# Message from the Executive Director ![Erin Goodman headshot.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2025-04/goodman_erin-sq-crop.jpg?itok=VkbN3LDO) During the [Manshel Lecture on American Foreign Policy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsWO8MBq0-I&list=PLTcEVZEBVyEn9JOMYAoawvtlt3oNBDpJv&index=1&t=1s&pp=gAQBiAQB) 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](https://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/weatherhead-clusters/25-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](https://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/weatherhead-clusters/25-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](https://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/event/special-event-syria-in-transition-10-23-25).” 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](https://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/conferences/25-26-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](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzZydcgbXc8&list=PLTcEVZEBVyEn9JOMYAoawvtlt3oNBDpJv&index=5&pp=gAQBiAQB0gcJCRUKAYcqIYzv),” 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.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drgesp2T-wo&list=PLTcEVZEBVyEn9JOMYAoawvtlt3oNBDpJv&index=4&t=1s&pp=gAQBiAQB), 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](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5v2tkAQEhuE&list=PLTcEVZEBVyEn9JOMYAoawvtlt3oNBDpJv&index=2&t=124s&pp=gAQBiAQB) 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* --- ## More from this issue [### Fall 2025, Volume 40 Number 1 ](/publications/centerpiece/fall2025) ![Fall 2025 Centerpiece thumbnail showing illustration of soldiers pointing guns at men holding roses, alongside a duotone graphic "W" with the words "Centerpiece" and the issue information.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-12/Cover-16x9-social-and-thumbnail.png?itok=Lc8SNERC) [### Of Note ](/publications/centerpiece/fall2025/of_note) ![Aerial view of CGIS buildings and green.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-12/cpfall25-ofnote_0.png?itok=w_tsZhQB) [### New Books ](/publications/centerpiece/fall2025/newbooks) ![Collage of about a dozen book covers overlapping set against a beige background.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-12/cpfall25-newbooks.png?itok=uTNH8bI6) [### The Crisis of Pax Americana with Walter Russell Mead ](/publications/centerpiece/fall2025/feature_manshel) ![Walter Russell Mead and Erez Manela are seated in wingback chairs in conversation.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-12/11.12.25%20WCFIA%20Manshel%20Lecture_%20040.jpg?itok=e7HTe_kP) [### Dispatches: Undergraduate Researchers in the Field ](/publications/centerpiece/fall2025/dispatches) ![A smiling woman stands in front of a blue wooden building with white trim.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-12/cpfall25-dispatches.png?itok=RT0wz7jv) [### Student Programs ](/publications/centerpiece/fall2025/prog_student) ![Collage of six PhD student headshots in circular frames set against a red background.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-12/cpfall25-prog-students.png?itok=EBsXZSt_) [### Research Cluster on Global Climate Policy ](/publications/centerpiece/fall2025/prog_climate) ![Four people in business attire are seated in a panel discussion on stage, with one man gesturing while speaking and the others listening attentively.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-12/Program-climate-cluster.jpg?itok=UttGUWdy) [### Research Cluster on LGBTQI+ Human Rights ](/publications/centerpiece/fall2025/prog_lgbtqi) ![Three men sit at a table with microphones in front of a projected map of Europe, at a Weatherhead Center for International Affairs event at Harvard University.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-12/Program-LGBTQI-cluster-opener.JPG?itok=fJYdzPUZ) [### Fellowship News ](/publications/centerpiece/fall2025/fellowship-news) ![An older man sits at a table signing papers with a pen, while a woman sits next to him smiling. Both are indoors at a desk.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-12/FellowshipNews-Moulay-signing.jpg?itok=AQQMchMp) [### In Memoriam: George Hoguet ](/publications/centerpiece/fall2025/in_memoriam_hoguet) ![The words "In Memoriam George Hoguet 1947–2025" are written on a green duotone background. ](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-12/cpfall25-inmemoriam.png?itok=dFwwLPP1) [### Fall 2025 Photo Gallery ](/publications/centerpiece/fall2025/photo_gallery) ![Two women standing indoors, smiling at the camera; one wears a black blazer and orange top, the other wears a red and white striped shirt, with a framed map on the wall behind them.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-12/cpfall25-events.png?itok=H4ATAK5C) See also:- [ Centerpiece: Fall 2025 ](/newsletter-issues/centerpiece-fall-2025)