A Meeting of the Minds: Tim Rieser and Amb. Peter Galbraith Discuss US Foreign Policy Today & After the Election

The Windham World Affairs Council (WWAC) Annual Galbraith Lecture presents two of the nation’s best and most experienced thinkers on foreign policy – Tim Reiser, longtime Senior Policy Aide to Senator Patrick Leahy, now Senior Adviser to Sen. Peter Welch, and author and Ambassador Peter Galbraith –  to discuss scenarios and implications after the election. 

The talk will take place on Thursday, August 29, 2024, from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at the World Learning/SIT campus, One Kipling Road, Brattleboro, VT. A $25 suggested donation for this annual fundraiser includes a reception, beautiful views and shared conversation. Doors open at 5:30 pm. Registration is required through Eventbrite at:  https://GalbraithLecture.eventbrite.com where you can also find a live stream link on YouTube provided by BCTV. Anyone who would like to attend but cannot pay the suggested donation should write to windhamworldaffairscouncil@gmail.com for volunteer opportunities or other access. 

The Annual Galbraith Lecture & Fundraiser honors the work of renowned economist John Kenneth Galbraith, an early founder of WWAC. The event is part of WWAC’s ‘America 250’ programming and is  cosponsored by World Learning/SIT, Voices Live!Vermont Independent Media /The Commons, Brattleboro Community Television (BCTV) and Brooks Memorial Library with support from the Vermont Humanities Council.  Live streaming will be made available through the generosity of BCTV & VIM. VIM is founded on the belief that independent journalism is critical for the functioning of democracy and is the lifeblood of our community.

Tim Rieser, a Vermont native, served with Senator Patrick Leahy for 37 years, mostly as his senior foreign policy aide on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Rieser’s political savvy and deep relationships in Washington, D.C., earned him a level of influence rarely achieved by Capitol Hill staffers. In 2015, Politico identified Rieser as a visionary who helped to transform American politics. Currently, Rieser is serving as a senior advisor for Senator Peter Welch.

Peter Galbraith is an author, academic, commentator, politician, policy advisor, and former diplomat. Ambassador Galbraith served two terms as a Vermont State Senator from Windham County from 2011 to 2015, and was a candidate for Governor of Vermont in 2016. Galbraith worked as a staff member for the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations from 1979 to 1993. In 1993, he was appointed as the first United States ambassador to Croatia where he negotiated the 1995 Erdut Agreement that ended the Croat War. He has held leadership position in UN missions in East Timor and Afghanistan. He is the author of two critically acclaimed books on the Iraq War and has written extensively for publications including The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Guardian. He currently serves as Chairman of the board of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, a national nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to enhancing peace and security through expert policy analysis and thought-provoking research.