By Brian Vernellis
GVSU Communications
With the war between Ukraine and Russia showing no signs of dwindling and hostilities between Israel and Hamas escalating, national experts in international relations and history will examine the role of the United States and its foreign policy during a panel discussion at Grand Valley State University.
Grand Valley’s Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies presents author and historian Christopher McKnight Nichols who will moderate the discussion entitled, “Citizens of the World: Global Citizenship and U.S. Foreign Relations,” at 6 p.m. on Oct. 12 at the DeVos Center, Loosemore Auditorium on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus.
Joining Nichols on the panel will be:
- Polly Diven, professor of political science and director of the international relations program at Grand Valley
- Emily Conroy-Krutz, associate professor of history at Michigan State University
- Jeffrey Engel, founding director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University
“It seems imperative for the citizens and policymakers in the United States to have a clear-eyed sense of what the nation can hope to achieve and how it can make a positive difference in this chaotic world,” said Nichols, professor of history and Wayne Woodrow Hayes Chair in National Security Studies for the Mershon Center for International Security Studies at Ohio State University.
“The panel will draw out some of the most important ideologies that have historically guided U.S. foreign policy and discuss how that history and those ideologies influence and shape the policies and priorities of the present,” Nichols continued.
Nichols said the panel will also discuss what it means to be a global citizen and its ethics and challenges as nationalism and isolationism gain footholds around the world.
“I’m aiming for us to have a dynamic discussion of an age-old set of hot button issues centered around how best to understand ‘American interests’ and debate over how best to balance national interests, ethical and humanitarian considerations, and domestic needs and priorities at home,” said Nichols.
Thursday’s panel is part of the Hauenstein Center’s 2023-2024 programming theme of “Empowered Citizenship.” Throughout this academic year, the Hauenstein Center welcomes authors, lecturers and experts to examine what it means to be a citizen in modern society and the responsibilities it entails.
For more information, visit the Hauenstein Center’s website.
