Retired U.S. Ambassador Ted Osius was recently featured on C-SPAN’s Book TV, talking about the reconciliation process between the U.S. and Vietnam, which began in the early 1990s.
Amb. Osius was the speaker at the 2021-22 Walter Roberts Annual Lecture last fall. His book, Nothing Is Impossible, offers a vivid account of the diplomatic work that made this reconciliation possible. He speaks to the leaders who put aside past traumas to work on creating a brighter future for the two countries.
Retired U.S. Ambassador Ted Osius shares stories about the daring diplomacy that brought the U.S. and Vietnam closer together.
The recent Walter Roberts Annual Lecture featured retired U.S. Ambassador Ted Osius speaking on the diplomatic work that helped bring about reconciliation between the U.S. and Vietnam. Amb. Osius served in Vietnam from 2014-2017.
He shares stories from his recent book, “Nothing Is Impossible” and talks about leaders from both countries who put aside past traumas to work on creating a brighter future. Amb. Osius also draws upon his own experiences of working first-hand with various Vietnamese leaders and also traveling the country on bicycle to spotlight the ordinary Vietnamese people who helped bring about their nation’s extraordinary renaissance.
Nothing is Impossible: The diplomatic journey towards reconciliation
The Walter Roberts Lecture will feature Ambassador (retired) Ted Osius who will speak about U.S.- Vietnam relations; how a relationship fraught with tensions following a painful war that cost nearly 60,000 American and over two million Vietnamese lives, was able to reach reconciliation after a 20-year journey of daring diplomacy. Amb. Osius was U.S. ambassador to Vietnam during the Obama administration. His recent book, Nothing Is Impossible, offers a vivid account of the diplomatic work that made this reconciliation possible. He speaks to the leaders who put aside past traumas to work on creating a brighter future for the two countries. Amb. Osius also draws upon his own experiences of working first-hand with various Vietnamese leaders, and also traveling the country on bicycle to spotlight the ordinary Vietnamese people who helped bring about their nation’s extraordinary renaissance.
Dean Alyssa Ayres, dean of the GW Elliott School of International Affairs will deliver introductory remarks.
Dr. Janet Steele (right), director of the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication, will moderate the discussion and Q&A session with Amb. Osius.
A reception will follow.
Please, join us for this free event.
2021-22 Walter Roberts Lecture
Tuesday, October 26 6pm -7:30pm (ET) City View Room, Elliott School of International Affairs 1957 E St NW, Washington DC 20052
Panel says the US can do more to protect global media freedoms
The 2021 Walter Roberts Annual Lecture featured a virtual panel comprising of Richard A. Stengel, former Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (2014-2016), Amanda Bennett, former director of the Voice of America (2016-2020), and Professor Nicholas Cull, historian, and professor at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy in California.
The discussion addressed the question of what the U.S. could do to protect global media freedoms and also how should the U.S. international broadcasting agencies be organized to address this challenge.
The 2021 Walter Roberts Annual Lecture virtual panel will feature Richard A. Stengel, former Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (2014-2016), Amanda Bennett, former director of the Voice of America (2016-2020), and Professor Nicholas Cull, historian, and professor at the USC Center on Public Diplomacy in California.
The discussion will be moderated by David Ensor, GW’s Director of the Project for Media and National Security. Ensor is also a former VOA director
Since 2011, the Walter Roberts Endowment has hosted an annual lecture inviting prominent and distinguished speakers on foreign policy, American politics, and the world at large. The WRE Annual Lecture is held at the George Washington University and is free and open to the general public. The lectures provide the opportunity for the diverse audience of students, faculty, public diplomacy practitioners, and other members of the public, to hear different perspectives on issues relating or influencing public diplomacy and U.S. foreign policy.
As this year draws to a close, IPDGC would like to recap some of our activities of the Fall semester. We hope that you’ve had the opportunity to attend some of the events:
Mark your calendars for the 2020 Walter Roberts Lecture featuring Joseph S. Nye. The talk will be on “Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy”, to be held on Thursday, January 30, 2020, at the GW Elliott School of International Affairs.
