The Kozmetsky Center at St. Edward's University provides a forum for global dialogue and exchange of diverse perspectives among the academic, policy and private-sector communities-
Examining Global Security
The Kozmetsky Center promotes comprehensive multi-disciplinary approaches to subjects that impact global security. Learn about how our conferences tackle critical issues, such as the religion-security nexus.
Events
"Exploring Religious-Policy/Security Nexus in Adressing Global Security Challenges"
On Wednesday, February 5, the Kozmetsky Center will feature our first event for the new decade entitled “Exploring Religious-Policy/Security Nexus in Addressing Global Security Challenges.” The session is a continuation of the Kozmetsky Center (St. Edward’s University) and The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts University) project series on religion in international security with the support of the NATO Public Diplomacy Division (Brussels). The session will feature perspectives of project leaders, policy/security practitioners, together with St. Edward’s University faculty of Religious Studies Dr. Kelley Coblentz Bautch and Dr. Jennifer Veninga. St. Edward’s University Professor Emeritus Father Lou Brusatti will join Imam Yahya Pallavicini, President of COREIS, the Islamic Religious Community of Italy to bring perspectives of the Catholic and Islamic faiths to the discussion. Project organizers are approaching the topic with the assumption that the international community faces challenges that can only be addressed by fostering comprehensive cooperative approaches. We hope that by facilitating exchanges among academic experts, policy officials, security and defense practitioners and religious leaders representing different nations and regions, we can strengthen networks of collaboration for addressing our most important human security challenges. Panelists will offer updates on recent project conferences, research initiatives and global engagement efforts as well as sharing views on the importance, potential and challenges in promoting cooperation among our global policy/security communities with religious faith communities in managing human security. Topics might include violent extremism and terrorism, migration, drivers in contemporary geopolitical divisions, conflict resolution, climate change, and more. The forum will be held in Carter Auditorium in the John Brooks Williams Natural Sciences Center at 12:00-2:00 PM.
"Strategic Security Challenges in the Middle East: Perspective on a 'Second Arab Spring' and the U.S.-Iran Confrontation
Dr. Ted Karasik, Senior Advisor to Gulf State Analytics and Fellow at the Jamestown Foundation will deliver a lecture on the topic “Strategic Security Challenges in the Middle East: Perspectives on a ‘Second Arab Spring’ and the U.S.-Iran Confrontation.” For the past 30 years, Dr. Karasik worked for several U.S. agencies involved in researching and analyzing defense acquisitions, the use of military power, and religio-political issues across the Middle East and Eurasia including the evolution of violent extremism and financing networks. From 2006 until 2016, Dr. Karasik lived in Dubai, UAE where he worked on Arabian Peninsula foreign policy and security issues surrounding cultural awareness, cybersecurity, maritime security, counter-piracy, counter-terrorism, and infrastructure and national resilience. Dr. Karasik was formerly a Senior Political Scientist in the International Policy and Security Group at RAND Corporation serving as Director of Research for the RAND Center for Middle East Public Policy. He earned his PhD in History from the University of California, Los Angeles in four fields: Middle East, Russia, the Caucasus with additional concentration in Cultural Anthropology focusing on tribes and clans from Central Asia to East Africa. Dr. Karasik has been a frequent commentator for major Arab news media (Al Arabiya, Al Jazeera, Sky News Arabia, and others). He will share his perspective on the current challenges in the Middle East, the potential of a Second “Arab Spring” and the recent diplomatic and military confrontation between the United States and Iran. The lecture event is scheduled for Wednesday February 19 from 12:00-1:30 PM in Carter Auditorium in the John Brooks Williams Natural Sciences Center.
Council on Foreign Relations Conference Call Series
The Kozmetsky Center will continue to offer the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) Conference Call Series. Please click here to see the Spring 2020 CFR Conference Call Series Schedule. These conference calls are open to all students; please RSVP to Joseph Sadek [jsadek [at] stedwards.edu] if you would like to attend.
Please check our website [https://www.stedwards.edu/kozmetsky-center-excellence] for additional details on these events, and other activities supported by the Kozmetsky Center throughout Fall 2019. Kozmetsky Center events are free and open to the community. Please contact Joseph Sadek, Executive Assistant (jsadek [at] stedwards.edu) or (512-233-1678) in the Kozmetsky Center, Main Building G-11 should you have questions regarding our events and programs.
Director's Upcoming Speaking Activities
-Speaking at the Delphi World Economic Forum V, Delphi Greece, March 5-8, 2020
-"Wilson Center/Kennan Conversations: Russia-China Strategic Partnership," Tulsa Committee on Foreign Relations, Spring 2020, TBD
-Chairing panel entitled “Major, Emerging and Small State Interactions in a Time of Shifting Global Geopolitics,” and presenting paper “Russia, China and Regional Security Flashpoints: Authoritarian Convergence Counterbalancing the United States and Challenging the Western Liberal Order,” Research Committee on Geopolitics, International Political Science Association (IPSA) World Congress, Lisbon Portugal, July 2020
-Participated in the conference sponsored by the SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University, Cornell Emerging Markets Institute (EMI) Annual Conference: “Constructive Engagement,” Bloomberg Center on Roosevelt Island, Cornell Tech Campus, New York, November 8, 2019
-Chaired panel entitled "Russia’s Perspectives on World Order: Implications for Geopolitics Among Major Powers, Russia, China and the United States" 51st Annual Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies ASEEES Convention to be held at the San Francisco, November 23-26, 2019
Please click here to see past Director's Activities