FPRI News

FPRI is proud to announce that General James Mattis, USMC (Ret.) will receive the 9^th Annual Benjamin Franklin Award for Public Service at the organization’s 2013 Annual Dinner. General Mattis will also deliver the keynote address at the event, which will be held in Philadelphia – the birthplace of the Marine Corps – on Monday, November 18, 2013. His topic: Reflections of a Combatant Commander in a Turbulent World.

FOR HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS ONLY: The modern Middle East, as we knew it, was formed in the aftermath of World War I, yet we are now facing an upheaval on possibly the same scale of that seminal period in history. In this intensive weekend-long conference for high school teachers, we will explore the historic developments of our time in the larger historical context of another era -- with lectures by the best scholars in the country. Teachers will complete the weekend with a much deeper appreciation and understanding of the Middle East and the implications for US foreign policy. APPLICATION DEADLINE: August 1, 2013 (best to apply early).

FOR HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS ONLY: Once upon a time, Philadelphia made a historic contribution to the world and to the development of freedom. The question “Did it happen in Philadelphia by accident?” gives us an opportunity to explore what precisely happened here, while also gauging the cultural, political and economic prerequisites to the development of liberal societies, and what that means for the historic transitions of our own time. APPLICATION DEADLINE: July 15, 2013 (best to apply early).

Dear Friends,

On April 14, I delivered a progress report at our Annual Brunch at the Four Seasons Hotel. I print below the text of my report.

MEDIA ADVISORY:

The Foreign Policy Research Institute is making its scholars available to provide expert commentary on the confirmation by U.S. intelligence officials that the Assad regime has been using chemical weapons against the Syrian people.

MEDIA ADVISORY:

The Foreign Policy Research Institute is making its scholars available to provide expert commentary on the events surrounding the Boston Marathon Bombings, including the national security implications, and background on the geopolitical context of the suspects’ nationalities.

On Saturday and Sunday, April 20-21, 40 high school teachers from 24 states will participate in a conference on "Great Captains in American History," focusing on great American military leaders from General Washington to General Petraeus. This is the 8th conference on topics in American military history sponsored jointly by the Foreign Policy Research Institute and the First Division Museum at Cantigny -- specifically for high school teachers. The conference will be held at the First Division Museum in Wheaton, IL.

On Tuesday, April 16, FPRI Senior Fellow Rens Lee will testify before the House Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats, which is holding a hearing on China's Rapid Political and Economic Advances in Central Asia and Russia.  Rens Lee is author of an essay in the current Spring issue of Orbis on China's growing role in the Russian Far East.

The Foreign Policy Research Institute (FPRI) is pleased to announce the launch of “The Philadelphia Papers” -- a new series of E-Books devoted to illuminating the foreign policy and national security issues of the day.  With expert analysis from FPRI’s global network of scholars, the Philadelphia Papers will seek to bring the best of scholarship to bear on issues of policy import.

The Spring 2013 edition of Orbis addresses a number of timely issues. FPRI Senior Fellow Jakub Grygiel begins by discussing the real meaning of educating for national security. He contends that national security requires more than technical skills. Rather it depends on a solid understanding of, and appreciation for, the state’s civilizational underpinnings—the religious beliefs, political ideals, and moral virtues. An education for national security must start from the desire to learn and understand one’s own national culture and tradition to be able to identify what one is supposed to defend.