History and Prospects of U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy

We are pleased to announce that we will hold a Public Policy Seminar by welcoming His Excellency Mr. Robert Zoellick, a former president of the World Bank, as a keynote speaker. Mr. Zoellick also served as a United States Trade Representative and Deputy Secretary of State. Mr. Zoellick published a book titled America in the World: A History of U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy in 2020, and the Japanese version of his book appeared earlier this year. In this book, he argues that the quintessential nature of American diplomacy is its pragmatism, eschewing a dogma. Instead, he argues that there are five long-lasting “traditions” in American foreign policy, which are a North American focus, emphasis on trade and alliances, popular and Congressional support, and purposeful diplomacy. Drawing on his insights displayed in this book, he will engage in a dialogue with Japanese practitioners, scholars, and students of foreign policy with a focus on U.S.-Japan relations and the implications of the rise of China for the United States, Japan, and the rest of the world.

Language
English

Speaker
H.E. Robert Zoellick

Discussants
Ambassador Hisashi Owada, Former President of the International Court of Justice
Professor Akio Takahara, Graduate Schools for Law and Politics
Professor Kaoru Iokibe, Graduate Schools for Law and Politics

Moderator
Professor Keisuke Iida, Dean of the Graduate School of Public Policy

Sponsorship
Graduate Schools for Law and Politics (Iida Laboratory)

About the Speaker
Robert B. Zoellick is Chairman, Americas, of Temasek, Singapore’s Sovereign Wealth Fund; Senior Counselor at Brunswick Group Geopolitical; and an Adjunct Professor and Senior Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. In addition, Zoellick serves on the board of Robinhood Markets, chairs the International Advisory Council of Standard Chartered Bank, and is a member of the Strategic Council of Swiss Re. He is a member of the boards of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and the Carnegie Endowment; chairs the Global Tiger Initiative; and is a member of the Global Leadership Council of Mercy Corps, a global humanitarian agency.

Zoellick was the President of the World Bank Group from 2007-12, U.S. Trade Representative from 2001 to 2005, and Deputy Secretary of State from 2005 to 2006. From 1985 to 1993, Zoellick served as Counselor to the Secretary of the Treasury, Under Secretary of State, and White House Deputy Chief of Staff. He published America in the World: A History of U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy in 2020. His book has been translated into Korean, Chinese, Japanese, and Georgian.

Zoellick is a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award, the Department of State’s highest honor, the Alexander Hamilton Award of the Department of the Treasury, and the Medal for Distinguished Public Service of the Department of Defense. The German government awarded him the Knight Commander’s Cross for his achievements in the course of German unification. The Mexican and Chilean governments gave him their highest honors for non-citizens, the Aztec Eagle and the Order of Merit, for recognition of his work on free trade, development, and the environment. The Colombian government presented him with the Grand Cross.

Zoellick holds a J.D. magna cum laude from the Harvard Law School, a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and a bachelor’s degree with Honors (Phi Beta Kappa) from Swarthmore College.