I can't Make It

Our lead panelist is Richard Haass, a veteran international statesman whose decades working in foreign policy have helped shape today’s geopolitical landscape. 

In his 18th year as head of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), a nonpartisan publisher and think tank focusing on American foreign policy, Haass served on the National Security Council under George H.W. Bush, Senior Director for Near East and South Asian Affairs and as the State Department’s Director of Policy Planning.

A prolific writer, Haass is the author and editor of over a dozen books on foreign policy, many of which sound the alarm about what he calls the “declining order” defining the 21st century. Through his books and numerous op-eds, Haass posits that climate change, authoritarianism, and extremism are fueling growing global upheaval.

Haass warns that resolving the growing crises cannot rely on a foreign policy bound by national self-interest but must focus on rebuilding alliances and multilateral organizations, such as the United Nations. He decries isolationism and sees education as a pivotal part of restoring balance. A leader in the effort to equip more Americans with basic “global literacy,” his most recent book, the New York Times bestseller "The World: A Brief Introduction", has been called “International Relations 101” by the Times and “just what every citizen and student needs to read” by Madeleine Albright.

David Ignatius, a renaissance talent who often is considered the stentorian voice of Washington’s foreign policy establishment, is our second panelist.

His primary perch is a twice-a-week foreign affairs column for The Washington Post, which syndicates his writing internationally, giving him the ear of leaders around the world.

He joined the paper in 1986 as the editor of The Outlook Section and began writing his column in 1998, continuing it even during a three-year stint as executive editor of the International Herald Tribune. He previously was a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, covering at various times the steel industry, the Departments of State and Justice, the CIA, the Senate and the Mid-East.

A specialist on the intelligence community, he also has written eleven spy novels, including “Body of Lies,” which the director Ridley Scott adapted into a film. Ignatius says he became a novelist because it was the only way to tell the intricacies of a real-life spy story that he broke in The Journal in 1983 – how the CIA recruited and ran Yassir Arafat’s intelligence chief until the Mossad assassinated him in 1979.

The winner of numerous awards, including the Legion of Honor and a 2018 George Polk, he also teamed up with the composer Mohammed Fairouz to create a political opera, “The New Prince,” which is based on the teachings of Machiavelli.

The final panelist is Robin Wright, one of the world’s premier foreign correspondents and the embodiment of the phrase “seen it all, covered it all.”

A columnist for The New Yorker, she is a household name in the halls of power in every major capital. She has covered wars, revolutions and uprisings around the world, reporting from more than 140 countries on six continents for The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Sunday Times of London and CBS News among other news outlets.

A recipient of the so-called “Genius Award” from the MacArthur Foundation, she has during the last 30 years accompanied American officials from six administrations on missions abroad and has interviewed iconic international leaders from Nelson Mandela and Pope John Paul II to Libya’s Moammar Qaddafi and Jordan’s King Hussein.

An award-winning author of five books on foreign affairs, most of which focus on the Mid-East, especially the 1978 Iranian revolution and its aftermath, her work often graces select magazines, including The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy and The New York Times Magazine.

Moderated by
JANE WHITNEY 
Former NBC Correspondent and National Talk Show Host

This interactive conversation, which begins at 3PM EDT on August 8th and runs 90 minutes, will be live streamed, allowing anyone with an internet-connected device to participate and ask questions. 

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ALL PROCEEDS FROM THIS EVENT BENEFIT: 

• American Nurses Foundation Coronavirus Response Fund: addressing emerging needs of nurses on the frontlines of the COVID-19 response.
• Greenwoods Counseling & Referrals, Inc.: helping members of the Litchfield County Community and beyond find access to compassionate and high-quality mental health and related care.
• New Milford Hospital: helping to secure the latest technology, attract the best medical staff and provide the compassionate, patient-centered care for which they are nationally recognized.
• Susan B. Anthony Project: promoting safety, healing, and growth for all survivors of domestic and sexual abuse and advocates for the autonomy of women and the end of interpersonal violence.

Clearview Energy and Glenmede are proud to sponsor the virtual events and Connecticut Public Television broadcasts of Conversations On the Green.