Weiser Diplomacy Center | Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
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Weiser Diplomacy Center

The Weiser Diplomacy Center serves as a hub for engagement with the foreign policy community, bringing a diverse cadre of seasoned diplomats and foreign policy experts to campus and creating new opportunities for students and faculty.

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News

Announcing winter 2023 Ford School events

Jan 11, 2023
 The Ford School is pleased to announce an exciting lineup for the winter 2023 Policy Talks @ the Ford School series and other special public events hosted with partners from across campus. Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise...
Headshots of Peter Meijer, Jelani Cobb, Jeh Johnson, Andy Levin, and Angela Harrelson
News

Brazil riots: Ford School experts offer insight

Jan 9, 2023
In the aftermath of Sunday's riots, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva promises to bring rioters to justice. This morning, he met with Rosa Weber, president of the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil, and other leaders to work "in defense of...
Headshots of Ambassador Melvyn Levitsky and Javed Ali
News

Levitsky says US-Brazil relations blooming

Jan 4, 2023
Ford School professor Melvyn Levitsky, a former U.S. ambassador to Brazil, has been commenting on the new relationship between the countries as President Lula da Silva takes office. BBC Brazil, January 2, 2023: "[Inviting Lula to the White House]...
Ambassador Melvyn Levitsky
In the Media

Ali on the impact of Ukraine acquiring air defense system

Dec 22, 2022 TRT World
Javed Ali, TRT World: "It sounds like President Zelenskyy will get some of what he had requested previously from the U.S. government, including this one Patriot air defense system. But it’s only one system, and one system alone is not going to...
Headshot of Javed Ali at Weill Hall's 4th floor Whitman Lounge, speaking to someone off camera
In the Media

Ciorciari breaks down state of war in Ukraine

Dec 19, 2022 Newsweek
John Ciorciari, Newsweek: "The war is now in an extended, grinding phase. The first full winter under sanctions will invite dissent within Russia, especially after Putin's much-criticized mobilization effort. Putin needs to show some credible wins...
Photo of John Ciorciari asking a question of a guest speaker
In the Media

Ali provides insight on war in Ukraine

Dec 15, 2022 Newsweek
Javed Ali, Newsweek: "Over the past year both the Ukrainians and the Russians have demonstrated an ability to make advances, hold territory, but then withdraw to different locations in order to regroup from losses and consolidate for future...
Headshot of Javed Ali at Weill Hall's 4th floor Whitman Lounge, speaking to someone off camera
In the Media

Ali: Belarus joining war in Ukraine risky

Dec 13, 2022 Newsweek
Javed Ali, Newsweek: "It comes with considerable risks for the Belarusians. Look at the pounding that the Russian military has taken in Ukraine. Belarus is such a small country. It has such limited military resources. Losing a few hundred troops or...
Headshot of Javed Ali in Weill Hall's 2nd floor hallway
In the Media

Ali weighs in on Putin, state of war in Ukraine

Nov 8, 2022 HuffPost
Javed Ali, HuffPost: "It just reinforces the perception of who Putin is and how sort of diabolical this strategy of his is, and the list of potential war crimes keeps getting longer. If Russia isn’t already a pariah country, it would absolutely...
Headshot of Javed Ali at Weill Hall's 4th floor Whitman Lounge
News

Weiser Diplomacy Center announces new diplomacy fellows

Nov 3, 2022
The Weiser Diplomacy Center (WDC) is excited to announce four impressive recipients of the 2022 WDC fellowship.  The four 2022 fellows, Jacob Gillis (MPP ’24), Gerardo A. Méndez Gutiérrez (MPP ’24), Gabriel Sylvan (MPP ’24), and Oieshi Saha (MPP...
Headshots of Jacob Gillis, Gerardo Mendez Gutierrez, Gabriel Sylvan, and Oieshi Saha
In the Media

Levitsky compares post-election protests in US and Brazil

Nov 2, 2022 Folha de S. Paulo
Melvyn Levitsky, Folha de S. Paulo: "It's normal to have protests. But acts like the ones that happened in the U.S., fueled by public figures who appropriate people's emotions and encourage violence, are a real threat in our times. That's what I saw...
Ambassador Melvyn Levitsky
In the Media

Levitsky predicts efficacy of Brazilian President-elect Lula

Nov 1, 2022 The Dialogue
Melvyn Levitsky, The Dialogue: “Lula has attained almost mythical status among the lower-middle and lower classes in Brazil. His rise from poverty to trade union leader to president of Brazil in addition to popular programs to keep kids in school...
Ambassador Melvyn Levitsky
News

Biden's visit to Cambodia requires delicate balance - Ciorciari

Oct 31, 2022
President Biden is set to be the first U.S. president to visit Cambodia in 10 years when he attends the ASEAN summit in November. John Ciorciari, associate dean, director of the International Policy Center and Weiser Diplomacy Center and professor...
John Ciorciari in Washington DC
In the Media

Levitsky discusses US support for Ukraine

Oct 28, 2022 The Hill
Melvyn Levitsky, The Hill: While lawmakers may ultimately fall in line behind the Biden administration, the divisions and political damage may not fade so quickly.  “On the progressive side, [it] makes them look like they’re weak in the sense of not...
Ambassador Melvyn Levitsky
News

Ciorciari warns on foreign intervention in Haiti

Oct 23, 2022
Haiti has once again found itself in crisis, rattled by an assassination, overtaken by gang violence, and led by an unelected government. Associate dean John Ciorciari recently penned an article in Foreign Policy warning of the consequences of...
John Ciorciari
News

Practicing diplomacy: Diplomacy Lab, winter 2022

Oct 13, 2022
For the third year in a row, University of Michigan students tackled policy-relevant questions posed by the U.S. State Department officials in Diplomacy Lab (DipLab) projects.  In the Winter 2022 term, graduate and undergraduate students formed...
Diplomacy Lab
In the Media

Putin may be on his last legs, says Biegun

Oct 3, 2022 The Detroit News
In an op-ed for The Detroit News, Weiser International Policymaker in Residence Stephen Biegun argues that faced with unprecedented criticism, Putin will fall if Russia is defeated in Ukraine. "While the discontent in Russia is a consequence of...
Photo of Stephen Biegun standing at a podium and speaking at an event
News

Students simulate negotiations in the Arctic Circle

Sep 27, 2022
Geopolitical tensions are rising in the Arctic Circle, with disputes over territory and resources, environmental issues, and Indigenous People's way of life. In early September, nearly 30 undergraduate and graduate students from across the...
Photo of a classroom of Ford School student participants in the US Army War College simulation
Publication

Page calls for U.S. to redefine relationship with Haiti

Sep 22, 2022
As Haiti continues to face challenges such as the effects of climate change and political turmoil, former Ambassador and Professor of Practice in International Diplomacy Susan D. Page calls for the U.S. to work alongside Haitians to create a more...
Photo of two Haitian men completing a construction job
News

Wałęsa calls for American leadership

Sep 14, 2022
The war in Ukraine is forcing the world to make a choice between democracy or totalitarianism. That was the message from former Polish president Lech Wałęsa as he addressed an audience in the Rackham Amphitheater. Wałęsa came to the world’s...
Lech Walesa lecture