January 30, 2026
SIU’s Paul Simon Institute discussions will focus on international affairs
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute will host two virtual events over the next week that examine today’s tumultuous global landscape.
Emma Ashford, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center — a Washington, D.C. think tank — will join John Shaw, institute director, at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 5, to discuss the nation’s foreign policy and her 2025 book, “First Among Equals: U.S. Foreign Policy in a Multipolar World.” The event was rescheduled from Jan. 27 due to a winter storm that prompted the university to close Jan. 26-27.
On Monday, Feb. 9, Beatrice Heuser, a distinguished professor at the Brussels School of Governance at the Free University of Brussels, will participate in a discussion that also starts at 10 a.m.
Both discussions via Zoom are free and open to the public, but registration at paulsimoninstitute.org/events is required to view the conversation. The events are part of the institute’s “Understanding Our New World” discussion series.
Heuser will discuss her 2025 book ”Flawed Strategy: Why Smart Leaders Make Bad Decisions” with Shaw.
Heuser has researched and lectured at the Royal Institute of International Affairs and King’s College London. She has also taught in France at the University of Reims and the Graduate School of Journalism in Lille, and in Germany at the University of Potsdam and Bundeswehr University Munich. She has also held the chair of International Relations at the University of Glasgow.
Heuser earned an undergraduate degree in history from Bedford College, a master’s degree in international history from the London School of Economics and a doctorate in political science from the University of Oxford.
Attendees are encouraged to submit questions for Ashford and Heuser on their respective registration forms, or email questions to paulsimoninstitute@siu.edu.
More information, including a list of the institute’s upcoming events and past speakers and events, is available.