Policy Leaders Forum: Paula Dobriansky on U.S. Foreign Policy
Paula Dobriansky, former Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs during the George W. Bush administration, was hosted by the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University on April 11, 2018 for a wide-ranging discussion on the global challenges currently facing United States foreign policy.
The event was part of the Policy Leaders Forum series at the Pardee School that brings senior international policy makers to Boston University for important policy conversations with guests including faculty, students and experts from across Boston University.
Dobriansky discussed a myriad of foreign policy challenges currently facing the U.S. including the conflict in Syria, Russia’s desire to eliminate or undermine U.S. influence and credibility abroad through the manipulation of data and opinion, the construction of Russian bases in the Arctic, the threats posed to the U.S. by China’s military investment in the South China Sea, and the risk involved in a potential meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
In addition to serving as Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs from 2001-2009, Dobriansky has served in key roles as a diplomat and policy maker in the administrations of five U.S. presidents, both Democrat and Republican. As Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs she led efforts across a range of activities from democracy and human rights and labor to refugee and human trafficking issues to oceans and science, health, climate change. During the same period she served as the Administration’s Special Coordinator for Tibet and Presidential Envoy to the Northern Ireland Peace Process for which she received the Secretary’s Distinguished Service Medal, the State Department’s highest honor.
During previous administrations, Dobriansky served as Director of European and Soviet Affairs at the National Security Council, Deputy Head of the U.S. Delegation to the 1990 Copenhagen Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs and Associate Director for Policy and Programs at the United States Information Agency. Former President Bill Clinton appointed her to serve on the U.S. Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy.
The Policy Leaders @BUPardeeSchool series brings senior international policymakers to Boston University for conversations with faculty, students and guests. Previous speakers in the series have included Senator Daniel Coats, the United States Director for National Intelligence; Dr. Rukakana Rugunda, Prime Minister of Uganda; Steve Beshear, the former Governor of Kentucky; Dr. Woo Yoon-keun, Secretary General on the National Assembly of South Korea; and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).