March 13, 2009
International affairs expert to speak at SIUC
Mandelbaum will discuss “Economic Turmoil, the Financial Crisis, and the Silver Lining: What Lies Ahead for America and the World,” at 7 p.m., Monday, March 23, in the Student Center Ballrooms. Admission is free. Mandelbaum will host a book signing immediately following the lecture in the John W. Corker Lounge.
SIUC’s Materials Technology Center, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute and the Office of Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Dean are sponsoring Mandelbaum’s visit.
Shing-Chung "Max" Yen, director of the Materials Technology Center, notes the current economic situation affects every corner of the world, and there are “global issues and local concerns to be resolved before we see some daylight of stability in economy.”
“As a research center, we are concerned by the drastic depletion of career opportunities for students and the research and development partnership with industry,” Yen said. “We might have the world’s best products, but, no buyers.”
Yen believes Mandelbaum’s visit will “shed some light from historical and international perspectives on what has happened to date, and how he sees the future of global economy.”
Mandelbaum is the Christian A. Herter Professor of American Foreign Policy at The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and chair of the Department of American Foreign Policy.
“The institute is delighted to partner with Max Yen and the Materials Technology Center to bring to campus one of our nation’s most insightful and widely sought-after international affairs experts,” said institute interim director Matt Baughman. “Dr. Mandelbaum will analyze the economic conditions facing our nation and our world and share his thoughts on the risks and prospects ahead, including any possible good news that could come from these difficult times.”
Mandelbaum is an acclaimed author of 10 books and editor of 12 more, according to his biography. His 2006 book, “The Case for Goliath: How America Acts as the World’s Government in the 21st Century,” was described by The New York Review of Books as “an eloquent statement of the vital role of America in the 21st Century global security.”
The Weekly Standard described Mandelbaum’s 2007 book, “Democracy’s Good Name: The Rise and Risks of the World’s Most Popular Form of Government,” as “an excellent and broadly accessible book … Mandelbaum stresses the role of free markets, which provide not only economic growth but also a school in the qualities that liberal democracy depends on.”
He is a regular guest on television and radio, including appearances on “Face The Nation,” “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” “Larry King Live,” “The News Hour,” and “The Charlie Rose Show.” His opinion pieces on foreign affairs appear in publications including The New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal. Since 1985, Mandelbaum has contributed a regular foreign affairs analysis column for Newsday, his biography states.
His extensive background in international affairs includes meeting regularly with members of Congress on foreign policy issues, in addition to leaders in western and eastern European nations and the Middle East. From 1986 to 2003, he served as a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York.
Prior to joining The Johns Hopkins University, Mandelbaum taught at Harvard University, Columbia University and the United States Naval Academy. His experience also includes teaching at the Wharton Advanced Management Program in the Aresty Institute of Executive Education at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
He earned a bachelor’s degree from Yale University, a master’s degree with honors in history from Kings College of Cambridge University, and a doctorate in political science from Harvard University.