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 DAOR members at the monthly Africa Discussion Group. Discussions are organized around theme, country, region or on a selected speaker’s interests.
Mr. Tim Lenderking is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Arabian Gulf Affairs in the Near East Bureau at the U.S. Department of State. He is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. Mr. Lenderking served previously as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2013 to 2016. He served as the Director of the Pakistan Office at the Department of State from 2010 to 2013. From 2008 to 2010, Mr. Lenderking completed two tours in Baghdad, the first as the Senior Democracy Advisor at the U.S. Embassy, and the second as the Policy Advisor to LTG Charles Jacoby, Commanding General of Multi-National Forces Iraq (MNF-I), based at Camp Victory.
Before his Iraq tours, Mr. Lenderking served as the Economic Counselor and Acting Deputy Chief of Mission at U.S. Embassy Kuwait. He was also the Political Counselor at Embassy Rabat from 2002 to 2006. Mr. Lenderking’s other tours in the Foreign Service include serving as the Special Assistant to Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Marc Grossman 2001 to 2002, as the Lebanon Desk Officer 2000 to 2001, and as a Watch Officer in the Operations Center. Mr. Lenderking also served in Dhaka, Bangladesh and Damascus.
Mr. Lenderking joined the Foreign Service in 1993 after a career in the refugee field, where he held numerous positions with American NGOs and with the United Nations in New York, Sudan, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Thailand. more info...
Bring visiting friends and family to our December Holiday Brunch for a delicious spread and great conversation. The buffet will feature a wide assortment of tasty dishes, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Be sure to save room for the dessert selection! 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...
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...
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...
The wars and transition to peace in the Balkans are often cited in discussions of the Middle East and Ukraine. But what really did happen in the Balkans, and what does the experience there teach us that might be applicable to the Middle East and Ukraine?
Professor Daniel Serwer (Ph.D., Princeton) directs the Conflict Management and American Foreign Policy Programs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He is also affiliated as a Scholar with the Middle East Institute. His current interests focus on the civilian instruments needed to protect U.S. national security as well as transition and statebuilding in the Middle East, North Africa and the Balkans.
Formerly vice president for centers of peacebuilding innovation at the United States Institute of Peace, he led teams there working on rule of law, religion, economics, media, technology, security sector governance and gender. He was also vice president for peace and stability operations at USIP, where he led its peacebuilding work in Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan and the Balkans and served as Executive Director of the Hamilton/Baker Iraq Study Group. As a Minister-Counselor at the U.S. Department of State, Professor Serwer directed the European office of intelligence and research and served as U.S. special envoy and coordinator for the Bosnian Federation, mediating between Croats and Muslims and negotiating the first agreement reached at the Dayton peace talks. 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...
Join DACOR and UAA as we honor the prestigious Service to America Medal’s (Sammies) 2018 Winner for National Security and International Affairs: Andrew M. Herscowitz and the Power Africa Team. Two out of three people in sub-Saharan Africa lack access to electricity, stunting economic growth and trapping millions in poverty. Power Africa, an ambitious public-private partnership led by Andrew Herscowitz of the U.S. Agency for International Development, has worked with more than 20 African governments, 140 American companies and financial institutions, 12 federal agencies and a host of international organizations to bring electricity to more than 50 million people.
Starting from scratch in 2013, Mr. Herscowitz and the Power Africa team built a solid foundation for this highly ambitious foreign policy initiative designed to advance U.S. national security interests while fostering economic development and stability in Africa. Mr. Herscowitz has been the Coordinator of the U.S. Government’s Power Africa program since 2013. Prior to this appointment, he served as USAID's Mission Director in Ecuador from 2011 to 2013, and as Deputy Mission Director in Peru, from 2009 to 2011. In 2008, he served as USAID’s Regional Legal Adviser for Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. From 2002 to 2007, he was regional legal adviser for the Caribbean, providing services to Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti and Jamaica. 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 DAOR members at the monthly Africa Discussion Group. Discussions are organized around theme, country, region or on a selected speaker’s interests. more info...
We are pleased to announce that Dr. Rachel Kleinfeld will be our guest expert at the January 15 Salon. Her theme for the Salon, "Can our American values insulate us from the rise of authoritarianism?” will continue with our focus on national values [see related article here] that anchor policies that strengthen security, stability, rights, and human dignity in America and around the world. For her complete bio, click here.
She is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where she focuses on issues of rule of law, security, and governance in post-conflict countries, fragile states, and states in transition. As the founding CEO of the Truman National Security Project, she spent nearly a decade leading a movement of national security, political, and military leaders working to promote people and policies that strengthen security, stability, rights, and human dignity in America and around the world.
She will be discussing several of the key points of her new book “A Savage Order: How the World's Deadliest Countries Can Forge a Path to Security” which is available on Amazon. For a related article on the book’s theme, click here.
Ambassador Robert Dillon spent more than 30 years in the U.S. Foreign Service. He had assignments in Venezuela, Turkey, Malaysia, Egypt, Lebanon and in the Department of State. He served as Special Assistant to Undersecretaries Charles Bohlen and U. Alexis Johnson and as Deputy Chief of Mission at U.S. embassies in Malaysia, Turkey and Egypt. He served as Ambassador to Lebanon for two and a half years from 1981 to 1983 where he survived the bombing of the American Embassy in 1983.
Following retirement, Ambassador Dillon joined the UN as Assistant Secretary General, serving for almost five years as Deputy Commissioner General of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. He became President and CEO of AMIDEAST in 1988 and retired in June 1995. Immediately following his retirement from AMIDEAST, he directed a six-month missing persons investigation in Cyprus on behalf of the Department of State.
During his Foreign Service career, Ambassador Dillon had four assignments in Turkey, totaling 10 years and was the Turkey Country Director in the Near East Bureau for three. Since 2013, he has visited the country multiple times including during the failed coup of July, 2016. Ambassador Dillon last visited Turkey during the 2018 June elections. Much has happened since then internally and with its relations with its neighbors and countries in the region. Ambassador Dillon will discuss what is going on and where things are headed. 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 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...
Last year was such a roaring success that we’re bringing back DACOR’s rendition of Burns Night. Join the Newberry Cultural Series for their second annual Robert Burns Birthday Supper on Thursday, January 24th. A beloved tradition in Scotland, Burns night celebrates the Great Bard with synonymous Scottish delights: bagpipes, scotch, tartan and highland swagger.
The original Robert Burns supper occurred in 1801 when the Scottish poet’s friends marked the fifth anniversary of his death. They celebrated his life with recitations of his poetry, a speech in his honor and a delicious meal. This became an annual tradition that has now migrated around the world.
Why is DACOR particularly suited to celebrate this tradition? The land we sit on used to be owned by a Scottish fellow and the last private owner of the house, Mrs. Bacon, was a descendant of the 4th Earl of Dunmore, a Scottish peer and royal governor of Virginia. And, quite a few members enjoy scotch.
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...
Kofi Annan's Impact for Africa Dr. Gwendolyn Mikell is the Professor of Anthropology and Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where she has taught since 1976. She served as Director of the African Studies Program in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown from 1996 to 2007 – a program which she helped develop from 1982 onward; and she was Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology from 1992 to 1995. She was Senior Fellow for African Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations from 2000 to 2003. Dr. Mikell has been President of the African Studies Association, a Jennings-Randolph Fellow at the U.S. Institute of Peace, Member of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, the Institute for African Studies at the University of Ghana-Legon, the Institute for Social Research at the University of Natal in Durban, South Africa, and the Institute for Developing Economies in Tokyo. She is a Board member of the Smithsonian Museum of African Art and has served on the Boards of the American Anthropological Association, the African Studies Association, CIES-Fulbright Program, and the British-Marshall Selection Committees.
As a political and economic anthropologist, Dr. Mikell’s research interests are in African political and economic transitions, democratization and peace, African feminism, and the political/religious dynamics of African women’s organizations. She is the author of numerous articles and two books – Cocoa and Chaos in Ghana (1982, 2005) and African Feminism: The Politics of Survival in Sub-Saharan Africa (1997); and she has a forthcoming book project that follows Kofi Annan’s initiatives on Africa from 1997 to 2009. more info...
