PrintDean Acheson Lecture
Featured
4th Annual Dean Acheson Award and Lecture with Senator John McCain
May 19, 2011
U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) received the 4th annual Acheson Award and delivered the Acheson Lecture at USIP. After receiving the award, Senator McCain discussed the status of U.S. interests in the Middle East during a time of revolution and upheaval.
Named in honor of former Secretary of State Dean Acheson, the award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to international diplomacy, conflict management and peacebuilding. Previous recipients are Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary Hillary Clinton and Senator George Mitchell.
- Sen. John McCain: U.S. Must Sustain Momentum of Arab Spring
News Feature by Gordon Lubold | May 20, 2011 - Read Sen. John McCain's remarks (external link)
Dean Acheson was an American statesman and lawyer. As United States Secretary of State in the administration of President Harry S. Truman during 1949–1953, he played a central role in defining American foreign policy during the Cold War.
In honor of Dean Acheson’s service to the United States and the cause of peace and innovation in peacemaking, USIP initiated this lecture series to deal with the important topics of the day.
The lecture series helps call attention to topics that further the mission of the Institute of Peace: preventing and resolving violent international conflicts, promoting post-conflict stability and development, and increasing conflict management capacity, tools, and intellectual capital worldwide.
2010 Lecture
Senator George J. Mitchell, special envoy for the Middle East, delivered the 2010 the USIP Dean Acheson Lecture, on Monday, May 24 in front of a packed audience.
Senator Mitchell spoke about lessons learned from Northern Ireland and how, despite the vast differences between that conflict and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, certain truths about international conflict still hold. | Read more
2009 Lecture
In remarks focused on nuclear nonproliferation and timed to coincide with the Institute’s 25th anniversary, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered the 2009 Dean Acheson lecture. In addressing the United States Institute of Peace, Secretary of State Clinton talked about the important work we are doing in the area of non proliferation, including the recent report issued by the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture of the United States, chaired by former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry with James R. Schlesinger as vice chairman. The report examined key issues related to national security, arms control and nuclear technology. | Read more
- Hillary Clinton delivers keynote address at USIP 25th Anniversary
Video | October 21, 2009
2008 Lecture
On October 15, 2008, Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates delivered the keynote speech at the U.S. Institute of Peace’s first annual Dean Acheson Lecture. In his address, Gates called for the United States to develop national security institutions better able to respond to increasingly complex challenges in international conflict settings. | Read more