Can the United States be Trusted by the Rest of the World?

Wednesday, July 16, 2025
11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. EDT

Location: Online (4:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. BST)

President Donald Trump’s second, nonconsecutive term has been marked by several controversies. A military strike on Iranian nuclear facilities has left everyone in a state of suspense. Unpredictable “on-again, off-again” tariffs on several countries, including the United States’ largest trading partners, have shaken up diplomacy. A Cold War-era law has been deployed to deport non-citizens, even when they have not been convicted of a crime. Millions of dollars have been cut from key government departments—allegedly to combat “wokeism”—and billions more in cuts have been proposed. Meanwhile, Trump continues to direct vendettas at people and organizations he dislikes, including law firms, higher education institutions, and even legislators.

As the United States engages in what seems like ongoing uncertainty, how should the international community strengthen democracy throughout the rest of the world? As global problems require global solutions, can the United States be regarded as a trustworthy partner?

This event is co-sponsored by the Free Speech Project (Georgetown University) and the Future of the Humanities Project (Georgetown University and Blackfriars Hall and Campion Hall, Oxford).

Featured

Anne Lonsdale, a British sinologist and higher education expert, served as the president of New Hall (now Murray Edwards College), University of Cambridge, from 1996 to 2008. Previously, she was the secretary-general of the Central European University and joined the team creating Nazarbayev University in Astana, Kazakhstan, where she was appointed founding provost from 2010 to 2012, returning to that position in 2015. She is a long-standing member of the Council for At-Risk Academics.

Alynna J. Lyon, a professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), has authored several books and articles, including U.S. Politics and the United Nations (2016); The United Nations: 75 Years of Promoting Peace, Human Rights, and Development (with Kent Kille, 2020); and The United Nations in the 21st Century (2016). She is editor-in-chief of Global Governance and a faculty fellow for the Global Racial and Social Inequality Lab at UNH.

Terry Peach, a historian of political economy, teaches economics at Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. His research interests include the history of economic thought, principally classical economic theory, and ancient Greek and Chinese thought. He previously taught at the University of Manchester and was a lecturer in economics at Corpus Christi College, Oxford. He studied at the University of Oxford, where he obtained a B.A., B.Phil., and D.Phil.

Chloe Schwenke, a teaching professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, is an international development ethicist, practitioner, and human rights activist. She has focused on gender equality and social inclusion, LGBTQ+ issues, and governance, among other areas. Her experience in conflict mitigation and peacebuilding includes conflict vulnerability analyses, peacebuilding programming and evaluation, and community-driven development in post-conflict settings.

Michael Scott (moderator), senior dean, fellow of Blackfriars Hall, Oxford, college adviser for postgraduate students, and a member of the Las Casas Institute. He also serves as senior adviser to the president of Georgetown University. Scott previously was the pro-vice-chancellor at De Montfort University and founding vice-chancellor of Wrexham Glyndwr University.

Sanford J. Ungar (moderator), president emeritus of Goucher College, is director of the Free Speech Project at Georgetown University, which documents challenges to free expression in American education, government, and civil society. Director of the Voice of America under President Bill Clinton, he was also dean of the American University School of Communication and is a former co-host of All Things Considered on NPR.