Through youth diplomacy programs, cultural exchange, and global conversations, we connect Santa Fe to the world.

LIVE EVENTS

OFFENSIVE REALISM – The American Experiment Report Card
Luncheon Discussion with John J. Mearsheimer

Friday, April 17, 2026, 11:30 am – 1:30 pm
Hotel Santa Fe, 1501 Paseo de Peralta
$55 members/$70 non-members (lunch included)
In conversation with Global Santa Fe Vice Chair and host of KSFR’s The Forum, Jim Falk

Join Global Santa Fe members and friends for a luncheon and discussion with John Mearsheimer, American political scientist and international relations scholar. He is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago.

Mearsheimer is the leading proponent of the neorealist theory of offensive realism. The theory places the principal emphasis on security competition among great powers within the anarchy of the international system, not on the human nature of statesmen and diplomats. In contrast to other theories offensive realism maintains that states are not satisfied with a given amount of power but seek hegemony for security because the anarchic makeup of the international system creates strong incentives for states to seek opportunities to gain power at the expense of competitors.

John Mearsheimer’s recent book, co-authored with Sebastian Rosato, is How States Think: The Rationality of Foreign Policy, which argues that leaders like Vladimir Putin often make decisions based on realist, rational, balance-of-power calculations rather than ideology. The book, released in late 2023, explains how international power dynamics drive state actions.

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THE FUTURE OF IRAN AFTER THE U.S. – ISRAELI ATTACK
Dr. Nader Hashemi, Associate Professor of Middle East and Islamic Politics, Georgetown University

Thursday, April 23, 2026, 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm
Center for Contemporary Arts Santa Fe, 1050 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe
$25 members/$40 non-members

Even before the United States and Israel began bombing, the Islamic Republic of Iran was facing an existential crisis. Internally, it faced repeated and expanding protests demanding structural political change. Most recently, the collapse of Iran’s currency triggered a nationwide uprising in January, leaving tens of thousands dead or injured before order was reimposed through brutal force. Regionally, the so-called “Axis of Resistance” has weakened amid shifting alliances and internal pressures across Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen. Iran’s closest regional ally in Syria has fallen from power, reshaping the regional balance. Internationally, Iran remains in confrontation with the United States and Israel over its nuclear policy, ballistic missile program, and regional activities.

The conflict has escalated into active military hostilities, with coordinated U.S. and Israeli strikes on targets inside Iran, including military and infrastructure sites, and Iranian missile and drone attacks in response. The fighting has broadened across parts of the Middle East, with incidents reported in Lebanon and other regional theaters, contributing to heightened security risks and geopolitical instability.

What is the future of Iran given these immense political and security challenges? What are the prospects for a democratic transition and how could U.S. foreign policy shift to better support the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people? This lecture will grapple with these pressing and timely questions.

Nader Hashemi is Director of the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding and Associate Professor of Middle East and Islamic Politics at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. He earned his PhD in political science from the University of Toronto and held academic appointments at Northwestern University, UCLA Global Institute. He was previously the founding Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver.  A scholar of religion, democracy, and authoritarianism in the Middle East, Hashemi is the author and editor of several major works, including Islam, Secularism and Liberal Democracy, a frequent media commentator and a Non-Resident Fellow at Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN).

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BOOK TALKS

Stay tuned!

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VIRTUAL EVENTS

THE IRAN WAR: WHAT WE KNOW, WHAT COMES NEXT
Steven Cook (CFR), Ambassador Deborah Jones and Beth Sanner (CNN)

Monday, April 20 | 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm MDT 
Zoom Webinar
No charge, RSVP required for Zoom link

With the U.S. and Iran now in open conflict and the world’s energy supply under threat, the stakes could not be higher – or more uncertain.

Join us on WorldNow with Jim Falk as we sit down with Steven Cook, senior Middle East expert at the Council on Foreign Relations; Amb. Deborah Jones, U.S. Ambassador (ret.) to Kuwait and Libya; and Beth Sanner, CNN National Security Contributor and former Deputy Director of National Intelligence.

We’ll explore what’s happened so far in the conflict with Iran, what may happen next, and the war’s long-term impact on the region and beyond.

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International Visitor Leadership Program Forecast

Global Santa Fe is delighted to partner with the Congressional Office for International Leadership (COIL) on two exchange programs this year. As part of this collaboration, we will coordinate individual homestays for each delegate and design a customized eight-day program tailored to the specific theme of each delegation. These programs will also incorporate cultural and community-based activities that advance the objectives of the exchange. Global Santa Fe will also organize congressional outreach and, whenever possible, arrange meetings with Members of Congress or their district staff in Santa Fe.*

If you are interested in volunteering to accompany the delegation to one of their professional meetings or cultural activities, please contact: molly@globalsantafe.org.

• Ukraine/Veteran’s Workplace Empowerment – April 17 – 25, 2026
• Soloman Islands/Cultural Preservation – 2026 Dates to be confirmed  

 *As a legislative branch agency, COIL is not subject to the Office of Management and Budget’s grants-related guidance applicable to executive branch departments and agencies.

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