 |
 |
|
|
|
||
|
10/05/09 07:00 PM - 08:30 PM September 28, 2009 MEDIA CONTACT: THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY TO HOST CONVERSATION WITH SECRETARY OF STATE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON AND SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ROBERT GATES TO DISCUSS AMERICAN POWER AND PERSUASION CNN's Christiane Amanpour and GW's Frank Sesno Will Moderate Roundtable WASHINGTON - At a time of daunting challenges facing the United States around the world -- from the war in Afghanistan to the nuclear challenge posed by Iran and North Korea, from terrorism to global poverty -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates will discuss the reach and limitations of American power and how we can most effectively use this power. The conversation will take place Monday, Oct. 5, 2009, at 7 p.m. in GW's Lisner Auditorium (730 21st St., NW, Washington, D.C.) and will be moderated by GW School of Media and Public Affairs Director Frank Sesno and CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour. The program will be broadcast domestically in high definition and internationally on CNN and air in the U.S. at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009, as a special edition of CNN's new program Amanpour. A one hour radio special will also be produced and distributed by America Abroad Media internationally and to 240 public radio stations in the United States. "If, as Defense Secretary Gates has said, 'military success is not sufficient to win,' what are the options and how is the Obama administration doing" said Mr. Sesno. "This is an historic opportunity to explore America's role in the world." The conversation underscores The George Washington University's commitment to the important policy debates and decisions of our time. The event is co-hosted by George Washington's School of Media and Public Affairs, part of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences and GW's Elliott School of International Affairs, and in association with the University's Institute of Public Diplomacy and Global Communication. "President Obama has called for 'a new era of engagement' in international affairs," said Michael E. Brown, dean of GW's Elliott School of International Affairs. "This is therefore an especially propitious time for GW to host two of the country's most influential policymakers. If the goal is to add smarts to the use of power, GW is the place to have that conversation." "We are thrilled to be playing an integral role in advancing the public policy debate,"said Peg Barratt, dean of GW's Columbian College of Arts and Sciences. "Hosting a forum of this caliber with national leaders is a remarkable example of the breadth and depth of our work in engaging Washington and the world." The event will be the second installment of the 2009-2010 GW Public Affairs Project Conversation Series, which seeks out influential personalities in government, mass media and the business world for intimate conversations moderated by Frank Sesno. The current season began on Sept. 23, 2009 with former Vice President of the United States Walter Mondale in a discussion of his life in politics, the barriers he faced and broke, his victories and losses and the direction of the Obama-Biden White House. Past guests also included George Stephanopoulos, Ted Turner, Gwen Ifill and five former U.S. secretaries of state. The conversation will be preceded earlier in the day by two panel discussions titled "New Approaches to U.S. Global Outreach: Smart Power on the Front Lines of Public Diplomacy and Strategic Communication." The first panel, "Engaging Global Publics in the Obama Era - Can the Interagency Respond?", will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 5, 2009, and will be followed by a second panel titled "Ground Truth - How Civilian and Military Communicators Shape the Opinion Landscape" to end at noon. Panelists will include Rosa Brooks, senior advisor, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy; John Carman, director, Strategic Communication, SOCOM; Bruce Gregory, GW assistant professor; Daniel Silverberg, counsel, House Foreign Affairs Committee; Daniel Sreebny, director, Global Engagement Center, Department of State; Kristin Lord (Moderator), Center for a New American Security; and Sean Aday (Moderator), GW's Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication. The panel conversations are sponsored by GW's Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication, Public Affairs Project and Public Diplomacy Council. About the participants: On Jan. 21, 2009, Hillary Rodham Clinton was sworn in as the 67th Secretary of State of the United States, joining the State Department after nearly four decades in public service as an advocate, attorney, First Lady and Senator. Dr. Robert M. Gates was sworn in on Dec. 18, 2006, as the 22nd Secretary of Defense, the only in U.S. history to be asked to remain in that office by a newly elected President. Frank Sesno, director of GW's School of Media and Public Affairs, is an Emmy-award winning journalist who brings to GW more than 30 years of experience covering global events and newsmakers at the highest levels, including interviews with the past five U.S. presidents. At CNN, he served as a special correspondent, Washington bureau chief, anchor and White House correspondent. His recent work includes documentaries and special projects for CNN, PBS and The History Channel. At The George Washington University School of Media and Public Affairs, Sesno established and serves as director of the Public Affairs Project at the Center for Innovative Media and established Planet Forward, an innovative web-to-television-to-web initiative focusing on energy, climate change and sustainability. Christiane Amanpour's career with CNN spans 25 years and has taken her to many of the world's hotspots, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Israel, Pakistan, Somalia, Rwanda and the Balkans. Her work ranges from exclusive interviews to in-depth investigations of the lives of those affected by the world's largest man-made and natural disasters. Amanpour has interviewed some of the globe's most prominent world leaders, including Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the outset of Iran's nuclear controversy, Syrian President Bashar el Assad, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and former French President Jacques Chirac. Amanpour's honors include nine Emmy Awards, two George Foster Peabody Awards and an Edward R. Murrow Award for Distinguished Achievement in Broadcast Journalism. About The George Washington University: Located in the heart of the nation's capital, The George Washington University was created by an Act of Congress in 1821. Today, GW is the largest institution of higher education in Washington, D.C. The University offers comprehensive programs of undergraduate and graduate liberal arts study as well as degree programs in medicine, public health, law, engineering, education, business and international affairs. Each year, GW enrolls a diverse population of undergraduate, graduate and professional students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and more than 130 countries. The George Washington University Columbian College of Arts and Sciences is the largest of the University's academic units with more than 40 departments and programs, including the School of Media and Public Affairs and the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration. Columbian College provides the foundation for GW's commitment to the liberal arts and a broad education for all students. An internationally recognized faculty and active partnerships with prestigious research institutions place Columbian College at the forefront in advancing policy, enhancing culture and transforming lives through research and discovery. The George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs is one of the world's leading schools of international affairs. Located in the heart of Washington, D.C., its mission is to educate the next generation of international leaders, conduct research that advances understanding of important global issues and engage the policy community in the United States and around the world. The Elliott School sponsors more than 250 public events a year on topics of international importance. Ticket information:
"New Approaches to U.S. Global Outreach: Smart Power on the Front Lines of Public Diplomacy and Strategic Communication" For more information about GW's School of Media and Public Affairs, visit www.smpa.gwu.edu. |
 |
|
©1996-2009
The George Washington University Office of University Relations,
Washington, D.C. |