Lynne Olson is a New York Times bestselling author of eight books of history, most of which deal in some way with World War II and Britain’s crucial role in that conflict. Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has called her “our era’s foremost chronicler of World War II politics and diplomacy.”
Lynne’s latest book, Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against the Nazis (Random House, March 2019), was an immediate New York Times bestseller. It tells the little-known story of Marie-Madeleine Fourcade, an elegant young Frenchwoman born to privilege and known for her beauty and glamour, who headed the largest Allied spy network in occupied France during World War II. She was the only woman to serve as a chef de résistance during the war.
Before becoming a full-time author, Ms. Olson worked as a journalist with the Associated Press as a national feature writer in New York, a foreign correspondent in AP’s Moscow bureau, and a political reporter in Washington. She left the AP to join the Washington bureau of The Baltimore Sun, where she covered national politics and eventually the White House.
Come to exchange views and analysis of significant current events, foreign and domestic. Some weeks, a pre-chosen topic will be discussed after an initiator launches the discussion with a brief (~5 minutes) framing of a topic, after which free-wheeling discussion follows. Other weeks, the discussion will revolve around what currently piques attendees’ interests. more info...
A delicious lunch with the choice of the special of the week or a vegetarian option. The meal also includes dessert, coffee/tea and House wine. Premium wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
Join us for a special Cocktails on the Patio where we will congratulate new Foreign Agricultural Service officers who are finishing their AG-100 course before heading to post. This a great opportunity to give these entry level officers advice about overseas and working in embassies around the world. In addition to a cash bar, light refreshments will be served.
Held rain or shine, Cocktails on the Patio is a happy hour held at DACOR in the warmer months and is open to members and non-members. This event is great for meeting up with colleagues and friends, introducing prospective members to DACOR and just relaxing after a busy Washington, DC day.
These evenings feature a cash bar. No reservations are required. However, if you plan to bring a large group, it helps us to be forewarned - contact us at events@dacorbacon.org to alert us. more info...
We will be joined for the June 27th Salon by Dr. Thomas Merrill, an Associate Professor in the School of Public Affairs at American University. His topic will reflect his work to promote civic education among the university community with the Jack Miller Center which partners with faculty, administrators, and donors to transform student access to education in American political thought and history, an education necessary for informed civic engagement. Its mission is to help provide coming generations the opportunity for an education grounded in a commitment to the values of liberty and equal opportunity.
Dr. Merrill is the author of Hume and the Politics of Enlightenment (Cambridge, 2015), which won the Delba Winthrop Prize for Best Recent Work in Political Philosophy. He is also the co-editor of three edited volumes, including The Political Thought of the Civil War (University Press of Kansas, summer 2018) and has held fellowships from Harvard, Princeton, and the American Enterprise Institute. He was a senior research analyst for the President’s Council on Bioethics during the George W. Bush administration and is the Associate Director of the Political Theory Institute at American University, which has hosted many public intellectuals from across the political spectrum as well as many academic political theorists.
He has served as coordinator of the undergraduate program in Government and, more recently, as chair of the Department of Government at American University.
Enjoy a delicious buffet, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Self-serve coffee & tea included. Wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
Join us for a special lunch and discuss your role in diplomacy and history with students visiting Washington, DC as part of the New York Times Student Journeys summer program.
U.S. high school students interested in diplomacy, international relations and politics will visit DACOR Bacon House during their time in Washington before heading out on their specific programs focused on China, Russia or the European Union. We are looking for members to volunteer to attend lunch to speak with the students about foreign affairs, the foreign service and international diplomacy - you do not need to have served/been directly involved in one of these three geographic areas to attend as the students have a variety of interests.
New York Times Student Journeys have student travel programs to destinations throughout the world. The 30-some students visiting DACOR are participating in diplomacy programs which split time between Washington DC, New York and then either Moscow, Beijing, or Brussels.
While the event will feature Members' Buffet Lunch, we are requesting RSVPs for set-up purposes. more info...
Enjoy a delicious buffet, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Self-serve coffee & tea included. Wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
Come to exchange views and analysis of significant current events, foreign and domestic. Some weeks, a pre-chosen topic will be discussed after an initiator launches the discussion with a brief (~5 minutes) framing of a topic, after which free-wheeling discussion follows. Other weeks, the discussion will revolve around what currently piques attendees’ interests. more info...
A delicious lunch with the choice of the special of the week or a vegetarian option. The meal also includes dessert, coffee/tea and House wine. Premium wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
Come one, come all to the Friends of Sri Lanka Social at DACOR!
Spend a fun evening reminiscing, imbibing and enjoying Sri Lankan food. The event is open to all whether you were posted to Sri Lanka, worked or lived there, were born there, visited, or have some other connection to this fascinating, diverse country.
DACOR is happy to partner with the Serendipity Group for this event. more info...
Enjoy drinks, music and camaraderie at DACOR. Held rain or shine, Cocktails on the Patio is a happy hour held at DACOR in the warmer months and is open to members and non-members. This event is great for meeting up with colleagues and friends, introducing prospective members to DACOR and just relaxing after a busy Washington, DC day.
These evenings feature a cash bar. No reservations are required. However, if you plan to bring a large group, it helps us to be forewarned - contact us at events@dacorbacon.org to alert us. more info...
Liz Schrayer serves as President & CEO of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC), a broad-based coalition of over 500 businesses and NGOs that advocates for strong U.S. global leadership through development and diplomacy. Under her leadership, the USGLC has grown to a nationwide network of advocates in all 50 states and boasts a bipartisan Advisory Council, chaired by General Colin Powell which includes every living former Secretary of State, and a National Security Advisory Council consisting of nearly 200 retired three- and four-star generals and admirals. In addition to running the USGLC, Ms. Schrayer serves as President of Schrayer & Associates, Inc., a nationwide political consulting firm founded in 1994, which works on a wide range of domestic and international issues. Ms. Schrayer currently serves on USAID’s Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid (ACFVA), as well as several advisory boards and committees for the University of Michigan, including the Ford School of Public Policy.
Prior to starting her own firm, Ms. Schrayer served as the national Political Director of AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) for more than a decade. She worked on Capitol Hill, founding the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and in state government. more info...
Enjoy a delicious buffet, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Self-serve coffee & tea included. Wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
If you have an interest in Africa or want to learn more, join DACOR members at the monthly Africa Discussion Group. Discussions are organized around theme, country, region or on a selected speaker’s interests. more info...
Join DACOR as we honor members of the USMC Embassy Security Guard Detachment Commander class before they head out to their posts. These brave men and women keep our overseas communities and embassies and consulates safe. DACOR is proud to express our thanks. more info...
Come to exchange views and analysis of significant current events, foreign and domestic. Some weeks, a pre-chosen topic will be discussed after an initiator launches the discussion with a brief (~5 minutes) framing of a topic, after which free-wheeling discussion follows. Other weeks, the discussion will revolve around what currently piques attendees’ interests. more info...
Enjoy drinks, music and camaraderie at DACOR. Held rain or shine, Cocktails on the Patio is a happy hour held at DACOR in the warmer months and is open to members and non-members. This event is great for meeting up with colleagues and friends, introducing prospective members to DACOR and just relaxing after a busy Washington, DC day.
These evenings feature a cash bar. No reservations are required. However, if you plan to bring a large group, it helps us to be forewarned - contact us at events@dacorbacon.org to alert us. more info...
DACOR assembles this program as we celebrate the 95th year of the Foreign Service. Our speakers will highlight the rich history of the founding of the Foreign Service and then shift to the future of diplomacy at a critical time for the State Department.
Dr. Alex Karagiannis was the Project Director of the recently published American Academy of Diplomacy report "Strengthening the Department of State" (May 2019). During his career at the State Department, Dr. Karagiannis held multiple positions in Washington and overseas including senior advisor to the Director General, office director in the Burea of European and Eurasian Affairs (twice) and deputy chief of mission at Embassy Sofia. He also was a visiting associate professor at The George Washington University for two years. Currently, Dr. Karagiannis is an independent consultant focusing on national security and human capital.
Mr. Harry Kopp is the author of three books on diplomacy: Career Diplomacy, Commercial Diplomacy and the National Interest and Voice of the Foreign Service: A History of the American Foreign Service Association. His articles have appeared in the Foreign Service Jounal and the New York Times amongst others. Mr. Kopp was a Foreign Service Officer from 1967-1985. He served as deputy assistant secretary of state for international trade policy in the Carter and Reagan administrations. His overseas posts included Warsaw, where he directed the U.S. - Poland Trade Development Center, and Brasília, where he was deputy chief of mission. When he left the Foreign Service, he joined L. A. Motley and Company, a lobbying and consulting firm, as a founding partner. more info...
Enjoy a delicious buffet, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Self-serve coffee & tea included. Wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
Interested in keeping up with your French? Join the French Conversation Group!
Formed to help French-speaking members maintain their proficiency, the group meets monthly for lunchtime conversation involving foreign relations, diplomatic history, cultural activities, travel, and - of course! - French food and wine.
The DACOR cash bar opens at 12 noon and the group moves to a reserved table at Members' Buffet Lunch at 12:30 pm. Only French is spoken during lunch. more info...
Hussein Ibish is a senior resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington. He is a weekly columnist for Bloomberg Opinion and The National (UAE) and a former regular contributor to The New York Times and The Daily Beast, among other publications. His articles are archived on the Ibishblog.com website. His most recent book is What's Wrong wtih the One-State Agenda? Why Ending the Occupation and Peace with Israel is Still the Palestinian National Goal (ATFP 2009). He is also the author of three major studies focused on discrimination against Arab Americans and various chapters in edited volumes.
Ibish previously served as a senior fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine, executive director of the Foundation for Arab-American Leadership, and communications director for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.
Come to exchange views and analysis of significant current events, foreign and domestic. Some weeks, a pre-chosen topic will be discussed after an initiator launches the discussion with a brief (~5 minutes) framing of a topic, after which free-wheeling discussion follows. Other weeks, the discussion will revolve around what currently piques attendees’ interests. more info...
A delicious lunch with the choice of the special of the week or a vegetarian option. The meal also includes dessert, coffee/tea and House wine. Premium wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
DACOR's annual Summer BBQ is a great time to catch up with old colleagues and friends and meet new ones, all while enjoying delicious food and drinks and live music. more info...
Enjoy a delicious buffet, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Self-serve coffee & tea included. Wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
DACOR members are welcome to meet with members of the 199th A-100 Class as well as those from the concurrent Specialist Class. Share your experiences with these new officers before they head off to their first postings. more info...
Come to exchange views and analysis of significant current events, foreign and domestic. Some weeks, a pre-chosen topic will be discussed after an initiator launches the discussion with a brief (~5 minutes) framing of a topic, after which free-wheeling discussion follows. Other weeks, the discussion will revolve around what currently piques attendees’ interests. more info...
A delicious lunch with the choice of the special of the week or a vegetarian option. The meal also includes dessert, coffee/tea and House wine. Premium wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
Enjoy drinks, music and camaraderie at DACOR. Held rain or shine, Cocktails on the Patio is a happy hour held at DACOR in the warmer months and is open to members and non-members. This event is great for meeting up with colleagues and friends, introducing prospective members to DACOR and just relaxing after a busy Washington, DC day.
These evenings feature a cash bar. No reservations are required. However, if you plan to bring a large group, it helps us to be forewarned - contact us at events@dacorbacon.org to alert us. more info...
