As always, November kept us busy here at AGS.
We were thrilled to host Maj. Gen. William J. Walker (ret.), Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth, Dr. Mariana Budjeryn, and Daniel Runde this month.
Maj. Gen. William J. Walker (ret.) joined us on November 7 for a lunch with students and a conversation with Dr. Peter Feaver about his experiences as the 38th Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. House of Representatives and as Commanding General of the DC National Guard on January 6, 2021.
On November 15, we welcomed Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth to campus. Secretary Wormuth discussed the future of the all-volunteer force and some of the challenges ahead, including a growing gap between the American public and military service. It was a special pleasure to have AGS alumna Amy Kramer (’18) back on campus to introduce Secretary Wormuth, particularly given Kramer’s experience crafting policy to increase support for families in the U.S. Army.
Dr. Mariana Budjeryn joined us on November 16 to discuss her book Inheriting the Bomb: The Collapse of the USSR and the Nuclear Disarmament of Ukraine, which came out last December. She and Dr. Susan Colbourn discussed how Ukraine navigated the break-up of the Soviet Union, the impact of inheriting key elements of the Soviet nuclear complex, and why this history matters against the backdrop of Russia’s renewed invasion of Ukraine starting in February 2022.
On November 28, Daniel Runde came to discuss the role that soft power plays in U.S. global leadership in conversation with Dr. Sarah Bermeo. Their conversation drew on the arguments and findings of his recent book, The American Imperative: Reclaiming Global Leadership Through Soft Power.
Our postdoctoral and predoctoral fellows headed to Washington, DC for an informal workshop with the full cohort of 2023-24 America in the World Consortium (AWC) fellows, meeting with colleagues from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and the Clements Center for National Security at the University of Texas at Austin.
In the Media
Susan Colbourn talked to The Globe and Mail about how Canada’s access to information legislation restricts the study of Canadian history.
Bruce Jentleson appeared on the podcast Tying It Together with Tim Boyum to discuss the history of Israel-Hamas relations.
Simon Miles spoke with Insider about the likely challenges ahead for Kyiv’s war effort, particularly the outcome of the 2024 US presidential election, and the poisoning of Marianna Budanova, who is married to the head of Ukraine’s defense intelligence agency.
David Schanzer offered comments to CBS17 on recent North Carolina laws increasing the penalties for interference with electrical power substations.
Susan Colbourn and Simon Miles appeared on a recent episode of Horns of a Dilemma as part of a panel conversation on the direction and future of the Russian war against Ukraine. Listen to it here.
Recent Research
Bruce Jentleson has a piece out in the fall 2023 issue of The Washington Quarterly, “Beyond the Rhetoric: A Globally Credible US Role for a ‘Rules-Based Order’.” Read it here.