The ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine underscore a critical need for diplomatic solutions to global conflicts. At this event, the Honorable Stuart E. Eizenstat — former U.S. ambassador to the European Union, White House policy adviser, and undersecretary of commerce and undersecretary of state — joined the Honorable David M. Satterfield, director of Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and presidential special envoy for Middle East humanitarian issues, to explore the role of diplomacy in achieving peaceful resolutions. They also discussed Eizenstat’s new book, “The Art of Diplomacy: How American Negotiators Reached Historic Agreements That Changed the World” (2024, Rowman & Littlefield). The book examines America’s most significant and consequential negotiations over the past 50 years amid global turmoil and challenges to American leadership. Additionally, former Secretary of State James A. Baker, III, was interviewed and wrote the preface for the book.
This event was free and open to the public. A signing of Eizenstat’s book took place after the discussion. Copies of the book were available for purchase at the event.
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Director’s Lecture Series
Created and endowed by Ambassador Edward P. Djerejian and Mrs. Françoise Djerejian, the Director’s Lecture Series provides a forum for productive discourse to advance the public’s understanding of the most critical challenges facing Texas, the U.S., and the world.
Registration
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Agenda
5:00 pm CDT — Armchair Discussion
5:45 pm CDT — Q&A Session
Participants
Featured Speaker
The Honorable Stuart E. Eizenstat served as chief White House domestic policy adviser to President Jimmy Carter; in the Clinton administration, he was ambassador to the European Union, undersecretary of commerce, undersecretary of state, and deputy secretary of the treasury. He also served as special representative of the president and secretary of state on Holocaust issues in the Clinton administration and similar positions in the Obama, Trump, and Biden administrations. He is the author of “President Carter: The White House Years” (2018, Thomas Dunne Books), “The Future of the Jews: How Global Forces Are Impacting the Jewish People, Israel, and Its Relationship with the United States” (2012, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers), and “Imperfect Justice: Looted Assets, Slave Labor, and the Unfinished Business of World War II” (2003, PublicAffairs). He is an international lawyer with Covington & Burling, LLP, in Washington, DC, and is chair of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. This book is written in his personal capacity.
Moderator
The Honorable David M. Satterfield
Director, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy; Janice and Robert McNair Chair in Public Policy; Former Ambassador to Lebanon and Turkey