Former ambassador to kick off Army War College simulation with talk on Pakistan

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Robin Raphel, former U.S. diplomat, ambassador, CIA analyst, and expert on Pakistan affairs, will speak at 3 p.m. on Nov. 11 at the Penn State School of International Affairs (SIA). Her talk, co-sponsored by the Penn State Center for Global Studies, is titled “Pakistan and Its Troublesome Neighbors,” and will be held in room 112 of the Lewis Katz Building. The talk will kick off the U.S. Army War College International Strategic Crisis Negotiation Exercise, hosted by SIA.

Raphel began her career with the State Department in 1978, and held various posts during her career, including political counselor at U.S. embassies in Pretoria, South Africa, and New Delhi, India; assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asian affairs during the Clinton administration; U.S. ambassador to Tunisia; and senior adviser on Pakistan under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. During her time as assistant secretary of state, she focused on the increasing tensions between Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan, including what she referred to as the “disputed territory” of Kashmir.

Outside of the State Department, Raphel has worked as a lobbyist, a CIA analyst, and as a representative of the United States Agency for International Development.

The negotiation exercise will be held Nov. 11-12, also in the Lewis Katz Building. During this two-day simulation, SIA students will be faced with an international crisis, and will be charged with bringing it to a peaceful resolution as representatives of various countries. This will be the fifth year for this event at SIA.