GU Politics to Host Symposium on The Future of Diplomacy

Georgetown Institute of Politics and Public Service at the McCourt School of Public Policy and the Walsh School of Foreign Service to Host Symposium on The Future of Diplomacy Event to Feature Keynote Conversation with The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, 67th Secretary of State, 2009-2013

Consistent with the university’s dedication to global public service, the Georgetown community will gather on February 6th, 2019, for a half-day symposium on “The Future of Diplomacy”. Led by the Institute of Politics and Public Service (GU Politics) at the McCourt School of Public Policy and the Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS), the events will bring together noted diplomats, foreign service professionals, and academic leaders for a series of conversations examining the future of diplomacy, foreign affairs, and American leadership in the world.

The symposium, part of the SFS’s Lloyd George Centennial Lectures on the Future of the Global Order, will culminate with a keynote conversation with The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton, 67th Secretary of State.

“It’s always a pleasure to return to Georgetown University, and I’m delighted for the opportunity to spend time with students and the dedicated public servants I was honored to serve with while at the State Department,” said Secretary Clinton. “Bringing together critical thinkers of all ages to talk about the future of diplomacy and public service is more important than ever, and I’m greatly looking forward to a day of substantive, engaging conversation.”

“Public service takes many forms, and as global challenges evolve, the role of diplomacy has never been more important or complicated,” said Mo Elleithee, Executive Director of the Institute of Politics and Public Service and a graduate of the School of Foreign Service. “We are thrilled to help convene this group of experts who have all dedicated their lives to creating a stronger global community for a conversation on the future of diplomacy.”

“One hundred years ago the SFS was created to convene dialogues on America’s role in the world,” said Joel Hellman, Dean of the School of Foreign Service. “We’re pleased to be able to continue that tradition by welcoming to campus Secretary Clinton and other public servants who have played such an important role in shaping American foreign policy.”

The events will take place on Georgetown’s main campus and will kick off with a pair of conversations exploring the role of diplomats, and values in U.S. Foreign Policy.

The Essential Diplomat will be moderated by Bernadette Meehan, former Special Assistant to the Secretary of State (‘10-’12). The panel will feature former Ambassador to the Republic of Yemen (‘97-’01) and Director of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University Barbara Bodine, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State (‘07-’09) John Negroponte, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Linda Thomas-Greenfield, and former Chargé d’Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Paris (‘14-’17) Uzra Zeya (SFS ‘89).

Values in U.S. Foreign Policy will be moderated by Melanne Verveer (SLL ‘66, G ‘69), Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security, and former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues (’09-’13). The panel will feature former Ambassador to Mexico (‘16-’18) Roberta Jacobson, former Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs (‘13-’17) Victoria Nuland, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights (’09-’13) Maria Otero, and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration (’09-’11) Eric Schwartz.

Bill Burns, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State from 2011-2014, and U.S. Ambassador to Russia from 2005-2008, will moderate the keynote conversation with The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton in the University’s historic Gaston Hall. Clinton will also take questions from Georgetown students in Gaston Hall.

A Georgetown University ID is required for entry into the symposium.

Reaffirming the Promise of Politics
Founded in 2015, the Institute of Politics and Public Service (GU Politics) at Georgetown’s McCourt School of Public Policy is the first Institute of its kind in the nation’s capital. Established with a mission of encouraging young people to re-imagine politics as a form of public service, GU Politics connects and empowers students and the broader community in an effort to understand the real practice of politics, explore ways to do it better, and reaffirm its promise.

The Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy is a top-ranked public policy school located in the center of the policy world in Washington, D.C. Our mission is to teach our students to design, analyze, and implement smart policies and put them into practice in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, in the U.S. and around the world.

Imagining a More Peaceful World
The Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS), founded in 1919, is a premier school of international affairs. At Georgetown’s Washington, D.C., and Qatar campuses, SFS provides a rigorous education grounded in both theory and practice while instilling the Jesuit values of service. SFS hosts top-ranked undergraduate and graduate studies which feature an interdisciplinary core curriculum that focuses on international affairs, government, economics, history, theology, philosophy, geography, and languages. The SFS is one of the world’s leading academic and research institutions, led by a faculty of both scholars and practitioners.

The Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University was founded a century ago in November 1919, when the United States was seeking to educate future leaders in diplomacy and international trade. The Lloyd George Centennial Lectures are named for British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, who met with U.S. President Woodrow Wilson and the leaders of France and Italy in Paris during 1919 to imagine a new, more peaceful world. It brings eminent world leaders, leading intellectuals, and critical global conversations to Georgetown as we mark the centennial and continuing mission of America’s first school of international affairs. Previous lectures featured Margaret MacMillan, G. John Ikenberry, Erez Manela, and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono (SFS’86).