In today’s fast-paced, high-tech world, where so-called non-state actors vie with governments for center stage, diplomats are challenged to find new and creative ways to cope with increasingly complex issues, ranging from global terrorism to global warming. Are pinstripes and teacups giving way to armored vests and texting? Can traditional diplomacy adapt to the age of the Internet and allpervasive media? How can ambassadors become agents of future change rather than an anachronism?

In this two-part program, ambassadors—from here and abroad—candidly share their views and experiences in doing their diplomatic work in a super-charged environment. The first panel features four former American ambassadors: William Rugh (Yemen, UAE, expert in public diplomacy); Elizabeth Jones (Kazakhstan, assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia); James Blanchard (Canada, former member of Congress); and George Moose (Senegal, Benin, assistant secretary of state for Africa). Following a brief break, a panel of distinguished foreign ambassadors discusses what it’s like to be accredited to the U.S., the world’s foremost super-power and democracy: Carolina Barco (Colombia); Ichiro Fujisaki (Japan); Klaus Scharioth (Germany); and Aziz Mekouar (Morocco). Former U. S. Ambassador Walter Cutler serves as host and moderator.

This program is made possible in part through the generous support of Eleanor McMillan.