One of the world’s most strategically important regions, the Middle East has long bedeviled American strategists. Now, more than twenty years after the attacks of September 11, the question of how to engage in the region is as salient as ever, giving rise to dueling demands for strategic retrenchment or a redoubling of efforts. Please join us for a breakfast debate that dives into the past, present, and future of American engagement in the Middle East.  

After 1945, the United States underwent perhaps the most profound grand strategic shift in its history, abandoning its policy of non-entanglement and building a globe-spanning network of alliances that expanded even further with the end of the Cold War. While many argue forcefully that this system is adaptive and has risen to new challenges, others suggest that it is no longer fit for purpose in a very different world to the one America faced 75 or even 30 years ago.  Has the U.S. alliance system begun to outlive its usefulness? Or do alliances remain a critical cornerstone of U.S. security? Please join us for a debate on the future of American security commitments in the 21st Century. 

Dr. Will Ruger and Ambassador Khalilzad discuss how America's war in Afghanistan came to an end and what American interests are in Afghanistan going forward.

Even in just the last few years, global pandemic, geopolitical shifts and strategic changes have upended how we think about American national security. With the world changing faster than ever, innovative solutions are needed to challenges old and new alike. Please join us for a conversation with some of the sharpest thinkers in foreign policy on their recent research and how it impacts our understanding of America’s role in the world. 

Please join us for coffee and to catch up with those you have only seen on Zoom for the past two years!