Foreign Affairs' Student Essay Contest

forwarded by Eric Hyer, Asian Studies Coordinator:

From Foreign Affairs:
I'm pleased to announce the inaugural Foreign Affairs' Essay Contest for undergraduate students. We expect to hear some fresh voices from future contributors to Foreign Affairs, so I hope you will encourage all of your students to participate. We are accepting submissions through June 1st. Read more about the contest on ForeignAffairs.com.

Upcoming Ambassador Lectures

from Erlend D. Peterson, Associate International Vice President

CROATIA
Ambassador: Her Excellency Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, Ambassador to the United States for the Republic of Croatia
CV: http://www.croatiaemb.org/
Title: “Croatia and U.S. Relations”
Date: Monday, March 15, 2010 at 12:00 noon
Location: David M. Kennedy Center Conference Room, 238 HRCB
Sponsor: David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies



HUNGARY
Ambassador: His Excellency Béla Szombati, Ambassador to the United States for the Republic Hungary
CV: http://www.huembwas.org/Staff/Ambassador.htm
Title: “Hungary and U.S. Relations”
Date: Thursday, March 18, 2010 at 11:00 am
Location: Joseph Fielding Smith Building –Classroom B002 JFSB
Sponsor: David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies



DENMARK
Ambassador: His Excellency Friis Arne Petersen, Ambassador to the United States for Denmark
CV: http://www.ambwashington.um.dk/en/menu/TheEmbassy/AmbassadorsGreeting/CurriculumVitae/
Title: “Denmark and U.S. Relations”
Date: Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 11:00 am
Location: David M. Kennedy Center Conference Room, 238 HRCB
Sponsor: David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies



GUATEMALA
Ambassador: His Excellency Francisco Villagrán de León, Ambassador to the United States for Guatemala
CV: http://www.washdiplomat.com/ambprof/Guatemala.html
Title: “Guatemala and U.S. Relations”
Date: Friday, April 9, 2010 at 12:00 noon
Location: David M. Kennedy Center Conference Room, 238 HRCB
Sponsor: David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies



If you have any questions or suggestions, please telephone me or Kate Andreason at 2-1803. Thank you for your support of this lecture series. The Ambassadors consistently comment on how impressed they are with our students and faculty—and, especially, the excellent questions they are asked during the Q&A session.

Inquiry Conference March 16-19

Dear International Relations Students:

The Kennedy Center for International Studies will be hosting the 12th Annual Inquiry Conference featuring students’ cross-cultural field research held 16-19 March 2010 in 238 HRCB. This academic conference is a forum for students to present their own findings on topics ranging from international development to social change, from the environment to human development. Most students have spent 7-12 months preparing for and conducting research in countries scattered over five continents. There will also be panel discussions where the presenters will connect their research to others’ and engage with the public.

Additionally, the following presentations by students in your college or on topics related to your discipline might be of interest to you (as part of a larger panel session, see schedule for details):

Political Transition, Social Reaction: 3:00 Wednesday, 17 March, 238 HRCB

Taylor Merkley, presenting “Windmills and Walls: A Social Club Harnesses the Winds of Change in Brandenburg”

Jessica Bingham, presenting “From the Iron Curtain to the European Union: The Influence of changing Political Structures on Romanian Family Life”

Giving and Taking: A Practice in International NGO Evaluation: 1:00 Thursday, 18 March, 238 HRCB

Matt Cox, presenting “Get Involved: The Role of Cultural Immersion in International NGO Evaluation”

Recent Change in Mayan communities: 12:00 Tuesday, 16 March, 238 HRCB

Jonathan Luke, presenting “The Current State of Alcaldia Indigena in Light of its Historical Precedents: The Case of Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan”

Giving and Taking: A Practice in International NGO Evaluation: 1:00 Thursday, 18 March, 238 HRCB

Yukiko Seino, presenting “’There's No Progress Because We Lack Business Skills’: Why a Local South African NGO Struggles as Western Influence Grows”

To make the entire experience more academically enriching, after presenting for thirty minutes individually, groups of three-four presenters will sit on a panel to discuss implications of each others’ research.

So browse the conference schedule and locate the conference sessions that interest you, makes you wonder—the most intriguing one or most controversial. Find the one that you know you can’t miss. Then come and join us. All are welcome.

Email inquiryconference@byu.edu or call 801-422-1541 if you have further inquiries about the conference.



--
BYU Inquiry
204D HRCB ∙ 801.422.1541 ∙ www.kennedy.byu.edu/events/inquiry

Romanian Ambassador

from Erlend D. Peterson, Associate International Vice President

Speaker: His Excellency Adrian Cosmin Vierita, Ambassador to the United States for Romania
Title: “Romania and the US at 130 years of diplomacy relations: Values, partnership and vision”
Date: Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 12:00 noon
Location: David M. Kennedy Center Conference Room, 238 HRCB
Sponsor: David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies

Ambassador Vierita has a very distinguish background. We hope you will be able to join us. We ask you to invite students and colleagues to attend. Please forward this email to those whom you think will be interested.

Ambassador Vierita’s CV:

Ambassador Adrian Vierita presented his credentials to President of the United States, George W. Bush on January 22, 2008.

Prior to his current assignment, Adrian Vierita served as State Secretary for European Affairs with the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, since July 2006. Between 2002 and 2006, he was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Romania to the Federal Republic of Germany.

Mr.Vierita is a career member of the Diplomatic Corps of Romania. He joined the Foreign Service on March 1, 1991. He held various executive positions with the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Chief of Staff of the State Secretary coordinating relations with Asia, Africa, Middle East and Latin America, Deputy Director of the United Nations and International Organizations Directorate, Director of the Central and South-East Europe Directorate and General Director for European and Transatlantic Affairs. Other postings abroad include a 4-year tour with the Permanent Mission of Romania to the International Organizations in Vienna, where he covered OSCE negotiations related to CFE Treaty and Black Sea security issues, as well as trafficking in persons and trans-border crime; he also served as Deputy Permanent Representative of Romania to IAEA and UNIDO.

In 2002, he was decorated with the Order of Faithful Service of Romania in the Rank of Officer. In 2003, he received the “Ambassador of the Year” Award and in 2005 was acknowledged Diplomat of the Year by “Nine O’Clock” daily in Bucharest. In 2006, Mr.Vierita received the Great Cross of Merit of The Federal Republic of Germany.

Mr. Vierita graduated the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna program of post-academic studies in International Affairs and European Integration, as well as the Romanian Institute of International Studies in Bucharest, specializing in international affairs and world economy, both awarded with Merit Diplomas. At present, he is a PhD candidate in economic sciences, at the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest. He has a Master’s Degree from the Faculty of Technology of the Polytechnic University in Bucharest. He was also a Visiting Lecturer to the European College for Liberal Arts in Berlin and co-authored the book “Romania in the United Nations Organization", published by the Encyclopedic Publishing House of Bucharest, in 1995.

He is married to Codrina Eugenia Vierita and has two children. Mr.Vierita was born on July 4, 1962 in Bucharest.

The Asian Cinema Club's Special Gift for everyone for the memorable day

Are you still scrambling to plan the special and memorable day? In tough economic times, it can be a challenge for anyone to make the day special. Well, we are here to help you out coming up with some creative ideas without depleting your wallet. The Asian Cinema Club's upcoming FREE romantic movie will make the day special and memorable for you and your valentine!

The upcoming Korean film, My Dear Enemy will be a perfect movie for this holiday season. It is a romantic black-comeday directed by Lee Yoon-ki, and starring Jeon Do-Yeon and Ha Jeong-woo who are regarded as one of the best actresses and actors in South Korea. My Dear Enemy takes the audience on a long day's journey of the two ex-lovers, and it is about female's view on men and the relationship between a man and a women. A striking combination of realism and idealism exists in this movie as well.

Mark the followings on your calendar:
When:Tuesday, February 9 at 7:30 P.M
Where: B002 JFSB (presented by Asian Studies 495)

Don't forget to bring your dear enemy. if don't, don't worry: that means you don't have any enemy in your life. Just bring yourself! Again. It is FREE!!
Please feel free to contact us at asiancinemaclub@gmail.com with any questions. We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Thank you for your support as always,
The Asian Cinema Club

James Schlesinger Lecture

Speaker: Dr. James Schlesinger, Former United States Secretary of Defense and Former United States Secretary of Energy
Title: “Facing Old and New Defense Challenges”
Date: Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Time: 7:30-9:00 pm
Location: Hinckley Center Assembly Hall
Sponsor: Wheatley Institution and David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies


James Schlesinger received a bachelor's degree summa cum laude from Harvard College in 1950. He received his master's and doctoral degrees from Harvard University in 1952 and 1956.

Dr. Schlesinger began his government service in 1969 as assistant director of the U.S. Bureau of the Budget (later the Office of Management and Budget), where he also served as acting deputy director. From July 1973 to November 1975, Dr. Schlesinger was Secretary of Defense. Immediately prior to this appointment, he served as Director of Central Intelligence. In August 1971, he was selected by President Nixon to become chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, a position he held until February 1973. Dr. Schlesinger was the nation's first Secretary of Energy, taking the oath of office one day after President Carter signed the legislation creating the new department. He served in this position from 1977 to 1979.

Dr. Schlesinger has also served on many government commissions and advisory groups. Recently, he served as chairman of the Secretary's Task Force on DoD Nuclear Weapons Management. He is vice chairman of the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States. From 1999 to 2003, he was a member of the Panel to Assess the Reliability, Safety, and Security of the U.S. Nuclear Stockpile, and from 1998 to 2001, he was a member of the U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century (Hart-Rudman Commission). He recently served as co-chair of the Defense Science Board Task Force on the Future of the Global Positioning System (GPS). He also chairs the advisory group on GPS for the PNT (positioning, navigation, and timing) Executive Committee. He was vice chairman of the President's Blue Ribbon Task Group on Nuclear Weapons Program Management (1984 –1985), and served on the President's Commission on Strategic Forces (1982–1983).

Dr. Schlesinger serves as chairman of the board of The MITRE Corporation. He is a consultant to the Departments of Defense and State, and a member of the Defense Policy Board and the International Security Advisory Board. Dr. Schlesinger is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy. He is a director for Evergreen Energy and Sandia National Corporation. He is a counselor and trustee of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a trustee of the Atlantic Council, the Nixon Center, the National Cryptologic Museum Foundation, the Center for Global Energy Studies, and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation.

Dr. Schlesinger has been awarded eleven honorary doctorates. He is the recipient of the National Security Medal, as well as five departmental and agency medals. He is the recipient of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Distinguished Service Medal, the George Catlett Marshall Medal, the H. H. Arnold Award, the Navy League's National Meritorious Citation, the Distinguished Service Award of the Military Order of the Carabao, the Jimmy Doolittle Award, the Military Order of the World Wars Distinguished Service Award, the Henry M. Jackson Award for Distinguished Public Service, and the William Oliver Baker Award. In 2009, he received the Air Force Association's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr. Schlesinger is the author of The Political Economy of National Security, 1960, America at Century's End, 1989, and numerous articles.

Email from Students for International Development

Hi,

My name is Michelle Alejandra Rubio from the Students for International Development club (SID.) I am sending this email to ask for your support with our Creative Competition, a new way to help students get involved with international issues. For the past twenty years, SID has hosted an annual Hunger Banquet to raise awareness within the BYU community about global poverty and wealth inequality. The Hunger Banquet is designed to serve as both a fund-raising event and an opportunity for members of the BYU and Provo communities to think critically about the systems of inequity that permeate our world.

This year’s Hunger Banquet theme is Human Dignity, and we are hosting a creative competition as a way of exploring this theme. Our goal is to encourage students to create art that shows the dignity within the bounds of poverty. We are accepting paintings, film, photography, dance, music, creative writing, or any other type of creative platform that can be displayed in a gallery here on campus. I have attached the official flier and ask that you share it with your classes to encourage involvement. As a further incentive, several $200 prizes will be awarded to the outstanding entries.

As a final note, if there is any way for us to send a representative from SID to do a short presentation in class, we would love to stop by. Just email me back and let me know when and where. The deadline for entry is February 18th.

Thank you for your involvement,
Michelle Alejandra Rubio

Check out our website:
http://kennedy.byu.edu/student/SID/hunger/#

Sigma Iota Rho Winter Semester Social

Winter Opening Social for Sigma Iota Rho - BYU's International Relations Honor Society

Come learn about SIR and eat JDAWGS!

When: Thursday, January 28th

Where: 3223 WILK

Time: 11am

Join SIR on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=268775343570#/group.php?gid=5212700138&ref=ts

Dr. Phillips Office Hours

My lovely wife is out of town until Thanksgiving and I need to be home when my two younger children come home from school. My office hours are normally from 2:00 - 4:00 on Monday & Wednesday. However, I will need to change my office hours in the meantime.

So for the next two weeks I will be holding office hours as follows:

9:30 - 10:30 Monday & Wednesday in 166 FOB
9:00 - 11:00 Friday in 166 FOB

Feel free to contact me by phone (810) 422-5928 or email kerk_phillips@byu.edu if these office hours don't work for you.

I will be back to normal office hours starting Monday, November 30th.

Dr. Douglas M. Johnston, “Religion and Statecraft”

Speaker: Dr. Douglas M. Johnston, President, International Center for Religion and Diplomacy

Title: “Religion and Statecraft”

Date: Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Time: 5:30-7:00 pm

Location: Hinckley Center Assembly Hall

Sponsor: Wheatley Institution and David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies

Douglas M. Johnston

Douglas M. Johnston, Ph.D. is President and Founder of the International Center for Religion and Diplomacy (ICRD). He has served in various positions as a White House appointee and lectured at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He was appointed a Senior Fellow of The Trinity Forum in 2006.

He is known for developing a new synergy for peacemaking based on the joint contributions of religion and politics, as articulated in his acclaimed book Religion: The Missing Dimension of Statecraft (Oxford University Press, 1994). Dr. Johnston’s hands-on experience in reconciliation and peacemaking reflects his deep interest in religion and conflict resolution stemming from his twenty-year involvement with the National Prayer Breakfast and his service on the board of the Washington Theological Consortium.

Dr. Johnston is a distinguished graduate of the US Naval Academy and holds a Masters degree in Public Administration and a Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard University. He has a broad range of executive experience in government, academia and the military, starting with ten years in the submarine service where, at the age of 27, he was the youngest officer in the US Navy to qualify for command of a nuclear submarine.

Most recently, Dr. Johnston served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Among his other duties, he chaired the CSIS programs on maritime studies and on preventive diplomacy.

Among his assignments in government, Dr. Johnston was a planning officer in the President’s Office of Emergency Preparedness, Director of Policy Planning and Management in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower). In academia, he taught international affairs and security at Harvard University and was the Founding Director of the Kennedy School’s Executive Program in National and International Security.

Dr. Johnston has edited and authored several books, including Foreign Policy into the 21st Century: The U.S. Leadership Challenge (CSIS, 1996) and Faith-based Diplomacy: Trumping Realpolitik (Oxford University Press, 2003).

The Challenge of Afghanistan and Pakistan

Symposium: The Challenge of Afghanistan and Pakistan
Date: Thursday, October 29, 2009
Location: Hinckley Center Assembly Hall
Time: Morning Session: 9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Afternoon Session: 1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Sponsors: The Wheatley Institution and the David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies


The Honorable John J. Hamre, President and CEO, Center for Strategic and International Studies, will be the keynote speaker at 1:00 p.m.

The panel participants include:
Stephen P. Cohen, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Brookings Institution
Gerald F. Hyman, President, Hills Program on Governance, Center for Strategic and International Studies
John Hughes, Professor of Communications, Brigham Young University
Colonel Michael J. Meese, Head of Social Sciences, U.S. Military Academy at West Point
Lieutenant Colonel Isaiah Wilson, Professor of Social Sciences, U.S. Military Academy at West Point

Panels chaired by:
General Amos A. Jordan, Former CSIS President, Wheatley Institution Senior Fellow

Global Management Student Association

We have some new and exciting news for you all. We now have a new venue to further your knowledge in international business! The Global Management Student Association (GMSA) is a new chartered club in the Marriott School of Business and the objective is to expose students to the exciting world of international business. Throughout the year we plan to hear from guest speakers, have company visits, participate in leadership activities, and create opportunities to meet other students with the same interests. If this you want to participate and get involved go to http://marriottschool.byu.edu/clubs/ and register.

We will have our opening social on 29 October 2009 at 5:30-6:30pm. We will be pleased to hear from Lew Cramer, CEO and President of the World Trade Center of Utah. He will give us an introduction to the international opportunities around us and share some of his experiences. Club t-shirts will be available for those that have registered or register that night. Hope to see you there!

--
McKay Fitt
President
Global Management Student Association
801.503.8587

Brent Scowcroft Lecture on Sep. 29th

Brent Scowcroft, the National Security Advisor for Presidents Ford and George H. W. Bush will be speaking at 7:00 p.m. on September 29th in the Assembly Hall at the Hinckley Alumni Center. His lecture is sponsored by BYU's Wheatley Institute.

This series of lectures in international affairs will feature several well-know foreign policy experts at various times during the academic year, so stay tuned for more announcements.

Year-long Job/Internship for Graduates

From Thomas Russell at the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation:


Just last week the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation began accepting applications for our 2010-11 Koch Associate Program, a year-long job opportunity for those passionate about free-market ideas and who have a desire to become more effective at advancing liberty throughout their careers. Some of our best candidates learn about the program through their professors, so I hope that you will pass this information along to any interested young professionals.

Great candidates for the program, first and foremost, are those with an understanding of and commitment to limited government and individual liberty. Here is a brief description of what else a good candidate should possess:

Required:
* Solid academic record
* 0-10 years of work experience
* Minimum of a bachelor’s degree
* Strong interest in learning effective management in the non-profit setting

Desired:
* Intellectual curiosity
* Willingness to learn and be challenged
* Desire to become a better and more equipped professional
* Humility, integrity, and motivation
* Demonstration of entrepreneurial thinking


Thanks,

Thomas Russell
Associate, Marketing and Recruiting
Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation
www.cgkfoundation.org
Ph: 703.875.1655

Upcoming Movie

from The Asian Cinema Club:
Hello, everyone

We are very happy to announce you all that the Asian Cinema Club's first screening of the semester is coming soon. The next film will be a Japanese movie, University of Laughs (Warai no daigaku) . It is a 2004 film directed by Mamoru Hoshi, and was nominated for best screenplay and best actor at the 2005 Awards of the Japanese Academy.

Remember the following information:
When: Thursday, September 10 at 7:00 P.M (Running time: 85minutes)
Where: HBLL 3714 (presented by Asian 495) the rooms on the south side of the library.

As always, there will be No Charge for admission, Friends are welcome to come!
Please feel free to contact asiancinemaclub@gmail.com with any questions. Thanks!

We will see you there!!

The Asian Cinema Club

Another Change in Office Hours

Due to another schedul conflict I need to move my existing office hours slightly.

I will be available in 215 HRCB on Mondays & Wednesdays from 2:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon.

In addition, I will be holding office hours in my economics department office in 166 FOB on Mondays & Wednesdays from 9:30 to 10:30 and on Tuesdays from 1:00 to 2:00.

I am also available to meet other times by appointment.

Change in Office Hours

Due to a conflict with a course I would like to sit in on, I am changing my office hours for Fall Semester.

I will be available in 215 HRCB on Mondays & Wednesdays from 1:30 to 3:30 in the afternoon, and by appointment.

Econ 431 - Economic Development

Please note there is a typographical error in the course catalog this year regarding Economics 431. The prerequisites for the class are Econ 380 and either Econ 388 or PlSc 328. Until this year Econ 382 was a prerequisite for the course. The economics department has dropped that requirement, but since Econ 380 was and is a prerequisite for Econ 382, it was not listed previously as a requirement for Econ 431.

You will still need to complete Econ 380 before you can enroll in any 400-level economics course. Econ 432 and Econ 459 also require Econ 381 as a prerequisite. Be sure you make your academic plans accordingly.

Congratulations to Stephanie Blood

This is a bit late and I apologize for being slow to post things this past week or so.

Stephanie Blood, a senior majoring in International Relations, won the “Most Motivational Display” award at the 2009 Strut Your Stuff Internship Fair on April 3rd. There were around 100 participants and only 8 participants won awards, so this is a high honor. Pictures of all the winners are available at the Internship Office Website (www.byu.edu/intern).

Three Cheers!

Brazil Diplomat Lectures

From Erlend D. Peterson, Associate International Vice President:

Next week appears to be Brazil week. His Excellency Antonio de Aguiar Patriota, Brazil Ambassador to the U.S. will speak at 2:00 pm, Tuesday, March 31, 2009. Ambassador José Alfredo Graça Lima, Brazilian Consul General in Los Angeles, will speak at 11:00 am on Thursday, April 2, 2009. May I invite you to both lectures.

Brazil Ambassador to the U.S. – His Excellency Antonio de Aguiar Patriota
Topic: "Brazil-US Relations: Bilateral, regional and global agendas."
Lecture: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 - 2:00 pm in the Library Auditorium 1080 HBLL (bottom floor, north-west side)
Web bio: http://www.brasilemb.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=81

Brazilian Consul General in Los Angeles – Ambassador José Alfredo Graça Lima
Topic: (Title has not be given)
Lecture: Thursday, April 2, 2009 – 11:00 am in the Hinckley Center Assembly Hall