Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering, former U.S. ambassador to several countries and U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, will present a public talk titled, "Iran's Nuclear Program: Can Diplomacy Help?" at 4:30 p.m. on Monday, October 3, 2011, in Dodds Auditorium, Robertson Hall.

Pickering holds the rank of career ambassador, the highest rank in the U.S. Foreign Service. He served as under- secretary of state for political affairs (1997-2000) and as U.S. ambassador to the Russian Federation, India, Israel, El Salvador, Nigeria, and Jordan. He also was the U.S. ambassador and representative to the United Nations in New York, where he led the U.S. effort to build a coalition in the UN Security Council during and after the first Gulf War.

He has held additional positions in Tanzania, Geneva, and Washington, including as assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of Oceans, Environmental and Scientific Affairs and as special assistant to secretaries of state William P. Rogers and Henry A. Kissinger.

The U.S. Department of State Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program was renamed the Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program to honor his career. The Pickering Undergraduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship seeks to recruit talented students in academic programs relevant to international affairs, political and economic analysis, administration, management, and science policy. The goal is to attract outstanding students from all ethnic, racial, and social backgrounds who have an interest in pursuing a Foreign Service career in the U.S. Department of State. First year MPA student Christopher Johnson is a Pickering Fellow.

This event is co-sponsored by the Program on Science and Global Security. It is free and open to the public.

It will be archived online for later viewing on the Woodrow Wilson School’s Webmedia site – http://wws.princeton.edu/webmedia/.

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