Geography alone would dictate the need for attentiveness to United States foreign policy – with the logic of knowing your hugely powerful neighbour being reinforced by awareness of that neighbour’s major role in the global arena. With this in mind, the Munk School is launching a series of efforts aimed at intensively examining the way American policy makers “read” the world of the early 21st century: how do they conceptualize the dangers and opportunities beyond their borders?; what policies will they devise to minimize the former and maximize the latter?

As with similar Munk School initiaties focused on key actors in the 21st century international arena – see the announcement of a major “Brazil Seminar Series” – our extensive range of international partners will play a significant role in programming for a series of events linked to the theme of ‘The United States in the Global Arena.” An important first step in an unfolding series of lectures, workshops, and special events took place recently, for example, at American University in Washington, D.C. American University’s School of International Service worked with the Munk School’s Canada Centre for Global Security Studies to organize and host a workshop on “America’s Role in the World: Views from Abroad.” An impressive and thoroughly global array of scholars shared insights at an important moment in the U.S. election campaign. This workshop will be followed by a similar event in Toronto in 2013, on the way to publication of a volume co-edited by James Goldgeier (Dean of American University’s School of International Service) and Ron Pruessen (the Munk School’s Director of International Partnerships & Research).

The program for the Washington workshop is included here:

“America’s Role in the World: Views from Abroad,” American University/Washington D.C., October 26, 2012

Views from Asia:

C. Raja Mohan, Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi

Benjamin Schreer, Australian National University

Wu Xinbo, Fudan University, Shanghai

Commentator: Daniel Twining, German Marshall Fund of the United States

 

Views from Europe:

Mustafa Aydin, Kadir Has University, Istanbul

Dmitry Suslov, Higher School of Economics/Moscow

Justin Vaisse, Brookings Institution

Commentator: Fiona Hill, Brookings Institution

 

Views from the Western Hemisphere:

Ronald W. Pruessen, Munk School of Global Affairs

Matias Spektor, Vargas Foundation/Brazil

Celia Toro, El Colegio de Mexico

Commentator: Robert Pastor, American University/Washington

 

Plus: America’s Role in the World: Challenges and Opportunities – A Dialogue between Janice Gross Stein, Director, Munk School of Global Affairs and James Goldgeier, Dean, School of International Service, American University/Washington