DACOR's pre-election Salons discussed the role of domestic politics in foreign policy and diplomacy – with a focus on polarization and “post-truth” rhetoric.
As a newly elected President takes charge, the questions now are:
How will the advent of a new administration and an electorally reconfigured American public shape foreign policy and the conduct of diplomacy in the coming years? Will the U.S. do better, worse, or about the same-- applying differing and often conflicting standards? And, in turn,
How, will events around the world (wars, trade, climate crises, migration, political change elsewhere, relations with allies and adversaries, and push-back from key actors) register in the United States with the public at large, the President’s supporters, and the Administration?
Returning to our guiding themes – post-truth rhetoric and polarization – will these phenomena wax or wane as the new administration pursues its agenda internationally? Will polarization among allies and partners overseas develop and stymie success with the President’s agenda or will a “transactional diplomacy” work to achieve U.S. policy goals and create workable solutions to shared global problems? In the event of impasse, how best can stakeholders reach agreement and take action?
Guest presenters from the previous Salon in October, Tom Reston and Roger Noriega, will return to initiate Salon discussion again, carrying over ideas and issues from the previous Salon while bringing diplomatic experience and political engagement on the left and right. For their part, DACOR members and their guests typically offer differing backgrounds and a wide spectrum of views to enrich Salon-style conversation.
Thomas B. Reston has spent a lifetime in politics, working in eight presidential campaigns at the national level, and countless local and statewide efforts. He was twice elected Secretary of the Democratic Party of Virginia. Reston was a political appointee in the Foreign Service under President Jimmy Carter, serving as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs. A civil rights advocate, he was twice Board Chair of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF).
Founder and currently Managing Director of the consultant firm, Vision Americas LLC, Ambassador (Ret.) Roger F. Noriega has more than three decades of public policy experience focusing on U.S. interests in the Western Hemisphere. After a 10-year career on Capitol Hill, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to senior State Department posts.
As U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs (July 2003 to October 2005), Noriega managed a 3,000-person team in Washington and 50 diplomatic posts to design and implement political and economic strategies in Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
As U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States (August 2001 to July 2003), Noriega coordinated complex and sensitive multilateral diplomacy in a 34-member international organization to bolster trade, fight illicit drugs, and defend democracy.
Noriega was a visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research from 2005-2020, commenting and addressing the greatest challenges and opportunities facing the Americas.
Location
Setting: In-Person DACOR Bacon House 1801 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20006 UNITED STATES
