Diplomacy and foreign affairs

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. 

Two experts with long experience in Middle East policymaking discuss the violence in Palestine and Israel and its broader implications. This event is open to Ford School students, faculty, and staff, and will be streamed live and on-demand.

Although the China Initiative has officially ended in 2022, the hostile climate has not dissipated and scientists of Chinese backgrounds still feel the pressure especially as a proposed House spending bill wants to bring the initiative back. Put in place in 2018 under the Trump administration the China Initiative led to the arrest, intimidation, and forced resignation of faculty on American University campuses. This panel discussion brings together a group of experts who will discuss their personal experiences, the legal dimensions, the costs of the initiative in the realm of scientific and technological advancements, the effects on prospective and current students, and diversity of campus.  

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.

The Weiser Diplomacy Center will host a policy simulation at the Ford School this fall. In this exercise, students will learn about the crisis in Cyprus and be tasked with using diplomacy to address a variety of urgent issues in this scenario.

Join Brent McIntosh, UM alumna and former Under Secretary of the Treasury for International Affairs for a discussion of the power, limits, and risks of economic sanctions as a tool of U.S. statecraft and the evolution of institutions of global financial coordination.

Join the Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia for a conversation with Ukrainian-born retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, former Director for European Affairs for the United States National Security Council. We'll examine the current state of the war and its impacts on the Ukrainian people; the implications for global security; and prospects for peace and rebuilding.

Bollywood megastar Aamir Khan and the 2016 film Dangal helped reduce India-China tensions, illustrating India’s intangible soft power through the circulation of Bollywood as a malleable cultural form. 

Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former president of Poland visits the University of Michigan to speak on the global impact of Russia's war on Ukraine.

Visiting Belgian diplomats in conversation with U-M students about transatlantic relations and the challenges the E.U. is facing right now. 

Join us for a conversation about the findings of two papers from 2020-21's North American Colloquium, on climate policy, with their authors.

Join us for a conversation about the findings of three papers from 2020-21's North American Colloquium on climate policy, with their authors.

Join us for a conversation about the findings of three papers from 2020-21's North American Colloquium, on climate policy, with their authors.

Are you interested in international development and USAID? Join the International Policy Student Association to hear from Ms. Alexious Butler, the Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator in the USAID Bureau for Resilience and Food Security.

The fourth webinar of the North American colloquium will discuss new approaches to countering nationalist extremism in North America.

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.

Defense Intelligence Senior Executive Service (Retired) Colonel James T. (Tom) Faust will reflect on his career in the military and civilian service.

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. 

Students will break into groups to reconcile the various conflicting mandates of the state and international actors, seeking ways forward that respect international legal obligations.

The Brookings Institution's Africa Security Initiative will host a panel of experts—including Ambassador Susan D. Page, a professor of practice at the Ford School— to discuss the future of the Sudans, and what the United States and its partners can do to support them.

This two-part workshop will provide students with a hands-on opportunity to develop and apply crucial design, planning, and management skills using a United States foreign aid project in Central America as a case study.

This symposium will bring together students from the University of Michigan and partner universities in the Midwest to learn from leading experts about the U.S.-Korea relationship and to engage in a diplomatic simulation on North Korea.

Former Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun will discuss diplomatic options on the Korean Peninsula and the implications for relations between the U.S. and the Republic of Korea.

Ambassador Rakolta will reflect on his experience as U.S. ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and his work on the historic Abraham Accords.

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.