robert gates

Robert Gates served in public life for over 50 years. He began his career as an entry-level CIA analyst and would rise the ranks to become director of the agency from 1991-93. In 2006, he was named Secretary of Defense by President George W. Bush as our nation waged war in Afghanistan and Iraq. He would retain the position for President Barack Obama until 2011, making him the only Secretary of Defense asked by a newly elected President to remain in the office.

Secretary Gates is the author of a number of bestselling books, including A Passion for Leadership and his memoir, Duty, and has served as President of Texas A&M and currently holds the position of Chancellor of the College of William & Mary. Mark Updegrove talked to him recently before a full house at the LBJ Library, where he offered his reflections on an increasingly chaotic world, including the Israel-Hamas War, the War in Ukraine, the security threats posed by an increasingly aggressive China, and the struggles we face here at home

“Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has ended America’s thirty-year holiday from history,” Robert Gates opined in the Washington Post last month, referencing the United States’ reentry into great-power conflict for the first time since the Cold War. No more salient words have been written on the U.S. role in the crisis.

Russia’s brutal military campaign against Ukraine and its horrifying war crimes have stunned the West, which has responded with unprecedented sanctions and aid to Ukraine. But what are the trend lines behind the headlines? Is there a diplomatic off-ramp to end the crisis? What are the internal implications for Putin’s Russia and for NATO, China, and U.S. foreign policy?

Aaron sits down with former U.S. secretary of defense Robert M. Gates to unpack these and other issues in the ongoing crisis.

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Joseph S. Nye is the University Distinguished Service Professor, Emeritus and former Dean of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

He is the author of numerous highly influential books, including: 

• Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics (2004)
• The Powers to Lead  (2008)
• The Future of Power (2011)
• Is the American Century Over? (2015)
• Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump  (2020)

Joe Nye has also served in various capacities in the US government, as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Chair of the National Intelligence Council, and Deputy Under Secretary of State for Security Assistance, Science and Technology. 

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Professor Dan Banik, University of Oslo, Twitter: @danbanik  @GlobalDevPod

https://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.com/

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Professor Dan Banik (@danbanik @GlobalDevPod)

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La Fool & A discuss the age old practice of regime change. La Fool says Get Out and A elects to not be La Fool's fixit person - at least for this episode. As usual, it's a fun ride of emotional hills and valleys. Enjoy!

Learning what it means to honor the fallen working under former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. How having a military connection can shape who you are. Turning a single Tweet on Memorial Day 2020 into a national movement with Travis Manion Foundation.

Co-founder of The Honor Project Emily Domenech shares how a visit to Arlington National Cemetery set off an inspiring chain of events, and how this year, everyone will have a chance to actively participate in preserving the memory of our servicemen and women through TMF.  

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For decades, the mantra of globalization supported increased foreign aid to, and trade with, low-income countries. The proclaimed goal was to reduce poverty and promote economic growth and development. But aid policies have increasingly become both complex and fragmented. Some argue that there is an unprecedented international policy overload when it comes to aid and development. Indeed, some even claim that we are witnessing aid fatigue. Many traditional donors are also revisiting the role and impact of aid. 

In a world which was already struggling to cope with numerous crises even before the Covid pandemic struck – inadequate finance, food insecurity, climate change – the pattern and flow of aid to low-income countries in the near future is potentially going to change in fundamental ways. 

Bård Vegar Solhjell is Director General of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad). He has substantial political experience having served as a member of Parliament and Party Secretary for the Socialist left Party in Norway and subsequently also as Norway’s Minister of Education and Minister of Environment. He was also CEO of WWF Norway.

Resources

• This is how Norwegian development aid funds were spent in 2019 (Norad)
• Norwegian Aid Statistics (Norad)
• From Knowledge to Implementation, Norad's Evaluation Department, Annual Report 2019/2020
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Host

Professor Dan Banik (@danbanik @GlobalDevPod)

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