“Turkey’s Role as Power Broker at Last?”

Highly honored to share the news that Ambassador Robert Pearson, a seasoned Foreign Service Officer and former United States Ambassador to Turkey, has agreed to join us at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to share his thoughts on: “Turkey’s Role as Power Broker at Last?”

Date: Thursday, February 29, 2024

Time: 5:30 PM ET

Location: FedEx Global Education Center In-Person or Register: https://unc.zoom.us/.../register/WN_O-gH2q17SLK-PcmvjK8sDg

Ambassador Pearson brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the table, having served in key diplomatic roles across the globe. From his tenure as Ambassador to Turkey during challenging times to his leadership as Director General of the U.S. Foreign Service, his insights into international affairs always prove valuable: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Robert_Pearson

His talk will cover a number of current geopolitical issues: the Russian/Ukraine war, NATO, the Israeli/Hamas war (Middle East), the sale of F-16s to Ankara, Turkey’s economic challenges and strategic views, and a look ahead at Turkey’s ambitions globally, including the global south.

Professor Koh: “International Law Under Stress in Ukraine and the Mideast.”

Professor Harold Hongju Koh -- former Dean of Yale Law School and former Assistant Secretary of State -- to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for a talk on “International Law under Stress in Ukraine and the Mideast.” This Thursday, February 8, at 2:30 PM ET.

Professor Koh has recently been working on behalf of Ukraine at the International Court of Justice and will be sharing updates on his work with the team of lawyers who successfully sued Russia on behalf of Ukraine at the World Court in The Hague, Netherlands.

Register for the ZOOM Webinar here!

Baroness Meyer will be joining us from the House of Lords in London, speaking with students enrolled in the “Epic, Empire and Diplomacy” course (PWAD/CMPL 489).

You may virtually join our classroom discussion in UNC’s FedEx Global Education Center -- home of UNC Global Affairs – by registering in advance: ZOOM!

A little about Baroness Meyer: She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to children and families in 2012 Created a British Life Peer on 19 June 2018, taking the title Baroness Meyer, of Nine Elms in the London Borough of Wandsworth. She was named UK Prime Minister's Trade Envoy to Ukraine in 2020 Founded the charity PACT, now Action Against Abduction. She currently serves in the House of Lords and is also the Widow of Sir Christopher Meyer, the former British Ambassador to the United States --

Join the conversation! The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill welcomes Professor Erinn Whitaker, speaking on “Uncloaking the CIA.” Tuesday, January 23, 2:45 PM – 3:15 PM.”

About Professor Whitaker:

• Former Senior Analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency and US State Department.

• 15 years of experience overseas and in Washington DC.

• Professor of the Practice at UNC.

• Courses covering topics including the dynamic between senior policymakers and intelligence officers, how the intelligence community has evolved, and analytic tradecraft.

• Teaching UNC’s Burch Field Research Seminar in Berlin: Intelligence --June 29 through July 27, 2024

UNC students who are members of the Carolina Forum for Education and Diplomacy (CFED) -- https://heellife.unc.edu/organization/cfed -- asked me to invite Professor Whitaker to speak about her career with the CIA, her work with the State Department, her Research Seminar in Berlin, the transatlantic relationship, and related topics.

Professor Whitaker will be speaking with CFED members, students enrolled in my “Epic, Empire and Diplomacy” course (PWAD/CMPL 489-- https://tfed-ngo.org/courses ), and the wider UNC community. Our classroom discussion takes place in UNC’s FedEx Global Education Center -- home of UNC Global Affairs – and those interested in joining the discussion virtually can do so by registering in advance: https://unc.zoom.us/.../register/WN_6Ht6rniTQ42fTzP1UoxdrA

Professor Whitaker’s talk forms part of TFED’s Corridors of Power Series: further information at www.tfed.ngo. Cosponsors include CFED, UNC Global Affairs, Honors Carolina, PWAD, and ECL.

TFED Thrilled to be partnering with UNC Global Affairs as we welcome Kathryn Hewitt back to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this Thursday to discuss the current security environment – with a focus on China and Russia, the evolving dynamics of NATO, AUKUS, the P5, and much more.

Kathryn Hewitt earned her MA degree at UNC, with a thesis on Global Politics, and now works with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) Policy Office for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction as Advisor for Multilateral Arms Control and Nonproliferation. Kate previously served with the National Nuclear Security Administration and with The Brookings Institution.

Kate’s visit is sponsored by the Transatlantic Forum for Education and Diplomacy as part of TFED's Global Seminar Series -- www.tfed.ngo --- and is co-sponsored by UNC Global Affairs and by CFED – the Carolina Forum for Education and Diplomacy-- a UNC organization open to all UNC students: https://heellife.unc.edu/organization/cfed

Sending special thanks to Kate for taking time out during her busy UNC campus visit to meet with students in my PWAD/CMPL 489 course -- “Empire and Diplomacy”(https://tfed-ngo.org/courses) -- to discuss how Western nations will deal with Putin’s nuclear sabre-rattling, and, in particular, Putin’s assertion that Russia’s response to Western support for Ukraine “will be immediate and will lead you to such consequences as you have never faced in your history.”

We look forward to learning more about options for both diplomacy and deterrence as we draw upon Kate’s experience and expertise.

Tuesday 31st October 5:15-6:00 PM FedEx Global Education Center Room 1009 Free and Open to the Public Moderator Dr. Ted Leinbaugh (OBE PhD, UNC Professor of English) & Dr. Michael Newton (PhD Celtic Studies) will explore the Celtic undercurrents of Hallowe’en & share excerpts from medieval literature and recite traditional tales illustrating the enduring influences of the native Celtic peoples of the British Isles. Followed by pizza and informal discussion.

TFED welcomes back David Stuttard, whose topic is: “Singing of Troy: Imagining a Heroic Age from the Iliad to the Aeneid.”

David Stuttard’s most recent book, “Phoenix: A Father, a Son, and the Rise of Athens,” is a “vivid, novelistic history of the rise of Athens from relative obscurity to the edge of its golden age, told through the lives of Miltiades and Cimon, the father and son whose defiance of Persia vaulted Athens to a leading place in the Greek world.”

Register in advance here: https://unc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_T5WbQ5rkR-W9m-Lftwi_Bw

Join TFED and Professor Ted Leinbaugh as we welcome Paul Rennie OBE to UNC.

For Paul’s overview on UK diplomatic priorities for the 21st century, please join us in person or virtually via the link: https://bit.ly/42LJb0fprennie

Please join us as we welcome Ambassador W. Robert Pearson on February 9th to discuss “Turkey’s Difficult but Powerful Role in Russia's War Against Ukraine.”

We welcome special guest, David Stuttard for an in-class webinar event, “Singing of Troy: Imagining a Heroic Age from the Iliad to the Aeneid.”

David Stuttard’s most recent book, “Phoenix: A Father, a Son, and the Rise of Athens,” is a “vivid, novelistic history of the rise of Athens from relative obscurity to the edge of its golden age, told through the lives of Miltiades and Cimon, the father and son whose defiance of Persia vaulted Athens to a leading place in the Greek world.”

As well as being a professional lecturer and author, David Stuttard founded the touring theatre company Actors of Dionysus, which specializes in classical Greek drama. He has also written dramatic reconstructions of the lost Euripides plays Alexandros and Palamedes, which were premiered as part of 'The Trojan Trilogy' at the British Museum. You can learn more about his work here: http://www.davidstuttard.com/

Please click the link to register in advance for the webinar: https://unc.zoom.us/j/95777410457

Paul joined RUSI in September 2018 and is responsible for all of RUSI’s philanthropic fundraising. He is currently leading a campaign to raise over £9 million.

Previously he was a Director at The Royal Society of Medicine for over 16 years. There he led all fundraising, raising many millions of pounds to support the provision of postgraduate medical education and training. In addition, he established and ran the Society’s flourishing medical innovations programme.

Paul’s career has included a series of director-level fundraising roles at the London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE), Barts Hospital, and Jewish Care.

A highlight of his career was organizing an event for Nelson Mandela at the LSE.