Lecture Series

The Center sponsors five lectureships:

Samuel L. and Elizabeth Jodidi Lecture Series

The Jodidi Lecture is among the most prominent annual lecture series of the Weatherhead Center and is one of the most distinguished at the University. Established in 1955, the lecture series provides for the “delivery of lectures by eminent and well-qualified persons…for the promotion of tolerance, understanding and good will among nations, and the peace of the world.”

The Warren and Anita Manshel Lecture in American Foreign Policy

The Warren and Anita Manshel Lecture in American Foreign Policy was established at the Center for International Affairs in 1993 by members of the Manshel family and by many of their friends. It stands as a memorial to the Manshels’ longstanding commitment to public affairs and their desire to advance greater understanding of the international relations of the United States. The lecture series honors Warren Manshel’s role as a founder of both The Public Interest and Foreign Policy, his service as ambassador to Denmark, and his deep involvement over many years in the work of the Center. It also serves to recognize Anita Manshel as Warren’s full partner and enthusiastic supporter in these endeavors, which he so often acknowledged.

Harvard Weatherhead Center Distinguished Faculty Lectures in Global Affairs

The Harvard Weatherhead Center Distinguished Faculty Lectures in Global Affairs was established and is moderated by Mazen J. Jaidah (MPP '96, PhD '08). The lecture series brings distinguished members of Harvard's scholarly community to Qatar to share their research on global affairs with scholars and policymakers. It is an annual event, launched in March of 2016 with a lecture by Joseph Nye.

Paul-Henri Spaak Lecture Series

The Paul-Henri Spaak Lecture series was established in 1981 thanks to the generosity of Frank Boas and the Frank Boas Foundation. The series brought European leaders to Harvard to speak on issues of importance to the United States and Europe. Suspended in 1999, the lecture series was relaunched thanks to the support of the Nicolas Janssen Family Fund of Brussels. This occurred as the Weatherhead Center inaugurated the Program on Transatlantic Relations, with the generous support of Pierre Keller of Geneva, in order to strengthen research and teaching on Europe and transatlantic issues in the University.

K. T. Li Lecture Series

On October 15, 1990, the Honorable K. T. Li inaugurated the Center’s first K. T. Li Lecture, with a talk entitled “Policy Formulation in a Dynamic Economy: The Experience of the ROC in Taiwan,” which reviewed the transformation of an agricultural society under Japanese colonial administration to the independent, highly industrialized modern economy that characterized contemporary Taiwan. A three-time government minister, from 1965 to 1988, K. T. Li was widely regarded as the key figure in the Taiwan economic “miracle.” This lecture series is no longer funded.