Global Conversations: State of the State Department and Diplomacy

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During the Trump administration, the usual ways of conducting diplomacy have been upended. Many positions in the U.S. Department of State have never been filled, and meetings with foreign leaders such as Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin have been undertaken with little advance planning.

Join us for a discussion with Tom Hanson, former U.S. Foreign Service Officer, on how these changes are impacting ongoing relationships between the United States and its allies and adversaries. The program will also include a Q&A session with Tom, moderated by Mary Curtin, Diplomat-in-Residence at the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs.

About the Speaker

Tom Hanson currently serves as Diplomat in Residence at the Alworth Institute for International Affairs at the University of Minnesota – Duluth. His U.S. Foreign Service postings included East Germany, France, Norway, the Soviet Union, Sweden, and the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. He also participated in the opening of new U.S. embassies in Mongolia and Estonia, worked on the Foreign Relations Committees of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, and served as director for NATO and European Affairs at the Atlantic Council of the United States in Washington, D.C. A member of Global Minnesota’s Great Decisions advisory committee, Tom speaks frequently on international issues and contributes to local and international media. He is also a board member of the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights, the International Leadership Program at the University of St. Thomas, and the Cultural Entrepreneurship Program at the University of Minnesota – Duluth. Tom holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota and graduate degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy; the Institute of Advanced International Studies in Switzerland; and the National School of Administration in France.

Presented in partnership with the Friends of the Minneapolis Central Library and Hennepin County Library – Minneapolis Central.