29th Season of The Witte Lectures

Julian Gerwirtz**

U.S.- China Tensions—Past, Present, and Future
Friday, February 27, 7:00pm
Saturday, February 28, 2:00pm

**Will be held at the Central Library, Friends room

Dr. Julian Gewirtz served in the Biden administration as Senior Director for China and Taiwan Affairs at the National Security Council (NSC), Senior Advisor to the Principal Deputy National Security Advisor, and as Deputy China Coordinator at the State Department.

Gewirtz is the author of three books including Never Turn Back: China and the Forbidden History of the 1980s, which was named the best book of the year by Foreign Affairs and BBC History, and the Making of Global China and Your Face My Flag: Poems. He was previously Senior Fellow for China Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, Lecturer in History at Harvard University and Columbia University. Gewirtz was recently named one of “50 people shaping our society” by the Washington Post. He received his doctoral degree in modern Chinese history from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar, and his undergraduate degree from Harvard College.

Pippa Malmgren

International Relations and the Future of Global Economy
Friday, March 27, 7:00pm
Saturday, March 28, 2:00pm

An economist, author, and economic advisor to President George W. Bush, Pippa Malmgren is known for her expertise in global financial markets and geopolitics. Credited with coining the term “shrinkflation,” she provides insights on emerging trends, technology, and risks shaping the global economy.

She served President George W. Bush in the White House as special assistant to the president and on The National Economic Council. After 9/11, she was also responsible for assessing terrorism risks to the economy and technology as a source of geopolitical competitiveness.  Malmgren is the author of five books, including Geopolitics for Investors and The Leadership Lab. Her most recent bestseller, The Infinite Leader, won the International Press Award for the Best Book on Leadership. She serves as a judge on The Queen’s Enterprise Business Awards and was a member of the Board of Directors for The Department for International Trade in the UK. She is a Senior Associate Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute, a defense and security think tank in London.

Annie Griffiths

Connect with Anyone, Anywhere: Power of Photography
Friday, April 17, 7:00pm
Saturday, April 18, 2:00pm

One of the first women photographers to work for National Geographic, Annie Griffiths has photographed in more than one hundred countries during her rich and varied career. She has worked on dozens of magazines and book projects for National Geographic. In addition to her editorial work, Annie is deeply committed to using photography to support aid organizations. She is the Founder of Ripple Effect Images, a collective of prize-winning photojournalists and filmmakers who are documenting programs that empower women and children in the developing world.

Known for her warmth and humor, Annie has a gift for sharing stories and photographs that humanize situations and cultures. Annie has received awards from the National Press Photographers Association, the Associated Press, the National Organization of Women, and the White House News Photographers Association.

Ruth Ben-Ghiat

Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present
Friday, May 1, 7:00pm
Saturday, May 2, 2:00pm

Ruth Ben-Ghiat is Professor of History at New York University. She writes about fascism, authoritarianism, propaganda, and the threats these present to democracies around the world.

Her most recent book, the New York Times bestseller Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present (2021), looks at how illiberal leaders use propaganda, corruption, violence, and machismo, and how they can be defeated. She is the recipient of Guggenheim, and Fulbright fellowships.

Ben-Ghiat’s insights into the authoritarian playbook and democracy protection, and her ability to explain complex issues clearly and succinctly, have made her an expert source around the globe. She writes for The New York Times, The Economist, The Washington Post, and The Atlantic, and provides live commentary for CNN, France 24, MSNBC, and other networks. She has appeared in many documentaries about dictators and threats to democracy, such as Netflix’s How to Become a Tyrant and PBS’s The Dictators’ Playbook. Ben-Ghiat served as a historical consultant for Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning Pinocchio, which is set in Fascist Italy, and the Netflix docuseries Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial.