Town Hall Seattle: Civics Series
Town Hall’s Civics series highlights everything from local policies to world politics. These events offer perspectives on a range of topics as diverse as Seattle itself—a bustling forum for activism, discovery, and thought-provoking discussion.
Don't miss our other series podcasts:
Oct 3, 2019
Samantha Power is widely considered the moral voice of her generation. A relentless advocate for promoting human rights, she has been heralded by President Barack Obama as one of America’s “foremost thinkers on foreign policy.” Power took Town Hall’s stage with insight from her memoir The Education of an Idealist, tracing her career as an author, diplomat, and as a vocal critic of US foreign policy, outlining how she put her ideals into practice while working with Obama in the Senate, on the campaign trail, and throughout his presidency. In conversation with former US Ambassador to Cyprus John Koenig, Power offered a unique perspective on government, taking us from the streets of war-torn Bosnia to the Situation Room and out into the world of high-stakes diplomacy.
She revealed her experiences with juggling the demands of a 24/7 national security job while raising two young children. With perspective from the front lines of geopolitics, Power reconciles U.S. leadership in the face of great challenges with the assertion that there is always something each of us can do to advance the cause of human dignity. Sit in for a humorous, stirring, and ultimately unforgettable account of the world-changing power of idealism—and of one person’s fierce determination to make a difference.
Samantha Power is a Professor of Practice
at Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Law School. From 2013 to
2017, she served in the Cabinet of President Barack Obama and as
the youngest ever U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. She is the
author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book A Problem from
Hell: America and the Age of Genocide, as well as the
bestselling Chasing the Flame: One Man’s Fight to Save the
World.
John Koenig is former US Ambassador to Cyprus and is currently a lecturer at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. In 2011, he received the Presidential Distinguished Service Award.
Presented by Town Hall Seattle. Recorded live in The Great Hall on September 16, 2019.