2026 Berkley Lecture: Amb. Christopher Hill
Lessons From The Front Lines Of American Diplomacy
Ambassador Hill is one of the most experienced American diplomats of the post–Cold War period. Over the course of his career, he served as U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, Iraq, Poland, and North Macedonia, and as Chief U.S. Negotiator for the Six-Party Talks on North Korea’s nuclear program. These roles placed him at the center of complex security environments involving alliance coordination, nuclear nonproliferation, and crisis diplomacy.
For the 2026 Berkley Lecture, Ambassador Christopher R. Hill will reflect on what it means to represent the United States abroad during moments of crisis, negotiation, and transition. In this lecture, Ambassador Hill will explore the practical realities of diplomacy — how embassies operate under pressure, how diplomats coordinate with military and intelligence partners, and how decisions made in real time shape long-term outcomes. He will examine the limits of U.S. power, the importance of alliances, and the human dimension of statecraft, offering lessons that remain highly relevant as the United States confronts a more complex and contested global landscape.
This conversation will provide audiences with an accessible yet substantive look at the challenges of modern diplomacy and the role it plays in advancing U.S. interests and preventing conflict.
A Kansas City Tradition Since 1996
The Berkley Lecture brings an expert in foreign policy and global affairs to the Kansas City area. The lecture was established through the Berkley Endowment to honor the IRC’s founder and his decades of service, and to provide a platform for engaging community members in understanding critical global issues.
Past Berkley lecturers include former U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford (2014), Gerald Seib (2011), The Honorable Thomas R. Pickering (2005), and Admiral William J. Crowe, Jr. (1998).
Past Berkley Lectures
2025 • Amb. Joseph Manso
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
2024 • Travis Murphy
President/CEO, Jetr Global
2022 • Amb. Robert Jordan
Former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia
2021 • Sec. Chuck Hagel
Former Secretary of Defense (2013-15) and U.S. Senator from Nebraska (1997-2009)
2020 • Dr. Paul Salem
President of the Middle East Institute
2019 · Amb. Paula Dobriansky
Senior Fellow in the Future of Diplomacy Project at Harvard’s JFK Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
2018 · Kate Charlet
Director of Technology and International Affairs Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
2017 · Evans Revere
Former U.S. Diplomat and former CEO of the Korea Society
2016 · Col. Nicolas Auboin
French Liaison Officer, Combined Arms Center
2015 · Deana Arsenian
Vice President, Carnegie Corporation of New York
2014 · Robert Ford
Former U.S. Ambassador to Syria
2013 · Daniel Markey
Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, author of No Exit from Pakistan
Read about his lecture – “Is There Really No Exit From Pakistan?” – Kansas City World Citizen blog
2012 · Charles A. Kupchan
Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, author, and professor at Georgetown University
2011 · Gerald Seib
Washington Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal
2010 · George Friedman
Founder and CEO of STRATFOR
2009 · Allison Stanger
Russell Leng Professor of International Politics and Economics and Director of the Rohatyn Center for International Affairs at Middlebury College
2008 · James M. Goldgeier
Whitney Shepardson Senior Fellow for Transatlantic Relations at the Council on Foreign Relations
2007 · Walter Russell Mead
Henry A. Kissinger Senior Fellow for U.S. foreign policy, Council on Foreign Relations
2006 · Dr. George Rupp
President and CEO, International Rescue Committee
2005 · The Honorable Thomas R. Pickering
Former U.S. Ambassador to Jordan, Nigeria, El Salvador, Israel, United Nations, India, Russia
2004 · The Honorable Lawrence J. Korb
Senior Fellow, American Progress and Senior Advisor, Center for Defense Information
2003 · James Fallows
National Correspondent, Atlantic Monthly
2002 · The Honorable Marc Grossman
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
2001 · The Honorable Princeton N. Lyman
Former U.S. ambassador to South Africa and Nigeria and former Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs
2000 · The Honorable Frank G. Wisner
Vice-Chairman, American International Group
1999 · Hodding Carter III
Journalist, Assistant Secretary of State for Carter Administration
1998 · Admiral William J. Crowe, Jr.
Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, former U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom
1997 · “Mid-Point in the Legacy”
Conference and Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Marshall Plan
1996 · The Honorable Jack Matlock, Jr.
Former U.S. ambassador to Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union