Admiral James “Sandy” Winnefeld, the most recent vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has been named a faculty member at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Winnefeld joins the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs as a Distinguished Professor. He will also serve as a senior fellow in the School’s Center for International Strategy, Technology and Policy, which focuses on policy research.

Winnefeld will work with Georgia Tech faculty, researchers and students on a number of projects, classes and presentations; he brings recent experience in the fields of strategy and policy, leadership and defense investment to the Institute.

Winnefeld graduated from Georgia Tech in 1978 with a degree in aerospace engineering. He retired from his position as the nation’s second highest-ranking military officer on July 31. He will be based near Washington, D.C., at the Georgia Tech Research Institute’s office in Rosslyn, Virginia. Winnefeld will also have an office on the Georgia Tech campus in the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts.

Sam Nunn School Chair Joe Bankoff recently visited in China to give talks and meet with faculty at the China European International Business School (CEIBS) in Shanghai and at Zhejiang University School of Economics in Hangshou. Professor Bankoff was invited to speak to faculty and students on "Innovation, Intellectual Property and China's New Economy." Building on his article and talk presented last fall in Shenzhen at the Economic Development Conference he outlined his views on the importance of China's current emphasis on creating credible enforcement of intellectual property rights. He also visited with representatives of the People's Supreme Court working on the creation of the new IPR Courts that were authorized last year.

While at CEIBS Professor Bankoff visited with Dr. Gary Liu - Executive Director of the Shanghai Institute of Digitalization and Internet Finance and with Professor Tim Tian Zhu, Chair of the Department of Economics and Decision Science. He also met with Dean XUE Lan of the Tsinghau University School of Public Policy and Management to explore opportunities for potential exchanges of students and faculty. Tsinghau historically has played an important role in influencing policy in China.

The EU Study Abroad Program, led by Dr. Vicki Birchfield, was treated to the great professional insights of Johnny Jones (INTA '02) during a seminar at one of Brussels' finest cafes. Jones emphasized how the Nunn School and his participation in the EU Study Abroad Program helped prepare him for his career in foreign affairs. The students were very inspired to see how this Macon native has put his Nunn School and GT education to excellent service, representing our country and dealing with pressing issues such as terrorism and instability in the Middle East.

Johnny, now a Foreign Service Officer posted in the political section of the U.S. Embassy in Paris, also arranged a spectacular VIP tour at the embassy, including expert briefings and an exclusive visit to The George C. Marshall Center in the historic Hôtel de Talleyrand (home of the American Administration of the European Recovery Program - better known as the Marshall Plan).

For additional highlights of this year’s program on the EU and Transatlantic Relations, see the Center for European and Transatlantic Studies (CETS) website.

Congratulations to our Georgia Tech Model United Nations (GTMUN) program, who finished in the top 75 of Best Delegate's year-end collegiate Model UN rankings! This is the second year in a row our team has been ranked. GTMUN is looking forward to hosting our High School conference in just a few short weeks..

Two former Fulbrighters and life-long friends were in Atlanta on May 17th. Dr. Jennie Lincoln arrived in Costa Rica as a Fulbright professor at the same time now-President Luis Guillermo Solis returned home from Fulbright studies in Michigan decades ago. They taught political science at the University of Costa Rica and stayed in touch across the miles and the years. President Solis is in Atlanta with a delegation of business representatives to explore connections for Costa Rica.

Professor Brian Woodall travels from Tokyo to Sendai every Wednesday to teach his “Japanese Government & Politics” course in the Law School at Tōhoku University. Here he is posing with the students, who include a nice mixture of Japanese and international students. U.S. News & World Report lists Tōhoku University as Japan’s fourth ranked “global university.” The university’s campus is picturesque and Sendai is a lovely, vibrant city.

Dr. Katja Weber's Southeast Asia Study Abroad Program recently returned home with great experiences in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam on thier mind. Check out thier Cambodia Documentary they made while traveling there.

On June 30, 2015, Dr. Adam Stulberg, Professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs and Co-Director of the Center for International Strategy, Technology and Policy at Georgia Tech, gave two presentations at the 2015 Warsaw Euro-Atlantic Summer Academy (WEASA) that were entitled “Geopolitics of the Changing Gas Landscape” and “Russia-Ukraine-EU Gas Conflict: Strategic Developments and Implications.” Both presentations addressed the workshop’s core theme of “Energy Security.”

WEASA is an educational program for up-and-coming policy analysts, experts, advisers, civil servants, private sector/NGO professionals and journalists from the Eastern Partnership region (i.e. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine). It is sponsored by the College of Europe (Natolin), Polish-American Freedom Foundation, and The German Marshall Fund of the United States.

At the 7th Information & Communication Technologies & Development Conference held May 15-18 in Singapore, Georgia Tech was well represented. PhD candidate, Amanda Meng (INTA) presented a plenary session paper, "Twitter Democracy: Policy versus Identity Politics in Three Emerging African Democracies" co-authored with Dr. Michael Best. Fellow graduate students, Michael Madaio (MS Digital Media) and Paul Lazarus (MS HCI) presented notes on the Liberian iLab and Social Media Tracking of Elections in Ekiti, Nigeria respectively.

On Thursday, June 4 the Nunn School’s EU study abroad visited the NATO military headquarters, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). After briefings on the general structure and agenda of SHAPE and the relationship between the EU and NATO, the students entered the classified area known as CCOMC (Comprehensive Crisis and Operation Management Center). There, they heard about the processes SHAPE military personnel undertake in an effort to give the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) General Phillip Breedlove (a Georgia Tech alum) and NATO heads of state the information they need to address existing and emerging challenges.

Had the visit ended there it would have been amazing, but thanks to the efforts of Lieutenant Colonel Rich Hawkins, Lorraine Zangerle, Technical Sargent (and PhD) Christina Chislom, and Chief Warrant Officer Yolondria Dixon-Carter, the students went even further with a visit to the SACEUR’s office. There, in addition to the Eisenhower desk, Eisenhower’s personal sidearm, and the SACEUR’s letter of promotion, they saw evidence of the SACEUR’s profound commitment to enlisted personnel (a large section of the office is dedicated to a tribute to enlisted military personnel) and his high regard for Georgia Tech (including a model Ramblin’ Wreck and a GT football helmet). Chief Warrant Officer Dixon-Carter shared with the students some anecdotes from working for the SACEUR as well as some insights on the events to which the office bears witness. While the students did not meet the SACEUR himself, they came away with a strong impression of his extraordinary character and the deep affection held for him by his staff. All in all, a tremendous experience and learning opportunity for the students and faculty alike.

Georgia Tech’s Jean Monnet Center of Excellence is proud to announce the publication of its first working paper, written by Center member and Huang Professor of Law and Ethics at the Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business and Senior Counsel at Alston & Bird LLP Peter Swire. Swire, who served on President Obama’s Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technology and who, under President Clinton, helped to negotiate the U.S.-E.U. Safe Harbor agreement for trans-border data flows, reflects on how recent changes in U.S. surveillance policy, including the 2015 USA Freedom Act, compare to the recommendations of the Review Group and address European concerns about U.S. surveillance practices. Read it here.

Professor Emeritus John Garver delivered talks (several in Chinese) on “China’s rise and its neighbors” and “Chinese misperceptions of a US anti-China conspiracy” in June 2015 at Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, Shanghai International Studies University, Sichuan University in Chengdu, and Carnegie –Tsinghua Institute for International Peace in Beijing China. Dr. Garver also conducted research on China’s approach to the ongoing Iran nuclear negotiations via discussions and interviews with Chinese scholars at the Foreign Ministry think tank China Institute for International Studies. Research on China and the Iran nuclear issue is part of a study of China’s evolving Middle East policies conducted under the aegis of Georgetown University. The next step in the Georgetown project will be a conference in Doha, Qatar in October, followed by further interviews in Beijing in November. Dr. Garver’s history of People’s Republic of China foreign relations will be published by Oxford University Press in December 2015.

Nunn School faulty member Dr. Thomas Boston has been selected as a 'Man of Influence' for 2015 from the Atlanta Business League. The Atlanta Business League describes the award as "recognizing black men in metro Atlanta communities who have reached senior level positions within their profession; are leading entrepreneurs in their industry; have proven history-making feats; or have attained the ability to influence large public bodies politically and in government. In addition to professional accomplishments, the Men of Influence have demonstrated their commitment to the citizenry of Metro Atlanta by maintaining significant involvement and participation in community and civic activities." Congratulations Professor Boston!

Dr. Seymour Goodman was part of a speaker panel with Rodney Petersen (NIST), David Dampier (MSU), and Benjamin Scribner (DHS), “Building the Nation’s Cyber Security Workforce,” 7th Southeastern Cyber Security Summit, Huntsville, AL, June 3-4, 2015. About 750 people attended the conference along with over 50 exhibitors and recruiters.