Since the end of colonialism in Africa, the continent has become a strategic battleground for influence among global superpowers. Russia, China, and the United States have each pursued distinct approaches that have shaped African nations in vastly different ways. An experienced diplomat in US-Africa relations, Ambassador Herman J. Cohen draws on his extensive career as a diplomat in the region, from the beginnings of African nationalism to the end of the Cold War, to share critical experiences from this varied history of involvement in Africa.

Ambassador Cohen explains what the past can tell us, not only regarding the enduring impact of these global power dynamics on Africa's trajectory but about the continent's evolving role in the shifting geopolitical landscape of the 21st century. He will be in conversation with Aileen Marshall, a former World Bank and USAID official, who worked closely with Ambassador Cohen during his career at the State Department.

About the Speakers
As an ambassador, advisor to Presidents, and a 38-year veteran of the Foreign Service, Ambassador Herman J. Cohen has devoted his entire professional career to African and European affairs. Cohen retired from the U.S. Department of State in 1993. His last position was assistant secretary of state for African affairs under President George H.W. Bush (1989-1993). During his 38-year career with the U.S. Foreign Service, he served in five African countries and twice in France. He was the ambassador to Senegal, with dual accreditation to the Gambia, from 1977 to 1980.

During assignments in Washington, he also served as special assistant to President Ronald Reagan (1987-1989), principal deputy assistant secretary for intelligence and research, and principal deputy assistant secretary for personnel. Through his role at the NSC in the Reagan White House, Cohen worked to bring about peaceful transitions of power in South Africa and Namibia and helped to end conflicts in Angola, Ethiopia, and Mozambique.

He is the author of a number of books, including Intervening in Africa: Superpower Peacemaking in a Troubled Continent (2000), The Mind of the African Strongman: Conversations with Dictators, Statesmen, and Father Figures (2015), US Policy Toward Africa: Eight Decades of Realpolitik (2020), and a recent memoir Africa, You Have a Friend in Washington (2023).

Aileen Marshall
​​​​​​​Aileen Marshall has considerable professional experience of socio-economic development, political economy, governance and conflict management in Africa. Since retiring from the World Bank in 2020, she works as an international development consultant and is a member of the management team for Partnership for Transparency Fund, a non-profit. Earlier in her career, she was Senior Advisor to the Global Coalition for Africa, responsible for its political economy portfolio, and served with USAID in Africa. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Durham in England.

Zoom Registration Link
Register in advance to join this virtual seminar

Host
Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies

Co-sponsors
Institute for African Development and the East Asia Program

Over 70 undergraduate students will present their international summer experiences in a poster session. Their work includes conducting research, working in Global Internships, and putting leadership into action as Laidlaw scholars.

The poster session will be in the Baker Portico & Atrium of the Physical Sciences Building. Light refreshments will be served.

Applications for Global Internships are open now. Applications for the Laidlaw Scholars Program will open on November 15.

Global Internships give undergraduate students valuable international experience in fields spanning global development, climate and sustainability, international relations, communication, business, governance, and more. They are managed by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies and Office of Global Learning, both part of Global Cornell.

The Laidlaw Undergraduate Leadership and Research Scholarship Program provides generous funding to first- and second-year undergraduates over two years as they pursue internationally focused research, engage in leadership training and a leadership-in-action experience, and join a global network of like-minded peers. The program is managed by the Einaudi Center.

The Laidlaw Undergraduate Leadership and Research Program promotes ethical leadership and international research around the world—starting with the passionate leaders and learners found on campuses like Cornell. Open to first- and second-year students, the two-year Laidlaw program provides generous support to carry out internationally focused research, develop leadership skills, engage with community projects overseas, and become part of a global network of like-minded scholars from more than a dozen universities. We’ll also share tips for approaching potential faculty research mentors and writing a successful application.

Register for the virtual session.

Can’t attend? Contact laidlaw.scholars@cornell.edu.

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The Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies hosts info sessions for graduate and for undergraduate students to learn more about funding opportunities, international travel, research, and internships. View the full calendar of fall semester sessions.

The East Asia Program (EAP) offers several categories of fellowships and grants to support student and faculty research and study related to East Asia:

EAP Graduate Area Studies Fellowships East Asian Language Study Grants EAP Research Travel GrantsCan’t attend? Contact eap@cornell.edu.