Samantha Power is widely considered the moral voice of her generation. A relentless advocate for promoting human rights, she has been heralded by President Barack Obama as one of America’s “foremost thinkers on foreign policy.” Power takes Town Hall’s stage with insight from her memoir The Education of an Idealist, tracing her career as an author, diplomat, and as a vocal critic of US foreign policy, outlining how she put her ideals into practice while working with Obama in the Senate, on the campaign trail, and throughout his presidency. In conversation with former US Ambassador to Cyprus John Koenig, Power offers a unique perspective on government, taking us from the streets of war-torn Bosnia to the Situation Room and out into the world of high-stakes diplomacy.
She reveals her experiences with juggling the demands of a 24/7 national security job while raising two young children. With perspective from the front lines of geopolitics, Power reconciles U.S. leadership in the face of great challenges with the assertion that there is always something each of us can do to advance the cause of human dignity. Sit in for a humorous, stirring, and ultimately unforgettable account of the world-changing power of idealism—and of one person’s fierce determination to make a difference.
Samantha Power is a Professor of Practice at Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Law School. From 2013 to 2017, she served in the Cabinet of President Barack Obama and as the youngest ever U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. She is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning book A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide, as well as the bestselling Chasing the Flame: One Man’s Fight to Save the World.
John Koenig is former US Ambassador to Cyprus and is currently a lecturer at the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. In 2011, he received the Presidential Distinguished Service Award.
Presented by Town Hall Seattle.
