#  The Warren and Anita Manshel Lecture in American Foreign Policy 

 



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The Warren and Anita Manshel Lecture in American Foreign Policy was established at the Center for International Affairs in 1993 by members of the Manshel family and by many of their friends. It stands as a memorial to the Manshels’ longstanding commitment to public affairs and their desire to advance greater understanding of the international relations of the United States. The lecture series honors Warren Manshel’s role as a founder of both *The Public Interest* and *Foreign Policy*, his service as ambassador to Denmark, and his deep involvement over many years in the work of the Center. It also serves to recognize Anita Manshel as Warren’s full partner and enthusiastic supporter in these endeavors, which he so often acknowledged.

Visit the [Weatherhead Center YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/@HarvardWCFIA) to view videos from the Warren and Anita Manshel Lecture in American Foreign Policy and more. All Manshel Lecture Series videos can be found in its [lecture series playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTcEVZEBVyEkUH_9rQv_WiPEObTKhj4Tv).

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#  Past Lectures 

 

##  2025 / November 12 

## The Crisis of Pax Americana

**Speaker:** Walter Russell Mead, Alexander Hamilton Professor of Strategy and Statecraft, Hamilton School for Classical and Civic Education, University of Florida. Ravenel B. Curry III Distinguished Fellow in Strategy and Statesmanship, Hudson Institute. Columnist, Wall Street Journal.

**Chair:** Erez Manela, Acting Center Director (2025–2026); Director, Graduate Student Programs; Executive Committee; Steering Committee; Faculty Associate. Francis Lee Higginson Professor of History, Department of History, Harvard University.



 



 

##  2025 / February 6 

## American Foreign Policy in the Trump Era

**Speaker:** Ben Rhodes, American writer, political commentator, and a former deputy national security advisor for strategic communications and speechwriting under President Barack Obama.

**Chair:** Melani Cammett, Center Director; Chair, Weatherhead Research Cluster on Identity Politics. Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs, Department of Government, Harvard University.



 



 

##  2023 / April 19 

## The Future of Climate Action: A Conversation with Gina McCarthy 

**Speakers:** Gina McCarthy, the first-ever White House National Climate Advisor and former US EPA administrator.

James Stock, Vice Provost for Climate and Sustainability, Harvard University; the Harold Hitchings Burbank Professor of Political Economy, Harvard University.

**Chair:** Melani Cammett, Center Director; Harvard Academy Senior Scholar (on leave 2022–2023). Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs, Department of Government, Harvard University.

*Cosponsored by the Office of Sustainability and Climate; the Weatherhead Research Cluster on Climate Change.*



 



 

##  2023 / November 21 

## Toward a Politics of Responsibility: The Case of Climate Change

**Speaker:** Kathryn Sikkink, Ryan Family Professor of Human Rights Policy at Harvard Kennedy School.

**Chair:** Melani Cammett, Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs; Acting Director, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs; Chair, Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, Harvard University.



 

### Related links

- [Transcript: Toward a Politics of Responsibility: The Case for Climate Change by Kathryn Sikkink](/lectureships/manshel/2019/transcript "Transcript: The Warren and Anita Manshel Lecture in American Foreign Policy by Kathryn Sikkink")



 

##  2019 / March 11 

## Trumpism in American Foreign Policy

**Speaker:** Peter J. Katzenstein, Walter S. Carpenter, Jr. Professor of International Studies, Cornell University.

**Convener:** Michèle Lamont, Director, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. Robert I. Goldman Professor of European Studies; Professor of Sociology and of African and African American Studies, Departments of Sociology and African and African American Studies, Harvard University.



 



 

##  2016 / December 12 

## International Institutions in an Era of Populism, Nationalism, and Diffusion of Power”

**Speaker:** Robert O. Keohane, Professor of International Affairs, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University.

**Response:** Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Faculty Associate. Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor, Harvard Kennedy School; Director, Center for International Affairs (1989–1993)



 

### Related Links

- Transcripts: [HTML](/lectureships/manshel/2016/transcript "Transcript: The Warren and Anita Manshel Lecture in American Foreign Policy by Robert O. Keohane") | [PDF](https://prod-wcfia.drupalsites.harvard.edu/file_url/6946) (94KB)

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## Symposium: Soft Power in a Tough World

**Speakers:** J. Bryan Hehir, Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the Practice of Religion and Public Life, Harvard Kennedy School.

Yuen Foong Khong, Li Ka Shing Professor of Political Science, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore.

David A. Welch, Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) Chair of Global Security, Balsillie School of International Affairs; Professor of Political Science, University of Waterloo; Senior Fellow, CIGI.

**Chair:** Beth A. Simmons, Andrea Mitchell University Professor of Law and Political Science, University of Pennsylvania; Director, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs (2006–2013).



 



 

##  2015 / June 20 

## The Future of the 'Special Relationship': The United States, Britain, and the European Union in a Changing Environment

**Speaker:**  William Wallace, *House of Lords*

*Delivered at the Center's annual conference in Talloires, France.*



 

##  2014 / April 15 

## Remembering Robert R. Bowie: A Celebration of His Life and His Contributions to US Foreign Policy and Harvard University

**Speakers:** Jorge I. Domínguez, Chairman, Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies. Antonio Madero Professor for the Study of Mexico, Department of Government; Vice Provost for International Affairs, Harvard University.

J. Bryan Hehir, Senior Adviser; Faculty Associate. Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the Practice of Religion and Public Life, Harvard Kennedy School; Secretary for Health and Social Services, Archdiocese of Boston.

Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Senior Adviser; Faculty Associate. Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor, Harvard Kennedy School.

**Chair:** Karl Kaiser, Director, Program on Transatlantic Relations. Adjunct Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School.



 



 

##  2013 / October 16 

## The State of the Euro: Implications for Europe and the United States

**Speaker:** Jean-Claude Trichet Former President, European Central Bank; Honorary Governor, Banque de France.



 



 

##  2013 / June 15 

## US Foreign Policy after the Presidential Elections: #ComebackKid

Speaker: Roger Cohen, Journalist, *International Herald Tribune, New York Times*

*Delivered at the Center's annual conference in Talloires, France.*

### Related Links

- Transcript: [PDF (332KB)](/file_url/6956)



 

##  2012 / June 16 

## The Future of American Foreign Policy

**Speaker:** Anne-Marie Slaughter, *Bert G. Kerstetter '66 University Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University; Former Director, US Department of State Planning Staff*

*Delivered at the Center's annual conference in Talloires, France.*



 

##  2010 / October 21 

## America's Bush/Cheney Foreign Policy: Why Hasn't It Changed?

**Speaker:** Seymour Hersh, Investigative Journalist



 

### Related Links

- [The Harvard Gazette](http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/10/the-bad-news-on-afghanistan/)
- [The Harvard Crimson](http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2010/10/22/hersh-policy-foreign-iraq/)



 

##  2008 / June 14 

## A European Perspective on the U.S. Presidential Elections

**Speaker:** Baroness Shirley Williams, *Privy Councillor; former leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords*

*Delivered at the Center's annual conference in Talloires, France.*



 

##  2007 / November 15 

## Goodness Triumphs Ultimately

**Speaker:** The Most Reverend Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus, Cape Town; 1984 Nobel Peace Prize

*This talk was given as part of the Weatherhead Center's 50th anniversary celebrations.*



 

### Related Links

- Transcripts: [HTML](/lectureships/manshel/2007/transcript "Transcript: Manshel Lecture by Desmond Tutu") | [PDF (79 KB)](https://prod-wcfia.drupalsites.harvard.edu/file_url/6961)
- Audio: [Audio only (MP3)](rtsp://stream.fas.harvard.edu/ramgen/permanent/Tutu/desmond_tutu_192Kbps.mp3)



 

### November 3, 2005

“The Impact of Globalization on Decision Making at the Federal Reserve: Unraveling a Conundrum”  
Richard Fisher  
*President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas*

### May 14, 2003

“Mexico and America: Partners and Protagonists”  
Jorge Castañeda  
*Former Secretary of Foreign Relations of Mexico*

### December 4, 1996

“The United States Role in Europe in the Post-Cold War World”  
Richard C. Holbrooke  
*Former Assistant Secretary of State*

### October 21, 1994

“Foreign Policy for a New Era”  
Anthony Lake  
*Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs*

### February 8, 1993

“The Future of American Foreign Policy: A Dialogue”  
Irving Kristol  
*Founder,* The Public Interest *and* The National Interest  
and Daniel Patrick Moynihan  
*Senator (D-New York)*



 

## FOLLOW US ON…

Visit our [YouTube](http://youtube.com/@HarvardWCFIA) channel for videos of special Center events.



 

 

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 Attachments- [  picture\_as\_pdf  2007 Manshel Lecture Transcript: Desmond Tutu ](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/wcfia/files/manshel07_tutu_transcript.pdf)
- [  picture\_as\_pdf  2013 Manshel Lecture Transcript: Roger Cohen ](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/wcfia/files/cohen_manshel_talloires2013.pdf)
- [  picture\_as\_pdf  2016 Manshel Lecture Transcript: Robert Keohane ](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/wcfia/files/keohanetranscript_2016.pdf)
 
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