Ambassador Pickering Lectures Cadets

Ambassador Pickering joined cadets and faculty members in two separate engagements: a small group with International Affairs Forum cadets and the Department of Social Sciences (SOSH) faculty and a guest lecture to all in International Relations. During both sessions, Ambassador Pickering focused on the rise of multi-polarity in the 21st century and its associated uncertainty that makes such a world more difficult to navigate. From this basis, Ambassador Pickering discussed challenges to the liberal order including alliance maintenance and persistent state rivalries; the breakdown of the Middle East; the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; potential global economic instability; persistent poverty and slow growth in the “Global South;” and climate change. Ambassador Pickering concluded by examining the difficulty in organizing government in a way that applies resources most effectively against these problems.