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February 15, 2023 – Foreign Policy

William & Mary’s Global Research Institute to explore changing role of U.S. alliances

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The global balance of power is shifting — and U.S. policy must change with it. In an event on Feb. 16, the College of William & Mary’s Global Research Institute (GRI) will bring together more than 50 nationally recognized foreign policy experts from academia, think tanks, and government to explore the changing role of alliances in U.S. foreign policy.

Professor Barry Posen, director of Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Security Studies program and a renowned expert on U.S. grand strategy and national security, and Kori Schake, senior fellow and director of Foreign and Defense Policy at the American Enterprise Institute, will serve as keynote speakers. 

“The conference will tackle tough questions, including debates over the extent of U.S. engagement in the Russia-Ukraine War,” Jessica Trisko Darden, director of GRI’s Security and Foreign Policy Initiative, told the Virginia Gazette. “We hope that by bringing a variety of perspectives to campus, the Foreign Policy Initiative will contribute to vigorous and informed debate about the future direction of U.S. foreign policy, the nature of U.S. alliances and the United States’ role in the world.”

William & Mary students will have the opportunity to play a part in this week’s conversation. Indeed, one of GRI’s primary objectives is to enhance opportunities for students to interact with foreign policy practitioners and influencers and to engage in research opportunities in the areas of international security and U.S. foreign policy.

Since its founding in 2008, more than 50 unique external partners — including the Charles Koch Foundation (CKF) — have invested in GRI. Today, more than 60 faculty and staff and more than 200 students conduct applied research with project collaborators that include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Agency for International Development, and the United Nations. 

Register for the event. Read more about the Charles Koch Foundation’s support for GRI.