On Shifting Ground

Ambassador Richard Schmierer, US Department of State's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Diplomacy, will provide remarks regarding US policy, engagement with the Syrian opposition and efforts to reintegrate Syria into the international community. While the focus remains on removing the Assad regime, stopping the violence, and easing the refugee situation the State Department is also looking at what comes next for the Syrian people. Ambassador Schmierer will also provide updates on the State Department's response to recent events in Libya.

Direct download: 9_19_12_Richard_Schmierer.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:00pm PDT

BRAC is a global development organization dedicated to alleviating poverty by empowering the poor to bring about change in their own lives. What started out in 1972 as a limited relief operation called the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee, BRAC has turned into the largest development organization in the world. The work of BRAC reaches an estimated 126 million people in eleven countries throughout Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. Among many other issues, BRAC’s diverse program portfolio focuses on income generation, health care, education and agriculture. Sir Fazle will draw from his notable career to speak about success stories in development and what some countries in Africa and Asia can learn from these examples.

Direct download: 9_10_12_Fazle_Hasan_Abed.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:00pm PDT

After the news broke in 2002 of Iran’s clandestine uranium enrichment and plutonium production facilities Ambassador Mousavian was tapped to become the spokesman for Iran’s nuclear negotiations team in the European Union. A former Iranian Ambassador to Germany and head of the Foreign Relations Committee of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Mousavian was no stranger to high stakes international politics. Now a research scholar at Princeton University, he is telling his story: from the internal struggles in Tehran’s leadership, to dealings with the International Atomic Energy Agency, to life after the negotiations and his eventual arrest for espionage.

The personal experiences of this diplomat within Iran and the international community offer a unique perspective on the debate surrounding Iran’s nuclear program and the potential resolution of the crisis once and for all.

Direct download: 9_6_12_Seyed_Mousavian.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:00pm PDT

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