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FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR AND U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY TO AFGHANISTAN AND PAKISTAN MARC GROSSMAN ADDRESSES IR STUDENTS

Former U.S. ambassador to Turkey Marc Grossman gave a guest lecture last Tuesday as part of the ongoing IR4118 course: ‘Turkey and the United States: Common Concerns and New ICT Instruments’, which started this semester at the Department of International Relations. The special course developed with Montclair State University (USA), and the U.S. Department of State Office of eDiplomacy, brings together students from both universities in a classroom-to-classroom online experience that includes joint weekly lectures and discussions.
Using video conferencing, Ambassador Grossman gave guest remarks about foreign policy making, in which he highlighted the role of public opinion and media, and the importance of innovative communication technologies. In his talk Grossman related to Turkey-US relationships, Turkey’s European Union accession process, and the increasing role Turkey is playing in the region since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Grossman emphasized the improtance of Turkey as a strategic regional power and drew attention to the ‘Turkish model’ in the context of post ‘Arab Spring’ Middle East. Grossman also answered questions from both Bilkent and Montclair State University students, and shared his experience as a diplomat and a policy maker. Grossman was the third-highest ranking State Official when he was named Under Secretary for Political aAfairs in 2001, and his long diplomatic career includes serving as U.S. Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2011.

By Alp Eren Başer (IR/IV), İlkin Ismayilov (IR/IV), Çağla Kılıç (IR/III), and Selay Siperoğlu (IR/IV)