Walter Roberts Lecture Series – Page 2 – The Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication

October 7, 2021April 23, 2024

2021-22 Walter Roberts Annual Lecture

Nothing is Impossible: The diplomatic journey towards reconciliation

By Yvonne Oh, IPDGC Program Coordinator

The Walter Roberts Lecture will feature Ambassador (retired) Ted Osius who will speak about U.S.- Vietnam relations; how a relationship fraught with tensions following a painful war that cost nearly 60,000 American and over two million Vietnamese lives, was able to reach reconciliation after a 20-year journey of daring diplomacy. Amb. Osius was U.S. ambassador to Vietnam during the Obama administration. His recent book, Nothing Is Impossible, offers a vivid account of the diplomatic work that made this reconciliation possible. He speaks to the leaders who put aside past traumas to work on creating a brighter future for the two countries. Amb. Osius also draws upon his own experiences of working first-hand with various Vietnamese leaders, and also traveling the country on bicycle to spotlight the ordinary Vietnamese people who helped bring about their nation’s extraordinary renaissance.

Dean Alyssa Ayres, dean of the GW Elliott School of International Affairs will deliver introductory remarks.

Dr. Janet Steele (right), director of the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication, will moderate the discussion and Q&A session with Amb. Osius.

A reception will follow.

Please, join us for this free event.

2021-22 Walter Roberts Lecture

Tuesday, October 26
6pm -7:30pm (ET)
City View Room, Elliott School of International Affairs
1957 E St NW, Washington DC 20052

RSVP to attend in-person

RSVP to attend on Zoom

April 14, 2021April 23, 2024

Video: 2021 Walter Roberts Annual Lecture

Panel says the US can do more to protect global media freedoms

By Yvonne Oh, IPDGC Program Coordinator

The 2021 Walter Roberts Annual Lecture featured a virtual panel comprising of Richard A. Stengel, former Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (2014-2016), Amanda Bennett, former director of the Voice of America (2016-2020), and Professor Nicholas Cull, historian, and professor at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy in California.

The discussion addressed the question of what the U.S. could do to protect global media freedoms and also how should the U.S. international broadcasting agencies be organized to address this challenge.

Our distinguished Panel:

Here is the recording of the event:

March 22, 2021November 5, 2022

2021 Walter Roberts Annual Lecture

Virtual Panel with public diplomacy leaders

The 2021 Walter Roberts Annual Lecture virtual panel will feature Richard A. Stengel, former Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (2014-2016), Amanda Bennett, former director of the Voice of America (2016-2020), and Professor Nicholas Cull, historian, and professor at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy in California.

The discussion will be moderated by David Ensor, GW’s Director of the Project for Media and National Security. Ensor is also a former VOA director

Since 2011, the Walter Roberts Endowment has hosted an annual lecture inviting prominent and distinguished speakers on foreign policy, American politics, and the world at large. The WRE Annual Lecture is held at the George Washington University and is free and open to the general public. The lectures provide the opportunity for the diverse audience of students, faculty, public diplomacy practitioners, and other members of the public, to hear different perspectives on issues relating or influencing public diplomacy and U.S. foreign policy.

Please join us for this free, public event.

December 6, 2019April 23, 2024

A look back on IPDGC events

By Yvonne Oh, IPDGC Program Coordinator

As this year draws to a close, IPDGC would like to recap some of our activities of the Fall semester. We hope that you’ve had the opportunity to attend some of the events:

Your Country, Our War: The Press and Diplomacy in Afghanistan, September 25.

Asia Centre: Fake News Legislation in Southeast Asia, October 17.

Work-Life Balance in a 24/7 Organization panel, November 7.

Please do support IPDGC in the year ahead!

Mark your calendars for the 2020 Walter Roberts Lecture featuring Joseph S. Nye. The talk will be on “Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy”, to be held on Thursday, January 30, 2020, at the GW Elliott School of International Affairs.

More information HERE.

November 25, 2019November 5, 2022

Support #publicdiplomacy

Dear Friend,

Thirteen years ago, the Walter Roberts Endowment was established with generous contributions from Dr. Roberts and the Roberts family. The Endowment was to ensure continued support for public diplomacy through higher learning and research, recognition of leadership and shared best PD practices.

The Endowment has assisted in funding activities of the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication (IPDGC) at the George Washington University.

The Annual Walter Roberts Lecture for 2020 will feature Dr. Joseph S. Nye, who, 30 years ago, originated the term “soft power” in describing the persuasive approach in U.S. foreign policy. The Lecture will be held on January 30, 2020, at the Elliott School for International Affairs.

The Endowment continues to support IPDGC’s Walter Roberts Award for Congressional Leadership in Public Diplomacy, which honors members of Congress who have been consistently supportive of public diplomacy throughout their careers. These awards support public diplomacy micro-projects in institutions situated in the member’s state or congressional district.

The Endowment also encourages GW graduate students to excel in public diplomacy studies. Hence, to move ahead, we are trying to increase the size of the Endowment to allow us to provide grants to graduate students who could not otherwise afford to study public diplomacy at GW.

We encourage you to join with the Roberts family in continuing to support the vital public diplomacy outreach work that the Endowment underwrites.

Donate Now

November 19, 2019November 5, 2022

Annual Walter Roberts Lecture: Save The Date

The Walter Roberts Endowment will hold its 2020 Annual Lecture on Thursday, January 30, 2020, at the Elliott School of International Affairs, Washington, D.C. The speaker will be renowed political scientist Joseph S. Nye, Jr. who will be speaking on “Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy”. Nye is one of the world’s leading scholars on international relations and the person responsible for introducing the term “soft power” to describe the persuasive approach in foreign policy.

Nye’s latest book takes a look at past U.S. presidents to the current, and evaluates their leadership in U.S. foreign policy based on ethical dimensions. The 2020 Walter Roberts Annual Lecture will also celebrate the 30th anniversary of “Soft Power”.

More information to come.