Diplomacy and International Politics

Staffing gaps and significant personnel changes at the State Department have raised concerns about the direction of U.S. foreign policy, especially amid public statements by President Donald Trump concerning American alliances and positions on issues around the world. Ambassador Cameron Munter invites Ambassador Nicholas Burns to share his insights and ideas, including on timely topics such as the U.S.-Russia relationship following the re-election of Vladimir Putin, Transatlantic relations and changing perceptions about the future role of NATO, and a possible meeting between President Trump and his North Korean counterpart on nuclear nonproliferation and security.

In this installment of “Conversations in Diplomacy," the Future of Diplomacy Project's Faculty Director, Nicholas Burns, is joined by Michael Froman, former United States Trade Representative.

An interview with MEI Faculty Affiliate Asim Khwaja on his work at the Center for International Development's Evidence for Policy Design (EPoD) program with the Saudi Ministry of Labor on labor market policy as well as EPoD's Smart Policy Design and Implementation methodology and implications for the future of informed, iterative policymaking.

In this installment of “Conversations in Diplomacy," the Future of Diplomacy Project's Executive Director, Cathryn Clüver, speaks with Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin,India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

An audio recording of a public talk by Victor J. Willi, Senior Researcher and former Associate Director and Global Leadership Fellow, World Economic Forum.

Opening the joint CLIMATE CHANGE DIPLOMACY WEEK event series, speakers and leading climate change experts from both Harvard and beyond participated in a panel discussion titled "What's at Stake in Paris?: Diplomacy and Policy at the Climate Change Talks," moderated by the Future of Diplomacy Project Faculty Director, R. Nicholas Burns, and co-hosted with the Harvard Project on Climate Agreements on November 9. The speakers comprised of Sturgis Hooper Professor of Geology at Harvard University, Daniel Schrag;former Costa Rican Minister of Environment and Energy, René Castro; former Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs and chief climate negotiator, Paula Dobriansky; and Albert Pratt Professor of Business and Government and Director of the Harvard Project on Climate Agreements, Robert Stavins. Together panellists weighed in on the upcoming UNFCCC talks to be held in Paris in December and the overarching policy issues at play.

In this “Conversation in Diplomacy" with former President of Finland and Angelopoulos Global Public Leaders Fellow, Tarja Halonen, the Future of Diplomacy Project Director R. Nicholas Burns explores the 'Nordic Way,' the rise of female leaders, and debates about austerity in the Eurozone.

In this “Conversation in Diplomacy" with former EU Trade Commissioner and 2015 spring Fisher Family Fellow, Karel de Gucht, the Future of Diplomacy Project Director R. Nicholas Burns examines TTIP and the geostrategic relevance of trade.

An audio recording from Danyel Reiche, Associate Professor for Comparative Politics, American University of Beirut and Visiting Scholar at Harvard.

On October 6, 2014 at MEI, Professor Reiche presented research on Qatar's activity in the sports sector, naming it as an explicit area of focus for Qatar's development plans and examining the potential domestic and foreign policy aims of the tiny Gulf Cooperation Council nation in their pursuit of sporting excellence.