Tulsa Committee on Foreign Relations

Dr. Paula Newberg, of the University of Texas-Austin, on "Pakistan's Elections: What Happens Now?"

Scott Gregory — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:39:25 +0000

On this edition of ST, a discussion of Pakistan, that vitally important yet on-again-off-again U.S. ally --- or is "ally" even the proper term here? --- which saw an electoral "first" recently. That is, after its historic elections over the weekend, Pakistan's first elected government served its full term and then ceded power to a new government, to be headed by prime minister-elect Nawaz Sharif and president-elect Asif Ali Zardari. Our guest is the noted South Asian expert, Dr.

Ambassador Molly Williamson, Formerly of the U.S. State Department, on "The Geopolitics of Oil"

Rich Fisher — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:02:40 +0000

Our guest on this edition of ST is Molly Williamson, a highly experienced former Foreign Service Officer who served six U.S. Presidents over the course of a long, far-flung career, eventually achieving the rank of Career Minister. Throughout the 1990's and early 2000's, she held important positions within the U.S. Departments of Energy, Commerce, State, and Defense.

"Pakistan and the United States: Future of a Reluctant Alliance"

Rich Fisher — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 21:50:12 +0000

On this edition of our show, we welcome back Husain Haqqani, who served as Pakistan's ambassador to the United States from 2008 to 2011. He's giving a free-to-the-public address tonight (Thursday the 28th) at 7:30pm in the Lorton Performance Center on the TU campus. Haqqani (who also addressed the Tulsa Committee on Foreign Relations last night) currently serves as Professor of the Practice of International Relations at Boston University; he's also a Senior Fellow and the Director for South and Central Asia at the Hudson Institute.

"The Importance of Democracy Promotion as a Pillar of U.S. Foreign Policy"

Rich Fisher — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 20:14:34 +0000

Our guest is Richard Soudriette, who's the President of the Center for Diplomacy and Democracy, which is based in Colorado Springs. He also served as founding President of IFES, or the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, from 1988 to 2007. Under Mr. Soudriette's leadership, IFES grew into one of the premier organizations offering technical assistance around the globe in matters related to elections, civil society, rule of law, and governance. Thus he's played a key role in launching networks of elections officials in Latin America, Central and Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia.

"Behind the Scenes of American Diplomacy"

Rich Fisher — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 19:33:23 +0000

What does it take to be a successful diplomat? How does one best "train" or prepare for this type of work? And how, if at all, does the art of diplomacy differ from how it was, say, twenty or thirty years ago? A recent change of leadership at the U.S. State Department --- in the wake of last year's deadly attack on the American Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, which resulted in the death of Ambassador Chris Stevens as well as three other Americans --- has reminded us, once again, of the serious challenges now facing the U.S. Foreign Service.

"The New 'Great Game:' Central Asia in Geopolitics Today"

Rich Fisher — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 20:36:56 +0000

How will U.S. relations with Afghanistan and Pakistan change once NATO forces start withdrawing from Afghanistan in 2014? It's a question (or a pair of questions) that's been widely discussed, and widely debated, of late. But what about, moreover, our relations with the so-called "stans" of Central Asia --- namely, the five republics of the former Soviet Union: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. On this installment of ST, we welcome Dr. Charles E. Ziegler, Professor of Political Science and Distinguished University Scholar at the University of Louisville.

"Foreign Policy Challenges for the New Administration"

Rich Fisher — Wed, 14 Nov 2012 19:19:26 +0000

On this installment of ST, we welcome Dr. Elizabeth Colton, who's still pursuing an active, long-running, and wide-ranging career in diplomacy, journalism, foreign-relations scholarship, and U.S. and international politics and education. Such work has taken her to more than 100 countries; she's taught and/or delivered lectures on six different continents. Last night, Dr. Colton addressed to the Tulsa Committee on Foreign Relations on the topic of "Foreign Policy Challenges for the New Administration" --- which will be, of course, in this case a second Obama Administration. Dr.

A Noted Expert Speaks in Tulsa on "The Eurozone Crisis"

Rich Fisher — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 20:32:14 +0000

On today's ST, a detailed discussion of the currency problems affecting certain European countries --- namely, Greece, Spain, Portugal, and Ireland. We welcome to our show Dr. Stanley Black of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He's a highly respected economics professor who's also taught courses at Princeton, Vanderbilt, Yale, the Institute of International Economics in Stockholm, the University of Siena in Italy, the Brookings Institution, the International Monetary Fund, and the Free University in Berlin.

Rajiv Chandrasekaran of The Washinton Post on "The War within the War for Afghanistan"

Rich Fisher — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 23:18:32 +0000

On this edition of our program, we are pleased to speak with Rajiv Chandrasekaran, a senior correspondent and associate editor with The Washington Post, whose newest book (just out in June of this year) is called "Little America: The War within the War for Afghanistan." This book, like much of Chandrasekaran's tireless reporting over the last several years, basically explores America's response to both al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan --- a complex, often difficult, and ongoing military engagement that now stands as the longest war in U.S. history.

Considering the Current State of US-Russian Relations

Rich Fisher — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 20:43:29 +0000

On this edition of ST, we speak with Dr. Robert H. Donaldson, the Trustees Professor of Political Science here at the University of Tulsa; he's also a former President of TU. Dr. Donaldson is a leading expert on Russian and Soviet politics and policies; he joins us to discuss the contemporary state of US-Russian relations.