Ambassador Robert Pearson — “New World Disorder: Global Power, Broken Norms, and What Comes Next”

The Transatlantic Forum for Education and Diplomacy (TFED), in partnership with the Carolina Forum for Education and Diplomacy (CFED) and UNC Global Affairs, is pleased to welcome back Ambassador Robert “Bob” Pearson for a timely webinar exploring one of the defining questions of our moment:
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚�� 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐧𝐨 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐡��𝐥𝐝?
In a world marked by broken norms, resurgent spheres of influence, great-power competition, and growing uncertainty—from Latin America to Europe, the Indo-Pacific, and beyond—Ambassador Pearson will offer a clear-eyed assessment of where we are, how we got here, and what may come next.
This webinar builds directly on Ambassador Pearson’s recent Substack essay, 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫, examining the erosion of international legal constraints, the return of coercive geopolitics, and the risks of power exercised without strategy, alliances, or institutional guardrails. He asks a deeper question: what kind of global system is replacing the one we thought we had?
A retired career Foreign Service Officer, Ambassador Pearson has served as U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Director General of the U.S. Foreign Service, and Deputy Chief of Mission in Paris, with postings across Europe, China, New Zealand, and Washington. Beyond government service, he has led international NGOs and worked as a civil rights activist. Fluent in French, Chinese, and Turkish, he brings decades of firsthand diplomatic experience to this conversation.
He will reflect on:
The weakening of international rules and institutions
The return of unilateralism and spheres of influence
Great-power competition involving the U.S., China, and Russia
The future of alliances, deterrence, and diplomacy
What young people entering public service should understand about this new landscape
Hosted by: Carolina Forum for Education and Diplomacy, English and Comparative Literature, Honors Carolina, Peace, War, and Defense, UNC Global
Online Location: https://unc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ohZTwpoZRSqHrMx6bbkMRw
Additional Information can be found at: https://heellife.unc.edu/event/12043445