Former U.N. Ambassador, OWU Alumna Shirin Tahir-Kheli Addresses SNC

September 4, 2002

DELAWARE, OHIO -- Dr. Shirin Tahir-Kheli, director of the South Asia Program at The Paul Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, will speak at Ohio Wesleyan on Tuesday, Sept. 10 as part of the University's annual Sagan National Colloquium public affairs series. Her lecture, "Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Policy in an Age of Uncertainty," will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Benes Room of the Hamilton-Williams Campus Center.

Growing up in Pakistan and beginning an American education at the age of 13 at Ohio Wesleyan University, Tahir-Kheli went on to become a U.S. citizen in 1971 and enter the U.S. government in 1982. As the first Muslim ambassador of the United States in history, Tahir-Kheli presents a unique perspective on the theme of the Colloquium series, The Search for Security in an Age of Anxiety. Also an author, Tahir-Kheli has published numerous books and articles, including U.S. and Pakistan: The Evolution of An Influential Relationship (1982) and India, Pakistan and the United States: Breaking with the Past (1997). Tahir-Kheli's insight into the relationship between the United States and Pakistan is especially relevant in the wake of the recent terrorism attacks and the current tension between America and the Middle East.

In addition to her position as a U.S. Ambassador, Tahir-Kheli has also served on the National Security Council as Director of Near East and South Asian Affairs and as Director of Political Military Affairs. As director of the South Asia program at Johns Hopkins, Tahir-Kheli works with about 500 graduate-level students who represent 30 to 40 countries of the world. Her job is to educate these students about the perspectives of public policy issues on an international level.

The Sagan National Colloquium is in its 17th year at Ohio Wesleyan. All lectures are free and open to the public. More information is available at http://snc.owu.edu/ or 740-368-3995.