Your passport to global affairs

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Lecture Videos from the 2026/2027 Season  

November 2

Andrew Tabler

"From Hormuz to Damascus"

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Lecture Videos from the 2025/2026 Season

April 7

Douglas Lute

"A Global National Security Conversation"

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March 23

Tim Ditter

"Advances in Chinese Military and Uncrewed Technology"

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March 9

Paul Webster Hare

"The Future of U.S. Relations with Venezuela and Cuba"

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February 23

Louis Treadwell

"High Latitudes and High Stakes: Economics, Environment and Security in an Accessible Arctic"

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February 9

Michael O'Hanlon

"To Dare Mighty Things: U.S. Defense Strategies Since the Revolution, and Lessons for Today"

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January 26

Daniel Alpert

"Issues Impacting the Global Economy"

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January 12

Mona Yacoubian

"The Middle East at a Hinge Moment"

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December 8

William Taylor

"Russia's War on Ukraine: An Update"

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November 17

Edward Luce

"ZBIG"

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November 3

Barbara Slavin

"Conflict: Iran"

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Lecture Videos from the 2024/2025 Season

April 7

Eddie Aldrete

"Workforce, Borders and Policy: The Case for Modernizing U.S. Immigration"

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March 24

Chris Meserole

"Artificial Intelligence"

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March 10

Aaron David Miller

"Lessons Learned from the Negotiator's Highway"

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February 10

Ray Takeyh

"Iran's New Patrons"

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January 27

Ryan Hass

"Will China become the World's Strongest Power?"

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January 6

Charles Kupchan

"The Next World Order: Does Europe Still Matter?"

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December 9

Steven Cook

"The End of Ambition: America's Past, Present and Future in the Middle East"

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December 2

Ian Brzezenski

"Are We Embeded in a New Cold War?  Will Russia Win"

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November 18

Dr. Liana Fix

"Germany, Nato and Nuclear Doctrine"

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November 4

Daniel S. Markey, Ph.D, Institute of Peace

"Pipe Dream or Strategic Windfall"

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Lecture Videos from the 2023/2024 Season

April 1

Daniel Alpert, VP and Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute.

"Taming America's 'Frenemies' and Disciplining its Enemies: 
Is All the Talk of a Tri-Polar World a Future Practicality?"

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March 18

Brian Katulis, VP and Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute.

"U.S. Policy on Iran's Threat to Middle East Security"

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March 4

James B. Cunningham, Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council, Former Ambassador to Afghanistan.

"Perspectives and Prospects: What Went Wrong and Lessons for the Future:
Afghanistan, Israel and Gaza, Ukraine, and the potential conflict with China over Taiwan"

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February 20

Seth G. Jones, SVP Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) International Security Program.

"The Rise of Irregular Warfare: The Threat to the U.S. Homeland from China, Russia and Iran"

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February 5

Scott A. Snyder, Senior Fellow, Korea Studies, Council on Foreign Relations.

"South Korea at the Crossroads"

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January 22

Robert Daly, Director, Kissinger Institute, Wilson Center.

"All Eyes on China"

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January 10

Professor Radley Horton, Columbia University, Principal Investigator and Climate Scientist.

"Climate Extremes, Risks and Adaption"

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December 19

William A. Taylor, Vice President, Europe and Russia at the U.S. Institute of Peace and former U.S.  Ambassador to Ukraine.

"600+ Days of Battle with Volodymyr and Vladimir"

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December 4 

Steven A. Cook. Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow, Middle East and Africa Studies, Council on Foreign Relations.

"This War Won't Solve the Israel-Palestine Conflict"

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November 20

Hope Harrison, Ph.D., Professor, The Cold War Group, Elliott School, George Washington University

"The New Germany"

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November 6

Julia-Sabin Joha, Fellow, Foreign Policy Institute, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies

"Securing the Black Sea Region"

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    Lecture Videos from the 2022/2023 Season

April 3

Bilal Wahab, Wagner Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy

"Behind the Earthquake's Curtain"

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March 20

Sheila Smith, John E. Merrow Senior Fellow for Asia-Pacific Studies, Council on Foreign Relations

"The Quad in the Indo-Pacific"

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March 6

Caitlin Welsh, Director of the Food Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies

"Food is Russia's 'Silent Weapon' "

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February 21

Dr. Duncan Wood, Vice President for Strategy and New Initiatives and Senior Advisor to the Wilson Center's Mexico Institute

"Are We Losing Mexico? Lopez Obrador Returns to the Past"

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February 6

Dr. Cynthia A. Watson, Professor Emerita, National War College, and Dr. Bernard D. Cole, USN [Ret.].

"China's Challenges: Inside and Out"

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January 23

Michael E. O'Hanlon, Brookings Institution Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy. Director of Research for the Foreign Policy Program; Strobe Talbott Center for Security, Strategy and Technology and Philip H. Knight Chair in Defense and Strategy

"Germany, Europe, NATO, History and the Path Ahead in Ukraine" 

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January 11

Joseph Cirincione, National Security Analyst, Member of the Council for Foreign Relations, past President of the Ploughshare Fund, a Global Security Foundation 

"Miscalculations and Nuclear Risks in the Ukraine War"

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December 5

Stephen A. Cook, Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa studies, Council on Foreign Relations

"Putin's Willing Partners in the Middle East"

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November 14

David S. Rohde, American author and investigative journalist, Executive Editor of “newyorker.com”. 

"The Weaponization of Social Media in Foreign Policy"

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October 31 

Ian J. Brzezinski,  Member of the Strategic Advisors Group at the Atlantic Council; Senior Fellow in the Council's Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security. 

"U. S. Security Policy and Strategy: What is at Stake?"

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Lecture Videos from the 2021/2022 Season

April 4

Katherine Zimmerman is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and an adviser to AEI’s Critical Threats Project.

"After Afghanistan: Countering al Qaeda and the Islamic State"  

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March 21 

Ambassador Frank G. Wisner,[USA ret.] Egypt, India, Philippines and Zambia. International Affairs Advisor , Squire Patton Boggs (US), American Academy of Diplomacy.

“Reflections On Our Pivot to Asia”

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March 7 

Dr. Mariya Omelicheva, Professor National Security Strategy, National War College, and 

William H. Hill, Global Fellow at the Wilson Center Kennan Institute, Expert on Russia and former Soviet Union

“Understanding Vladimir Putin: His Battle Strategy and Psychological Interpretation of Rebuilding the Soviet Empire”

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February 22

Suzanne DiMaggio, Chairman, Quincy Institute. Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“Talking with the Enemy: The Cases of North Korea and Iran”

February 7 

Ambassador Ryan Crocker, [USA ret.] Career Ambassador, Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan. Diplomat in Residence, Princeton University.

“Leaving Afghanistan”.

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January 24 

Andrew Tabler, Martin J. Gross Fellow on Arab Studies, Syria and the Levant, and 

Anna Borshchevskaya, Senior Fellow on Russian Policy in the Middle East, Washington Institute.

“Putin’s War in Syria: Unpacking Russia’s Syria Strategy”

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January 10 

Ryan Hass, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution,

Chair in Taiwan Studies.

“Is the United States Destined For War in the Taiwan Strait? “

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December 6 

Christopher Painter, President of the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise.

“Responding to Nation-State, Criminal and other Threats in Cyberspace: Can We Build a More Secure Future?”

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November 15 

Ryan Berg, Center for Strategic and International Studies.

“Turbulence in the Caribbean: Uprisings in Cuba and Assassination in Haiti.”  

  

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November 1

Ömer Taspinar, Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)  

“Turkey, Islam and the West: A Growing Disconnect".

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Lecture Videos from the 2020/2021 Season

June 14

The U.S. and Iran: Can the Iran Nuclear Agreement Be Restarted?

A Discussion with

John Brennan, former CIA Director, and 

Suzanne DiMaggio, Chairman of the Quincy Institute

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April 19 

“Ukraine: The Clear and Present Danger Living as Russia’s Neighbor”   

Amb. William B. Taylor, United States Institute of Peace.  

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April 5

“Global Health in the Time of Covid-19”

Dr. J. Stephen Morrison, Director, Global Health Center, Center for Strategic and International Studies.

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March  22

"U.S.–Arab Relations In The World"

Steven A. Cook,  Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, and

Amb. Nabil Fahmy, Dean, American University of Cairo.

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March 8

“Global Geopolitical Power Shifts and 5G, Quantum and AI”

Richard B. Andres, Professor, U.S. National War College.

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February 22 

“The Global Economy in a Post Covid-19 World”. 

Daniel Alpert, Founding and Managing Partner, Westwood Capital.

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February 8

“Isolationism: A History of America’s Efforts to Shield Itself from the World”

Charles A. Kupchan, Senior Fellow and Director of Europe Studies, Council on Foreign Relations.

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January 25

"The National Security and Nuclear Policy Challenge Facing Joe Biden"

Joseph Cirincione, Author of “Bomb Scare: The History and Future of Nuclear Weapons”.

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January 11 

"The Art of War in an Age of Peace: A New U.S. Grand Strategy of Resolute Restraint”.

Michael E. O'Hanlon, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution.

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December 7 

"China's Western Horizon: Beijing and the New Geopolitics of Eurasia”.

Daniel S. Markey, Professor, Johns Hopkins University, SAIS.

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November 16

“The Battle for Pakistan, The Bitter U.S. Friendship and a Tough Neighborhood”

Shuja Nawaz, Distinguished Fellow, South Asia Center, The Atlantic Council

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November 2

“Twilight of Democracy; The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism”

Anne Applebaum, American Historian, Journalist, “The Atlantic”, Pulitzer Prize Winner.

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October 12 

“Lincoln on the Verge: 13 Days to Washington”. 

Ted Widmer, Ph.D., Macaulay Honors College.

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Lecture Videos from the 2019/2020 Season

April 13: 

“Corona. Virus and the Authoritarian Tide”  

Dean Eliot A. Cohen, Professor at Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies.

This lecture was released by video only due to the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 epidemic.

March 30:

“Sleeping With the Enemy” 

Jon B. Alterman, Senior Vice-President and Zbigniew Brzezinski Chair in Global Security and Geostrategy and Director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 

This lecture was released by video only due to the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 epidemic.

March 16: “In Deep: The FBI, the CIA and the Truth about America’s Deep State”  

David Rohde, Executive Editor for News of NewYorker.com and Global Analyst for CNN. 

This lecture was released by video only due to the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 epidemic.

February 18: “The Media and Politics”

Mara Liasson, National Political Correspondent for National Public Radio and contributor to Fox News. 

February 3: “Overcoming the Hesitations of History: A look at U.S.-India Relations"

Ambassador Richard Verma, [ret.], Vice-Chairman and Partner, The Asia Group.

January 21: “The Korean Peninsula, Nuclear Weapons and the Future of Asia”

Dr. Michael Green, Senior Vice President for Asia and Japan Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, CSIS.

January 6: “Maximum Pressure on Iran is a Maximum Failure”

Barbara Slavin, Director, Future of Iran Initiative, The Atlantic Council.

December 9, 2019: “Territorial Claims and Tensions in the Arctic”  

Mead Treadwell, Woodrow Wilson Polar Institute and Hoover Institute Arctic Security Program.

November 18, 2019: “Mexico’s Fourth Transformation and the Outlook for Bilateral Relations” 

Duncan Wood, Director, Mexico Institute, Woodrow Wilson International Center.

November 4, 2019: “There’s No Going Back! The Shape of the World to Come” 

Clinton Watts, Distinguished Research Fellow, Foreign Policy Research Institute.

Lecture Videos from the 2018/2019 Season

April 8, 2019: “Iran at 40: Whither the Revolution?”

Robin Wright, Journalist, Foreign Affairs Analyst, and Distinguished Fellow, Wilson Center and the United

States Institute of Peace. 

March 25, 2019: “Like War: The Weaponization of Social Media”

Peter W. Singer, Strategist, New America Foundation. 

March 11, 2019: “The European Union, Brexit, and the Future of Transatlantic Relations”

Thomas Wright, Director, Center on U.S. and Europe, Brookings Institution. 

February 19, 2019: “Delivering Victory Against Al Qaeda and ISIS” 

Katherine Zimmerman, Critical Threats Research Manager, American Enterprise Institute. 

February 4, 2019 “Russia Rising”

Dr. Eugene Rumer, Senior Fellow and Director, Russia and Eurasia Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

January 21, 2019: “Is Fortress America Forfeiting the Global Economy to Rising China?”

Jeremy Haft, Professor and Author, School of Business, Georgetown University. 

January 7, 2019: "Escaping the Doomsday Machine: Responding to Limited Attacks by Great Powers"

Dr. Michael E. O'Hanlon, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution 

December 3, 2018: “Peacebuilding for National Security”

Ambassador William Taylor, Executive Vice President, United States Institute of Peace. 

November 12, 2018: “North Korea: One of America's Greatest Foreign Policy Challenges” 

Ambassador Christopher R. Hill, Chancellor for Global Engagement, University of Denver. 

October 29, 2018: “Assessing the US Defense Enterprise in a Rapidly Changing World” 

Dr. Kathleen Hicks, Senior Vice President, Henry A. Kissinger Chair, Director of the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. 

Lecture Videos from the 2017/2018 Season

April 3, 2018: “Climate Leadership Without The U.S. Federal Government”. Dr. Joshua Busby, Professor, Public Affairs, LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas, Austin.

March 19, 2018: “China’s Internal Affairs”. Jamie Horsley, Esquire, Senior Fellow of the Paul Tsai China Center at Yale Law School.

March 5, 2018: “Russia After the Cold War”. William Pomeranz, Deputy Director, Kennan Institute at the Wilson Center.

February 20, 2018: “Future of NATO and Department of State”. Ambassador Nicholas Burns, Harvard Kennedy School. 

February 5, 2018: “Google’s Global Relations”. Alexandria Walden, Public Policy & Government Relations Counsel at Google.

January 22, 2018: “U.S.-Arab Relations”. Professor Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Center for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland and Dean Nabil Fahmy, Dean of the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, The American University in Cairo.

Dec 11, 2017 Lecture: “The Eagle and the Trident, the U.S. and Ukraine”. Ambassador Steven Pifer, Brookings Institution.

Nov 27, 2017 Lecture: "How Should We Respond to North Korea's Nuclear Challenge?". Evans J.R. Revere, Senior Director, Albright Stonebridge Group.  

The North Korean challenge many nations face today has been the first major international crisis confronting the Trump Administration. The recent tensions caused by threats of missile tests by North Korea and joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises, have once again brought the issue of the divided Korean people to the forefront of international consciousness. Are there any steps to bring the parties to discuss a path to peace? Evans Revere, newly returned from Japan and South Korea shared his impressions with us. 

November 13, 2017 Lecture: “Global Migration”. Professor Karen Jacobsen, Director of the Refugees and Forced Migration Program at the Fletcher School.

Professor Jacobsen discusses in this lecture the shifting patterns of global migration and their foreign policy implications. Dr. Karen Jacobsen is the Henry J. Leir Professor in Global Migration at the Fletcher School at Tufts University. She directs the Refugees and Migration Program at the Feinstein International Center.

Lecture Videos from the 2016/2017 Season

April 3, 2017: "Nuclear Risks and Opportunities in the Trump Administration" by Dr. Joseph Cirincione 

Joseph Cirincione: The President’s policies could reduce nuclear risks, if he can solve the North Korean problem or strike a new deal with Russia. Nuclear policy expert Joe Cirincione will discuss all these and more in his lecture.

March 20, 2017: "Putin's Plans and U.S. Foreign Policy" by Dr. Stephen Sestanovich 

Dr. Stephen Sestanovich: Just how do Putin's plans interact with the overall direction of US foreign policy? Dr. Sestanovich finds this an increasingly interesting question. Meanwhile Mr. Putin continues his quest for the return of the Russian Empire, building an ever larger military and practicing provocative manoeuvres in Eastern Europe.

March 6,2017 NCWA Lecture: "Latin America's Failing Democracies" by Dr. Cynthia Watson 

Dr. Cynthia Watson: Dilma Rousseff in Brazil, former President Cristina de Kirchner in Argentina, Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela; what role did they play in the "stall" of their democracies? Are there indicators of other serious turbulence ahead or are these merely outlying cases? Is the optimism of prior generations fading away?

February 22,2017 NCWA Lecture: "Inside the Strained U.S.-Saudi Alliance" by David S. Rohde 

David S. Rohde is an American author and investigative journalist for Thomson Reuters. The vote in Congress allowing U.S. citizens to sue Saudi Arabia as a supporter of terror, Obama's detente with Iran, and America's energy independence are causing both sides to question whether a 60 year alliance that is a cornerstone of U.S.-Mideast policy has run its course.

February 13,2017 NCWA Lecture: "Turkey's Lost Democracy" by Dr. Steven Cook 

Dr. Steven Cook: In 2005, Turkey began formal negotiations to join the European Union, but a little more than a decade later it looks less like a liberal democracy than a one-man electoral autocracy. What went wrong? What are the implications for the U.S. approach to Turkey and the future of its alliance with the West?

February 6,2017 NCWA Lecture: "An Overview of Today's Middle East" by Danielle Pletka 

Danielle Pletka is the Vice-President for foreign and defense policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute. In asking her to address the Naples Council on the Middle East she has asked the following question: Are we doomed to an endless cycle of violence in the Middle East? Is the Sunni-Shii divide real? Are there solutions to problems like Syria? Ms. Pletka will survey the many conflicts raging throughout the Middle East today in her presentation to our membership.

 

January 23,2017 NCWA Lecture: "The European Union and the Euro: Implications for the United States" by Dr. Thomas R. Wright 

Dr. Thomas R. Wright is Director of the “Project on International Order and Strategy” and Fellow - Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe, at the Brookings Institution. He will comment on the changes brought about by Brexit, transnational challenges and economic stagnation and how those issues affect the stability of the European Union and the preservation of the Euro.

 

October 31,2016 NCWA Lecture: "The Geopolitics of Climate Change" by Dr. Timothy Boersma 

Dr. Tim Boersma is a Senior Research Scholar and of Global Natural Gas Markets at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. Dr. Boersma will address how politics, power and vested interests will influence the outcome of the Paris and G20 talks in China.  Dr. Boersma holds a Masters of Science Degree from the University of Twente and a Ph.d in International Relations from the University of Groningen, Netherlands. 

 

November 14,2016 NCWA Lecture: "China on the Global Stage" by Prof. Jeremy Haft

Prof. Jeremy Haft is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University who lectures in both the Business and Foreign Service Schools, Haft's analysis on China trade has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, NBC, CBS, and ABC, CNN, CNBC, Fox, and NPR, among others.

January 9, 2017 NCWA Lecture: "Foreign Policy Challenges for the New Administration" by General John Allen and Dr. Michael O'Hanlonis 

General John Allen and Dr.Michael O'Hanlon are Co-Directors of the Brookings Institutes' Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence, we will ask them what the newly elected President and his/her Cabinet face in perhaps the most troubling times in our foreign policy since the end of the Second World War.

 

Lecture Videos from the 2015/2016 Season

November 2,2015 NCWA Lecture: "The Politics and Policy of Iran Nuclear Agreement" by Joseph Cirincione 

Joseph Cirincione, is one of the leading nuclear policy experts in the country. He will share his analysis on why this deal became the most contentious foreign policy issue since the decision to invade Iraq 10 years ago.” Mr. Cirincione is President of the Ploughshares Fund.

 

November 16,2015 NCWA Lecture: "The Turkish Predicament: From Strategic Ally to Strategic Challenge" by Dr. Omer Taspinar

Dr. Omer Taspinar, is professor of National Security at the U.S. National War College and Director of the Turkey Project at the Brookings Institution. He received his B.A. at the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey, and his M.A. and Ph.D. in European Studies and International Economics at John Hopkins University School for Advanced International Studies.

 

December 7,2015 NCWA Lecture: "Shadows of WW II: Japan's Relations with Its Asian Neighbors" by Professor Mike Mochizuki

Prof. Mike Mochizuki, holds the Japan U.S. Relations Chair at the Elliot School of International Studies.  Previously he was a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and has taught at the University of Southern California and Yale University. His areas of expertise include Japanese Politics and East Asian Security issues. He received his Ph.D at Harvard University.

 

January 11,2016 NCWA Lecture: "France in 2016: What role and influence in a World of Chaos" by Philippe LeCorre

Philippe LeCorre,  is an adjunct Faculty Member at Johns Hopkins University and Science Po in Paris.  He focuses on France Great Britain and Transatlantic Relations at the Center of the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution.

 

January 25,2016 NCWA Lecture: "Iran After the Deal" by Alireza Nader

Alireza Nader, As an International Policy Analyst at the Rand Corporation, his research has focusedon Iran's politics, Saudi-Iranian relations since the fall of Saddam, and the rise of the Pasdaran: “Assessing the Domestic Roles of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.” Mr. Nader is a frequent guest on the BBC and Al Jazeera and the major networks, and as a Farsi speaker is often on the Voice of America. He received his M.A. in International Affairs at George Washington University.

 

February 8,2016 NCWA Lecture: "Solving Europe's Refugee Crisis" by Khalid Koser

Khalid Koser: “Solving Europe’s Refugee Crisis”Mr. Koser is Chair, World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council onMigration, of the Brookings/London School of Economics Internal Displacement Project.  He is also the Executive Director, Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, and Chair, World Bank KNOMAD Thematic Working Group on Migration, Security and Development. He is the Editor of the “Journal on Refugee Studies” and his challenge today is that of the European Continent’s greatest migration since World War II.

 

February 22,2016 NCWA Lecture: "The Sources of Vladimir Putin's Conduct" by Heather A. Conley

Heather A. Conley “The Sources of Vladimir Putin's Conduct” Ms Conley is a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on the Artic and is frequently featured as a foreign policy analyst on CNN, MSNBC, BBC, NPR and PBS. She received her B.A. in international studies from West Virginia Wesleyan College and her M.A. in international relations from the John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)

 

March 7,2016 NCWA Lecture: "What Isis Really Wants" by Graeme Wood

Graeme Wood “What Isis Really Wants” Mr. Wood started in journalism at the age of 19 as a reporter for The Cambodia Daily.  He has written for the New Yorker, Foreign Policy, The Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times and has appeared on CNN, the BBC, ABC, NBC, Al Jazeera, and the CBC. He studied philosophy and languages at Harvard and The American University in Cairo, and is a lecturer in Political  Science at Yale.

 

March 21,2016 NCWA Lecture: "Does Pakistan Still Matter To the United States?" by Dr. Daniel S. Markey

Dr. Daniel S. Markey “Does Pakistan Still Matter To the United States?” Dr. Markey is Senior Research Professor at John Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He is also the Academic Director for the SAIS Global Policy Program and an Adjunct Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). Dr. Markey earned a bachelor's degree in international studies from John Hopkins University and a doctorate in politics from Princeton University.

 

April 4,2016 NCWA Lecture: "Can We Achieve Lasting Peace Through Negotiation?" by Senator George J. Mitchell

Senator George J Mitchell, is an American lawyer, businessman and politician. He served as a United States Senator from Maine from 1980 to 1995 and as Senate Majority Leader from 1989 to 1995. Since retiring from the Senate, Mitchell has taken up a variety of positions in politics and business. He has taken a leading role in negotiations for peace in Northern Ireland and the Middle East, being specifically appointed United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland (1995–2001) by President Clinton and as United States Special Envoy for Middle East Peace (2009–2011) by President Obama. 

 

Lecture Videos from the 2014/2015 Season   

November 3,2014 NCWA Lecture: "Syria and the U.S. Policy in the Levant" by Andrew J. Tabler 

Andrew J. Tabler, Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Mr. Tabler focuses on Syria and U.S. Policy in the Levant. He resided in the Middle East for fourteen years and is a fluent Arab speaker. He will address our issues with Syria, our crisis management with Russian, Iranian and Hezbollah’s patronage of that country, and what, if any, are possible solutions.

 

November 17, 2014 NCWA Lecture: "The Perils of being a Foreign Correspondent", by John Donvan

John Donvan, John Donvan is the host and moderator for the Intelligence Squared U.S. Debates and is an author and correspondent for ABC News. He has hosted "Nightline," "World News," “Good Morning America," and NPR’s “Talk of the Nation,” and WBUR's "On Point.".

 

December 8, 2014 NCWA Lecture: "U.S. Relations with Mexico and other Latin American Countries", by Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan

Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan, former Mexican Ambassador to the United States and a Latin-American specialist, will discuss U.S. relations with the countries of Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela as well as his country of Mexico. What are the vestiges of the Bolivarian Revolution? Can Venezuela survive with Maduro at the helm?  

 

January 5, 2015 NCWA Lecture: "The Enigma of Chinese Leadership and Foreign Policy", by Professor Andrew Nathan

Professor Andrew Nathan, a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, is Professor of Political Science at Columbia University. His research and teaching focuses on Chinese Politics and Foreign Policy, and we have asked him to address the current Chinese leadership and recent “clashes” in the south and east China Sea as well as other acts of aggression.

 

January 19, 2015 NCWA Lecture: "President Putin's Foreign Policy Planning", by Professor Angela Stent

Professor Angela Stent, is the Director of the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies and Professor of Government and Foreign Service At Georgetown University. Her Russian expertise will be put to the test as we endeavor to understand President Putin’s “foreign policy planning”. 

  

February 2, 2015 NCWA Lecture: "President Putin's Ukraine Policy", by Ian J. Brzezinski

Ian J. Brzezinski, Resident Senior Fellow at the Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security and also a member of the Atlantic Council’s Strategic Advisors Group. He will cover Ukraine, Poland, the Baltics and Central Europe, with an eye towards Putin’s “empire building”. And yes, the name recognition is correct! 

 

February 16, 2015 NCWA Lecture: "21st Century Security: Risks & Opportunities", by Admiral James G. Stravridis

Admiral James Stavridis, Former Supreme Allied Commander, Europe, and Commander, United States European Command, he is now Dean of the Fletcher School of Diplomacy. A native of South Florida! he will speak to us about NATO today facing risks and opportunities in defense of our Allies as the global temperatures heat up and challenge our defense and diplomatic capabilities. 

 

March 9, 2015 NCWA Lecture: "The Big Issues Facing the President", by Ambassador R. Nickolas Burns

Ambassador R. Nicholas Burns, Professor of the Practice of International Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Following 27 years as a career Foreign Service Officer, he remains deeply involved in international affairs at Harvard, the Aspen Institute and the Cohen Group. We have asked him to address the transformation of our strategic foreign policy alliances and focus on the big issues facing the President.

 

March 23, 2015 NCWA Lecture: "The Troubled Middle East", with Robin Wright and Barbara Slavin moderated by Mimi Gregory

Robin Wright and Barbara Slavin: These two dynamic experts will help us re-draw the map of the Middle East to include the many trouble spots that we are finding as the main focus of our news each day. Robin Wright is a Senior Fellow and Woodrow Wilson International Scholar. Barbara Slavin is a correspondent for Al Monitor and Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. We look forward to welcoming them back to Naples. 

  

April 6, 2015 NCWA Lecture: The Asian Pivot", by Shuja Nawaz

Shuja Nawaz: A native of Pakistan is a Distinquished Fellow at the Atlantic Council's South Asian Center. He was educated at Gordon College, Rawalpindi, where he obtained a BA in economics and English Literature and the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University in New York.

 

 

November 4,2013 NCWA Lecture: "The Opportunity: Next Steps in Reducing Nuclear Arms" by Ambassador Steven Pifer

 Ambassador Steven Pifer, Brookings Institution, “The Opportunity: Next Steps in Reducing Nuclear Arms.” Ambassador Pifer renews our attention and focus to the advantages of another bilateral treaty with Russia and the consequent results of no longer maintaining high level nuclear arsenals. Ambassador Pifer directs the Brookings Arms Control Initiative. His book [titled above] addresses arms control challenges facing the world’s leaders.

 

November 18, 2013 NCWA Lecture: "Turkey: Back to the Future, the New
Ottoman Era", by Dr. Steven Cook 

Dr. Steven Cook, Council on Foreign Relations, “Turkey: Back To the Future, the New Ottoman Era”. Steven Cook returns to Naples to discuss Turkey’s “drift” away from Europe and greater democratic reform. Street protests in Istanbul and frustration at the country's authoritarian turn, are all dangerous signals for Prime Minister Erdogan. Can/will Europe pull them back into discussions about joining the EU and will that solve the problem? Dr. Cook is the Hasib J.Sabbagh Senior Fellow for Middle Eastern Studies at the Council.

  

December 2, 2013 NCWA Lecture: "North Korea: The World's Wild Card" by
Dr. Stephen Bosworth 

Dr. Stephen Bosworth, Dean, Fletcher School of Diplomacy, “North Korea: The World’s Wild Card.” Dr. Bosworth served as U.S. Special Representative for North Korean Policy from 2009-2012. His concerns regarding our experts’ abilities to verify any agreement we might reach with North Korea lead him to believe that it is time for new ideas about how to deal with Pyongyang. “We simply can’t ignore North Korea and its nuclear program, nor rely on China to take care of it.”

 

January 6, 2014 NCWA Lecture: P.J. Crowley & Dennis Ross

Ambassador Dennis Ross, Washington Institute for Near East Policy and P.J. Crowley, George Washington University, “A Conversation about the Middle East.” These two Washington veterans will discuss continuing issues pulling the Middle East apart. Ambassador Ross is the Washington Institute’s Ziegler Distinguished Fellow, with more than two decades of experience in Middle East policy. P.J. Crowley is a Fellow at the George Washington University Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication.

Unfortunately a storm prevented Ambassador Ross from attending so the lecture was conducted solely by P. J. Crowley.

 

January 20, 2014 NCWA Lecture: "Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin", by
Dr. Clifford G. Gaddy

Dr.Clifford G. Gaddy, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution, Russia: “Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin.” Relations with Russia seem to have reached a new low as our efforts to deal both with Syria and Missile Defense are stonewalled by the Prime Minister. Dr. Gaddy’s extensive experience, specializing in Russia, offers a strong look at the most popular reforms and goals Mr. Putin has put in place, and asks if they have been successful. Dr. Gaddy has received numerous awards for his writing and research on Russia.

  

 February 3, 2014 NCWA Lecture: "A Nuclear Deal With Iran" by Dr. Dalia Dassa Kaye

Dr. Dalia Dassa Kaye is the Director of the Center for Middle East Public Policy and a Senior Political Scientist at the Rand Corporation.  Before joining Rand Dr. Kaye served as a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow at the Dutch Foreign Ministry. She is the recipient of many awards and fellowships including a Brookings Institution Research Fellowship and The John W. Gardner Fellowship.

 

February 17, 2014 NCWA Lecture: "Climate Change: Our Greatest National Security Threat" by Professor Geoffrey Dabelko

 Professor Geoffrey Dabelko: Senior Advisor, Woodrow Wilson Center, “Climate Change: Our Greatest National Security Threat.” Professor Dabelko is also Director of Environmental Studies at Ohio University." As military leaders warn of global warming as the imperative to kind of get military capabilities aligned [for] when the effects of climate change start to impact these massive populations, you could have hundreds of thousands or millions of people displaced and then security will start to crumble pretty quickly .” That quote inspires our invitation to Professor Dabelko!

 

March 10, 2014 NCWA Lecture: "Re-Balancing the U.S. Military in Asia and the Pacific" by Michael O'Hanlon

 Michael O'Hanlon: Senior Fellow, Center for 21st Century Security and Intelligence, Brookings Institution”: “Re-Balancing the U.S. Military in Asia and the Pacific” Is our lean towards Asia a “bold strategic shift in National Security” or simply a “modest realignment of American defense capabilities”? A prolific writer as well as one of our favorite speakers, Mike O’Hanlon returns to discuss our relations with China and its view of this re-balance, military basing and how to avoid an arms race and the dangers of cyber warfare. These very broad subjects are featured in his current book to be published in late January.

 

March 24, 2014 NCWA Lecture: “Pakistan: Our Greatest Challenge to Conflict Resolution” by Shuja Nawaz

 Shuja Nawaz: Director of the South Asia Center at The Atlantic Council”: “Pakistan: Our Greatest Challenge to Conflict Resolution”. Trying to manage relations with Pakistan is clearly a huge challenge for the United States. See-sawing between giving [or taking away] aid, ever the carrot and the stick, has been short of success. Raised and educated in Pakistan, Mr. Nawaz has written extensively on the tenuous relationship between our countries on what he refers to as “the Pakistan Dilemma”. His latest book is,”Learning by Doing: The Pakistan Army’s Experience with Counterinsurgency”.

 

April 7, 2014 NCWA Lecture: “Cyber Warfare and Cyber Security: What everyone needs to know” by Peter W Singer.

 Peter W. Singer, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution and one of the Smithsonian Institution’s “leading innovators in the nation”. His new book, “CyberWarfare and CyberSecurity: What Everyone Needs to Know” will be the topic of his lecture. A generation ago, "cyberspace" was just a term from science fiction, used to describe the nascent network of computers linking a few university labs. Today, our entire modern way of life, from communication to commerce to conflict, fundamentally depends on the Internet. And the cybersecurity issues that result challenge literally everyone. Dr. Singer’s lecture will be given “in a lively, accessible style, filled with engaging stories and illustrative anecdotes” which means we should all emerge experts!