Hostler Lecture Series

The Hostler Institute hosts two lectures per year in collaboration with the President’s Lecture Series.

The Charles W. Hostler Institute on World Affairs has played an important role in sponsoring educational programs and speakers’ forums for more than seven decades. The late Ambassador Charles Hostler was a soldier, scholar, businessman, diplomat, humanitarian and philanthropist who used his international connections to build the institute’s network of global leaders, allowing a wide audience to understand the impact of world affairs.

The Institute prides itself on encouraging robust critical debate, including the airing of highly controversial themes. Its operating motto is AUDIATUR ET ALTERA PARS (Let the Other Side be Heard). The Institute’s speakers are drawn from all areas of global affairs, including international diplomacy, academia, national security, and protest politics.

Charles Hostler was appointed U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain under President George H. W. Bush (1989-1993) and served as the Honorary Consul General of the Bahrain in the USA since 1993. He was buried with full military honor next to his father (a WWI Army Officer) at the Arlington National Cemetery, Washington, D.C. He is survived by his wife, Chinyeh and 2 step-sons.

About the Hostler Institute

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What Would Ben Franklin Do: Our First Diplomat’s Formula for a Troubled World.

President's Lecture Series October 2024
Thursday, October 10, 2024 2-3 PM
Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center Ballroom

Followed by Q&A and light refreshments, 3-4 PM

Register for the President's Lecture Series

Featuring:

Eric Weiner, New York Times bestselling author and former NPR international correspondent

Eric Weiner is a New York Times best-selling author and former international correspondent for NPR. His books include The Geography of Bliss, The Geography of Genius, Man Seeks God, The Socrates Express and Ben & Me. His books have been translated into more than 20 languages. Weiner is a former foreign correspondent for NPR, and reporter for The New York Times. He is a regular contributor to The Washington Post, BBC Travel and AFAR.

Register for the President's Lecture Series

Previous Hostler Speakers

W. Stuart Symington
U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Rwanda, and Djibouti

W. Stuart Symington

“What have you done with me lately: America’s partnership with Africa”
Oksana Markarova
Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States of America

Oksana Markarova

Ukraine- U.S., A Strategic Partnership
Ryan Crocker
U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon, Kuwait, Syria, Pakistan, Iraq and Afghanistan

Ryan Crocker

 
Dr. Fadlo R. Khuri
President, American University of Beirut

Dr. Fadlo R. Khuri

 
Charles Pinck
President, The OSS Society

Charles Pinck

 
Susan A. Davis
United States Congresswoman

Susan A. Davis

“Beyond the Beltway: A Perspective on the Value of Global Engagement”
Adela Raz
Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan to the United States of America

Adela Raz

“Afghanistan, A View to the Future”
Zhang Ping
Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Los Angeles

Zhang Ping

“A New Year, A New Vision: China & U.S. Relations”
Emily Cloke
British Consul General in Los Angeles

Emily Cloke

“UK- A Year of Global Leadership"
Shaikh Abdulla bin Rashed Al Kalifa
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United States of America

Shaikh Abdulla bin Rashed Al Kalifa

“Bahrain, An Open Dialogue”
Ellen McCarthy
Assistant Secretary, United States State Department, Bureau of Intelligence and Research

Ellen McCarthy

“Intelligence at the Point of Diplomacy: Ensuring all sides are heard”
Brett McGurk
Former Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS

Brett McGurk

“Three Presidents at War”
Daniel Fried
Former United States Ambassador to Poland, Weiser Family Distinguished Fellow, Atlantic Council

Daniel Fried

“The Fall of the Wall30 Years Later”
Michael Howells
UK Consul General in Los Angeles

Michael Howells

“Navigating Business in a Post-Brexit UK”
Admiral Eric Olson
United States Navy (Retired), Former Commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command and Four-Star Admiral Navy SEAL

Admiral Eric Olson

“The World at Night”
Johnny Young
Former Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Togo, Bahrain and Slovenia

Johnny Young

“Refugee Resettlement: How did we get here and how do we move on?”
Kathleen Stephens
Former United States Ambassador to South Korea; President and CEO, Korea Economic Institute of America

Kathleen Stephens

“Lessons from Korea”
Nicholas Burns
Former United States Ambassador to NATO and former U.S. Ambassador to Greece; Professor, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government

Nicholas Burns

 
John Bass
Current United States Ambassador to Turkey; former United States Ambassador to Georgia

John Bass

 
Mary Eisenhower
Granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower; former President and CEO of People to People International

Mary Eisenhower

 
Earl Anthony "Tony" Wayne
Formerly Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs; United States Ambassador to Argentina and Mexico; Deputy United States Ambassador to Afghanistan

Earl Anthony "Tony" Wayne

“Building a Partnership with Mexico”
Peter Dorman
President, American University of Beirut

Peter Dorman

“The Challenges of the U.S. Higher Education Model in a Dynamic, Contentious Middle East”
Mark G. Hambley
Former United States Ambassador to Qatar and Lebanon

Mark G. Hambley

“Morality V. Reality in U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East”
Bruno de Rísios Bath
Consul General of Brazil in Los Angeles

Bruno de Rísios Bath

"Brazil: A Current Perspective"
Roberto Toscano
Policy Scholar, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; Former Italian Ambassador to India and Iran; former Head of Policy Planning; Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Roberto Toscano

“Iran and Democracy”
Jorge Heine
CIGI Chair of Global Governance at the Balsillie School of International Affairs; Distinguished Fellow at CIGI and Professor of Political Science at Wilfrid Laurier University; former Ambassador of Chile to India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka; former Ambassador to South Africa

Jorge Heine

“Looking Sideways: Latin America, Emerging Powers and the U.S. in the New Century”
Jeffrey Davidow
Former United States Ambassador to Zambia, Venezuela and Mexico

Jeffrey Davidow

"US and Mexico: Challenges for the Obama Administration"
Reno Harnish
Former United States Ambassador to Azerbaijan; Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Science Affairs (acting)

Reno Harnish

“Energy and Climate Policy: Getting the Balance Right”
Naser M.Y. Al Belooshi
Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the United States; Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to France

Naser M.Y. Al Belooshi, Ph. D.