Category Archives: Events

Holocaust and Humanity Center to Host Samantha Power, Former US Ambassador to UN

Posted on by

The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center will host a virtual conversation with Samantha Power, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former United States Ambassador to the United Nations. 

In this intimate and thought-provoking dialogue, Samantha Power will discuss her New York Times-bestselling memoir,
The Education of an Idealist

 Thursday, March 18,
at 7 p.m. EST. via Zoom

Samantha Power

Themes discussed in Power’s memoir are aligned with social issues explored in the Humanity Gallery within the Holocaust & Humanity Center’s museum at historic Union Terminal. In “The Education of an Idealist,” Power explains how she coined the term “upstander,” and how we all have the opportunity to be upstanders in unique ways. 

Upstanders are individuals who stand up for others and their rights. They fight against injustice and unfairness, and they use their character strengths to inspire action and become the best of humanity today.

“Every day, almost all of us find ourselves weighing whether we can or should do something to help others,” Power writes in the book. “We decide, on issues large and small, whether we will be bystanders or upstanders.” 

Humorous and deeply honest, “The Education of an Idealist” lays bare the searing battles and defining moments of her life and shows how she juggled the demands of a 24/7 national security job with the challenge of raising two young children. Along the way, she illuminates the intricacies of politics and geopolitics, reminding us how the United States can lead in the world, and why we each have the opportunity to advance the cause of human dignity. Power’s memoir is an unforgettable account of the power of idealism—and of one person’s fierce determination to make a difference.

Hosted in partnership with Joseph-Beth Booksellers, the public can reserve their admission for this exclusive event online. For $30, attendees will receive a copy of “The Education of an Idealist” in addition to admission to the event. Admission, without a copy of the book, is available to reserve for $10. 

Event Made Possible by:

Holocaust & Humanity Center

A New Path Forward for U.S. Global Leadership in the 21st Century

Posted on by

Message to America: A United States Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) Town Hall with Secretary Robert M. Gates

Wednesday, July 15
4:00 – 5:00 p.m. EDT

Robert M. Gates

As Secretary Bob Gates launches his new book – Exercise of Power – we invite you to join a conversation with the USGLC community and the former Secretary of Defense.

  • The interactive online town hall will dive in the Secretary’s new book and his views on how to lead America forward, including the importance of our civilian tools of global engagement.
  • RSVP is required for the Zoom event link and there will be time for audience Q&A with the Secretary, a member of USGLC’s National Advisory Council.
  • Signed and discounted copies of the book will be available for purchase for registered participants prior to the event.

Event sponsored by:

USGLC

Climate Change in the Post-Pandemic World

Posted on by

Theresa Sabonis-HelfGrab your favorite beverage and join us for a live Happy Hour Webinar to discuss the impact that COVID-19 has had on global oil trade and climate change!  The environment has been a (short term) beneficiary of COVID-19. From altering supply chains, to collapsing oil prices, to mixing virtual and physical presence in the workplace, this discussion will examine the potential environmental impacts of how Americans are rethinking trade, work, and travel in the post-pandemic world.

Dr. Theresa Sabonis-Helf is the Inaugural Chair of the Science, Technology and International Affairs concentration in the Master’s Degree program at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. Prior to joining Georgetown, she was a Professor of National Security Strategy at the National War College in Washington DC.  She has lived and worked in seven countries of the Former USSR, has assisted two nations with the development of their first National Security Strategies, and has co-edited two volumes on Central Asia’s political and economic transition.  She has also published and lectured extensively on energy security, climate change policies, post-Soviet energy and environmental issues, regional water politics, regional trade and transit, and the politics of electricity.  She is a frequent advisor to the US Department of State and USAID and is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

This FREE Live Webinar Event will be taking place on
Thu, July 9, 2020 from 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM EDT

US – China: Dimensions of a Complicated Relationship

Posted on by

An Evening with Dr. Cynthia Watson
Wednesday, June 3, 2020 @ 7:00 p.m. EST

Please Join an FPLC Meeting Event with Cynthia Watson, Ph.D. – Dean of Faculty & Academic Programs at The National War College, The National Defense University

The U.S. and China form what has been called “the determinant relationship of the 21st century.” In this time of upheaval, where is that relationship headed? Are there areas of agreement on issues that affect our country and the world—the economy, trade, and our shared climate? Or are we entering a new Cold War? FPLC is pleased to welcome back Cynthia Watson from the National War College to give us her views on this crucial topic.

Cynthia Watson has served on the faculty of the National War College since she arrived in l992. She accepted the position of Dean of Faculty & Academic Programs in 2014. The mission of the National War College is to educate future leaders of the Armed Forces, Department of State and other civilian agencies for high-level policy command and staff responsibilities by conducting a senior-level course of study in national strategy. When she last spoke to FPLC in 2017, she was focused on military education as an instrument of statecraft as well as China’s modernizing and how that affects its security relations. She has worked on China in Latin America for the past fifteen years. Her most recent manuscript was Asia First: Reflecting or Refracting Strategy? It is an assessment of the use of strategy to achieve the rebalance to Asia and the future of the United States around the world.

She grew up in Thailand and Colombia, earned her M.A. in Economic History/Latin American Studies from the London School of Economics and has a PhD in Government & International Studies from the University of Notre Dame. Her Alma Mater, the University of Missouri at Kansas City, honored her as Alumna of the Year in 2011. She has published nine books on various security issues, including Combatant Commands: Origins, Structure and Engagements (2011), Stability, Security, Reconstruction and Transition Operations (2012), and Military Education (2007).

She was Assistant Dean for Social Sciences at Loyola University of Chicago where she also taught Political Science. Dr. Watson worked for the House Subcommittee on Government Information and Individual Rights as well as the U.S. General Accounting Office. Among other posts she is a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Event Sponsored by: