Join us for an in-depth discussion on U.S. foreign policy and national security featuring Kurt M. Campbell, deputy secretary of state, and Jon Finer, principal deputy national security advisor. The conversation, moderated by Baker Institute director David M. Satterfield, will reflect the current U.S. administration's policy accomplishments and key issues, as well as the the opportunities and challenges facing the incoming administration. Topics will include global events, ranging from the fall of the Assad regime in Syria and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine to managing tensions with China and North Korea, the rapid expansion of the U.S.-India partnership and the Quad, and beyond.
This Director’s Lecture Series event is free and open to the public.
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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
5:30 pm CDT — Reception
6:00 pm CDT — Introduction
6:05 pm CDT — Armchair Discussion
6:45 pm CDT — Q&A Session
Participants
Featured Speakers
Kurt M. Campbell was confirmed by the Senate on Feb. 6, 2024, and sworn in as the 22nd deputy secretary of state on Feb. 12, 2024. Prior to assuming this position, Campbell served as deputy assistant to the president and coordinator for Indo-Pacific Affairs on the National Security Council. He was previously the founding chairman and CEO of The Asia Group, LLC. From 2009 to 2013, Campbell served as the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs. Earlier, he was the CEO and co-founder of the Center for a New American Security and concurrently served as the director of the Aspen Strategy Group and chairman of the Editorial Board of The Washington Quarterly. Among the other positions he has held during his career, Campbell served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific Affairs, White House fellow at the Treasury Department, and director of the Democracy Office at the National Security Council during the Clinton administration. Campbell was an associate professor of Public Policy at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and served in the U.S. Navy Reserves. He is the author or editor of 10 books including, “The Pivot: The Future of American Statecraft in Asia,” “Difficult Transitions: Why Presidents Fail in Foreign Policy at the Outset of Power,” and “Hard Power: The New Politics of National Security.” He received his B.A. from the University of California, San Diego, and his doctorate in international relations from Brasenose College at Oxford University. Campbell is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Secretary of State’s Distinguished Service Award.
Jon Finer currently serves as President Joe Biden’s principal deputy national security advisor. Prior to joining President Biden’s staff, he was an adjunct senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. Before that, he was chief of staff and director of Policy Planning at the U.S. Department of State. He also previously worked for four years at the White House, as senior adviser to deputy national security adviser Antony Blinken and as special adviser for the Middle East and North Africa and foreign policy speechwriter for Vice President Biden He joined the Obama administration in 2009 as a White House fellow, assigned to the Office of the White House chief of staff and the National Security Council staff. Prior to entering government service, Finer was a foreign and national correspondent for the Washington Post, in which capacity he reported from more than 20 countries and spent 18 months covering the war in Iraq, embedding with the U.S. Marines during the 2003 invasion and based in Baghdad in 2005–06. He also covered conflicts in Gaza (2009), Russia/Georgia (2008), and Israel/Lebanon (2006), the 2004 U.S. presidential campaign, and the 2004 Major League Baseball playoffs.
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