Former American ambassador to Iraq to discuss U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and East Asia

Students, staff and faculty, along with the broader Los Angeles community, will soon have an opportunity to learn about U.S. foreign policy and diplomacy from one of America’s foremost experts, thanks to the UCLA Burkle Center for International Relations.

Christopher Hill, America’s former ambassador to Iraq, will be on campus on Oct. 13 to discuss “The Urgent vs. The Important: U.S. Policy in the Middle East and in East Asia.” The free hour-long talk will be held in room 1420 of the UCLA School of Law Building, beginning at 11:30 a.m.

“As recent U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ambassador Hill can address the conflict in — and our engagement with — Iraq, and he can do so from a variety of perspectives, including that of a representative of the U.S. government’s diplomatic corps, as an eye witness on the ground in Iraq and in his role as a diplomat working with other countries, both in and out of this region,” says Alexandra Lieben, deputy director of the Burkle Center. Lieben says this talk is an excellent opportunity for people to become more informed about important global issues and gain a “differentiated perspective of U.S. foreign policy in the region, its intentions, successes and failings.”

Hill served as the U.S. ambassador to Iraq from April 2009 to August 2010. A career member of the Foreign Service, he was assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs from 2005 to 2009 and was an ambassador to Korea, Poland and Macedonia. He also served as special assistant to the president, and senior director for Southeast European Affairs in the National Security Council.

In 2005, Hill led the American delegation to the Six-Party Talks aimed at resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis. A decade earlier, he was a member of the negotiation team that secured the Bosnia peace settlement and was Richard Holbrooke’s deputy at the Dayton Peace Talks.

In the earlier part of his career, Hill served tours in Serbia, Poland, South Korea and Albania, and was on the Department of State’s Policy Planning staff and in the Department’s Operation Center. He was appointed dean of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver in September 2010.

Founded in 1979, the Burkle Center is the primary forum for the interdisciplinary study of international affairs at UCLA. “We bring the best and brightest minds in the field of international relations and foreign policy to UCLA to explore and shape debate on global issues for our students and faculty, and members of the broader Los Angeles community,” says Lieben.

Seating for Hill’s talk is limited. To avoid disappointment, you are encouraged to RSVP.