1989 Trainor Lecture: Anatoly Dobrynin, Francois de Laboulaye, Edmund Muskie, David Newsom, Harold Horan

David D. Newsom

It is with sadness that the Institute reports the death of Amb. David D. Newsom, director of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy from 1981 to 1991 and Interim Dean of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service between Peter F. Krogh and Robert L. Gallucci. Amb. Newsom was instrumental in establishing the direction and programs of the Institute, following a sucessful career as a U.S. Foreign Service officer, ambassador, and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. An obituary was printed in the Washington Post, on April 4.

A memorial service will be held on the Georgetown campus on Thursday, May 29, 2008, from 2:00 to 3:00 pm in Gaston Hall, Healy Building. A reception in the Riggs Library, Healy Building, will follow the service. If you would like to attend, please complete the following reservation form: RSVP for the Memorial Service

America's Role in the World

Georgetown University's Institute for the Study of Diplomacy (ISD) has released its latest working group report, "America's Role in the World: Foreign Policy Choices for the Next President. The Report is available in pdf format.

This report identifies critical foreign policy choices that will face the next president of the United States. The working group included individuals who had worked in Republican and Democratic administrations. Unlike other reports, ISD's does not offer specific prescriptions for dealing with these issues, rather it offers a comprehensive agenda of issues that will require attention and, therefore, on which candidates in the 2008 elections should be forming views and taking positions.

Trainor Lecture

Amb. R. Nicholas Burns, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, 2005-2008, has been selected for the Twenty-seventh Jit Trainor Award for Distinction in the Conduct of Diplomacy. His address will be presented on the Georgetown campus, Monday, April 21, 2008 from 6:00 to 7:00 pm in the Auditorium, Intercultural Center. His lecture is titled "Foreign Policy Challenges for the Next Administration." [RSVP]

Dateline Pakistan

Amb. Howard Schaffer, ISD Director of Studies, and his wife Amb. Teresita Schaffer, have just returned from a trip to Pakistan. A report on their trip, written by two South Asia specialists, includes insights following the February 2008 elections. [report pdf]

Congrats to Former ISD Rusk Fellows

Several Foreign Service officers, who served as Dean and Virginia Rusk Fellows and Associates at ISD, were noted in the February 2008 issue of State Magazine.

Michael Gfoeller: Received the 2007 Director General's Award for Impact and Originality in Reporting -- for outstanding reporting and analysis on regional security issues impacting U.S. interests in Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf.

Makila James: The first full-time consul general in Southern Sudan.

Eunice S. Reddick: Appointed U.S. Ambassador to Gabon and São Tomé and Príncipe.

Josef Ruth: Wrote an article on the work of the Board of Examiners in selecting the next generation of FSOs and Foreign Service specialists.

Junior Fellows Applications

The application period for 2008-2009 ISD Junior Fellowships has started. This program provides BSFS and MSFS students two semesters of independent study under the direction of Institute associates and staff. Each fellowship offers three academic credits and a $3,100 tuition stipend. For additional information, click the button for Academics, then the link for Junior Fellows in Diplomacy. The fellowship announcement is available in pdf form.

Georgetown Honors Journalists for Achievements in International Reporting

Georgetown University's Institute for the Study of Diplomacy (ISD) will mark the 33rd anniversary of the Edward Weintal Prize for International Reporting with a ceremony and discussion honoring the 2008 winners on March 31, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. in the Bunn Intercultural Center (ICC) Auditorium.

Selected for their outstanding reporting and analysis over the past year, the 2008 Weintal Prize recipients are Margaret Warner, a senior correspondent for "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer" on PBS and Trudy Rubin, a columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer. In addition, Walter Pincus, a 2002 Pulitzer Prize-winner with The Washington Post, will receive a special citation. [more]

Undersecretary of State Panel

Diplomacy in a Dangerous World: A Conversation with America's Top Diplomats

On October 29, 2007, the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy hosted a roundtable with Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns, and his predecessors as Under Secretaries from past administrations. This was a rare opportunity to hear from the nation’s top diplomatic practitioners together in one room. The Under Secretary for Political Affairs is the third most senior position in the State Department, and traditionally at the center of U.S. diplomacy and foreign policy formulation.

Present for the discussion were R. Nicholas Burns, David D. Newsom, Marc Grossman, Robert Kimmitt, and Thomas R. Pickering. The discussion with Georgetown students is provided in pdf form on the ISD website.