Events

Meets from March 26 – April 23, 4:30 pm – 5:45 pm ET (5 sessions)

About the Study Group

Africa is at a pivotal moment. As the continent experiences dynamic change, a timely opportunity emerges for the United States to recalibrate relations with the diverse nations across the continent by embracing partnerships centered on African realities. With youthful populations, abundant resources, and growing economic and technological capacity, Africa holds solutions to global challenges from food security to climate change. Yet inclusive, sustainable development in Africa largely depends on international cooperation. By moving beyond outdated policies, the United States can craft a foreign policy agenda that more closely aligns with Africa’s profound transformation through trade, investments in clean energy and health, and youth empowerment initiatives grounded in mutual understanding. The future of U.S.-Africa ties will impact our interconnected world. By exploring the powerful shifts shaping Africa’s 

Students will be given the voluntary option to prepare one policy memo on a topic related to one of the five sessions. The teaching team will review these memos and provide comments, and students will be invited to brief their memos to our expert guest speakers during the relevant session. 

Students will be given the voluntary option to prepare one policy memo on a topic related to one of the five sessions. The teaching team will review these memos and provide comments, and students will be invited to brief their memos to our expert guest speakers during the relevant session. 

We invite all interested individuals to join us in these thought-provoking discussions. The goal is to deepen our understanding of the political and policy-related challenges and opportunities in Africa today.

The study group will be facilitated by Dr. Gloria Yayra A. Ayee, HKS Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy and Belfer Center faculty affiliate. 

Registration is required. Register HERE.

Harvard Kennedy School Study Group led by Dr. Karen Donfried, Belfer Center Senior Fellow

Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00pm

Over the course of six sessions, a study group, led by Dr. Karen Donfried, will examine key foreign policy debates flowing from Russia’s war against Ukraine. The objective is to provide a deeper understanding of the geopolitics of the war in Ukraine and the implications for U.S. interests.

Eligibility requirements: Harvard graduate and post-graduate students, who can attend all six sessions. We will seek to accommodate several undergraduates. Applicants with a strong interest in foreign affairs are encouraged to apply. No specific experience or first-hand knowledge of the issues is required. 

• Apply online through this link by 12:00 PM on Tuesday, February 20, 2024. Late applications will not be considered.

Meets: 4:45-6:00pm ET from February 14 to March 27 (excluding March 13)

In response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, nearly all cooperation on Arctic science and conservation has ceased between the West and Russia, bringing to a halt thirty years of joint effort on fisheries and wildlife conservation, climate change research, protected areas management and other areas of environmental science.  

This six-session study group, led by Arctic Initiative Senior Fellow Margaret Williams, will explore the Arctic's unique environmental and cultural characteristics, as well as the key agreements and governance structures supporting environmental protection and sustainable development in the region. The group's objective is to evaluate the costs and benefits of renewing cooperation with Russia and develop recommendations that could be shared with key government agencies in the United States or other Western countries regarding future cooperation in the science and conservation arenas.

Classes will be a combination of presentations by the study group leader and guest speakers; student presentations; and at least one debate. Guest speakers will include scientists, Arctic experts from NGOs, and government representatives. Some minimal reading will be required before each session for all participants. 

Eligibility Requirements: Harvard graduate and post-graduate students, who can attend all sessions. Applicants with a strong interest in Arctic issues are encouraged to apply. No specific experience or first-hand knowledge of the issues is required.

The application deadline has passed.

Applications for the Spring 2023 Intelligence Study Group are now live. The Intelligence Study Group is designed for Harvard students considering careers in government or the private sector as well as those interested in a broad introduction to intelligence. Participation is limited to 40 students determined by application. The study group is open to all Harvard students, faculty, fellows, and staff.  We will meet on Thursday afternoons from 4:30PM to 6:00PM beginning February 9 through April 27, 2023. The application will remain open until February 1 with initial decisions shortly thereafter. To apply, please fill out the application and we will contact you as space allows.

Please join the Future of Diplomacy Project's Fisher Family Fellow,  Ambassador Peter Wittig, for a virtual study group that will explore the key question of how much restoration of the old Western order is possible and desirable under a Biden presidency and how much re-invention is necessary to re-energize the transatlantic partnership.

Ambassador Peter Wittig is a five-time Ambassador. He served in Spain, at the UN, in Lebanon and Cyprus before working in the cabinet of two Foreign Secretaries at headquarters. Most recently he was the German Ambassador at the United Nations in New York (2009 - 2014) representing his country in the Security Council, in Washington (2014 - 2018) and in the United Kingdom (2018 - 2020).

Please register here. A light reading list will be provided and students are expected to come on time and prepared. 

This is Part Two of a two-part study group series. Led by Lindiwe Mazibuko, Fisher Family Fellow with the Future of Diplomacy Project and first black woman in South African history to be elected Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. Both sessions will be on the political risks and realities for Africa of a world with an increasingly isolated Global North.

RSVP is required. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.

This is Part One of a two-part study group series. Led by Lindiwe Mazibuko, Fisher Family Fellow with the Future of Diplomacy Project and first black woman in South African history to be elected Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. Both sessions will be on the political risks and realities for Africa of a world with an increasingly isolated Global North.

RSVP is required. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided.

The is part two of a two-part seminar led by Dr. Robert Danin. The study groups will look at Israeli and Palestinian conflicting perspectives today with respect to this wide array of issues and dynamics. It will examine the Israeli and Palestinian respective realities: first domestically, then bilaterally, and finally in the broader regional context. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP using the RSVP link.

The is part one of a two-part seminar led by Dr. Robert Danin. The study groups will look at Israeli and Palestinian conflicting perspectives today with respect to this wide array of issues and dynamics. It will examine the Israeli and Palestinian respective realities: first domestically, then bilaterally, and finally in the broader regional context. Light snacks and refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP using the RSVP link.

This is the second part of a two-part study group led by former Prime Minister of Senegal, Dr. Aminata Touré. Both study group sessions will examine how Africa is a place of success and hope. In the first study group, Dr. Touré will offer a global view on the challenges and opportunities that exist in the continent. The second study group will focus on the importance of youth and women in promoting a prosperous future for Africa. The study group will take place in Room 350, Third Floor, One Brattle Square.

Please note cookies and coffee will be provided. Please sign-up using the RVSP link.