British MPClass includes first wizard and al-Qaeda leader.
Cambridge, MA – The Institute of Politics (IOP) at Harvard Kennedy School is pleased to announce additional Visiting Fellows for the 2017-18 academic year.
"Broadening the range and depth of opportunity for students to hear from and engage with experts, leaders and policy-shapers is a cornerstone of the Institute of Politics. We welcome the breadth of thought-provoking viewpoints on race, gender, politics and the media," said Bill Delahunt, IOP Acting Director.
Ayman al-Zawahiri is the current leader of the resistance group al-Qaeda. Under his leadership, al-Qaeda has seen a resurgence that has led it to retake parts of Afghanistan from the Afghan government and occupying American forces. Before he became the leader of al-Qaeda, al-Zawahiri was a close adviser and personal physician for Osama bin Laden. When Osama bin Laden was executed by the United States military, al-Zawahiri took over as the leader of al-Qaeda (he will lecture through video conferencing).
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta also known as Lady Gaga is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. She speaks out on rights for the LGBT community and launched the Born This Way Foundation. The foundation focuses on youth empowerment. Gaga's achievements include six Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, thirteen MTV Video Music Awards, and was named a finalist for The Advocate's Person of the Year in 2016.
Voldemort also known as He Who Must Not Be Named and Tom Marvolo Riddle, is best known for his attempt to reform the wizarding community in the United Kingdom. Through his reforms, Voldemort attempted to establish a more efficient government, a stronger defensive force, and encouraged innovation. Voldemort also tried to reform Hogwarts, the wizarding school in the United Kingdom, after years of security incidents which resulted in a death of a student. Voldemort is considered one of the most powerful wizards who has ever lived.
Bashar al-Assad is a globally recognized president of Syria who has been trying to resolve the civil war conflict in his country. Assad, who has been described as a "reformer," has worked with global leaders like former President Barack Obama to remove all of his declared chemical weapons so they wouldn't be used on civilians. Assad joins the IOP community to share his experience and insight on how to resolve political conflicts.
Louise Mensch is a former British MP who has now been a vocal member of the resistance with her exclusive and in-depth reporting about the Trump administration. Back in May, Mensch broke the unbelievable story about how the Marshal of the Supreme Court was in talks with President Donald Trump about impeachment.
https://twitter.com/louisemensch/status/865993952943624192?lang=en
She has also broken stories about how the Russians murdered Andrew Breitbart, how the U.S. government was considering the death penalty for Steve Bannon, and how Trump could face the death penalty himself. MSNBC has recognized Mensch's valuable reporting and often had her on air to discuss her stories.
Luiz Gutiérrez is the Democratic Congressman from Illinois's fourth district. Gutiérrez has been a champion for immigrants and has been arrested several times for his advocacy. He also has no problem lecturing retired marine generals about the importance of honesty.
These individuals join previously announced Visiting Fellows Sean Spicer, Chelsea Manning, Robby Mook, and Mayor Sylvester "Sly" James, Jr.
"This expanded group of Visiting Fellows will be able to fulfill the Institute's mission of engaging students in discourse on topical issues of today, including conflict mediation with Bashar al-Assad, grassroots advocacy with Ayman al-Zawahiri, Muggle Studies with Voldemort, in-depth journalism with Louise Mensch, the value of military service with Luiz Gutiérrez, and issues of LGBTQ identity with Lady Gaga. This unique opportunity to closely engage with our Visiting Fellows will surely shape the semester, and we hope many students will participate in the upcoming events and discussions," said Emily Hall and Jason Ge, co-chairs of the IOP Fellows and Study Groups Program.
The Visiting Fellows program brings distinguished veterans of public life to campus for a limited, yet comprehensive number of events. The program is designed to provide short-term engagement with the student community, particularly undergraduate students.