The Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland regularly holds events to connect SPP faculty, staff and students with leading scholar-practitioners in diverse fields such as foreign policy, global governance, human security and dual-use technology. CISSM speakers series and special events build a thriving intellectual community that thinks critically about the causes, consequences and solutions to current policy dilemmas. Learn more about the biweekly CISSM Global Forum, the Military Perspectives series and the annual Kelleher Forum below.
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CISSM Global Forums Series
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Hosting exceptional international policy scholars and practitioners has been a lunchtime tradition at CISSM for over 30 years. Typically held Thursday afternoons from 12-1:15pm during the school year, each CISSM Global Forum features an invited speaker from the greater DC area to speak on a policy-relevant topic of their choice, followed by Q&A with the audience of faculty, staff and students. Speakers may present on their latest policy-relevant research or test out new ideas about forthcoming projects to advance knowledge and practice in their respective fields.
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Military Perspectives Series
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How do leaders decide when to use force, to what ends, and at what cost? Each time the United States engages in a conflict, civilian policymakers make consequential choices about the use of military force to protect national security interests. These decisions have far-reaching repercussions for military personnel and require careful assessment of the cost-benefit trade-offs. However, the challenges of war are often not well communicated. This series seeks to engage with military personnel and gain a broader perspective of the challenges they face.
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Kelleher Forum Series
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Each year, during Women's History Month, the Center for International and Security Studies hosts a special forum to honor Dr. Catherine M. Kelleher, our founding director, for her contributions to international security policy. Professor Kelleher was a champion for women in the field as a scholar, teacher, mentor, government official and founder of Women in International Security (WIIS). Below you'll find a running list of Kelleher Forum speakers featured in this series.
Forthcoming and Past Speakers
In her talk "A Woman in the Arena," former US Homeland Security Advisor and Deputy National Security Advisor Dr. Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall discusses crisis management, including how to prevent crises through early identification and action, to innovate in the face of unprecedented challenges, and to build motivated teams to ensure effective implementation.
Former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, the Honorable Susan M. Gordon, spoke on Leading Through Disruption: Innovation, National Security, and Motherhood, exploring how leaders at every level can turn uncertainty into opportunity, push the boundaries of innovation, and build coalitions that shape the future of global security.
Associate Professor at the John Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Dr. Dipali Mukhopadhyay, spoke on State-building in the Shadows of Counterterrorism: The (Il)Logic of Precarious Sovereignty. Her talk explored contradictions between counter-terrorism and democracy promotion objectives in U.S. policies towards Afghanistan and other so-called ‘weak states.’
Associate Research Professor, Dr. Lena Andrews, spoke on Valiant Women: The Forgotten Contribution of American Servicewomen in World War II. Her talk told the story of the hundreds of thousands of American women who served in uniform during WWII, providing critical support to frontline forces.
Chairwoman and CEO of the Truth in Media Cooperative and Noodle Labs, the Honorable Ellen E. McCarthy, spoke on The Importance of Intelligence in Addressing Global Challenges. Her talk drew on over three decades of national security service to discuss how the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research informs how U.S. diplomacy responds to evolving global challenges.