New HKS Project to Begin

The Harvard Kennedy School officially announces the start of its Future of Diplomacy Project, which is intended to study diplomacy in a systematic manner, on Nov. 9 with the introduction of two new resident and three non-resident fellows.

The resident fellows are Said Tayeb Jawad, who is a former Ambassador of Afghanistan, and Yvonne Yew, who is a former Singaporean diplomat with experience in regional and multilateral issues in Asia and Europe. Non-resident fellows are Marc Grossman, former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Kenneth I. Juster ’76, U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce from 2001-05, and David L. Phillips, director of the Program on Peacebuilding and Rights at Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights.

According to the head of the initiative, Professor R. Nicholas Burns, all of the fellows will speak, interact with students, and conduct research with faculty at the school.

Burns said he hoped that the project would have more than theoretical use.

“I believe we are witnessing the return of diplomacy as the primary vehicle to resolve international problems after the focus on military force by the U.S. in Afghanistan and Iraq since 9/11” he said.

Yew spoke of the shift in international interactions and the rising importance of diplomacy. She stated, “In a post-Cold War world where states have been transiting towards a different global order, a key component for policy-planners is to identify, understand, and predict trends developing in international politics.”

Juster, who has always been close to Harvard, having previously attended the College, the Kennedy School, and the Law School, said that Harvard’s diversity was particularly useful as a means of bringing together differing perspectives.

He said, “I have always had a high regard for Harvard as an institution and for its convening power. Harvard can bring together scholars and practitioners from all over the world, as well as someone like myself who has been in both government and business.”

Juster already spoke at several seminars last week including one entitled “Diplomacy and Negotiation: Lessons from Government and Business,” held Tuesday, Nov. 9. He said he looks forward to more seminars in the Spring semester, and to outstanding guests, including one of India’s foreign secretaries.