Drug trade, border patrol among geopolitical topics of Sears Lecture Series

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The 2018 Louis Martin Sears Lecture Series will address a variety of geopolitical issues, including territorial disputes, interdependence, border policing and the worldwide drug trade.

Louis Martin Sears established the series to present lectures free and open to the public. Sears was a faculty member in the then joint Department of History and Political Science from 1920 until his retirement in 1956. He specialized in diplomatic history and biography and was the author of numerous books.

Purdue students, faculty and staff, as well as the wider community, are invited to attend the talks. For more information, contact Natasha Duncan at ntduncan@purdue.edu. 

Four speakers are scheduled to speak in a variety of locations across campus:

Monday (Feb. 12), 6-7 p.m., Krannert Building, Krannert Auditorium (Room 140). Alyssa Ayres, a senior fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations. “How India is Making Its Place in the World.”

Wednesday (Feb. 14), 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Asian American and Asian Resource and Cultural Center. Jun Liu, deputy counsul general of the People’s Republic of China in Chicago. “China’s Relations with its Regional and Immediate Neighbors: Territorial Claims and the South China Sea.”

March 5, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Rawls Hall, Room 2082. Manda Walters, community relations officer, Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “Efforts at Control: How the U.S. Polices Illicit Cross-border Flows.”

March 28, 6-7 p.m., Class of 1950 Lecture Hall. Ethan Nadelmann, former executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance. “The International Policing of Drugs.” 

Writer: Joseph Paul, 765-494-9541, paul102@purdue.edu 

Sources: Natasha Duncan, ntduncan@purdue.edu