Upcoming Speakers
Steven Pifer
August 17, 2026
Topic: The Russia-Ukraine War: Negotiated Settlement or Continued Fighting
Steven Pifer is an affiliate with Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) as well as a non-resident senior fellow with the Brookings Institution. He was a William J. Perry Research Fellow at CISAC from 2018-2022 and a fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin from January-May 2021. He is author of “The Eagle and the Trident: U.S.-Ukraine Relations in Turbulent Times” (Brookings Institution Press, 2017), and co-author of “The Opportunity: Next Steps in Reducing Nuclear Arms” (Brookings Institution Press, 2012).
A retired Foreign Service officer, Pifer’s more than 25 years with the State Department focused on U.S. relations with the former Soviet Union and Europe, as well as arms control and security issues. He served as deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs with responsibilities for Russia and Ukraine (2001-2004), ambassador to Ukraine (1998-2000), and special assistant to the president and senior director for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia on the National Security Council (1996-1997). In addition to Ukraine, he served at the U.S. embassies in Warsaw, Moscow and London as well as with the U.S. delegation to the negotiation on intermediate-range nuclear forces in Geneva. He was a resident scholar at the Brookings Institution from 2008 to 2017.
Ambassador Pifer is a 1976 graduate of Stanford University with a bachelor’s in economics.
Dr. Brian Latell
September 14, 2026
Topic: Cuba at the Crossroads
Dr. Brian Latell is a retired intelligence officer, historian, author, and recognized expert on Cuba, Latin America, and U.S.-Latin American relations. He holds a Ph.D. in History from Georgetown University and spent more than three decades as an intelligence analyst with the U.S. Air Force, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and the National Intelligence Council, primarily focusing on Latin American issues for senior U.S. policymakers.
During his intelligence career, Latell served as National Intelligence Officer for Latin America from 1991 to 1994 and as Director of the Center for the Study of Intelligence from 1994 to 1998. In recognition of his distinguished service and contributions to U.S. intelligence, he was awarded the Distinguished Intelligence Medal. Following his government service, he was a Senior Associate with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Americas Program.
In addition to his government service, Latell served for 25 years as an adjunct professor in Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where he taught courses on Cuba, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and U.S.-Latin American relations. He also spent ten years as an adjunct professor and senior researcher at the University of Miami.
A recognized authority on Cuba and the Caribbean, Latell has lectured widely and consulted with presidents, senior government officials, diplomats, and regional leaders on political, intelligence, and security issues. He is the author of several books, including After Fidel: Raul Castro and the Future of Cuba’s Revolution, Castro’s Secrets: The CIA and Cuba’s Intelligence Machine, and History Will Absolve Me: Fidel Castro—Life & Legacy.
His articles and commentary have appeared in major publications including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Miami Herald, Time, Politico, and others, and he has frequently served as a television commentator on Cuba for local and national networks.
Now retired, Latell divides his time between Key Biscayne, Florida, and Williamsburg, Virginia.
Kim Ghattas
October 19, 2026
Topic: The Best Kind of American: A True Story of Murder, War, and America's Undoing in the Middle East
Kim Ghattas is a Middle East expert, author, and Emmy-award-winning journalist. She’s a contributing writer for The Atlantic magazine, a contributing editor for The Financial Times, and a regular guest on CNN, MSNBC, and NPR. She was a Distinguished Inaugural Fellow at the Columbia University Institute for Global Politics. She previously reported for the BBC from the Middle East and Washington, DC. She is the author of Black Wave, a New York Times notable book on the Saudi-Iran rivalry, and of The Secretary: A Journey with Hillary Clinton from Beirut to the Heart of American Power, a New York Times bestseller. She splits her time between her hometown in Beirut and writing desks around the world.
