Facing 21st Century Threats: Why America Needs the United Nations
Events | Headline and Cultural Forums
The World Affairs Council of Oregon is honored to present Ambassador Susan E. Rice in a major public address. As U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and as a member of President Obama’s Cabinet and the National Security Council, Ambassador Rice is one of the President’s key foreign policy advisors.
The Obama Administration inherited unprecedented foreign policy challenges—including war in Iraq and Afghanistan, a global financial crisis, the threat of terrorism, nuclear proliferation in Iran and North Korea, climate change, poverty and disease—and is now working to renew and deepen the alliances that strengthen global security and prosperity. So, what role does today’s United Nations play in the Obama Administration’s efforts to advance American security and promote democracy, peace, and human rights around the globe?
Prior to her appointment as U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Rice served as a Senior Advisor for National Security Affairs on the Obama for America Campaign. She later served on the Advisory Board of the Obama-Biden Transition and as co-chair of its policy working group on national security. From 2002–2009, she was a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution where she focused on U.S. foreign policy, transnational security threats, weak states, global poverty and development. From 1997–2001, Ambassador Rice was the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs. In 2000, Ambassador Rice was co-recipient of the White House’s 2000 Samuel Nelson Drew Memorial Award for distinguished contributions to the formation of peaceful, cooperative relationships between states. From 1995–1997, Ambassador Rice served as Special Assistant to President William J. Clinton and Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council at the White House. Prior to this position, she served as the Director for International Organizations and Peacekeeping on the National Security Council staff from 1993–1995. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Stanford University, a Rhodes Scholar, and holds a doctorate in International Relations from Oxford University.