“America’s Diplomats” — Prescott Screening

The American Academy of Diplomacy and the College of Security and Intelligence at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University present

Northern Arc of Crisis: Persistent Instability in Upper South Asia

8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Thursday, February 23, 2017.

The College of Security and Intelligence at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott, AZ campus

Event Location: Davis Learning Center Auditorium at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 3700 Willow Creek Road, Prescott, Arizona.

  The College of Security and Intelligence at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University held a Symposium that aims to examine the arc of crisis in Upper South Asia. This is an arena of persistent conflict that involves the cross-cutting interests of the United States, India, China and Russia, as well as those of Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Symposium included the screening of America’s Diplomats, a documentary produced by the Foreign Policy Association for screening on PBS in early 2016. Click here for more information on the schedule of this event. The keynote speakers for the Symposium were Ambassadors Ronald E. Neumann and Wendy J. Chamberlin. Respectively, these Ambassadors served in Afghanistan and Pakistan.   News coverage of the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University discussion:

High-stakes world of U.S. diplomacy glimpsed at ERAU symposium- The Daily Courier

        Ambassador Wendy J. Chamberlin, President of the Middle East Institute, is a 29-year veteran of the United States Foreign Service. In addition to many postings in her State Department career, Ambassador Chamberlin served as Ambassador to Pakistan from 2001 to 2002, where she played a key role in securing Pakistan’s cooperation in the U.S.-led campaign against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan in the wake of the terrorist attacks against the U.S. on September 11. Her experience as a diplomat has covered many areas, including counter-terrorism, counter-narcotics, oversight of civilian reconstruction programs in Iraq and Afghanistan. After retiring from the Department, Ambassador Chamberlin served as Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees with the United Nations. She is a frequent commentator on national media, both television and print. A graduate of Northwestern University, Ambassador Chamberlin earned a M.S. in education from Boston University and attended the Executive Program at Harvard University. She holds an honorary Ph.D. from Northwestern University. Ambassador Ronald E. Neumann is a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State. Ambassador Neumann served three times as Ambassador, first to Algeria, then Bahrain, and finally to Afghanistan (2005-2007). He is a frequent visitor to Afghanistan, returning there most recently in November, 2016. He is the author of The Other War: Winning and Losing in Afghanistan (Potomac Press, 2009), as well as a number of monographs, articles, and editorials, mostly focused on Afghanistan. Prior to Afghanistan, Ambassador Neumann served in Baghdad with the Coalition Provisional Authority and then as Embassy Baghdad’s political/military liaison with the Multinational Command, where he was deeply involved in coordinating the political part of military actions. In his career with the State Department, Ambassador Neumann had many foreign postings and senior positions in the Department. He speaks Arabic, Dari and French. He was an Army infantry officer in Viet Nam and holds a Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal and Combat Infantry Badge. He earned a B.A. in history and M.A. in political science from the University of California, Riverside.