Channel Title: Duke University Department of Political Science Channel Description: The Department of Political Science was established in 1934 and currently includes thirty-one permanent faculty members as well as a number of distinguished adjunct and visiting faculty. The department, which in recent years has consistently ranked among the top ten graduate political science programs in the country, offers students a broad intellectual approach to the discipline, a long-standing commitment to excellence in both teaching and research, and a lively and collegial intellectual community. <video> The Brand: America’s Role in Global Sports Description: Ambassador Dave and Kay Phillips Family International Lecture On September 28, AGS hosted a conversation about sports, diplomacy, and the US role in the world featuring General Martin Dempsey, Sarah Hirshland, Coach Mike Krzyzewski, and Adam Silver as part of the Ambassador Dave and Kay Phillips Family International Lecture Series. Moderated by Professor Peter Feaver, the panelists – each with ties to Duke – covered a variety of topics from the roles that athletes can play advocating for issues that they care about to the strong bonds created by competition on the international stage, along with their own personal experiences of international competition. The panel reflected on their experiences with China, US relations with China, and how sports impact the overall relationship. A key theme which emerged in the conversation was the ability for international sports to transcend the division created by politics as a means of uniting both athletes and fans as enjoyers of sports. General Martin Dempsey, named one of TIME magazine’s most influential people, retired in October 2015 after 41 years of military service, including as the 18th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He now teaches leadership and public policy as a Rubenstein Fellow at Duke University and serves as Chairman of USA Basketball. Sarah Hirshland is CEO of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC). Coach Mike Krzyzewski is a Naismith Hall of Fame coach, a five-time national champion at Duke, and a six-time gold medalist as head Coach of the US Men’s National Team. Adam Silver was appointed NBA Commissioner on Feb. 1, 2014. Silver presides over a global sports and media organization built around five professional sports leagues: the NBA, WNBA, NBA G League, NBA 2K League and Basketball Africa League. Under his leadership, the leagues are dedicated to growing basketball around the world, promoting health and fitness, and using the sport to bring people together. Silver joined the NBA in 1992. Prior to becoming commissioner, he served as NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer, President and Chief Operating Officer of NBA Entertainment, NBA Chief of Staff, and Special Assistant to the Commissioner. </video> <video> Confronting Saddam Hussein: George W. Bush and the Invasion of Iraq - with Dr Melvyn Leffler Description: On December 5, the Duke Program in American Grand Strategy welcomed the historian Melvyn P. Leffler for a conversation about his recent book, Confronting Saddam Hussein: George W. Bush and the Invasion of Iraq. </video> <video> Israel's Crises: Democracy and War: A Conversation w/ Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin Description: Join AGS and the Duke Center for Jewish Studies on October 25 for a conversation with Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin, the author of the recently published The Crooked Timber of Democracy in Israel: Promise Unfulfilled, moderated by Bruce Jentleson, the William Preston Few Professor of Public Policy and Professor of Political Science. Dr. Dahlia Scheindlin is a political scientist, a public opinion expert and a political consultant. She has advised nine national election campaigns in Israel since 1999, and has worked in fifteen other countries as well. In Israel, her research focuses on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, foreign policy, democracy, human rights and civil rights, political analysis, and comparative conflict analysis. Dr. Scheindlin has regional expertise in the Balkans and Eastern Europe, post-conflict societies and transitional democracies. She holds a PhD from Tel Aviv University; she is a policy fellow at The Century Foundation, a regular columnist at Haaretz (English), and a foreign affairs analyst on the BBC television program, Context; she is among the founders of +972 Magazine and has co-hosted several podcasts including the Tel Aviv Review of Books and Election Overdose. She lives in Tel Aviv. </video> <video> "Governing the Ransomware Ecosystem" Anja Shortland, Hayek Lecture Series Description: The Hayek Lecture Series is sponsored by the Center for the History of Political Economy and an interdisciplinary certificate program called Philosophy, Politics & Economics at Duke University. Learn more at https://hope.econ.duke.edu and https://dukeppe.trinity.duke.edu Ransomware has grown to epidemic proportions, having a global cost of around $30-40 billion in 2023. In this Hayek Lecture, Professor Anja Shortland of King’s College London provides a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the relationship between crime and insurance. Professor Shortland highlights the complex ways in which insurance can both create and mitigate risk, as well as the important role that governments play in supporting insurance markets and protecting the public from crime. The lecture draws from three papers: “How Crime Shapes Insurance and Insurance Shapes Crime” (2023), “Insurance and Enterprise: Cyber Insurance for Ransomware” (2022), and “The Government behind Insurance Governance: Lessons for Ransomware” (2022), written with Tom Baker. Anja Shortland, a Professor of Political Economy at Kings College London, studies private governance in the world’s trickiest markets: hostages, fine art, antiquities, and ransomware—and how people live, trade, and invest in complex and hostile territories. Although often based on data analysis, her work usually cuts across disciplinary boundaries, adopting techniques and insights from sociology, engineering, geography, politics, international relations and economics. </video> <video> U.S. Defense Policy in an Age of Geopolitical Turbulence: A Conversation with Dr. Colin Kahl Description: On August 29, AGS hosted a conversation about the major challenges and opportunities currently facing U.S. defense policy with former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, Dr. Colin Kahl. Dr. Kahl, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and expert in international security and foreign policy, delivered a thought-provoking talk, reflecting on how the world has transformed from 2017 to 2021. His discussion covered a wide range of critical global issues and the shifting dynamics in international politics. He presented a comprehensive overview of key issues, starting with the evolving threat landscape he encountered while serving in the Obama and Biden administrations. Dr. Kahl underscored the increasing prominence of counterterrorism efforts and the emergence of rogue threats as significant global concerns. He delved into the evolving nature of these threats and their implications for global security, setting the stage for a nuanced analysis of the broader geopolitical landscape, as well as the substantial changes in the global power balance that occurred during the Obama administration. He highlighted the far-reaching implications of these shifts and their impact on the international stage, providing context for the subsequent discussions. The event also dedicated considerable attention to the impact of the Trump administration on U.S. alliances. Dr. Kahl shared valuable insights into how these critical relationships were affected during this period, allowing the audience to appreciate the intricacies of international diplomacy during the preceding years. A pivotal moment in the conversation was the examination of the United States’ transformation following the events of January 6, 2021. Dr. Kahl elucidated the resulting changes in the U.S. political landscape and explored their implications, both domestically and on the international stage, thus bridging the discussion to contemporary events. Dr. Kahl’s thoughtful exploration of complex international issues illuminated the multifaceted challenges and opportunities that the United States and the world faced during this period. The event fostered a deeper understanding of the evolving global landscape and underscored the importance of diplomatic efforts, unity, and nuanced analysis in addressing global challenges. Colin H. Kahl served as Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from 2021 to 2023. In this role, he was the principal advisor to the Secretary of Defense for defense policy and led the formulation and coordination of national security policy within the Department of Defense. Dr. Kahl ensured the integration of defense policies and plans to achieve desired objectives. He was responsible for efforts to build partnerships and defense cooperation with U.S. friends and allies. Dr. Kahl is co-director of the Center for International Security and Cooperation, the inaugural Steven C. Házy Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and a Professor, by courtesy, in the Department of Political Science at Stanford University. He is also a Strategic Consultant to the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement. </video> <video> Jimmy Toscano Alumni Interview Description: AGS Alumni Jimmy Toscano sits down with Robert Miron to discuss his AGS experience and how it influenced his career. </video> <video> Understanding Today's China and U.S. Policy: A Conversation w/ Dr. Elizabeth Economy, Feb. 26, 2024 Description: On February 26, join the Duke Program in American Grand Strategy and the Duke Center for International Development for a conversation on China and the current trajectory of U.S. policy featuring Dr. Elizabeth Economy. Elizabeth Economy is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. From 2021–2023, Economy served as a senior foreign advisor (for China) in the Department of Commerce for the current administration. Economy was previously at the Council on Foreign Relations, where she served as the C.V. Starr senior fellow and director for Asia Studies for over a decade. Economy is an acclaimed author and expert on Chinese domestic and foreign policy. Her most recent book is The World According to China (Polity, 2022). She is also the author of The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State, (Oxford University Press, 2018; Thai edition, 2018; Chinese (Taiwan) edition, 2019), which was shortlisted for the Lionel Gelber Prize, a prestigious literary award for foreign affairs books. </video> <video> Thanks for Your Service: The Causes and Consequences of Public Confidence in the US Military Description: On September 14, join us for a conversation with Heidi Urben and Peter Feaver about Feaver’s recent book, Thanks for Your Service: The Causes and Consequences of Public Confidence in the US Military. Heidi A. Urben is Professor of the Practice and Director of External Education and Outreach in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University and a retired U.S. Army colonel. She is also a Senior Associate (Non-Resident) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Dr. Urben’s research interests include civil-military relations, public opinion, military and defense policy, and national security strategy. A career military intelligence officer, Dr. Urben’s previous positions in the U.S. Army include: commander of a military intelligence brigade at Fort Meade, Maryland; Vice Deputy Director of Current Analysis and Warning in the Joint Staff Directorate for Intelligence; Deputy Director for Intelligence in the Joint Staff’s National Military Command Center; commander of a military intelligence battalion in Hawaii; Assistant Professor of American Politics, Policy, and Strategy in the Department of Social Sciences at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point; operations officer and executive officer for a counterintelligence battalion; Military Aide to Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates; and various staff positions in two light infantry divisions, including two combat deployments to Afghanistan and a peacekeeping deployment to Bosnia-Herzegovina. Peter Feaver is Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at Duke University. He is Director of the Duke Program in American Grand Strategy and Co-PI of the America in the World Consortium.Feaver is author of Thanks For Your Service: The Causes and Consequences of Public Confidence in the US Military (Oxford University Press, 2023), Armed Servants: Agency, Oversight, and Civil-Military Relations (Harvard Press, 2003) and of Guarding the Guardians: Civilian Control of Nuclear Weapons in the United States (Cornell University Press, 1992). He is co-author: with Christopher Gelpi and Jason Reifler, of Paying the Human Costs of War (Princeton Press, 2009); with Susan Wasiolek and Anne Crossman, of Getting the Best Out of College (Ten Speed Press, 2008, 2nd edition 2012); and with Christopher Gelpi, of Choosing Your Battles: American Civil-Military Relations and the Use of Force (Princeton Press, 2004). He is co-editor, with Richard H. Kohn, of Soldiers and Civilians: The Civil-Military Gap and American National Security (MIT Press, 2001). He has published numerous other monographs, scholarly articles, book chapters, and policy pieces on grand strategy, American foreign policy, public opinion, nuclear proliferation, civil-military relations, and cybersecurity. </video> <video> The Declassification Engine: What History Reveals About America's Top Secrets Description: On February 1, Dr. Matthew Connelly will be at AGS to discuss his recent book, The Declassification Engine: What History Reveals About America’s Top Secrets. Dr. Matthew Connelly is the director of the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk at the University of Cambridge and a professor of international and global history at Columbia University. From 2016 to 2023, he was co-director of Columbia’s social science research center, the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy. Previously, from 2009 to 2013, Connelly directed the Hertog Global Strategy Initiative, a research program on the history and future of planetary threats, including nuclear war, pandemics, and climate change. Since then, Connelly has been the principal investigator of History Lab, a project that uses data science to analyze state secrecy, with a focus on intelligence, surveillance, and weapons of mass destruction. His publications include A Diplomatic Revolution: Algeria’s Fight for Independence, Fatal Misconception: The Struggle to Control World Population, and, most recently, The Declassification Engine: What History Reveals About America’s Top Secrets. </video> <video> The American Imperative: Reclaiming Global Leadership Through Soft Power w/ Daniel F. Runde Description: On November 28, join AGS for a conversation with Daniel F. Runde about his recently released book, The American Imperative: Reclaiming Global Leadership Through Soft Power. Daniel F. Runde is a senior vice president, director of the Project on Prosperity Development (PPD) and holds the William A. Schreyer Chair in Global Analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a leading global think tank. Mr. Runde also served as the acting director for the CSIS Americas Program from 2020-2022. His work is oriented around U.S. leadership in building a more democratic and prosperous world. Among his many other contributions, Mr. Runde was as an architect of the BUILD Act, contributed to the reauthorization of the U.S. EXIM Bank in 2018, and was an architect of Prosper Africa, a U.S. government initiative to deepen the United States’ commercial and development engagement in Africa. He has been a leading voice on the role and future of the World Bank Group and U.S. leadership in the multilateral system. </video> <video> "The Folly of Empire and the Science of Peace" Christopher Coyne, Hayek Lecture Series Description: The Hayek Lecture Series is sponsored by the Center for the History of Political Economy and an interdisciplinary certificate program called Philosophy, Politics & Economics at Duke University. Learn more at https://hope.econ.duke.edu and https://dukeppe.trinity.duke.edu Can freedom and democracy be maintained at home and spread abroad through centralized miliary force? Many U.S. foreign policy elites would answer this question with a resounding “Yes!” Christopher Coyne explores the reasons why the reality of empire might be just the opposite. Drawing on the insights of Kenneth Boulding, James Buchanan, F.A. Hayek and others, Coyne discusses the limits of empire and the science of peace. Christopher Coyne holds the position of Professor of Economics at George Mason University, serves as the Associate Director of the F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the Mercatus Center, and is the Director of the Initiative for the Study of a Stable Peace (ISSP) through the Hayek Program. </video> <video> "Why Regulation Is Necessary for Free Speech" Michael Gillespie, Hayek Lecture Series Description: The Hayek Lecture Series is sponsored by the Center for the History of Political Economy and an interdisciplinary certificate program called Philosophy, Politics & Economics at Duke University. Learn more at https://hope.econ.duke.edu and https://dukeppe.trinity.duke.edu In this lecture, "The Printing Press, Fake News, and the Wars of Religion: Why Regulation Is Necessary for Free Speech," Professor Gillespie discusses how speech always occurs within a particular social context. Free and effective speech is only possible when there are established rules for communication. The development of the internet has disrupted the prevailing orders of communication with dangerous consequences for morality and politics. We can learn a great deal about these dangers and possible solutions by examining the disruption ushered in by the invention of the printing press. Professor of Political Science Michael Gillespie is the author of, Hegel, Heidegger and the Ground of History, Nihilism before Nietzsche, The Theological Origins of Modernity, and Nietzsche's Final Teaching. He is currently completing a sequel to Theological Origins of Modernity, tentatively titled the Theological Fate of Modernity. </video> <video> The Bush Foreign Policy Legacy: A Conversation with Stephen J. Hadley Twenty Years After Iraq Description: Hand-Off details the Bush administration’s national security and foreign policy as described at the time in then-classified Transition Memoranda prepared by the National Security Council experts who advised President Bush. Thirty of these Transition Memoranda, newly declassified and here made public for the first time, provide a detailed, comprehensive, and first-hand look at the foreign policy the Bush administration turned over to President Obama. In a postscript to each memorandum, these same experts now in hindsight take a remarkably self- critical look at that Bush foreign policy legacy after more than a dozen years of watching subsequent administrations attempt to deal with the same vexing agenda of threats and opportunities—China, Russia, Iran, the Middle East, terrorism, proliferation, cyber, pandemics, and climate change—an agenda that still dominates America’s national security and foreign policy. </video> <video> Phillips Family International Lecture & Duke Centennial Event: David M. Rubenstein & Fareed Zakaria Description: On Tuesday, April 2, the Duke Program in American Grand Strategy is pleased to present our spring 2024 Phillips Lecture featuring the philanthropist David M. Rubenstein and political commentator Fareed Zakaria in conversation with Peter Feaver. Rubenstein and Zakaria will discuss global elites, populism, the role of higher education in those trends, and what it means for the US role in the world today. This event is part of the Ambassador Dave and Kay Phillips Family International Lecture Series and the Duke Centennial. David M. Rubenstein is Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of The Carlyle Group, one of the world’s largest and most successful private investment firms. Established in 1987, Carlyle now manages $426 billion from 28 offices around the world. Mr. Rubenstein is Chairman of the Boards of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Gallery of Art, the Economic Club of Washington, and the University of Chicago; a Trustee of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins Medicine, the Institute for Advanced Study, the National Constitution Center, the Brookings Institution, and the World Economic Forum; and a Director of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Fareed Zakaria is the host of Fareed Zakaria GPS on CNN, a columnist for The Washington Post, and a bestselling author. Fareed Zakaria GPS is a weekly international and domestic affairs program that airs around the world on CNN. Since its debut in 2008, it has featured interviews with Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Emmanuel Macron, Narendra Modi, Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Condoleezza Rice, Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Greta Thunberg, and the Dalai Lama, among others. </video> <video> Secretary Christine Wormuth Webinar Description: On November 15, the Program in American Grand Strategy is pleased to host a fireside chat with Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth, touching on major issues facing the Army, including recruiting, the health of the all-volunteer force, and the current state of civil-military relations. Christine E. Wormuth is the 25th Secretary of the Army. She was sworn in on May 27, 2021 following her nomination by President Biden and confirmation by the United States Senate. As the civilian leader of the United States Army, Secretary Wormuth oversees the service’s $185 billion budget and is responsible for decisions impacting nearly 1 million Active, Guard, and Reserve soldiers and more than 330,000 Army civilians. Secretary Wormuth has worked on defense and national security policy for more than twenty-five years as a career civilian and as a presidential appointee. She was the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy from 2014 to 2016, serving as the Secretary of Defense’s top policy advisor and representing the Department of Defense on the National Security Council’s deputies committee. Before that, she led the Pentagon’s 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review as Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Forces. </video>

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The Department of Political Science was established in 1934 and currently includes thirty-one permanent faculty members as well as a number of distinguished adjunct and visiting faculty. The department, which in recent years has consistently ranked among the top ten graduate political science programs in the country, offers students a broad intellectual approach to the discipline, a long-standing commitment to excellence in both teaching and research, and a lively and collegial intellectual community.

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