BRATTLEBORO — On Friday, May 13, the Windham World Affairs Council will host Dr. John Hagen, who will speak on the topic of “American Engagement with Niger: A Case Study on Confronting Violent Extremism in Africa.”
The talk, followed by a question-and-answer period, takes place at 7:30 p.m., at The School for International Training, Room IC-101 of the International Center, 1 Kipling Rd. Coffee, tea, and conversation will precede the talk at 7 p.m.
A predominantly Muslim nation facing the threat of radical Islamic groups along several borders, Niger has actively sought support from the United States. However, the U.S. government must weigh the significance of Niger's endemic poverty and troubled history of military coups.
As the academic lead for a U.S. State Department initiative that is helping to develop professional military education for the army of Niger, Hagen is in a good position to analyze the situation in that country. Niger offers a valuable case study that the United States must consider when engaging with African countries to curb strategic threats on that continent due to the spread of violent extremism in Trans'€ÂSaharan Africa
Hagen is a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force. A graduate of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, he specializes in the examination of intractable conflict and has taught on that subject at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
He served as military advisor to the Secretary General's Special Advisor for the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). In addition to his role in helping to develop professional military education for the army of Niger, he currently runs the Air Force ROTC program at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
Hagen said that the ideas and positions that he will present are from his personal observation, and are not the official positions or policies of the Air Force or the U.S. Department of State.
To learn more about this and future events, visit www.windhamworldaffairscouncil.org or visit them on Facebook.