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Joseph J. Sisco Memorial Forum: Great Power Competition in the Polycentric World
September 15, 2022 @ 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
The return of great power competition is a staple of current discussion. Yet just as the cold war differed from the great power competition of the 19th century, so the new power alignments will chart new paths. The Sisco Forum discussion of the American Academy of Diplomacy, held in conjunction with The Fletcher School, will consider some of the longer-range implications of how this competition may play out.
ECONOMIC ALIGNMENTS ARE BEING CHALLENGED. Sanctions on Russia, which were difficult to erect, may be even more difficult to sustain once the fighting in Ukraine ebbs, particularly given the extent of global interdependence in the areas of oil, supply chains and financial networks. Will the use of unilateral American tools such as the SWIFT system and the role of the US dollar build resistance that could have major consequences for the US economy? Will nations and companies be willing for the long term to avoid both the Russian and Chinese markets as part of future great power competition? AMBASSADOR KATHLEEN DOHERTY will help think through how these challenges may play out.
HOW WILL THE GLOBAL SOUTH REACT? Thirty-five nations abstained from the UN condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and 58 abstained from the vote to remove Russia from the UN human rights commission. Traditional friends like Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE are not fully with us on the issues of Ukraine and sanctions. Doubts about America’s resolve to stand with allies were nurtured by the Afghanistan withdrawal. How will the nations of Asia, Africa, and the Middle East seek to chart their course? AMBASSADOR AURELIA BRAZEAL will reflect on alignments and the challenges to US diplomacy of the new competition.
US NATIONAL SECURITY POLICY may need substantial reshaping in an era of great power competition. The lessons of the actual fighting in Ukraine and increasing confrontation with China raise major issues for national security strategy and the US budget. The challenges are driving new national security thinking in NATO and in the Pacific even as they raise questions for US diplomacy in dealing with traditional partners from the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean and Pacific. ADMIRAL JAMES FOGGO will reflect on some of the major issues now coming to the fore in these areas.
After opening remarks from Fletcher Dean Rachel Kyte and AAD President Ambassador Ronald Neumann, a panel discussion will feature three former senior U.S. officials:
- Ambassador Aurelia Brazeal served for over 40 years career at the U.S. State Department. She is first African American woman career Foreign Service officer to be promoted into the Senior Foreign Service and the first to be nominated as an ambassador. Her ambassadorial assignments were as U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, to Kenya, and Micronesia.
- Ambassador Kathleen Doherty served the U.S. Department of State for 30 years, most recently as a dean of the Foreign Service Institute. She was U.S. Ambassador to Cyprus and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe. Prior to entering public service, she worked as a journalist, writing for The Washington Post among other publications.
- Admiral James Foggo served as commander of United States Naval Forces Europe-Africa and commander of Allied Joint Force Command Naples. Across a decorated career in the U.S. Navy, he was also director of Navy Staff and commander of the Sixth Fleet. He is currently dean at the Center for Maritime Strategy.
With a 90-year history leading the teaching and practice of diplomacy, The Fletcher School is proud to collaborate with AAD and deliver this timely and critical discussion. The partnership demonstrates a shared dedication to diplomacy and a commitment to addressing the world’s most pressing challenges.
“Thanks to the generosity of Dr. Carol Sisco, the Sisco Family Fund, and donations from Academy members the Academy of American Diplomacy has, for almost twenty years, hosted this important forum for essential foreign policy conversations featuring some of the most prominent practitioners of the time,” said Dean Kyte. “It is an honor for Fletcher to co-host this year’s event, and we look forward to welcoming Ambassadors Neumann, Doherty, and Brazeal, along with Admiral Foggo, to our campus.” The whole complexion of foreign relations is shifting in a polycentric world,” said Ambassador Neumann. “This forum will give us an opportunity to take a very broad look at these changes.”
The forum is part of a larger partnership between Fletcher and AAD, which includes collaboration on the production of the podcast series The General and the Ambassador, as well as additional programming to be considered for the 2022-23 academic year designed to support Diplomacy at Fletcher.