Bartels World Affairs Lecture
The Einaudi Center’s flagship event brings distinguished international figures to campus each year to speak on global topics and meet with Cornell faculty and students, particularly undergraduates. The Henry E. and Nancy Horton Bartels World Affairs Fellowship supports the speaker’s visit.
Samantha Power: Former USAID Administrator
April 16: Reimagining International Aid in an Era of Misinformation and Myopia
This year’s Bartels lecture examines the consequences of dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)—and what comes next. Join us as Ambassador Samantha Power outlines a strategy for revitalizing a broad bipartisan coalition to support foreign assistance.
To succeed in building resilient aid structures, politicians and stakeholders will need to demonstrate the effectiveness of aid programs to the public. U.S. resources should be used as leverage to secure new commitments from partner countries and mobilize additional investments.
Ambassador Samantha Power served in the Biden-Harris administration as administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the world’s premier international development agency. She was the 28th U.S. ambassador to the United Nations during the Obama-Biden administration.
“One of our foremost thinkers on foreign policy.” ~ Barack Obama
Join us for this important event in spring 2026! The lecture is part of the Einaudi Center's 2025–26 theme: Is (Cutting) International Aid Good? Learn more about Research at Einaudi.
Past Bartels World Affairs Fellows
Fall 2024: Naomi Klein, Author and Activist
Klein: Conspiracy Influencers Filling Political Vacuum | Cornell Chronicle: Global Experts Look Abroad in Super Election Year
Fall 2023: N. K. Jemisin, Hugo Award–Winning Novelist
Cornell Chronicle: “Build the World from Scratch”, Fantasy Author to Speak | Sun: Building Fictional Worlds | Bartels Explainer by Anindita Banerjee
Spring 2023: Carlos Alvarado Quesada, Former President of Costa Rica
Cornell Chronicle: "Love Can Change the World", Former Costa Rican President to Speak | Sun: “Power of Leading by Example” | Bartels Explainer by Viviana Ruiz-Gutierrez | Video: Fighting for Democracy and the Planet
2022: Leymah Gbowee, 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate
Cornell Chronicle: Nobel Laureate Offers Wisdom, Gbowee to Speak on May 3 | Bartels Explainer by Naminata Diabate | Video: Forging Lasting Peace
2021: Amartya Sen, 1998 Nobel Laureate in Economics
Cornell Chronicle: Bartels Lecturer Speaks Out on Rising Threats to Democracy, Nobel Laureate Sen to Lecture on Protecting Democracy
See previous Bartels World Affairs Fellows in Cornell Library’s eCommons archive.