Ambassador Wendy R. Sherman, former undersecretary of state for political affairs, will provide an insider’s view of negotiations that led to the Iran nuclear deal during a talk at Duke University on Thursday, Feb. 4. Sherman will deliver the Ambassador Dave and Kay Phillips Family International Lecture at 6 p.m. in the Sanford School of Public Policy’s Fleishman Commons. The lecture is free and open to the public.In the talk, "Negotiating Change: The Inside Story Behind the Iran Nuclear Deal -- A Conversation with Ambassador Wendy Sherman," Sherman will reveal details of the process that ultimately earned her the National Security Medal. Peter Feaver, Duke professor of political science and public policy and director of the university’s Program in American Grand Strategy, will host the discussion.As undersecretary for political affairs from September 2011 to October 2015, Sherman led the series of U.S. negotiations with Iran that culminated in an agreement last July. The agreement is "one of the most consequential diplomatic negotiations in American history," Feaver said."She has spent more time with Iranian counterparts than any other senior American leader," Feaver continued, "and thus has a unique perspective on how the deal emerged and what it means for geopolitics today and in the coming years." Previously, Sherman served as counselor for the Department of State from 1997 to 2001, special adviser to President Clinton and policy coordinator on North Korea. She has served on the Council on Foreign Relations and in 2008 was appointed to serve on the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Proliferation and Terrorism. The Phillips lecture is sponsored by Duke’s American Grand Strategy Program and the Sanford School of Public Policy. Parking will be available in the Public Policy Lot.
