The Future of Democracy Symposium
On February 6th, 2019, GU Politics and the Walsh School of Foreign Service hosted former Secretary Hillary Clinton for an event on American foreign policy and global democracy.
A half-day event, this symposium was in partnership with the School of Foreign Service as a part of the Lloyd George Centennial Lectures. Secretary Hillary Clinton’s keynote was moderated by Bill Burns, former U.S. ambassador to Russia and U.S. deputy secretary of state. Her third visit to campus since her 2016 loss, she spoke across topics on American alliances abroad, the state of NATO and other partnerships, trends in global democracy, and the “influence contest” against China. Starting out the symposium, Joel Hellman, Dean of the School of Foreign Service, celebrated the centennial of that school and said, “One hundred years ago, the SFS was created to convene dialogues on America’s role in the world.”
Starting at 1:00 p.m., the first panel looked at “The Essential Diplomat” and the role these figures play in international relations yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Thereafter, the conversation turned to “Values in US Foreign Policy” in consideration of what changes and what stays the same between administrations. Secretary Clinton finished the afternoon with her keynote address.
Summing up, Clinton said, “At some point, as another nation, you think, ‘Can we trust them?’ It’s not just administration to administration, it’s the United States of America, it’s our government. It’s about giving our word, it’s about following through.” Emphasizing the potential strength and energy of young generations around the world, the former Secretary felt positive about the path of American and global democracy.
Watch the keynote and panel discussions below!
Keynote Address
“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.”
Values in Foreign Policy
The panel included: Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues (’09-’13), Eric Schwartz – Asst. Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration (’09-’11), Maria Otero – Undersecretary of State for Civ. Sec., Democracy, and Human Rights (’09-’13), Victoria Nuland – Asst. Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs (’13-’17), and Roberta Jacobson – Ambassador to Mexico (’16-’18).
The Essential Diplomat
Moderated by Bernadette Meehan – Special Assistant to the SoS (‘10-’12), the panel included: Barbara Bodine – Ambassador to the Republic of Yemen (‘97-’01), John Negroponte – Dep. Secretary of State (‘07-’09), Linda Thomas-Greenfield – Asst. Secretary of State for African Affairs (’13-’17), and Uzra Zeya – Chargé d’Affaires, U.S. Embassy in Paris (‘14-’17).
Read more: The Hoya – Georgetown Voice – The Hill – Washington Examiner
YouTube: Keynote – Values in Foreign Policy – The Essential Diplomat
Photo album: Flickr