Global Conversations

Guest: Faysal Itani  Faysal Itani, Resident Senior Fellow, Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East at the Atlantic Council,  joined CCWA for our first Foreign Policy Forum of the Fall 2017 season. After six years of armed conflict, 11 million refugees and internally displaced persons and almost 500,000 casualties in Syria, Itani explored what is […]

Guest: Dr. Sinan Ciddi Sinan Ciddi is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Georgetown University, serves as the Executive Director of the Institute of Turkish Studies at Georgetown and is an expert on Turkish domestic politics and foreign policy. Ciddi explored the current political atmosphere in Turkey following the attempted coup in July 2016 and Turkey’s relations with […]

Guest: Jennifer Sims Jennifer Sims is a consultant on intelligence and homeland security for private corporations and the U.S. government, a member of the Senior Advisory Group to the Director of National Intelligence, as well as Senior Fellow with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Sims explored the complex world of U.S. cyber security, intelligence […]

Guest: Secretary James A. Baker III The 2016 Global Impact Award honored former Secretary of State James A. Baker, III for his decades of work in international relations and his dedication to global dialogue. Secretary Baker was our Brooks Emeny Distinguished Speaker and the recipient of the Global Impact Award.

Guest: Ambassador John Maisto Ambassador Maisto explored the very distinct challenges facing both Venezuela and Colombia. Economic struggles and political discontent plague Venezuela and Colombia is nearing the end of a 52-year war between the Colombian state and the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia). As the fragile FARC peace deal rests in the hands […]

Guests: Ambassador Frank Wisner, Gary Sick, and Professor Joshua Stacher As the U.S. prepares to elect a new president, our panel explored the status of the highly controversial Iran Deal and what its future holds with a new administration coming into the White House.  What are the common misconceptions of the Iran Deal and how has […]

Guest: Jennifer Clinton, President Global Ties, U.S. Jennifer Clinton joined us to discuss Citizen Diplomacy and the role of exchanges in building diplomacy and democracy. Clinton is the President of Global Ties U.S. and has devoted her career to the fields of international education and business because of a deep passion for bridging cultures, people, and […]

Guest: EU Ambassador David O’Sullivan  Whether it is the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the historic nuclear deal with Iran, or climate change negotiations, the European Union and the United States are increasingly called upon to demonstrate global leadership. EU Ambassador David O’Sullivan joined us to discuss the future of Europe, current U.S.-EU relations, […]

Guest: General David G. Perkins Our future Army will face challenges beyond conventional thinking and General David G. Perkins shared how recruiting the brightest minds as U.S. soldiers will help the Army succeed in a complex international stage. Perkins, a four star general, explored the role the U.S. Army plays in evolving U.S. foreign policy […]

Steven Pifer, former Ambassador to Ukraine, now serves as  Director of the Brookings Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Initiative and is a Senior Fellow  at the Brookings Institute. Ambassador Pifer used his in-depth knowledge of Russia, Ukraine, and U.S. foreign policy to examine what lies ahead in the U.S.’s relationship with Putin and the role of non-proliferation and arms control in this complicated relationship.