Upcoming Global Perspectives Speakers Series Event

I am pleased to announce our next event in the Global Perspectives Speaker Series.  Ambassador Larry Wohlers, who served in the Foreign Service until his recent retirement in Japan, Belgium, Russia, Madagascar, and most recently the Central African Republic, will be in Bloomington for a number of talks and other public events that I hope you will advertise widely with your constituencies.   Thank you for your help in spreading the word! 

All events are scheduled for Thursday, October 3, 2013

11:15-12:00, Owen Hall, College Alumni Conference Room:  Lessons from a Career Diplomat:  A conversation with students (undergraduate and graduate) about career opportunities in government service, with a focus on international affairs.  Ambassador Wohlers will answer questions students might have about preparing for entrance in and professional development in the State Department; hosted by Associate Dean of SGIS, Maria Bucur-Deckard.  All students are welcome.

12:30-2:00, Woodburn Hall 218:  Talking Past Each Other on a Global Scale:  Why What We Say to Foreign Publics is not What They Hear.  This lunchtime informal conversation will be hosted by Samuel Obeng, Director of African Studies and is open to faculty and students.  Below please find a brief description of his remarks.

Foreign publics can be irritating when it comes to American foreign policy.  We are often surprised that they don’t understand our policies, even when those policies seem clear and obvious.  Moreover, their rejection of our actions and policies can seem downright personal:  “Why don’t they like us?” and “Why don’t they get it?” are questions that Americans ask themselves.  Some argue that such attitudes are the normal result of cross-cultural misunderstanding.  Yet, frequently it is our closest cultural cousins in Europe who are the most vociferously anti-American in their criticism.

 So what is the problem?  Is the US government’s public diplomacy (the term given to outreach to foreign audiences) simply too weak, too slow or too meager?  Does it matter anyway -- who cares if foreign audiences don’t understand and agree with us?   And isn’t public diplomacy really just propaganda -- something that a leading democracy shouldn’t even in engage in?  

In this program, Ambassador Wohlers will speak about his “lessons learned”, drawing upon actual experiences from his 30 years of experience as a public diplomacy professional in the State Department, followed by an informal give and take.

4:00-5:30, Oak Room, IMU:  What Happens when a State collapses? The Central African Republic Crisis and its Implications for Regional Conflict, Social Upheaval and New Ethnic and Religious Divides.  This event is open to the public.

On March 24, 2013, a loose coalition of rebels marched into Bangui and forced then President Francois Bozize to flee.  The overthrow, however, was as much a societal revolution as a political one, as the rebels, drawn from the country's primarily Muslim and long-ignored north, suddenly found themselves in control of a mostly Christian country. In the ensuing months, the ill-prepared and poorly-organized rebels managed to destroy what little government infrastructure existed, created a massive humanitarian crisis, and turned much of the population against them. Their taking of power also laid the foundations of a new regional power struggle among the neighbors of this geographically-strategic country.  Ambassador Laurence Wohlers took up his position in 2010, overseeing U.S. engagement with the CAR until the evacuation of the embassy and American community in December 2012.  Until his retirement last month, he then continued to work closely with the international community to manage the deepening crisis in Central Africa.