Diplomacy and International Institutions

Since December 2022, Azerbaijan has enforced a blockade of the only road linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, known as the Lachin Corridor. Just as a compromise materialized, Azerbaijan launched an offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh on September 19. A day later, the separatist enclave surrendered and announced a joint ceasefire, and peace talks between Azerbaijan and the Karabakh separatists are ongoing. Please join our speakers, Carey Cavanaugh, professor of diplomacy at the University of Kentucky, and Olesya Vartanyan, senior analyst for the South Caucasus region at the International Crisis Group, for a discussion on the prospects for a lasting settlement.

On the eve of his first annual meeting, World Bank president Ajay Banga discusses the bank’s ambitious roadmap at a time it is being called to lead the world in addressing intertwined challenges of poverty alleviation, development, and climate change. The bank’s evolution aims to give the 78-year-old institution a rejuvenated mission and a new approach that focuses on impact, speed, simplicity, and accessibility. The David A. Morse Lecture was inaugurated in 1994 and supports an annual meeting with a distinguished speaker. It honors the memory of David A. Morse, an active Council on Foreign Relations member for nearly thirty years.