American diplomacy in a disordered world

March 14, 2019
Written By:
Mandira Banerjee
Contact:
  • umichnews@umich.edu

EVENT ANNOUNCEMENT

DATE: 4-5:20 p.m. Monday, March 18, 2019

EVENT: Vandenberg Lecture: “American Diplomacy in a Disordered World: A Conversation with Ambassador William J. Burns”

Burns, who retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 2014 after a 33-year diplomatic career, will share his firsthand experiences serving under five presidents and 10 secretaries of state in a discussion with Michael Barr, dean of the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.

Burns is now president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the oldest international affairs think tank in the United States. He holds the highest rank in the Foreign Service, and is only the second serving career diplomat in history to become deputy secretary of state. Drawing on more than 100 newly declassified documents, Burns will give a rare insider’s look at American diplomacy in action.

The annual Vandenberg Lecture was established to honor Arthur Vandenberg, who served the state of Michigan in the U.S. Senate from 1928-1951. Vandenberg forged bipartisan support for our country’s most significant and enduring foreign policies of the 20th century, including the Truman Doctrine, Marshall Plan, NATO and the creation of the United Nations. The lecture is made possible by the Vandenberg Fund, established by the Meijer Family.

PLACE: Weill Hall, Annenberg auditorium, 735 S. State Street, Ann Arbor; will also be livestreamed.

SPONSORS: Ford School of Public Policy and Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies

INFORMATION