraduate program, involving over 2,000 students, from 2013-2019. Before that, he taught full-time at Georgetown University for ten years; and he… … Read More
Dr. Charles Kupchan, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, and Professor of International Affairs, Georgetown University - Dr. Kupchan is Professor of International Affairs in the School of Foreign Service and Government Department at Georgetown University, and Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. From 2014 to 2017 Kupchan served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for European Affairs on the National Security… … Read More
Mr. Thomas E. Garrett, Lecturer, Cornell University, former Secretary General of the Community of Democracies, and former Vice President, International Republican Institute - Soft Power is the use by a nation of its ideals, culture or values to influence other countries to support its policies. Following decades of cultivation by Washington of soft power to augment the hard power of its military, momentous change is underway by the Trump Administration in foreign policy,… … Read More
Dr. John M. Owen IV, Professor of Politics, University of Virginia, and Winner of the 2025 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order - Dr. John M. Owen is a Miller Center faculty senior fellow and Ambassador Henry J. Taylor and Mrs. Marion R. Taylor Professor of Politics. His newest book, The Ecology of Nations: American Democracy in a Fragile World Order (Yale University Press, 2023), received the 2025 Grawemeyer Award for World Order… … Read More
Dr. David Shin, Senior Research Fellow, National Intelligence University, Colonel, U.S. Army (ret) - Our March speaker, Dr. David Shin, has been teaching at NIU since 2011. He has over 25 years of U.S. Army intelligence experience. This includes collaboration and coordination with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region during various staff and leadership assignments with the Second Infantry Division (Platoon Leader), Intelligence… … Read More
Mr. David Bosco, Executive Associate Dean, Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies and Professor, International Studies Department, Indiana University - Our February speaker, Mr. David Bosco, is Executive Associate Dean of Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies and a professor in the International Studies department. David is an expert on international law and will discuss America’s problematic relationship with the International Criminal Court. Although the U.S.… … Read More
Dr. Stacy Closson, National Intelligence University - Our first speaker of 2025 is Dr. Stacy Closson, a faculty member at the National Intelligence University and a specialist on Arctic security and energy. Dr. Stacy Closson is on the faculty of the National Intelligence University after serving as the Deputy National Intelligence Officer on the National Intelligence Council… … Read More
Ambassador Jess Baily (retired), “Along Europe’s Fault Lines: Turkey, NATO, and The U.S.” - We are delighted to announce our December speaker, Ambassador Jess Baily, who will speak on the timely topic “Along Europe’s fault lines: Turkey, NATO, and the U.S.” Turkey is by far the most problematic member of NATO, and with President-elect Trump a NATO skeptic, we are likely to see major… … Read More
Mr. Nicholas Kralev, Executive Director, Washington International Diplomatic Academy - Nicholas Kralev is founder and Executive Director of the Washington International Diplomatic Academy, an independent organization that provides practical professional training in diplomacy and international affairs. American diplomacy has faced a combustible mix of unique challenges in recent years that have tested its agility and effectiveness. From domestic hurdles resulting… … Read More
Mr. Amir Asmar, National Intelligence University and Defense Intelligence Agency (ret). - Mr. Amir Asmar is currently an adjunct Instructor of Middle East strategic issues at the National Intelligence University. He retired from the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and federal service in January 2023. Prior to his retirement, Mr. Asmar was Deputy Chief, Office of Partner Mission Integration in DIA’s Deputy Directorate… … Read More
Dr. Albert Keidel, Professorial Lecturer and Development Economist, George Washington University - Dr. Albert Keidel is a development economist specializing in East Asia. His recently completed book manuscript, China’s Economic Challenge: Unconventional Success (2022), applies lessons from China’s economic success to an understanding of effective economic development policies. He is an adjunct graduate professor at George Washington University, where he teaches a… … Read More
H.E. Jovita Neliupšienė, Ambassador of the European Union to the United States - Jovita Neliupšienė became the Ambassador of the European Union to the United States on January 1, 2024. Before that, she was a Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania from September 2022, where she was responsible for the coordination of European Affairs, European bilateral and regional issues, as well as… … Read More
Dr. Michael C. Kimmage, Professor and Chair, Department of History, Catholic University - Dr. Michael Kimmage is Professor and Chair of the History Department at Catholic University in Washington, D.C. and Non-resident Senior Associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He specializes in the history of the Cold War, in twentieth-century U.S. diplomatic and intellectual history and in U.S.-Russian relations since… … Read More
Dr. Roman V. Yampolskiy, Director, Cyber Security Lab, University of Louisville - Dr. Roman V. Yampolskiy is Associate Professor and Director of the Cyber Security Lab in the Department of Computer Engineering and Computer Science, University of Louisville. He holds a PhD degree from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University at Buffalo. There he was a recipient of… … Read More
Dr. Neta Crawford, Montague Burton Chair in International Relations, Oxford University, and Winner of the 2024 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World Order - Dr. Neta Crawford Neta is Montague Burton Chair in International Relations and also holds a Professorial Fellowship at Balliol College, Oxford University. Her research focuses on war, ethics, normative change, emotions in world politics, and climate change. She is the winner of the 2024 Grawemeyer Award for Ideas Improving World… … Read More
Dr. Rajan Menon, Director of Grand Strategy, Defense Priorities - Dr. Rajan Menon is director of the Grand Strategy program at Defense Priorities and the Anne and Bernard Spitzer Chair Emeritus in International Relations at the Powell School, City College of New York/City University of New York. He is also a Senior Research Scholar at the Saltzman Institute of War… … Read More
Mr. Brian Katulis, Vice President of Policy and Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute - Mr. Brian Katulis is a senior fellow and vice president of policy at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C. He is an expert on, and has conducted research in, the Palestinian territories, Egypt, Jordan, and Israel. In addition to his work at the Middle East Institute, he is a… … Read More
Dr. Henri J. Barkey, Cohen Professor of International Relations,Lehigh University, and Adjunct Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations - We are delighted to have as our first speaker of 2024 Dr. Henri J. Barkey, adjunct senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and the Bernard L. and Bertha F. Cohen chair in international relations at Lehigh University. Dr. Barkey is one of the country’s top experts… … Read More