Melissa Bokovoy, Ph.D., UNM
December 8, 2019

Belgrade sits above the confluence of two great rivers, the Sava and the Danube. It has been home to many civilizations: Celts, Romans, Byzantines, Bulgars, Magyars, Ottomans, and Serbs. Frequently attacked and destroyed, it has been rebuilt many times, on each occasion adding a new layer to the cultural and urban landscapes of the city. This talk will take the audience through these different landscapes and reveal Belgrade’s unique cultural identity and contrasting sides.

Robert B. Marks, Ph.D., Whittier College
November 1, 2019

Dr. Marks will highlight the urgent environmental challenges facing China and explore these issues – and others too – within the context of China’s very long-term history of relationships between people and nature. He will then present some lessons for how other nations can think about their own environmental challenges, in order to prepare for the way for the best possible policy responses.

Jason Karaian, Global Finance Editor, Quartz
October 4, 2019

A business journalist’s view of the run-up to the Brexit referendum, the uncertain aftermath following the vote, the convoluted divorce negotiations before the UK’s official exit, and the uncertain transition period to a new relationship with the bloc it belonged to for more than 40 years. Has the promise of the “Leavers” been fulfilled? Have the warnings of the “Remainers” been realized? What lies ahead for the British economy, its trade relationships, geopolitical status, and much else besides?

Pavlina Peskova Kalm, UNM
September 8, 2019

Prague is a historical jewel that offers a rich architectural heritage with many centuries of historic buildings, bridges, and parks. Not only is it a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but it is also the cultural and economic heart of the Czech Republic and, because of its geographic location, of Europe as well.  Dr. Peskova will discuss some of the key historical moments that have made Prague such a fascinating city, both culturally and historically. She will also share some fun facts about Prague.

Dr. Aroop Mangalik
August 11, 2019

India is unique, not only for its diverse cultures, but also for its turbulent politics, which Aroop Mangalik will explore in this lecture. After independence from Britain in 1947 and traumatic turmoil as the subcontinent was separated into Muslim Pakistan and secular India, the country settled into imperfect democracy under the India National Congress Party. Although 80 per cent of Indians remained locked in poverty, the middle class bloomed. But India’s Hindu majority, particularly those who had prospered, began to feel uneasy about the growing power of the Muslim minority. By 2014 a charismatic politician, Narendra Modi, fanned that unease into outright paranoia and became Prime Minister. All dissent was suppressed. Even the constitution, which explicitly declared that India was a secular state, is under attack. How did India’s leadership evolve to this state and what’s next?

Abbas Akhil, NM House of Representatives
July 19, 2019

The roots of Islam in India can be traced to the 6th and 7th centuries along the Western coast to Arab traders and in the North to Turkic invaders and Persian conquerors who came later in the 12th and 14th centuries.  The influence of Islam through these two separate routes took different forms.  Abbas Akhil will focus on the spread of Islam through these two origins to eventually become the largest minority religion of 200 million in a dominantly Hindu country.  He will explore the cultural and linguistic influences of Muslim culture, the complex political ramifications of the Muslim identity, the partition of India along religious lines in 1948 and the more recent rise of Hindu nationalism that lead to the overwhelming victory of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in national elections last month.

Jill Hruby, former President, Sandia National Labs
June 21, 2019

It is customary for a new US president to issue a Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) within the first 18 months after taking office.  President Trump followed this tradition with the release of his administration’s NPR in February 2018.  This talk will focus on what is the same and what is different about this new nuclear policy and how it may stabilize or destabilize the behavior of other nuclear nation states.  Finally, this talk will briefly address how Trump’s nuclear policy effects New Mexico. 

Alex Vatanka, Middle East Institute
May 17, 2019

Under massive American sanctions, Iran is today faced with a long list of problems. And yet, there is a deep split among the Iranian people, and within the ruling elite, about the best way forward. The Trump administration’s Iran policy is disjointed, but Iran’s problems are overwhelmingly of its own making and go back to 1979 when the Islamist model was first born. The question is, can the Islamic Republic survive if it stays on the same course?  Another question is whether Iran can depend on China to be “rescued” while under US sanctions?