Welcome to the home page of the Mortara Center for International Studies at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University.
Featured Stories
"World Malaria Today", A Conference on the occasion of the first World Malaria Day
On April 25th, top policy and scientific experts gathered on campus to discuss the progress being made in the global fight against a deadly disease that affects millions around the world. The conference addressed the issues of the burden of malaria, policy changes and action, and recent technological issues. Some of the panelists included Dr. Joel Breman from Fogarty International Center (NIH), Dr. Bernard Nahlden, Deputy Director of President George W. Bush's Malaria Initiative and Dr. Nelle Temple Brown from the World Health Organization among others. See more.
"What is the Promise of Citizen Diplomacy?"
On April 22nd, the Mortara Center together with World Learning and The Aspen Institute organized a symposium examining the contribution of citizen diplomacy to shaping the role of the United States in the world. The event included a keynote address from Representative Mac Thornberry (R-Texas), and Representative Earl Pomeroy (D-North Dakota) and two panel discussions around the questions of "What Can Citizens do? Experiencing High-Road Diplomacy" and "Democratizing Diplomacy and Development".
War and Decision: Inside the Pentagon at the Dawn of the War on Terrorism - Douglas J. Feith
Douglas Feith, the former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, discussed his recent book at the Mortara Center on April 16th. The event was co-sponsored by Georgetown's Lecture Fund. Feith started with a discussion of the five strategic thoughts that animated the Bush Administration after the attacks on September 11, 2001. The last of the five points was that the Bush Administration had concluded that a purely defensive strategy in the Global War on Terrorism would not be prudent or acceptable. Feith then sought to dispel some of the myths surrounding the Bush Administration, neoconservatives, and the Iraq War. Daniel Byman responded to Feith's talk, which had been held while protests were going on outside the Mortara Center. Feith answered questions from the filled-to-capacity audience, as well. Praise for the scholarship of War and Decision was universal, although the man and his actions while in the administration remain controversial.
Realism and the Next U.S. President: National Interests, Grand Strategy, and the Use of Force
On April 11, the Mortara Center, together with the BMW Center for German and European Studies organized a conference to celebrate, honor, and recognize the contributions of Professor Robert J. Art to international relations, security studies, and U.S. Policy. The conference was focused around two main panels: Theory and Scholarship, American Power and Strategy in the 21st Century, featuring Robert Keohane, Risa Brooks, Stephen Van Evera and Stephen Walt; and on American Policy and National Interests, What Should the Next President Know and Do? with Robert Jervis, Shai Feldman, Barry Posen and Louise Richardson.
On May 20th, Carol Lancaster, Director of the Mortara Center, discussed her newest work, "George Bush's Foreign Aid: Transformation or Chaos" at a book launch hosted by the Center for
Global Development. Congressman Jim Kolbe, Nancy Birdsall, President of, and Steve Radelet, Senior Fellow at the Center for Global Development commented on the book.
Initiative on International Development Website
The new Initiative on International Development website highlights Georgetown's commitment to bettering the human condition, and provides a valuable resource for students, faculty, and development practitioners.