White House Workshop

Leadership Challenges in a Time of Global Uncertainty

September 23-25, 2014

 

During the President's first term, the combination of a global recession and a strong majority in Congress led to some of the most sweeping legislative changes and expansions of federal power in American history. The election of a Republican House of Representatives in 2010 and the complexity and unpopularity of the Affordable Care Act, as well persistent concerns about the economy and debt, have led to a polarized political scene - testing the ability of the White House to enact major initiatives in the President's second term. If the domestic environment is challenging, there is no respite in the international sphere which is also witnessing sweeping and polarizing transformations.

Recent events, particularly throughout the Middle East, South Asia, and North Africa illustrate that terrorism and regional conflicts remain a global threat. At the same time, major state actors such as China and Russia are demonstrating heightened geo-strategic ambitions. The global economy shows contradictory movements both toward recovery and stagnation and a number of major economic initiatives on both the Atlantic and Pacific Rim are on the table. Once again, much of the world is looking to the United States and in particular to the White House for leadership and bold initiatives.

The three-day seminar will offer a faculty of high-level, internationally-recognized experts who will discuss, in an off-the-record setting, the global implications of administration policies and their impact on executive leadership in the Department of Defense.

SEMINAR TOPICS

• The Current Political Environment: The President and Congress
• Al-Qaeda and the Continuing War on Terror
• The European Union: The Political and Historical Context of the "Euro-Zone" Crisis
• Washington's Blind Spots: Why Politicians Cannot See the World As It Is
• Middle East Update: The Economic and Security Trends in the Region
• The President and Public Opinion
• Debt, Deficits, and Unemployment: The Real Cause and Will the Administration Fix It?
• The Evolution of Presidential Leadership
• How Has the Obama Presidency Transformed America?
• An Historical Overview of the Presidency and the Media
• Afghanistan: Between the Push of Pakistan and the Pull of India
• Latin America: Hemispheric Cooperation or Noncooperation - An American Interest in the Region
• The Geopolitics of Energy
• The Iran Challenge: The Political and Economic Dynamics of the Islamic Republic
• The Administration and Industry: DOD and the Politics of Acquisition
• The Presidency and Congress: Lessons in Policy, Politics and Polarization
• Presidential Leadership in Times of Crisis
• The Syrian Crisis and Its Spillover into Jordan and Lebanon
• The Current State of U.S.-China Relations: Challenges to U.S. National Interests

*NOTE: The above list highlights topics presented in previous Alan L. Freed Associates White House Workshops.

LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES

After participating in the White House Workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Identify the key decision makers who are involved in the policy-making and policy implementation processes and the institutional perspectives from which they offer advice and make judgments;
2. Think strategically and tactically about how to affect policy-making and policy implementation, how to anticipate reactions to that policy in the United States and abroad, and how to avoid unintended consequences that flow from poor policy judgments;
3. Improve cultural and historic awareness of the political, legal, and institutional environment in which domestic and foreign policy-making and policy implementation occur;
4. Enhance critical synthetic and analytical skills necessary to advise senior officials in the making and evaluation of public policy;
5. Be sensitized to the changing situational conditions that affect past, current, and future policy judgments.

 

PROGRAM MODERATORS

A highly qualified Program Moderator will facilitate dialogue between the speakers and participants over the course of the three-day seminar. View moderator biographies.

 

FEE

The fee for the workshop is $1,485 per person. The program will feature approximately 12-15 separate presentations. Also included are daily continental breakfast and working luncheon. The workshop will be held in a private meeting room at the Capitol Hill Club. An on-site staff person will assist participants as needed and coordinate daily activities. (Please check Registration Page for fees for two-day Capitol Hill Workshops in Aberdeen, MD and Dayton/Fairborn, OH).

 

REGISTRATION

The target audience for these workshops are civilians (GS-13 and above) and military O-4 and above). Others who have a special interest in the subject, need-to-know, or are in key positions may apply. Workshop space is limited to assure participants ample time for open discussion with presenters. Upon registration, attendees will receive confirmation via email. Cancellations will be accepted in writing up to two weeks prior to each program. After that time, substitutions will be accepted. The Agency will be billed if registration is cancelled after the deadline.

If you have any questions or need further information, please call Iris Fernandez or Patricia Patton at 703-684-8807.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The White House Workshops will be held in private meeting rooms at the Capitol Hill Club, located at 300 First Street, SE, in Washington, DC. The Club is directly across the street from the Capitol South Metro Station (Blue and Orange Lines). Business attire for participants is required. Military uniform is optional.

Reporting information concerning registration time and meeting room assignment will be sent to all participants approximately 2 weeks prior to the start of each program. The meeting room will open at 7:45 am and seminars will be conducted from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.

These programs are informal and strictly "off-the-record." No video, power point or audio-visual aids are utilized in seminar presentations.

 

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