Notre Dame International Security Center

Speaker: Ahsan Butt

Host: Rose Kelanic

Recorded: October 9, 2018

Phantom Warriors: What Happened to the Kurds?

An interview with Dr. F. Gregory Gause, III by Carlo Perri

Summary:

In considering contemporary Middle Eastern geopolitics, it is nearly impossible to exclude discussion of the distinct groups of people who make up its major players. Furthermore, in light of the recent turmoil that has plagued the region, one of those major players has risen to prominence and earned the general support of the West. That group is the Kurds.

Serving a crucial role in the defeat of ISIS in the Levant, these people enjoyed a distanced celebrity status with America and her allies. In the many months since, however, Western media has been relatively quiet on the activities of the Kurds. It seems strange that such an indispensable group in the defeat of one of the World’s greatest threats could, virtually over-night, disappear from the Western media’s ever-vigilant radar. That leaves us with the burning question: what happened to the Kurds?

Bio:

Dr. F. Gregory Gause III is the incumbent John H. Lindsey ’44 Chair and Head of the Department of International Affairs at Texas A&M University’s Bush School. Prior to this, he held faculty positions at the University of Vermont, Columbia University, and Harvard University.

Dr. Gause graduated from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia with a degree in Political Science (1980) and earned a doctorate in the same subject from Harvard University (1987). He also studied Arabic at the American University in Cairo (1982-83) and Middlebury College (1984). He has since been a Fellow for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, a Fulbright Scholar at the American University in Kuwait, and a research fellow at the King Faisal Center for Islamic Studies and Research in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Dr. Gause focused his research on international politics in the Middle East, with a special focus on the Arabian Peninsula and Persian Gulf.

He has published three books, most notably The International Relations of the Persian Gulf (Cambridge University Press, 2010). His articles have been published in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Middle East Journal, Security Studies, Washington Quarterly, and National Interest, among others, and he has testified before both the House Committee on International Relations and the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee on issues pertaining to the Persian Gulf. He continues to be a renown expert on Middle Eastern politics today.

Applying Lessons from Failed Peace Talks to Current Efforts: The 2006 Darfur Conflict Mediation, Syria, and Yemen

An interview with Laurie Nathan by Monica Montgomery

Summary:

This episode discusses the failed 2005-2006 mediation effort in Darfur in which Professor Nathan was involved, examines why it failed, and applies some of its lessons to current mediation efforts.

Brief Bio:

Laurie Nathan is director of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies’ new mediation program, which will serve as an international center of excellence for mediation research, training, policy and practice. Professor Nathan is also a Senior Mediation Advisor to the United Nations, serves on the UN Academic Advisory Council on Mediation and is the lead designer and trainer of the UN High Level Mediation Course. He has participated in high-level peacemaking efforts in Africa and helped design the mediation units of the African Union and African sub-regional bodies. He is the author of four books, co-editor of two books, and author of over 50 articles and chapters. Professor Nathan is a native of South Africa and was involved in the anti-apartheid movement.

Beyond Traditional Security: The Ascending Trajectory of Economic Security in China's National Security Portfolio

An interview by Liam Dalton

Interviewee: Huang Shan | Deputy Managing Editor and Editorial Board Member, Caixin Media

An interview with Ambassador Nina Hachigian by Alex Hachigian

This episode delves into some of the most controversial issues that concern the United States and China today with the intention of developing the basis for sound foreign policy.

After receiving her Bachelors of Science from Yale University, magna cum laude, and her J.D. from Stanford University, with distinction, Ambassador Nina Hachigian went on to work on the National Security Council for the Clinton Administration.  Then she joined the RAND Center for Asia Policy, ultimate serving as its director for four years. Next, she became Senior Vice President and a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress focussed on Asia Policy.  Then, in 2014, President Obama nominated Ambassador Hachigian to serve as the second U.S. Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN. After being confirmed by the Senate, she went on to have a remarkable tenure as ambassador by strengthening American relations with Southeast Asia and being awarded the State Department's Superior Honor Award for her service.  Since the end of her time as ambassador, she has served the City of Los Angeles as Deputy Mayor for International Affairs. Ambassador Hachigian has published numerous articles and books, including as editor of the book Debating China: The U.S. – China Relationship in Ten Conversations.

Speaker: John Mearsheimer

Host: Rose Kelanic

Recorded: September 11, 2018

7 - 13 - 18

An interview with Garret Martin, Daniel Kelemen, Michael Desch on the

SiriusXM Business Radio Powered by The Wharton School.

An interview with Dean Sara Sievers by Erin Hayes

Summary: This episode of Students Talk Security addresses some of the refugee and migration crises around the world, their impact on security, and outlooks for the future.

Sara Sievers is the Associate Dean of Policy and Practice for Notre Dame's Keough School of Global Affairs. Prior to this position, Sara served as the founding executive director of Columbia University’s Center for Globalization and Sustainable Development and Harvard University’s Center for International Development. She also began the Developing Country Policy and Advocacy portfolio for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Global Health Program, building the strategy and early funding streams for the foundation’s global health objectives.

Speaker: Nuno Monteiro

Host: Eugene Gholz

Recorded: April 10, 2018

Speaker: Jennifer Erickson

Host: Eugene Gholz

Recorded: March 6, 2018