Influence and Engagement
Every year, the Elliott School hosts hundreds of diverse events featuring distinguished speakers from all aspects of the international affairs community. All events are free for students and are often open to the public and the media. While some events follow Chatham House rules and are not recorded, the links below offer recordings of those that were on the record at the Elliott School.
Here is just a sample of last year’s #Events@tElliott
The 2023 David H. Miller Memorial Lecture
This event featured The Honorable Reta Jo Lewis, president and chair of the board of directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, who discussed the role commercial engagement plays in U.S. ties with sub-Saharan Africa as part of the annual David H. Miller Memorial Lecture.
A Conversation with the International Women of Courage
This event featured recipients of the International Women of Courage Award speaking about their experiences. A U.S. State Department program, The International Women of Courage program recognizes women worldwide who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership in acting to improve the lives of others.
Managing U.S. Nuclear Operations in the 21st Century
This book launch hosted by the Institute for Security and Conflict Studies and the Security Policy Studies program featured the editors of Managing U.S. Nuclear Operations in the 21st Century (Brookings Institution Press), edited by Charles Glaser, Austin Long, Brian Radzinsky. They addressed such questions as: How are U.S. nuclear war plans developed? Are U.S. command and control systems vulnerable to attack?
What's Next in Foreign Affairs: Challenges to Democracy Around the World
This event, part of the What's Next in Foreign Affairs Speakers Series, focused on the growing global challenges to democracy and efforts to advance freedom around the world and featured Dr. Daniel Twining, president of the International Republican Institute (IRI).
Empowerment and Agency: Contradictions of Western Support to Afghan Women with Muqaddesa Yourish
This lecture featured the Elliott School Shapiro Visiting Professor, Muqaddesa Yourish, who spoke about Afghan women's rights and the global community’s development agenda in Afghanistan over the past two decades.
By Brook Endale
The George Washington University Institute for Korean Studies (GWIKS) held a conference to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Korea (ROK) and the 70th anniversary of the longstanding alliance between Korea and the United States.
Speakers at the event examined the legacy of Syngman Rhee, the first president of the ROK. Rhee received his bachelor’s degree from GW in 1907, a Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award in 1949 and an honorary degree (LL.D.) in 1954. The all-day event included several panels that examined Rhee’s role in the establishment of the U.S. and ROK mutual defense treaty, which has played a key role in the security and development of the ROK. The panels also analyzed the lasting impact of the defense treaty and its role in modern U.S. and ROK relations. The other sessions focused on the state of education, gender equality and cultural development under Rhee’s rule.
Jisoo M. Kim, director of the Institute of Korean Studies at GW, began the discussion by explaining the connection between Rhee and GW and introducing Alyssa Ayres, dean of the Elliott School.
“Syngman Rhee and his legacy have been the subject of much controversy in South Korea recently,” Ayres said. “As all of you likely know, he was the first president of South Korea, and how he is evaluated by educators and historians is taking on a new importance, especially this year, the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Korea. This historical milestone has also given rise to a greater reflection on the strengths and weaknesses of his leadership.”
Ayres also highlighted GW’s connection to the ROK by naming other notable alumni like Nakyun Shin and Jung-Sook Kim who went on to be members of the ROK National Assembly. Ayres added that GW boasts one of the largest networks of alumni in South Korea of any United States university.
“Debating these kinds of historical complexities and their relevance to the contemporary world is part of our mission as one of the leading international affairs schools in the country,” Ayres said.
She explained the importance of analyzing Rhee’s legacy, saying the Elliott School gathered a diverse group of scholars in the hopes of making important contributions to the discussion surrounding the ROK’s past.
“Debating these kinds of historical complexities and their relevance to the contemporary world is part of our mission as one of the leading international affairs schools in the country,” Ayres said.
For many years, the debate over Rhee’s legacy has raged on as some want to honor him as a leader who fostered stability while others argue he was a ruthless dictator.
After spending time in the United States, pursuing higher education and traveling globally as a mouthpiece for Korean independence, Rhee returned to Korea after World War II.
He actively campaigned for independence and unification of the country and in 1948, became the first president of the Republic of Korea. During his presidency, he purged the National Assembly members who opposed his rule. In 1960, following the April 19 Revolution, Rhee was exiled to Hawaii.
The conference consisted of three sessions featuring a panel of speakers examining the Syngman Rhee period focusing on the historical perspectives of foreign policy, domestic politics and cultural development.
“This story begins with Syngman Rhee, a statesman with a complicated legacy,” Bailey said. “Rhee’s efforts to secure the sovereignty of this nation laid the groundwork for an enduring partnership with the United States, beginning with the darkest days marred by war and extreme poverty.”
The keynote speaker at the event was Seth Bailey, director of the Office of Korean and Mongolian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.
“I first traveled to Korea more than 34 years ago in the summer of 1989, as Korea was emerging from the triumph of the Seoul Olympics,” Bailey said. “For more than three decades, I have lived in Korea for many years. It's an understatement to say that the transformation that I've seen over the last 34 years has been rapid. This transformation is a result of the hard work, unity and perseverance of the Korean people. But it is also a testament in part to the enduring value of partnership and the alliance between the Republic of Korea and the United States of America.”
Bailey said it is undeniable the ROK will continue to grow as a regional and global powerhouse, partly due to difficult decisions made more than 70 years ago.
“This story begins with Syngman Rhee, a statesman with a complicated legacy,” Bailey said. “Rhee’s efforts to secure the sovereignty of this nation laid the groundwork for an enduring partnership with the United States, beginning with the darkest days marred by war and extreme poverty.”
Following the many lives lost and the devastation caused to the country following years of war, by the time the Mutual Defense Treaty was signed in 1953, Bailey said, there were certainly questions about the enormous cost paid by many people’s sacrifices to secure the armistice.
In the aftermath of the war, Bailey said the ROK emerged as a formidable player on the global economic stage and boasts the world's 10th largest economy and the United States sixth largest trading partner.
Bailey said the ROK has propelled itself into the forefront of innovation and serves as an inspiration to other nations around the world.
He concluded his remarks by establishing the continued friendship the ROK shares with the U.S., a bond Bailey said was forged in the spirit of progress, sacrifice and shared aspirations.
By B.L. Wilson
The documentary film “Are We Safer Today” starts with news footage of the clear blue skies of September 11, 2001, just before the first plane crashes into one of the World Trade Center’s twin towers, the clock showing 8:50 a.m.
George Washington University had a special screening of the documentary at the Elliott School of International Affairs with three members of the bipartisan National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, better known as the 9/11 Commission. Following the screening, the trio reflected on their participation in one of the largest investigations in U.S. history and the nation’s progress against terrorist attacks in the past 20 years.
Though not a direct answer to the question posed by the film, the panelists expressed that the U.S. faces a more serious threat to democracy because of divisive politics than from international terrorists.
“The crisis calls from all over the country at all levels for people who are willing to serve and get involved [in public service] at a cost to themselves,” said 9/11 Commissioner John Lehman, former secretary of the Navy under President Ronald Reagan. “That’s how you make a difference.”
Elliott School Dean Alyssa Ayers welcomed Lehman and the other 9/11 Commission members, Tim Roemer, former ambassador to India and Indiana congressman; Richard Ben-Veniste, who served as prosecutor for the commission. They were joined by Elliott School Professor of Leadership Ethics and Practice Initiative Chris Kojm, who served as the commission’s deputy staff director.
“We are indebted for their work and the stellar example they set for us all,” Ayers said.
Against the backdrop of towers collapsing, the documentary rapidly touched on the series of events that led to the formation of the 9/11 Commission, which was formed 14 months after the 9/11 attacks after House and Senate investigations failed to answer many of the public’s questions that commission Chair Thomas Kean said included “what led to the terrorist attack on our country that took the lives of almost 3,000 Americans,” and “most importantly, what can be done to prevent future terrorists attacks and how can we make this country safer. This is what our commission intends to do.”
“We were all picked because we were very active and experienced Democrats and Republicans,” Lehman said, “It was clear to the leadership that this was to be a nonpartisan and thorough investigation.
In the panel discussion, the commission members underscored the bipartisan nature of the commission. “We were all picked because we were very active and experienced Democrats and Republicans,” Lehman said, “It was clear to the leadership that this was to be a nonpartisan and thorough investigation.
“We grew up in an era when there was nothing nobler than well educated, well-read people coming out of colleges and universities into public service,” he said.
In reflecting on changes in the past 20 years, he said he thinks the quality of people in public service has declined. “If we don’t rekindle a sense of obligation and nobility in the fact that public service is a calling, we’re going to continue to decline,” he said.
“University is all about opening your mind to ideas and listening and challenging authority in an appropriate way through rational discourse based on facts,” he said. “One thing the 9/11 Commission exemplified is that it is a false comparison, false delusion to equate a vigorous attempt to get to the facts with partisanship. Often that line is now blurred.”
Ben-Veniste said that he thinks it would be “extraordinarily difficult” to conduct a similar bipartisan investigation today on domestic terrorism because the of divisions in the country.
“University is all about opening your mind to ideas and listening and challenging authority in an appropriate way through rational discourse based on facts,” he said. “One thing the 9/11 Commission exemplified is that it is a false comparison, false delusion to equate a vigorous attempt to get to the facts with partisanship. Often that line is now blurred.”
Roemer and the other panelists stressed the role of families of 9/11 victims, some of whom were in the GW audience, not only in bringing pressure to bear on Congress for an independent investigation but also in submitting questions to the commission and ensuring the recommendations were enacted into law.
“Our commission doesn’t get formed, we don’t get our recommendations through, we don’t get our strategy implemented without citizen involvement no matter how good we are, no matter how great our staff is,” he said. “The 9/11 families were our moral compass and our heart and soul and our backbone.”
When asked to compare the 9/11 Commission to the Select Committee on January 6, the panelists found the Watergate hearings more analogous than the Commission’s investigation.
“Given the political environment we’re in, the January 6 Select Committee has done a good job,” Roemer said, “explaining to the American people that this was not a dust up, that this was not a regular event in American life. This was an attack on the constitution and the peaceful transfer of power we’ve had for 245 years.”