Stay ConnectedThe Institute of World Politics is a graduate school of national security and international affairs, dedicated to developing leaders with a sound understanding of international realities and the ethical conduct of statecraft, based on knowledge and appreciation of the principles of the American political economy and the Western moral tradition.
**Please note that the views expressed by our guest lecturers do not necessarily reflect the views of The Institute of World Politics.**
About the Book: Turkey and America: East & West - Where the Twain Meet is a synthesis of the author’s now lifetime of deep and abiding personal and professional experiences that have led to his deep understanding of the American Experience, the Mediterranean World, and U.S.-Turkish relations. The narrative guides the audience to bridges, where others may see only chasms. The reader is transported, back and forth, from East to West, across the centuries, juxtaposing geography and discovery, politics and war, religion and the arts, terrorism, key figures and human triumphs. The goal of the journey is a better appreciation for the nature of both historic and current controversies and under-recognized extraordinary contributions that lie at the heart of the East-West dynamic. This book seeks to decode some of the presumptions and misconceptions that tend to become the prisms through which both individual and state perceptions are filtered and pose as “the truth”. These truths, like beauty, tend to vary in the eyes of the beholder. About the Author: Dr. Henry “Phil” Williams III is currently an Adjunct Professor at the Institute of World Politics. He has received Degrees and Diplomas from Culver Military Academy, the Universities of Virginia, Edinburgh, and Florence, and a PhD in International Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher School, Tufts University. He has worked in four foreign languages and studied and worked more than ten years of his life on the Mediterranean, including stints in Turkey doing Doctoral Research, Investment Banking, Consulting, and university-level teaching.
About the Book: Since September 11, 2001, the CIA and DoD have operated together in Afghanistan, Iraq, and during counterterrorism operations. Although the global war on terrorism gave the CIA and DoD a common purpose, it was actions taken in the late eighties and early nineties that set the foundation for their current relationship. Driven by the post--Cold War environment and lessons learned during military operations, policy makers made intelligence support to the military the Intelligence Community's top priority. In response to this demand, the CIA/DoD instituted policy and organizational changes that altered the CIA/DoD relationship. While debates over the future of the Intelligence Community were occurring on Capitol Hill, the CIA and DoD were expanding their relationship in peacekeeping and nation-building operations in Somalia and the Balkans. By the late 1990s, some policy makers and national security professionals became concerned that intelligence support to military operations had gone too far, weakening the long-term analysis required for strategy and policy development. In Subordinating Intelligence: The DoD/CIA Post--Cold War Relationship, David P. Oakley reveals that, despite these concerns, no major changes to either national intelligence organization or its priorities were implemented. These concerns were forgotten after 9/11, as the United States fought two wars and policy makers increasingly focused on tactical and operational actions. As policy makers became fixated with terrorism and the United States fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, the CIA directed a significant amount of its resources toward global counterterrorism efforts and in support of military operations. About the Author: LTC David Oakley is a FA59 (Strategist) with over twenty years as a national security professional within the US Army and the Intelligence Community. He currently serves as an assistant professor at National Defense University’s College of International Security Affairs (CISA) in Washington, D.C. Dave was commissioned a Field Artillery officer in December 1998 through Pittsburg State University’s Reserve Officer Training Corp. After completing the Field Artillery Officer Basic Course, he served in South Korea as a platoon leader with 6-37 Field Artillery, 2nd Infantry Division. Dave was stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma from 1999-2005 where he served in the Field Artillery Training Center as a battery executive officer, detachment commander, assistant brigade S-3, battery commander, and company commander. Dave temporarily left active duty for the Army Reserve after completing company command. While off active duty, Dave was selected for the Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) Clandestine Service Trainee (CST) Program as a Staff Operations Officer (SOO). After graduating from the CIA’s SOO Certification Course, Dave served within the CIA’s Near East Division. Following his CIA service, Dave served as a contractor with the National Counterterrorism Center’s Directorate of Strategic Operational Planning. Dave returned to active duty as a FA59 in late 2007. Following completion of the Basic Strategic Arts Program (BSAP), he served as a planner with the 1st Infantry Division (1ID) at Fort Riley, Kansas. In 2010, he deployed with 1ID to Iraq where he served as a liaison officer to the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. In 2011, Dave moved to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas where he attended the Command and General Staff School followed by the School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS). In 2013, Dave departed Fort Leavenworth for Fort Sam Houston, Texas where he served as a planner with 5th Army/Army North until 2015.
Jack Doyle, Valedictorian of the IWP Class of 2019, gave remarks during IWP's Commencement ceremony, which took place at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C. on May 18. Video by Adam Savit, Center for Security Policy
Title: Gender Systems and National Security This lecture is a part of the The Institute of World Politics' 2019 Student Symposium that was held on May 16th. About the Lecture: The lecture will examine how various cultures’ practices relating to courtship, marriage, and reproduction play out in the extended order as national security issues. About the Speaker: Helen Lamm is an M.A. candidate in Statecraft and International Affairs at the Institute of World Politics with a concentration in American Foreign Policy, and she is graduating this May. Helen is a Mt. Vernon Fellow at the Center for American Greatness and a Publius Fellow at the Claremont Institute. She publishes a weekly column at American Greatness on topics related to culture and politics.
General John W. Nicholson, Jr., USA (Ret.), "Mick," former Commander of U.S. Forces - Afghanistan and NATO Resolute Support Mission, gave the keynote address at IWP Commencement on May 18. 2019 at the Fairmont Hotel. The Institute of World Politics awarded him with a Doctorate of Laws, Honoris Causa.
Founder and President of The Institute of World Politics, John Lenczowski, delivered remarks at IWP's Commencement ceremony on May 18, 2019, at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C. Video by Adam Savit, Center for Security Policy
The invocation at The Institute of World Politics Commencement on May 18, 2019, was given by Captain Christopher D. Glass, Sr., USN (Ret.), Senior Vice President for Professional Affiliations at IWP and also an IWP parent. Video by Adam Savit, Center for Security Policy
Title: Returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters in Germany: An Assessment of the Threat and Policy Options This lecture is a part of the The Institute of World Politics' 2019 Student Symposium that was held on May 16th. About the Lecture: In the wake of the Arab Spring, nearly one thousand German citizens traveled to Syria and Iraq to join Islamist terrorist groups. About a third of these are now back in the Federal Republic. Returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) present a tremendous challenge for the German authorities as many of them are combat experienced, can radicalize others, and recruit them to conduct attacks. Officials have mainly aimed at speedy incarceration proceedings in order to avoid public pressure and contain the immediate security risk. This only postpones the threat because prison sentences are typically short and, therefore, do not represent a long-term solution. To prevent returning FTFs from conducting attacks in Germany and undermining the social fabric, the country should tailor its approach for each case and reassert the legitimacy and relevance of the state using the legal system. Germany must further strengthen its intelligence and surveillance capabilities, improve border controls, and enhance its deradicalization and reintegration programs. Finally, to avoid falling into a “counterterrorism fatigue,” Germany must develop a National Strategy for Counterterrorism to address all dimensions of the challenge of Islamist terrorism. About the Speaker: Tobias Brandt is originally from Hamburg, Germany, and he is an M.A. candidate in Statecraft and International Affairs at the Institute of World Politics graduating in May. His key research interests are U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, terrorism, and the transatlantic relationship. In his final semester at IWP, Tobias wrote an honors thesis on “Pushing Back Terrorist Propaganda and Countering Ideological Support for Militant Islamism.” He has been published in The National Interest, and the paper on which his lecture is based will be featured in the spring issue of the Institute’s Journal Active Measures.
Title: Challenges of the Millennial Generation Towards the Future of U.S. National Security This lecture is a part of the The Institute of World Politics' 2019 Student Symposium that was held on May 16th. About the Lecture: The lecture will examine behaviors and attitudes of the Millennial Generation and how these may present challenges to the U.S. national security apparatus. Ms. Zug will assess four major themes of this generational cohort: their changing relationship with information, the pervasiveness of echo chambers, the rise of the global citizen, and wavering trust in U.S. government institutions. The talk will analyze how aspects of these four areas may undermine U.S. efforts to protect its national security in the future. About the Speaker: Kelly Zug is an M.A. candidate in Statecraft and National Security Affairs at The Institute of World Politics graduating this May. Before studying at IWP, Kelly worked in international development in Eastern Europe and taught English with the Fulbright Program in Bulgaria. Her studies at IWP have focused on Russian influence operations in the information space and the reemergence of Russian active measures in Europe.
Title: The Geopolitics of Quadrilateral Security Dialogue: Maritime Theory or Practice? This lecture is a part of the The Institute of World Politics' 2019 Student Symposium that was held on May 16th. About the Lecture: The lecture will examine the history of this informal partnership and assess the geopolitical motivations of the member states as well as the conflicting policies that have hindered the full-fledged integration. Though the presentation will briefly survey Washington’s and Tokyo’s roles in upholding and advancing this security dialogue, the emphasis will be put on India and Australia as the two weakest links of the partnership. Finally, the talk will examine the future challenges and opportunities of Quad and provide policy recommendations for the United States. About the Speaker: Erik Khzmalyan is an M.A. candidate in Statecraft and National Security Affairs at the Institute of World Politics graduating this May. Erik is a Senior Fellow at the Eurasian Research and Analysis Institute, and his research primarily focuses on U.S. national security and foreign policy.
Our TOPPODCAST Picks 
