Iran at the Brink: War, Revolution, and the Future of the Middle East by The Institute of World Politics

As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, this lecture examines the international forces that shaped the nation's rise from thirteen Atlantic colonies to a global power. Mike Watson, Executive Director of the Alexander Hamilton Society, explores how foreign policy and geopolitics influenced America's founding and how the strategic choices of the Founding Fathers continue to offer valuable lessons for today's statesmen and national security professionals.

Drawing on key moments in the early republic, Watson examines how international affairs shaped the Declaration of Independence, the Continental Congress's Model Treaty, the drafting and ratification of the Constitution, and America's response to the French Revolution. He also discusses the emergence of U.S. policy toward the Latin American revolutions and the challenge of great-power competition in the Western Hemisphere, illustrating how foreign policy has been central to the American project since its inception.

Mike Watson previously served as a fellow and deputy director of the Center for Strategy and American Statecraft at Hudson Institute and was Charles Krauthammer's research assistant. He is also a columnist at the Washington Free Beacon. Watson earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia and a master's degree from George Washington University.

This event was made possible by the Jack Miller Center.

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In his new book, Resources, Power, and Nation Building: Afghanistan and the Promise of Minerals, Dr. Haroon Hakimi analyzes how critical and strategic minerals can either underpin nation building efforts or intensify conflicts.

Drawing on his doctoral research at the Institute of World Politics, this lecture examines lessons from U.S. nation building, China’s resource strategy, and the emerging global competition over critical minerals that is reshaping power in the 21st century.

Dr. Haroon Hakimi is an academic practitioner with more than fifteen years of experience across media, public policy, research, teaching, and diplomacy. His career bridges government service and scholarly research, focusing on the connections between energy and mineral security, national resilience, and international stability.

A former diplomat and senior government official, Dr. Hakimi, has advised on foreign affairs, resource policy, and strategic communications at the national and international levels. He has served as Deputy Minister of Information, Culture, Youth and Tourism of Afghanistan, and Head of Chancery and Latin America Affairs at the Embassy of Afghanistan in Washington, D.C.

Currently, Dr. Hakimi leads the Energy Security and Minerals Program at the America–Eurasia Center and serves as a Research Analyst at the Global Policy Institute, focusing on the evolving role of critical and rare earth minerals in the global energy transition. His research explores how energy resources shape national policy design and the architecture of state-building in post-conflict and emerging economies.

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This presentation examines the growing tension between the sovereignty of nation-states and the expanding ideological and institutional pressure exerted by dominant left-liberal circles in Europe. It begins with the question of why Poland—particularly during the conservative governments of 2015–2023—became one of the primary targets of political and economic pressure from the central institutions of the European Union. At the heart of this conflict lies a fundamental clash of visions of the state and the law. On one side stands the model of a sovereign state grounded in its constitution, democratic legitimacy within the nation-state, and the Christian roots of European civilization, committed to protecting the family and the welfare of children. On the other side is the project of an increasingly centralized Europe, in which law is used as a tool to advance a harmful ideological agenda—ranging from radical woke doctrines and coercive net-zero policies to the mass relocation of culturally incompatible migrants—while simultaneously serving as an instrument of political pressure on member states. This tension is particularly visible in disputes concerning family law and the protection of children, where Poland under previous conservative administration —in cooperation with Hungary—resisted attempts to ideologically reshape these areas of European law. The presentation also addresses the growing phenomenon of lawfare in Poland after 2023, namely the use of legal mechanisms and state institutions as instruments of political repression against the conservative opposition.

Marcin Romanowski is a Polish lawyer, academic, and Member of the Polish Parliament. He holds a PhD in law from Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and an LL.M. from the University of Regensburg. He served as Director of the Institute of Justice (2016–2019) and Deputy Minister of Justice (2019–2023), where he worked on justice system reform, cybersecurity, victim support, and family law.

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This talk argues that the ethnic conflicts of Southeast Europe are not the result of “ancient hatreds,” but of a specific historical configuration shaped during the Ottoman period. Under Ottoman rule, earlier forms of statehood did not disappear but survived in memory and identity in a kind of “suspended animation,” while at the same time demographic structures were significantly reshaped. Conflict emerged where these two processes intersected. In regions such as Kosovo, Bosnia, Vojvodina, and Transylvania, one group could claim historical precedence based on earlier statehood, while another could claim legitimacy based on later demographic dominance. The Greek–Turkish case shows a similar pattern, where a Byzantine territorial memory and Turkish nationhood collided over territories that became ethnically mixed during the Ottoman rule. The result is a particular type of conflict: not between truth and falsehood, but between competing and internally coherent forms of historical legitimacy — where both sides can plausibly claim that the land is, in different senses, their own.

Csaba B. Horváth, PhD earned his PhD in International Relations at Corvinus University of Budapest after completing degrees in History and Political Science at Eötvös Loránd University. He is a member of the General Assembly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. His research focuses on geopolitics, with a particular emphasis on the Indo-Pacific as well as on Central and Eastern Europe. He has held visiting research fellowships at several universities in Australia, China and Taiwan, and earlier in his youth, spent two years living in Japan, where he acquired conversational proficiency in Japanese. He is also a regular participant in international conferences and held public talks across the Indo-Pacific, including in Australia, China, India, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore.

The Kościuszko Chair serves as a center for Polish Studies in the broadest sense, including learning, teaching, researching, and writing about Poland’s culture, history, heritage, religion, government, economy, and successes in the arts, sciences, and letters, with special emphasis on the achievements of Polish civilization and its relation to other nations, particularly the United States.

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The memoirs of Paweł Z. Woś highlight the significant research challenges encountered by historians of the Intermarium area. Polish conspiracy during the German occupation, participation in the Warsaw Uprising, and operating a small business were all, in reality, acts of anti-communist resistance. The many omissions and instances of imprecision stem not only from the passage of time, but also from the carefully cultivated discretion imposed by the all-powerful communist secret police. For scholars, this represents a major challenge in the reconstruction of events and the discovery of historical truth.

Dr. Sebastian Bojemski Graduated from the Institute of History of Warsaw University and gained his doctoral degree at The Cardinal Wyszyński University in Warsaw. At the Institute of World Politics (Washington, DC) he attended individual courses in geography and strategy, geoeconomy, strategic influence and propaganda. He was awarded scholarships by the Kosciuszko Foundation (USA) and the M. Grabowski Fund (UK). Mr Bojemski also has extensive experience in strategic communication, marketing, sales and management. For over 15 years (2003-2018) he had owned a Warsaw-based consulting firm. Between 2018-2024 he was an executive director for marketing at PKN Orlen – the largest oil company in Central Europe, a vice chairman at Lotos Fuels, the second largest oil company in Poland and a vice chairman at PERN, the largest fuel and logistics company in the region and critical infrastructure operator. He is currently affiliated with the University College of Professional Education as a member of the Center for Research on Disinformation and Cybersecurity and a senior fellow at the Eastern Flank Institute, a Brussels-based think tank.

The Kościuszko Chair serves as a center for Polish Studies in the broadest sense, including learning, teaching, researching, and writing about Poland’s culture, history, heritage, religion, government, economy, and successes in the arts, sciences, and letters, with special emphasis on the achievements of Polish civilization and its relation to other nations, particularly the United States.

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Unmask the shadowy world of Russian espionage in this lecture with Sean M. Wiswesser, a national security professional whose career spans nearly three decades across intelligence, foreign service, and defense institutions. Drawing on his experience as a senior operations officer with the Central Intelligence Agency—including multiple overseas tours, war-zone deployments, and service as a chief of station—Wiswesser offers a rare, insider perspective on the evolving landscape of global intelligence.

Centering on the Russian Intelligence Services (RIS), this talk explores the doctrine of Maskirovka—the art of denial, deception, and manipulation that underpins Russian strategy. Through historical case studies and firsthand insights, Wiswesser examines the structure and operations of Russia’s principal intelligence agencies: the SVR, GRU, and FSB. Topics include the use of double agents, surveillance and “street work,” honey traps, sabotage, active measures, assassinations, and the role of intelligence services in the Russo-Ukraine War.

A Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Wiswesser holds a bachelor’s degree in history and Russian & Slavic linguistics. He earned a Master of Strategic Studies from the Air War College in 2023, where he received the Russia Integrated Deterrence Award.

Subscribe for more expert lectures and conversations at the forefront of global policy, strategy, and leadership.

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The EU Ambassador to the U.S. Jovita Neliupšienė addresses the European Union’s growing role as a key defense actor. Framed within the broader context of EU-U.S. relations and NATO, the discussion focuses on shifting European security concerns, particularly in response to Russian aggression. The conversation highlights the EU’s strategic perspective and defense dynamics, and showcases its commitment to increased defense spending.

About the speaker:

Ambassador Jovita Neliupšienė. She 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 national sanctions coordinator. From 2020-2022, she was Vice Minister of Economy and Innovation of Lithuania, tasked with investment and export promotion, international cooperation, including policy coordination of state-owned enterprises, as well as chairing the interagency commission for export control.

In 2020, she held the post of Chancellor and State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania. This position included responsibility for staff coordination, legal and consular affairs. Between 2015-2020, she served as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Lithuania to the EU. These years were marked by the migration crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic. From 2009-2015, she worked as an advisor and chief foreign policy advisor to the President of the Republic of Lithuania Ms. Dalia Grybauskaite. She was responsible for foreign policy coordination, inter-institutional relations, as well as the role of sherpa/EU advisor, and in this respect took a leading position in preparing and coordinating the Lithuanian presidency of the EU Council in 2013. In 2014, she was awarded the State Decoration Order ""For Merit to Lithuania"" Commander's Cross.

Rear Admiral Henning Faltin. Previous to his posting as military attaché for the EU Delegation, he served as a German Flotilla Commander and Director of the NATO Centre of Excellence for Operations in Confined and Shallow Waters.

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In her book, Wife, Mother, Spy: An Extraordinary Life Filled with Ordinary Days, Ms. Ann Butler explores the complexities of balancing a career in the Agency’s Clandestine Service while raising five children with a “non-tandem” spouse. This event will offer students unique insights into the realities of operational tradecraft, specifically the discipline required to maintain work-life balance as a wife and mother while navigating often risky high-stakes overseas field assignments as a 24/7 undercover CIA spy.

About the Author:

Ann Elizabeth Butler was born in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

and grew up in Endicott, New York with her parents and three

brothers.

At Union-Endicott High School, Ann was editor of the yearbook,

played clarinet in the marching and concert bands, often went to

Greek Peak with the ski club, and was active in the French and Key

Clubs.

She majored in Economics at the University of Notre Dame,

spending her sophomore year abroad in Angers, France at the

Université Catholique de l’Ouest. After graduation, Ann received a

Rotary Scholarship to study in Belgium and obtained a Master’s in

International Trade from the Université de l’Etat à Mons.

In 1986, Ann began a 27-year-long career as an undercover officer

in the Directorate of Operations at the Central Intelligence Agency.

Early on, while working full time, Ann attended evening classes at

George Washington University and earned an MBA with a

concentration in International Business.

Before moving to Washington, DC to start her new career, Ann met

Joseph Potak, to whom she has now been married for 37 years. They

have five children together: Claire, Kyle, Eric, Alexis, and Katrina.

Ann’s work with the CIA required her family to move every few years

to a different city, country, or continent. Her mission was simple -

recruit spies and collect intelligence, to help protect the United

States.

Ann Butler has spent her life striving to find the balance between

being a wife, a mother, and a spy. Her story is full of both very

challenging as well as very rewarding moments. Now, she has

written them all down.

With her memoir, Wife, Mother, Spy, she wants others to read her

story and know that although it’s not easy - they too can have it all."

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Jan Kasprzycki-Rosikon is the Founder and CEO of Convrsy, Inc., an AI-powered communication training platform focused on high-stakes negotiation, crisis communication, and adversarial simulation. Previously, he co-founded and scaled MillionYou, a collective intelligence and crowdsourcing platform acquired by EY. Over the past decade, he has led large-scale innovation and AI initiatives across Europe, the Middle East, and the United States, working with global organizations and public-sector stakeholders. His current work focuses on applying AI simulation to diplomacy, leadership training, and values-based education.

This lecture explores how AI-driven simulation can be used to prepare individuals and institutions for high-stakes conversations in diplomacy, public affairs, and crisis environments. Rather than focusing on AI as a tool for content generation, the session examines AI as a training mechanism, capable of recreating emotionally complex negotiations, strategic dialogue, escalation scenarios, and real-time decision pressure.

The discussion will also address broader implications for national security, negotiation training, leadership development, and the future of strategic influence in an era of increasingly persuasive AI.

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