Global I.q. Minute With Jim Falk

Ayman Safadi has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs & Expatriates for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan since 2017 and has also served Deputy Prime Minister since October 2020. As you can see in his Twitter posts, he meets on a daily basis with foreign ministers and heads of state of countries in all regions of the world. In previous public appointments, he served as adviser to King Abdullah, Minister of State, spokesperson for the Jordanian government, and spokesperson for the United Nations Assistance Mission to Iraq. Safadi began his professional career in journalism and communications. He has served as CEO of Abu Dhabi Media Company, Director General of Jordan Radio and Television Corporation, editor-in-chief and columnist for the Al-Ghad daily newspaper, and editor-in-chief of The Jordan Times. Mr. Safadi holds a B.A. in English Language and Literature from Yarmouk University and a Masters of International Journalism from Baylor University. Taken from https://www.baylor.edu/business/globalbusinessforu

Diplomacy’s equivalent of the military’s special forces is the “expeditionary diplomat,” a resourceful professional with specialized training from the Department of Defense and CIA who can take on the toughest diplomatic assignments in high threat, unstable or failed states. Join diplomatic correspondent Paul Richter, author of the “The Ambassadors,” for a virtual conversation with three of America’s preeminent diplomats – Ryan Crocker, Robert Ford and Anne Patterson – whom he profiled in his book along with Christopher Stevens, who was killed in Libya in 2012. Paul Richter covered the State Department and foreign policy as a Washington-based correspondent for the Los Angeles Times before leaving the publication in 2015. Throughout his three-decades-long career, Richter reported from 60 countries. He is a graduate of Clark University in Massachusetts. Ambassador Ryan Crocker was a career Foreign Service Officer, who served as Ambassador to Afghanistan (2011-2012), Iraq (2007-2009), Pakistan (2004-2007), Sy

Elizabeth Kolbert asks: “After doing so much damage, can we change nature, this time to save it?” In 2015, Kolbert won a Pulitzer Prize for her book chronicling humanity’s destructive behavior towards nature. She now turns her focus to the ways in which that very same human development may now be used to protect and save the planet. Meeting with scientists, engineers, and researchers, Kolbert shines a light on the environmental innovations in development worldwide and some of the world’s most unique ecosystems. Moderated by Lee Cullum, host, CEO. Elizabeth Kolbert is a staff writer at The New Yorker. Her three-part series on global warming, “The Climate of Man,” won the 2006 National Magazine Award for Public Interest. She has won numerous awards for her work on environmental topics. Before joining The New Yorker in 1999, Kolbert was a political reporter at the New York Times. Lee Cullum is the host of CEO, a public television and radio program featuring a series of interviews with North Texas business lea

How do we weigh the benefits of artificial intelligence with its potential harm? In Turning Point, Darrell West outlines a policy blueprint to maximize the benefits and minimize the downsides of AI. As AI becomes increasingly an unavoidable part of our lives, West breaks down the uses of AI, how it actually works, and how “the transformative technology of our time” causes economic disruptions. Near-term policy decisions may be the deciding factor in where this revolutionary technology leads to utopia or dystopia. Darrell West is the vice president and director of governance studies at Brookings Institution. He is the Co-Editor-In-Chief of TechTank and the director of the John Hazen White Manufacturing Initiative. His article “E-Government and the Transformation of Service Delivery and Citizen Attitudes” was named one of the 75 most influential articles since 1940 by the Public Administration Review in 2014. . . Do you believe in the importance of international education and connections? The nonprofit World

At what cost should the U.S. continue leading the world? The Biden Administration has indicated in its first month that it is taking a different stance regarding alliances, particularly with Europe. How will this affect transatlantic relationships? Karen Donfried, president of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, has spent the entirety of her career trying to answer questions just like these. Since first joining the German Marshall Fund in 2001, Donfried has held numerous positions within the organization, as well as in the U.S. government and the World Economic Forum. Her work in this arena was recognized with the honor of the Cross of the Order of Merit from the German government, which she received in 2011, in addition to many other awards. Karen Donfried took the helm of the German Marshall Fund in 2014 after working as a special assistant to the president and senior director for European affairs and on the National Security Council. Donfried spent time as a national intelligence officer for E

Eleanor Roosevelt died nearly sixty years ago, but she remains a monumental figure in modern American history – a woman who devoted her life to the betterment of others as a diplomat, activist, humanitarian, and the longest-serving First Lady. David Michaelis’ newest book Eleanor offers readers the first-ever single-volume biography of all six decades of Eleanor Roosevelt’s extraordinary life. From orphaned child to wife of the country’s longest-serving president and everything that followed, Michaelis covers all of the important moments of Eleanor’s life while digging deeper to reveal the person she was outside of her remarkable accomplishments. Called “a sympathetic view of a complicated woman who changed and grew with every challenge” by the Wall Street Journal, Eleanor paints a picture of an American ideal. David Michaelis has authored six books, including national bestsellers “N.C. Wyeth” (1999 Ambassador Book Award for Biography winner) and “Schulz and Peanuts.” His work has also been featured in Cond

When Syrian president Bashar al-Assad deployed chemical weapons against his own people in 2012, he crossed the “red line” drawn by President Obama. To avoid committing to another never-ending war, the U.S. president accepted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s offer to facilitate the removal of Assad’s chemical weapons. But it soon became clear that Russia’s end goal was to preserve Assad’s rule, leaving the U.S. with dwindling influence over the outcome of the civil war in Syria – all the while ISIS gained more territory as the group took advantage of the gaping power vacuum created by the region’s instability. In Red Line, Joby Warrick draws on his original reporting to tell “a character-driven narrative” about how avoiding one catastrophe can unintentionally lead to another. Joby Warrick is a two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and national security reporter for the Washington Post. In addition to Red Line, Warrick has authored two books – “Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS” and “The Triple Agent”, which recounts

Nobel Prize-winning economist, best-selling author and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman says that there are economic misunderstandings about subjects such as health care, housing bubbles and tax reform that seem immortal, and he calls this “zombie economics.” He attempts to slay a few of these zombies in his newest book, breaking down the most pressing policy issues into engaging and easily understandable pieces. For his appearance at the 2021 Baylor Global Business Forum, Krugman will be in conversation with Austan Goolsby, another economist well known for his ability to explain economics clearly. Paul Krugman’s op-ed column has appeared in the New York Times since 1999 and he has authored and edited more than 27 books. One of the founders of the “new trade theory,” Krugman won the 2008 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his work. He is a distinguished professor at the Luxembourg Income Study Center at the City University of New York and professor emeritus at Princeton University. He holds

Ira Rosen, who has been a producer at 60 Minutes for nearly 25 years, reveals how episodes come together for one of American television’s longest-running programs. Full of personal anecdotes about some of the show’s biggest stars, including Chris Wallace, Diane Sawyer, and Barbara Walters, his book “Ticking Clock” exposes interview secrets, power dynamics between colleagues, and the journalistic process behind “unearthing shocking revelations.” This tell-all account of “the show that invented TV investigative journalism” is a “60 Minutes story on 60 Minutes itself.” Ira Rosen has been a producer at 60 Minutes for nearly 25 years, during which time he has worked on many of the most important stories the show has covered. Rosen has won 24 National Emmy Awards, four du Pont Awards, two RFK Awards, and two Peabody Awards. He is co-author of “The Warning: Accident and Three Mile Island.” Moderator Tony Pederson holds the rank of professor and is the Belo Distinguished Chair in Journalism at Southern Methodist Un

The National Interest said of Robert Zoellick: “He was instrumental in shaping the course of American foreign policy, and his impact is still felt today.” Having served as president of the World Bank, U.S. Trade Representative, and Deputy Secretary of State, Robert Zoellick has deep experience in global trade, technology and U.S. relations with Mexico. Zoellick will offer both a historical framework and understanding of the strategic and existential challenges facing America’s U.S. foreign policy when he appears at the 2021 Baylor Global Business Forum, a joint virtual presentation by the Council and Baylor University. Zoellick’s recently published book argues that there are five traditions that can be used to better understand post-Cold War presidencies: the importance of North America; the importance of trading, transnational, and technological relations; changing attitudes toward alliances; the importance of public support; and the belief that American policy should serve a larger purpose. Moderator: Rob

A new biography published about George Washington is unlike any other. Described as “form-shattering and myth-crushing,” “keen and savage,” as well as “spirited and engaging,” historian Alexis Coe’s “You Never Forget Your First” chronicles the life of our first president from a 21st century and “decidedly feminist” perspective. Coe says, “I set out to write a book that was true, and different, and that added any kind of diversity in approach, perspective, and, of course, author. I set out to take a giant leap away from hagiography and great man history—and really mean it.” This conversation will be moderated by Professor Jeffrey Engel. Alexis Coe has frequently appeared on CNN and the History Channel, and in the New York Times and many other publications. She is a host of Audible’s “Presidents Are People Too!” and “No Man’s Land.” Coe holds an MA in history from Sarah Lawrence College and graduated from the honors college at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She was a research curator at the New

Sebastian Mallaby’s decades of experience covering economics make him one of the top financial reporters in the world. He worked as a reporter at The Economist for 13 years before joining the Washington Post in 1999 and was a contributing editor at the Financial Times. Mallaby’s work has also appeared in The Atlantic. At the Post, Mallaby’s topics of interest include “central banks, financial markets, the implications of the rise of newly emerging powers, and the intersection of economics and international relations.” Sebastian Mallaby is the Paul A. Volcker senior fellow for international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations and a contributing columnist for the Washington Post. He is the author of several books, including “More Money Than God: Hedge Funds and the Making of a New Elite” and “The Man Who Knew: The Life & Times of Alan Greenspan,” for which he won the 2016 Financial Times/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award. Mallaby is a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist. He graduated from Oxford

Has China reached the limits of its global expansion? Will it struggle to overcome new risks and endure global backlash as countries around the world come to terms with the repercussions of close relations with China – primarily strategic vulnerabilities to their independence and competitiveness? Informed by his meetings with activists, business managers, diplomats, and thinkers from across Africa, Latin America, East Asia, and Europe, Luke Patey argues that China’s overreach could be its downfall. After decades of a “predatory economic agenda, headstrong diplomacy, and military expansion,” Patey says many countries have grown weary of China’s ambitions of global domination. Luke Patey is a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies and Lead Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies whose writing has appeared in major publications. Patey holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Queen’s University in Canada, as well as a master’s degree and PhD. from the Copenhagen B

In Washington’s farewell address of 1796, the president advised his successors to “steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world." For the first century of American history, presidents heeded Washington’s advice. But events including the Spanish-American War and the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor required new engagements. World War II and the Cold War fundamentally changed American strategy, as the U.S. began to “run the world rather than run away from it.” Charles Kupchan asks, where is the middle ground between doing too much and doing too little? Moderated by Jim Hollifield. A National Security Council veteran under Presidents Obama and Clinton, Charles Kupchan is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a professor of international affairs at Georgetown University. He previously worked in policy planning at the U.S. Department of State and has taught at Princeton University. Kupchan earned a B.A. from Harvard, and his master’s and doctorate from Oxford Univ

The Economist’s Adrian Wooldridge and John Mickelthwait argue that authoritarian East Asian governments have outperformed Western governments in their response to the stress test of the COVID-19 pandemic and, as a result, “In terms of geopolitics, the crisis has left the West weaker and Asia stronger.” As the public’s trust in government’s abilities has declined over the last fifty years, they point to excessive regulation stifling innovation and a lawyer-driven political culture versus science and engineering. “Leviathan overreached, promising more than it could deliver.” Adrian Wooldridge is The Economist’s political editor and writes the “Bagehot” column on British life and politics. From 2000 to 2010 he was based in Washington, DC as bureau chief and “Lexington columnist” and served as West Coast correspondent, management correspondent and Britain correspondent. Wooldridge is the author of nine previous books, including “Capitalism in America” co-written with Alan Greenspan and six co-written with John M

Abby Rapoport is publisher and co-founder of the award-winning Stranger’s Guide, a unique travel publication for the globally connected age that encompasses print guides and newsletters along with curated products and partnerships. In an effort to combat stereotypes and encourage global awareness, more than half of the writers featured in Stranger’s Guide come from the location being covered. Writers are often world-renowned names - such as Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka - and often appear in the Best American Travel Writing anthologies. Stranger’s Guide uses “arresting photography, luminous essays, and fascinating facts and figures” to cover a diverse array of content, from lifestyle pieces to critical assessments of the major issues affecting a place. Its unique style landed it a nomination for the National Magazine Award in General Excellence. Before founding Stranger’s Guide, Abby Rapoport was publisher of the Texas Observer and previously worked as a political reporter for the Texas Tribune, the Texas Ob

In Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate, former senate-insider Adam Jentleson takes a critical look at the history of the filibuster and how it has been used on the Senate floor. Jentleson argues that the emergence of the filibuster has moved the Senate away from the founding fathers’ original vision for the legislative body by allowing individuals to “gridlock the federal government.” By offering a glimpse into the backrooms of Capitol Hill, Jentleson argues that the greatest challenges of our era – “partisan polarization, dark money, and media-manufactured outrage” – are nowhere more prevalent than in the Senate. Moderated by Matthew Wilson Adam Jentleson is the former deputy chief of staff to Senator Harry Reid (D – Nevada, 1987-2017). He is currently the public affairs director at Democracy Forward, a legal services and public policy research organization in Washington, D.C. Jentleson is also a columnist for GQ and a political commentator on MSNBC. Matthew Wilson, Director of the Center for Fait

Rebecca Lissner and Mira Rapp-Hooper believe that a “grand strategy of openness” is the best way to meet geopolitical challenges including growing political polarization and rapid technological transformation. The U.S.’ ability to “work with mixed regimes whose interests align with America’s on distinct issues, like freedom of navigation or high-standards free trade, and occasionally cooperate with illiberal rivals like Russia and China in discrete areas” is their vision for this “open-system” approach to moving our future foreign policy. Lissner joins us for a Global Forum conversation about their new book entitled “An Open World.” Rebecca Lissner is an assistant professor in the Strategic and Operational Research Department at the U.S. Naval War College. Previously, she was a research fellow at the University of Pennsylvania's Perry World House; a Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations; and a Brady-Johnson Fellow at Yale University’s International Security Studies. She has serv

Ambassador Sugiyama presented his credentials as Ambassador to the United States in March 2018. His diplomatic career with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spans more than 40 years. He most recently served as Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs. Previous positions include Deputy Director-General of the Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau as well as the International Cooperation Bureau; Director-General for Global Issues, including Ambassador for Climate Change; and Director-General of the Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau. Ambassador Sugiyama has also held leadership positions within the Foreign Policy Bureau and Treaties Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His overseas assignments have included multiple positions at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C.; Political Minister at the Embassy of Japan in Korea, and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Japan in Egypt. He entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1977. Ambassador Sugiyama studied at Waseda University in Japan and at

How do foreign correspondents navigate the complexities of reporting on governments that may not necessarily want them around? The New York Times’ former Pakistan bureau chief Declan Walsh may have the answer, having been expelled from the country in 2013 when Pakistani authorities gave him, without explanation, 72 hours to leave Islamabad. In “The Nine Lives of Pakistan,” Walsh reflects on his nine years of experience in one of the modern era’s most tumultuous countries positioned in the nexus of global power struggles and conflict. Walsh paints an “electrifying portrait” of Pakistan through stories of the lives of nine individuals in this “intimate and complex” weaving together of a national patchwork. Declan Walsh is the Cairo bureau chief for the New York Times, currently covering Egypt and the Middle East. He was born and raised in Ireland, where he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. He has worked out of Dublin, London, Nairobi, and Islamabad, Cairo and other African and Middle Eastern ci