POSITIVE RSVP ONLINE ONLY:
http://belfercenter.org/events/allisonblackwill_DS.html
The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs will host a Director's Seminar with Graham Allison, the Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School; Douglas Dillon Professor of Government and Robert Blackwill, Henry A. Kissinger Senior Fellow for U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations in the Belfer Center Library (L369).
Lee Kuan Yew was the founding father of modern Singapore and a lasting inspiration for leaders around the world. As prime minister from 1959 to 1990, he led Singapore first to independence and then to economic success. Within a single generation, Lee was responsible for almost single-handedly transforming Singapore from a fading colonial trading post into a global financial center and the leading intellectual hub of Southeast Asia.
Beyond his impact as a visionary nation-builder, Lee will be remembered as the “sage of Singapore,” a grand master of international strategy and a wise counselor to the world. In international affairs, no individual has been as eagerly sought out by global leaders for his insight and mentorship. Lee’s perspectives on leadership, economic transition, and the geopolitics of East and West have been consulted and admired by leaders including Richard Nixon, Margaret Thatcher, Barack Obama, and Xi Jinping. Today, Lee’s legacy continues as his insights resonate across the most challenging aspects of the international agenda.
Graham Allison is Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs and Douglas Dillon Professor of Government at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. The “Founding Dean” of the modern Kennedy School, Dr Allison has served as Special Advisor to the Secretary of Defense under President Reagan and as Assistant Secretary of Defense under President Clinton. Dr. Allison's first book, Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis (1971) ranks among the all-time bestsellers with more than 450,000 copies in print. His latest book (2013), Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master’s Insights on China, the United States and the World (co-authored with Robert Blackwill), has been a bestseller in the US and abroad. His previous book, Nuclear Terrorism: The Ultimate Preventable Catastrophe, now in its third printing, was selected by the New York Times as one of the "100 most notable books of 2004."
Robert D. Blackwill is the Henry A. Kissinger senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. As deputy assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser for strategic planning under President George W. Bush, Ambassador Blackwill was responsible for government-wide policy planning to help develop and coordinate the mid- and long-term direction of American foreign policy. He served as presidential envoy to Iraq and was the administration’s coordinator for U.S. policies regarding Afghanistan and Iran. Ambassador Blackwill went to the National Security Council (NSC) after serving as the U.S. ambassador to India from 2001 to 2003, and is the recipient of the 2007 Bridge-Builder Award for his role in transforming U.S.-India relations. Prior to reentering government in 2001, he was the Belfer Lecturer in International Security at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. From 1989 to 1990, Ambassador Blackwill was special assistant to President George H.W. Bush for European and Soviet affairs, during which time he was awarded Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit by the Federal Republic of Germany for his contribution to German unification. Earlier in his career, he was the U.S. ambassador to conventional arms negotiations with the Warsaw Pact, director for European affairs at the NSC, principal deputy assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, and principal deputy assistant secretary of state for European affairs. The author and editor of many articles and books on transatlantic relations, Russia and the West, the Greater Middle East, and Asian security, Amb. Blackwill is a contributor to the Financial Times, a member of the Trilateral Commission and the Aspen Strategy Group, and on the board of Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. His latest book, coauthored with Belfer Center Director Graham Allison, is titled Lee Kuan Yew: The Grand Master’s Insights on China, the United States, and the World (MIT Press, February 2013). He is also coauthor, with Ashley J. Tellis, of a Council on Foreign Relations report, Revising U.S. Grand Strategy Toward China (March 2015).
As space is limited for this event, RSVPs will be accepted on a first come, first served basis. Belfer Center Seminars are strictly off-the-record. By requesting to attend the seminar, you agree that you will comply with the Belfer Center's strict policy against recording or disclosing the contents of the seminar. Your access is conditioned on your compliance with these restrictions. Should you violate these rules, the Center will pursue all available legal options and you will be excluded from all future events.
