This month, AGS welcomed Amb. Thomas Nides, Amb. Marie Yovanovitch, and Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin to Duke.
Former US ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides joined us on October 3 for a conversation with David Schanzer co-sponsored by the Duke Center for Jewish Studies. The two discussed the US relationship with Israel, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the broader geopolitical landscape in the region, covered in The Chronicle.
On October 11, Amb. Marie Yovanovitch, who served as the US ambassador to Ukraine from 2016 to 2019, participated in a conversation with Simon Miles. Amb. Yovanovitch talked about recent developments in Ukraine since Russia’s renewed invasion in February 2022 as well as US interests in the conflict. Asked about the leadership of Volodomyr Zelenskyy, she emphasized his communication skills, as highlighted in this coverage in The Chronicle.
Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin, the author of The Crooked Timber of Democracy in Israel: Promise Unfulfilled, spoke about the future of Israel’s democracy and the impact of the Israel-Hamas War on Israelis, Palestinians, and the geopolitical landscape in the Middle East in a wide-ranging conversation with Bruce Jentleson on October 25 co-sponsored by the Duke Center for Jewish Studies and reported in The Chronicle. Scheindlin also discussed her experiences of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the importance of thinking critically about the sources we rely on as consumers of media.
AGS headed to Gettysburg on October 6 and 7 for a perennial favorite in the AGS calendar, the Gettysburg staff ride. Led by Abigail Bergan (’26) and Zachary Patterson (‘26), along with Dr. Caileigh Glenn, who is currently an America in the World Consortium Postdoctoral Fellow here at AGS, the trip offered participants a chance to see up close how strategy works in practice. “Battles,” as one student participant reported, “are much more chaotic than your history or political science textbook would lead you to believe.”
Undergraduate and graduate students at AGS had a chance to interact with this year’s cohort of Counterterrorism and Public Policy Fellows at the Sanford School of Public Policy in an informal get-together.
Friends and alumni of the program also gathered in DC this month – a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new connections. Stay in touch with AGS through our alumni newsletter. Find us on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook for even more updates.
AGS Spotlight
Ishanvi Malayanil (‘26) was invited to speak as part of the Day of the Girl event organized by the Secretary of State’s Office of Global Women’s Issues.
H-Diplo featured a roundtable of Susan Colbourn’s 2022 book, Euromissiles: The Nuclear Weapons That Nearly Destroyed NATO, describing it as “important, essential, and timely.”
In the News
Patrick Duddy was interviewed on CNBC about US relations with Venezuela in light of recent shifts in US sanctions.
Peter Feaver spoke to The Atlantic about Donald Trump’s approach to alliances and the role allies play in the Biden administration’s foreign policy.
Bruce Jentleson has appeared regularly on WRAL to discuss the Israel-Hamas war and its broader implications.
David Schanzer was quoted in The Globe and Mail regarding the significance of the October 7 attacks on Israel and the reactions and sentiments in Jewish communities including in the United States.
Peter Feaver discussed the significance of US support for Ukraine in shaping impressions of the Biden administration’s foreign policy on NPR. “‘If that success is replaced by a collapse in Ukraine because we stop supporting Ukraine, then the Biden foreign policy record looks much much more negative,’ Feaver said.”
Simon Miles spoke with Insider about the historical antecedents for current reports that Russia is executing soldiers who refuse to obey orders.
Peter Feaver discussed the appropriations process and the politics surrounding those bills in Congress with Military Times as part of a story on congressional opposition to DEI initiatives at the Pentagon.