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Distinguished Women in International Affairs

The Distinguished Women in International Affairs series is presented with the generous support of Jack and Pam Cumming.

The Distinguished Women in International Affairs series brings renowned women leaders to the Elliott School to engage with students on international issues.

• 2013
• 2012
• 2011
• 2010
• 2009
• 2008
• 2007
• 2006

– 2013 –

International Women's Day
Ending Violence against Women: Inspiring Dialogue and Action

March 4, 2013
Watch the video

• Jody Williams, Nobel Prize Winner, 1997; Sam and Cele Keeper Professor in Peace and Social Justice, Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston

– 2012 –

A Conversation with Jane Harman

November 8, 2012

• Jane Harman, Director, The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; Former Congresswoman (D-CA)

U.S. National Security and Defense Priorities in a Time of Austerity

October 16, 2012
Watch the video
Watch video highlights

• Michèle Flournoy, Former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy; Co-founder, Center for a New American Security

Foreign Policy and Science: An Essential Partnership

October 9, 2012
Watch the video

• Kerri-Ann Jones, Assistant Secretary for Oceans, Environment, and Science, U.S. Department of State

Human Security and the New Rules of War and Peace

May 9, 2012
Watch the video

• Mary Kaldor, Professor of Global Governance; Director, Civil Society and Human Security Research Unit, London School of Economics and Political Science

Gender and Civilian Security

March 8, 2012
Watch the video

• Maria Otero, Under Secretary, Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights, U.S. Department of State

Building a Better Haiti through Education

February 27, 2012
Watch the video

• Michele Pierre-Louis, Former Prime Minister of Haiti and President of the FOKAL Foundation

From Moscow to Washington to Seoul – Locking down Nuclear Material

February 13, 2012
Watch the video

• Laura Holgate, Senior Director, Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism and Threat Reduction, National Security Council

– 2011 –

U.S.-Jordan Relations

November 17, 2011

• Alia Hatoug-Bouran, Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the United States of America

A Conversation with Michaelle Jean

September 13, 2011

• Michaelle Jean, Special Envoy to Haiti for UNESCO
• Introduction by Robert Maguire, Professor of Practice of International Affairs, Elliott School of International Affairs, GW
• Moderated by Robert Perito, Director, Haiti Program, U.S. Institute of Peace

co-sponsored with the United States Institute of Peace

Iran After the Revolution

April 21, 2011
Watch the video

• Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate; Human Rights Lawyer

The Referendum in Southern Sudan

January 25, 2011
Watch the video

• Jendayi Frazer, Distinguished Service Professor, Department of Social and Decision Sciences and the H. John Heinz III College's School of Public Policy and Management, Carnegie Mellon University; Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs (2005-2009)

– 2010 –

Leading through Civilian Power

November 16, 2010
Watch the video

• Anne-Marie Slaughter, Director of Policy Planning, United States Department of State; Bert G. Kerstetter '66 University Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University

No Peace Without Women

November 3, 2010
Watch the video

• Zainab Salbi, Founder and CEO, Women for Women International

Indo-U.S. Relations: An Evolving Partnership

Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Watch the video

• Meera Shankar, Ambassador of India to the United States

Facing the Crises of Our Time: The U.S. & the UN in the 21st Century

March 29, 2010

• Gillian Sorensen, Senior Adviser and National Advocate, United Nations Foundation

Ambassador of Bahrain

January 28, 2010

• Ambassador Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo, Ambassador of Bahrain to the United States

– 2009 –

Dr. Helene Gayle

November 18, 2009
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• Dr. Helene Gayle, President and CEO, CARE

The Prague Agenda: The Obama Administration's Approach to Nuclear Nonproliferation and Arms Control

November 10, 2009

• Ellen Tauscher, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, U.S. Department of State

Women's Role in Peace Making

October 6, 2009

• Ambassador Melanne Verveer, Ambassador at-large for Global Women's Issues

International Women's Rights

March 10, 2009
View the PowerPoint
Read the transcript

• Renee Jones-Bos, Ambassador of the Netherlands to the United States

Inside the UN: What Works, What Doesn't, and How To Fix It

January 27, 2009
Watch the video
Read the transcript

• Louise Frechette, Distinguished Fellow, The Centre for International Governance Innovation; Former UN Deputy Secretary-General

Notes from a Financial Foxhole: The Media, The Message, and The Mess

November 5, 2008
Read the transcript.

• Diana B. Henriques, Senior Writer, The New York Times

– 2008 –

Instabilities in the XXI Century

October 9, 2008

• Therese Delpech, Director, Strategic Affairs, Atomic Energy Commission of France; Senior Research Fellow, Center for International Studies, Paris

The Art of Conflict Mediation

March 24, 2008
Read about this event

• Betty Bigombe, Ugandan Peace Activist; Distinguished Africa Scholar, Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies

– 2007 –

Women in the Arab World: Law and Practice

September 7, 2007

• Her Excellency Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, President of the United Nations General Assembly

Globophobes and Globophiles: The Development Challenge

April 2, 2007

• Nancy Birdsall, President, Center for Global Development

The Oman-U.S. Free Trade Agreement

January 25, 2007
Read the transcript

• Her Excellency Hunaina Sultan Ahmed Al-Mughairy, Ambassador of the Sultanate of Oman

– 2006 –

The CIA's Secret War on Terror

December 5, 2006

• Dana Priest, National Security Correspondent, The Washington Post, Pulitzer Prize Winner

The Global Fight to End Polio: Diplomacy's Critical Role

October 10, 2006
Read the transcript

• Dr. Paula Dobriansky, Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs, United States Department of State

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