MOSCOW, ID – The University of Idaho will host its annual Borah Symposium this fall, centering discussions on strategies for peace and stability in the face of intensifying global rivalries. The event, scheduled for Monday, Sept. 29 through Wednesday, Oct. 1, will explore the theme “Great Power Competition.”
Organizers say the symposium will examine how relations among the world’s most influential states shape international conflict and the prospects for peace.
“In a time when global politics feels increasingly uncertain, conversations about great power competition are not just for policymakers — they affect all of us,” said Bal Krishna Sharma, co-chair of the Borah Committee and associate professor of applied linguistics. “The Borah Symposium provides a rare opportunity for our campus and community to engage directly with distinguished voices in international affairs and to reflect on how peace can be envisioned and pursued.”
This year’s keynote speakers reflect decades of experience in global governance and security. Esther D. Brimmer, senior fellow in global governance at the Council on Foreign Relations and former U.S. assistant secretary of state, will deliver the plenary address on Tuesday, Sept. 30. K.T. McFarland, a former deputy national security advisor under President Donald Trump and longtime foreign policy analyst, will close the symposium with a keynote on Wednesday, Oct. 1.
Other events include a Sept. 29 panel on trade wars and agricultural commodities, featuring voices from farming and economics, and the Renfrew Colloquium on Sept. 30, where visiting scholar Emine Ari will share a Middle East perspective on 21st-century power dynamics.
Bill L. Smith, director of the Borah Foundation, said the theme reflects today’s shifting world order. “Our slate of distinguished speakers will help us understand the various arenas we should be paying attention to as informed citizens,” he said.
The Borah Foundation has sponsored the symposium since its founding, bringing world leaders, diplomats, scholars, and activists together to examine the causes of war and the conditions for peace.
More details, including the full schedule, are available at uidaho.edu/class/borah.
