Frank Hogan, Trainor chairman, with Louise Arbour, and Allison Hiltz, Trainor trustee

The Trainor Lecture

The Trainor Award is presented annually to an outstanding American or foreigner for distinction in the conduct of diplomacy. The award is named for Raymond “Jit” Trainor, for many years registrar of the School of Foreign Service. He was much admired by SFS students, who established the Trainor trust fund in his honor. The trustees are Frank J. Hogan (chairman), Reginald Bourdon, Allison L. Hiltz, Robert E. McHugh, and George R. (Rip) Rowan.

The 2009 award was presented to The Honourable Louise Arbour, President, International Crisis Group, on September 30, 2009. The title of her lecture, "Civil Society and Public Interest Diplomacy," is available as a pdf file.

It is, however, in this latter field of conflict prevention and resolution that civil society has been the slowest to organise and to intervene. And its methods of intervention cannot mimic entirely those of state actors. NGOs don’t have armies. Nor do they have taxation powers. Do they have, or can they appropriate, diplomatic functions?