History in Foreign Affairs with Kelly McFarland | Security Past and Present

History influences everything we do, from a personal perspective to how individuals and nations conduct foreign affairs. Dr. Kelly McFarland will provide a number of examples of history’s influence on security and foreign affairs and our current world in order to set the stage for the CSS fall series, Security Past and Present. This series evaluates the conflicts, tensions and resolutions of yesterday that have shaped the challenges of today. Join us as we consider how our past helped create our present, and what we can learn from history to avoid repeating it in the future.

This event will take place in a hybrid format. SSP students may attend in person; all others may attend virtually. Lunch will be provided following the event for students attending in person. For requests for accommodations due to a disability or medical condition, contact sspmediafellow@georgetown.edu no later than August 31st. A good faith effort will be made to fulfill all accommodation requests.

About the Speaker

Dr. Kelly M. McFarland is a U.S. diplomatic historian and the director of programs and research at Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy (ISD). In his current role, he manages ISD’s library of case studies in diplomacy, leads ISD’s research agenda, which includes a series of scholar-practitioner working groups on global diplomatic challenges, teaches in the School of Foreign Service, and hosts ISD’s “Diplomatic Immunity” podcast.

Dr. McFarland spent seven years at the Department of State prior to joining Georgetown in 2016. He served two years in the Office of the Historian, and then over five years in the Bureau of Intelligence and Research as an intelligence analyst. He also served a one-year assignment in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and was the Presidential Daily Briefing Book briefer for Secretary of State John Kerry and other State Department principals.