Message from the Executive Director

During the Manshel Lecture on American Foreign Policy on November 12, University of Florida professor and Wall Street Journal columnist Walter Russell Mead reminded the packed audience at the Harvard Faculty Club of an old engineering adage: “In theory, there’s no difference between theory and practice, but in practice, there is.” 

His point resonated. We are entering a period in which inherited assumptions about both domestic and international politics no longer suffice, and the gap between theoretical models and real-world dynamics demands bringing myriad perspectives to the table. At the Weatherhead Center, fostering this dialectical relationship between theory and practice remains central to our mission, and it is reflected across our recent work.

This fall, we launched two new collaborative research clusters. The Research Cluster on Global LGBTQI+ Human Rights adds a dedicated research dimension to the work of the Carr-Ryan Center for Human Rights at Harvard Kennedy School. The Research Cluster on Global Climate Policy, supported by the Salata Institute and engaging researchers from Harvard and MIT, has been actively advancing a proposal for a global coalition on carbon pricing and trade rules. Both clusters exemplify our commitment to turning analytical insight into actionable engagement with global challenges. Read more about their activities in this fall issue. 

On October 23, we welcomed Hind Kabawat, Minister of Labour and Social Welfare in Syria, to speak at a special event titled “Syria In Transition.” Kabawat outlined Syria’s daunting post‑Assad transition amidst absent voter rolls, deep distrust, poverty, and marginalization of women and minorities. She stressed the need for dialogue, inclusivity, and institution building, alongside support for jobs and social protection. She also highlighted the diaspora’s vital role and urged collective, long‑term commitment to a democratic and inclusive Syria.

The Canada Program, led this year by Glenn Cohen of Harvard Law School and visiting professor Ayelet Shachar of the University of Toronto, also convened two compelling conversations. In October, journalist Steve Paikin hosted a discussion with Canada’s longest‑serving Supreme Court justice, Rosalie Abella, on perseverance and public life. In November, Ambassador Bob Rae, Canada’s permanent representative to the United Nations, reflected on his own path to public service.

The Weatherhead Forum, our platform to address pressing topics of the day, convened three online panels during the fall semester. The first forum, “From Victory to Uncertainty: The Postwar Order After Eighty Years,” unpacked big questions about the shifting international order that has shaped our world since the end of World War II. Our second forum shared the remarkable legacy of Joseph S. Nye, Jr., former Weatherhead Center director (1989–1993). His theories of complex interdependence and soft power—and others—influenced many institutions and leaders, and international relations scholarship at large. And on November 5, we heard about the state of democracy and US foreign policy one year after President Trump’s reelection. 

Looking ahead, we are heartened by the strong international applicant pools for The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies and the Weatherhead Scholars Program. They ensure that we will continue to convene exceptional scholars and practitioners who, through both their theoretical insight and “hands on” experience, enrich our collective effort to interpret and respond to rapidly changing geopolitics and global challenges.

Erin Goodman
Executive Director