Day: November 16, 2008

MIIS, DLI Sponsor Panel Discussion

The Monterey Institute of International Studies and the Defense Language
Institute cordially invite you to attend a panel discussion, titled
“Leadership in a Time of War”, on Wednesday, November 19 from 6:30PM –
8:00PM in the Irvine Auditorium, featuring:

* LTC Danial Pick, former Army Attaché, U.S. Embassy, Amman, Jordan and
Iraq Policy Officer, Office of the Secretary of Defense.

* Bill Murphy Jr., author of In a Time of War: The Proud and Perilous
Journey of West Point’s Class of 2002 and a former Army JAG office who
reported from Iraq for The Washington Post.

* Mike Cerre, an Emmy-award winning journlist for ABC News in Iraq who
served as an USMC officer in Vietnam.

* CPT Fergal O’Reilly, a former platoon leader with the 82nd Airborne in
Afghanistan and Iraq, who is now assigned to the Defense Language
Institute.

The discussion will be moderated by Capt DJ Skelton, who was wounded
during U.S. combat operations in Fallujah, Iraq in Nov 2004.  He is one of
the leading U.S. Army advocates for Wounded Warriors, playing a key role
in strategic policy development and analysis regarding care for wounded
servicemen and who currently serves at the Defense Language Institute.
Bios for all of the participants (except O’Reilly) are attached.

Join these Iraq war veterans and the author of an important new book on
the sacrifices of young American Army officers for a discussion about
country, service, and leadership in a time of war.

There will be a light reception in the McCone Atrium immediately following
the panel discussion.

MIIS Delegation Attends Beijing Trade Conference

Last week Tate Miller and former MIIS president Robert Gard returned from a successful whirlwind trip to Beijing.  The centerpiece of the trip was participation in an invitation-only, two-day conference on China’s world trade opportunities and relationship with the World Trade Organization.

The conference, sponsored by the Beijing-based WTO Affairs Center, was attended by 350-400 senior and mid-level Chinese government officials.

Dawei Cheng, a 2000 graduate of the commercial diplomacy program, arranged for the Institute’s participation.  Ms. Cheng is chief expert at the WTO Affairs Center.  The Monterey Institute was the sole educational institution invited.  Other international dignitaries included senior officials from the WTO headquarters in Geneva.  President Gard’s opening plenary address, on the topic of the US development of special zones for business such Silicon Valley, was well-received, and the WTO Center has commenced discussions with the Institute regarding future cooperation on trade research and training. While in Beijing, Tate and Bob also held an alumni dinner at a restaurant owned and operated by alum Clayton Noack in an historic ‘hutong’ neighborhood in the center of the city.