This roundtable is tailored to inspire and equip future policymakers with real-world insights into peacebuilding, resilience, and the practicalities of diplomatic work amidst conflict.
Policy Talks @ the Ford School,
Conversations Across Differences
Joan and Sanford Weill Hall
Annenberg Auditorium (1120)
In the year since the Hamas attack on Israel, the deadly conflict has widened into crises beyond Gaza -- in the West Bank, Lebanon, and Yemen. Two experts with long experience in Middle East policymaking return to the Ford School for a substantive policy conversation about the conflict and the broader implications for the region, and the ways in which U.S. policy and policymakers are acting and reacting to the crises. This event is open to Ford School students, faculty, and staff, and will be streamed live and on-demand.
Join this year's Ambassadors' Forum for an in-depth look at the escalating crises in the Middle East and the critical questions surrounding the region’s stability and international involvement.
Watch live from this page
Vandenberg Lecture,
Policy Talks @ the Ford School
The Ford School is pleased to present U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink for the 6th annual Arthur Vandenberg Lecture. Ambassador Brink will give brief remarks on the situation in Ukraine as it enters its third year of war with Russia, followed by a conversation with Weiser Diplomacy Center Director Susan D. Page.
Democracy around the world is both robust -- two billion people will be able to cast a ballot in 2924 -- and fragile, as threats to the voting process, to the structures of democratic society, and to the voters themselves afflict many nations.
Former United Nations Under-Secretary General and the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), will join us to discuss the intricate relationship between health equity and economic resilience in Africa. Dr. Songwe's insights will highlight Africa's role in global power dynamics and strategies for asserting its agency amid evolving economic landscapes.
Meet Mark Jacobson, a seasoned veteran who has made significant contributions to NATO, the Senate Committee on Armed Services, and held key roles at the Department of Defense. Mark's journey spans academia and military service.
Discover the captivating journey of President Zelensky's former press secretary and a globally acclaimed journalist. Uncover the behind-the-scenes stories of her impactful work in Ukraine and the dynamic world of journalism!
Policy Talks @ the Ford School,
Vandenberg Lecture
The Ford School is pleased to present Ambassador Julianne Smith, U.S. Permanent Representative to NATO, for the 5th annnual Arthur Vandenberg Lecture: "NATO today: Confronting the crisis in Ukraine and adapting to meet global challenges"
Center for Strategic Leadership at the U.S. Army War College will host a policy simulation at the Ford School this fall. In this exercise, students will learn about the competition in the Arctic region and be tasked with using diplomacy to address a variety of urgent issues.
Center for Strategic Leadership at the U.S. Army War College will host a policy simulation at the Ford School this fall. In this exercise, students will learn about the competition in the Arctic region and be tasked with using diplomacy to address a variety of urgent issues.
Weill Hall 1110
(Betty Ford Classroom), and livestreamed
Representative Elissa Slotkin of Michigan's 8th district joins the Ford School for a special event, in partnership with Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies (LRCCS).
Policy Talks @ the Ford School,
Vandenberg Lecture
Join us for a special pair of discussions on foreign policy priorities and global challenges with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), facilitated by Ford School Dean Michael Barr.
Gay McDougall and Jamil Dakwar will join Professor John Ciorciari in conversation as part of a virtual series on the historical roots and impact of race shaping public policy in the global context.
Policy Talks @ the Ford School,
Conversations Across Differences
Two Parents Circle-Families Forum members—an Israeli and a Palestinian—will join us to tell their personal stories of bereavement and explain their choice to engage in dialogue instead of revenge.
Dr. Kelebogile Zvobgo will join Professor John Ciorciari in conversation as part of a virtual series on the historical roots and impact of race shaping public policy in the global context.
Dr. Bama Athreya is an expert on international labor issues, gender and social inclusion, business and human rights and will run a student workshop style discussion on using trade to address forced labor worldwide.
The heyday of the human rights movement—the 1990s—is well behind us. At its peak, the human rights movement was the most captivating ideology of its time.
National Museum of American Diplomacy and the Weiser Diplomacy Center will host a virtual simulation for all Ford School students focused on an international migration crisis.
An expert panel will explore elements of U.S.-China relationship in 2021. Ambassador Gerald Feierstein will moderate conversation with Ambassadors Sylvia Stanfield, Craig Allen, and David Shear.
Amid continuing uncertainties around the U.S. retreat from Afghanistan, journalists Robin Wright and Jawad Sukhanyar will give their perspectives on the evolving situation, in conversation with Lynette Clemetson, Director of Wallace House.
Eric Beinhart of the U.S. Department of Justice will discuss approaches to police reform in societies affected by conflict and ways to bridge the divide between formal law enforcement and traditional community governance structures in areas where state institutions have lacked capacity and/or legitimacy.
This event will feature Dr. Vivian S. Walker, Executive Director of the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy, in conversation with Professor John Ciorciari, Director of the Weiser Diplomacy Center at the University of Michigan, with a welcome address by Rejaul Karim Laskar, representing the Global Forum for Scholars & Practitioners of Diplomacy.
Join us for a panel discussion on police reform and mass incarceration. Featured panelists include Lisa Daugaard, Director of the Public Defender Association in Seattle, Broderick Johnson, Towsley Foundation Policymaker in Residence at the Ford School and Chairman of My Brothers Keeper Alliance, and David Klinger, Professor of Professor of Criminology & Criminal Justice at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. Professor Christian Davenport will moderate the conversation.
The Ford School and the Weiser Diplomacy Center invite all University of Michigan students to join us for a presidential debate debrief with Ambassador Susan Page and Associate Professor John Ciorciari.
Please join us for a virtual seminar with Jason Carter, Chairman of the Carter Center Board of Trustees, Ms. Narcis Scope, Chief Elections Officer, Elections and Boundaries Commission of Trinidad and Tobago representing CARICOM, and Ms. Pauline Chase from Guyana Bar Association in conversation with Ambassador Susan Page, Professor of Practice in International Diplomacy at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy discussing about the Guyana Electoral Observation Mission (EOM).