international affairs

State & Hill

Forensic anthropology in Guatemala

May 3, 2023

Lessons in restorative justice By Miriam Wasserman In spring 2019, Aprisal Malale (MPP '20) found himself at the side of an unmarked grave in Guatemala. Malale, along with Towsley Policymaker in Residence Hardy Vieux (MPP/JD '97), and...

Picture of Gerardo A. Méndez Gutiérrez (MPP '24)

News

This year in international policy at the Ford School – fall 2022

Sep 27, 2022

An impressive slate of core and visiting faculty help make the Ford School a hub for engagement with the foreign policy community and a national leader in international policy education. The Weiser Diplomacy Center (WDC) and International Policy...

Photo of Stephen Biegun (right) speaking with Ambassador Mel Levitsky (left) at a reception in the Rackham Building

Publication

Ciorciari assesses Non-Alignment Movement inaction on Ukraine crisis

Apr 22, 2022

Countries around the world have responded in many ways to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. John Ciorciari, associate professor of public policy and director of the Ford School's International Policy Center and Weiser Diplomacy Center, recently penned...

News

Ralph pens article on corruption and Russian invasion

Apr 10, 2022

Alex Ralph, a writing instructor at the Ford School, recently sat down with Frank Vogl, co-founder of Transparency International, the chairman of the Partnership for Transparency Fund and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, to discuss...

In the Media

Ukraine invasion has damaged isolated, paranoid Putin - Ciorciari

Mar 27, 2022 The Express

All eyes are on Russian President Vladimir Putin as the war in Ukraine continues. John Ciorciari, associate professor of public policy and director of the Ford School's International Policy Center and Weiser Diplomacy Center, said some in his inner...

In the Media

Ali discusses comparisons of invasions of Iraq and Ukraine

Mar 17, 2022 BBC Brazil

As the war in Ukraine rages on, many are making comparisons between the U.S.'s invasion of Iraq and Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Javed Ali, associate professor of practice, discussed the comparison. "It's easy to understand why people think the...

In the Media

Levitsky applauds Zelensky

Mar 9, 2022 CBS Detroit

Nearly two weeks after Russia initially invaded Ukraine, the fighting continues. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has emerged as an international leader, which Melvyn Levitsky, professor of international policy and practice,...

In the Media

Ciorciari discusses China's shift on war in Ukraine

Mar 9, 2022 Nikkei Asia

China's view on the war in Ukraine is shifting as Russia continues its attack. John Ciorciari, associate professor of public policy and director of the Ford School's International Policy Center and Weiser Diplomacy Center, discussed what has...

News

Ford School experts weigh in on Russian invasion of Ukraine

Feb 25, 2022

As the Russian military surrounded and began its assault on Ukraine, Melvyn Levitsky, professor of international policy and practice, and Javed Ali, associate professor of practice, lent their expertise to numerous media outlets to break down the...

Weill Hall entrance with "Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy" etched into the glass

In the Media

Ali breaks down crisis in Ukraine

Feb 21, 2022 Fox 2 Detroit

Tensions are heightening between Russia and Ukraine, prompting President Biden to meet with his National Security Council to discuss the conflict. "A full-up National Security Council meeting with the President of the United States, those don’t...

In the Media

Levitsky discusses Bolsonaro's visit to Russia

Feb 16, 2022 TV Globo

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro recently visited Russia, despite rumors of a looming Russian invasion into Ukraine. Melvyn Levitsky, professor of international policy and practice, weighed in on the visit. "I really don’t see any gain that’s...

News

Shannon Farrell to serve as new Diplomat in Residence

Sep 2, 2021

A warm welcome to Shannon Farrell, who will serve as the new Diplomat in Residence (DIR) for the North Central region. She will sit at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan and will offer advice and guidance to...

News

Ford School wins innovation in international programming award

Jun 17, 2021

The Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA) recognized the Ford School of Public Policy's Student-Initiated Projects (SIPs) and Extended Research Projects (ERPs) with the Innovation Award for Professional Development...

Ambassador Susan Rice with a Ford School student

News

Public policy expert with career in international service sees opportunities to ease global chaos

Oct 6, 2020 Michigan News

Regardless of political or partisan stripes, few voters see the November election as anything less than consequential. And whether one advocates for a go-it-alone or go-with-friends approach to global relations, the world still carefully watches the...

Alumni spotlight

Latesha Love-Grayer (MPP ‘02) brings fact-based analyses for better government decision making

Aug 17, 2020

For 17 years, Latesha Love-Grayer (MPP '02) has informed decision making and monitored practices by the U.S. government at the Government Accountability Office (GAO). She says it’s the opportunity to influence legislation and improve implementation...

State & Hill

Learning by doing—on a global scale

May 22, 2020

By Rebecca Cohen (MPP ‘09) In 20 years of global experiences, roughly 600 Ford School students have traveled to 18 countries, not including internships or study abroad. The lessons they bring back with them have helped shape careers of...

Students enrolled in the Ford School's Chinese Policy course at the Great Wall

William G. Rich says U.S. sanctions on Iran should have banks investing in cybersecurity

Nov 7, 2018

With the imminent threat of re-imposing sanctions on Iran, Ford School alumnus William G. Rich (MPP '09) says U.S. banks should buckle down on security—cybersecurity, that is. In his October 25, 2018, op-ed for Bloomberg, Rich details the danger...

Professor Melvyn Levitsky gives his predictions for Trump-Bolsonaro relationship

Nov 2, 2018

On October 28th, right-wing populism added another presidential office to its ranks with the victory of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil. Per protocol, President Trump called his new fellow head of state and offered his congratulations—the first step to...

Melyvn Levitsky on Brazil's Presidential Election

Internship field report, Fandi Achmad @ the World Trade Organization in Geneva

Sep 19, 2017

Fandi Achmad (MPP '18) submitted this field report from his summer 2017 internship at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva. Working for the World Trade Organization (WTO) on international trade has always been a dream of mine since deciding...

Collins signs APSIA letter denouncing Trump EO, reaffirming value of diversity

Feb 3, 2017

Susan M. Collins, the Joan and Sanford Weill Dean of Public Policy at the Ford School and a former president of the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA), has signed a "Commitment to Diversity" statement just released...

Waltz contributes chapter to Oxford University Press book on MENA transitional justice

Feb 1, 2017

Transitional Justice in the Middle East and North Africa, a new Oxford University Press book edited by Chandra Lekha Sriram (University of London), focuses on transitional justice in MENA countries in the wake of the Arab Spring. The book features a...

Levitsky in Estadão de São Paulo: Fasten your seat belts, but no New World Order

Jan 26, 2017

After the election of President Donald Trump, many writers have sought to understand how his campaign promises will translate into policy. One such exploration, "Wandering foreign policy leaves world on alert," by Claudia Trevisan from the Brazilian...

Ciorciari examines opportunities and challenges for victim testimony in international courts

Jan 17, 2017

John Ciorciari and Anne Heindel (Documentation Center of Cambodia) have a forthcoming article, "Victim Testimony in International and Hybrid Criminal Courts: Narrative Opportunities, Challenges, and Fair Trial Demands," to be published by the...

Weiser Diplomacy Center Series

Statecraft and the Global Economy: Recent Developments

Mar 30, 2023, 4:00-5:20 pm EDT

Weill Hall Room 3240

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.

Weiser Diplomacy Center Series

Sexual Violence and (In)Security in South Asia: Lessons from Bangladesh, Balochistan, and Beyond

Mar 15, 2023, 4:00-5:30 pm EDT

This panel will analyze historical and contemporary instances of sexual violence by state and non-state actors amid armed conflict in South Asia, and discuss some policy and diplomacy tools for violence prevention.

Weiser Diplomacy Center Series

Armenia-Azerbaijan relations and implications for peace and security in the South Caucasus region

Feb 13, 2023, 4:00-5:30 pm EST

3240 Weill Hall

This presentation will explain the causes, contours, and possible outcomes of the largely unknown war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Karabakh, which is overwhelmingly Armenian in population but is located wholly inside Azerbaijan.

Weiser Diplomacy Center Series

China and the global human rights system

Dec 5, 2022, 11:30 am-12:45 pm EST

Three noted experts will share insights drawn from academic study, civil society engagement, and diplomatic practice.

Admissions

Diplomacy and international cooperation

Nov 5, 2020, 4:00-5:15 pm EST

Interested in a specific topic of study within International Affairs? Attend our virtual open houses throughout the months of October and November! Hear from a few schools at each session in a more intimate setting. Learn what YOU can do with an APSIA degree! This event is themed “Diplomacy and International Cooperation.”

Picture of Weill Hall with Ford School and APSIA logos

Josh Rosenthal Education Fund Lecture, Policy Talks @ the Ford School, Weiser Diplomacy Center Series

David Miliband on international politics, humanitarian needs, and the global significance of the U.S. election

Oct 15, 2020, 4:00-5:00 pm EDT

Join the Weiser Diplomacy Center and the Ford School for a discussion with David Miliband, President of the International Rescue Committee and former Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom.

Seeking Justice for Syrian Victims of War Crimes: Possibilities and Limitations of Universal Jurisdiction

Dec 2, 2019, 11:30 am-12:50 pm EST

3240 Weill Hall

Roger Lu Phillips, Legal Director at the Syria Justice and Accountability Centre, will discuss SJAC's work supporting Universal Jurisdiction prosecutions in Europe as well as its work ascertaining the fate of Syrian victims who have been detained or gone missing during the conflict.