A Conversation with Ryan Crocker and James Schlesinger

Event Details

RYAN C. CROCKER, former U.S. ambassador to Iraq and Afghanistan, and JAMES R. SCHLESINGER, who served as both secretary of defense and energy, will take part in a wide-ranging conversation on foreign affairs covering a broad range of topics including the Middle East and Asia, defense and diplomacy, and the state of American politics.  The session will be moderated by Miller Center director and CEO GERALD L. BALILES, and a question and answer period with the audience will follow.

Ryan C. Crocker is the 2013 James R. Schlesinger Distinguished Professor at the Miller Center. He holds the diplomatic rank of career ambassador, the U.S. Foreign Service’s highest rank. He served as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan from 2011 to 2012 and U.S. ambassador to Iraq from 2007 to 2009. He previously served as U.S. ambassador to Pakistan from 2004 to 2007; to Syria from 1998 to 2001; to Kuwait from 1994 to 1997; and to Lebanon from 1990 to 1993.

James R. Schlesinger served as secretary of defense under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford and as the nation’s first energy secretary under President Jimmy Carter. He also held leadership roles with the Central Intelligence Agency and the Atomic Energy Commission during a distinguished career in public service. Schlesinger taught economics at U.Va. from 1955 to 1963.

Limited public seating for this event will be available on a first come, first served basis.