The Candidates and America’s Role in the World

With rising tensions in the Middle East, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and continuous challenges on the international stage by China and Russia, all eyes are focused on the candidates in this year’s elections, and how they view America’s role in the world. Dole Institute Visiting Fellow Jerry Seib will be joined by former Senator and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel to discuss where the candidates stand on the issues that impact our standing on the world stage.

Jerry Seib has been a journalist with The Wall Street Journal for almost 45 years. He served as the Journal’s Executive Washington Editor and wrote the weekly “Capital Journal” column for 29 years. He also reported from the Middle East for the Journal in the mid-1980s, covered the White House, has moderated three presidential debates, and interviewed every president since Ronald Reagan.

Chuck Hagel was the 24th Secretary of Defense, serving from February 2013 to February 2015. He is the only Vietnam veteran and the first enlisted combat veteran to serve as Secretary of Defense. Hagel served two terms in the United States Senate (1997-2009) representing the state of Nebraska. While in the Senate, he chaired and served on numerous committees, including the Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees, and Banking Committee’s subcommittees. He also served as the Chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China and the Senate Climate Change Observer Group. Prior to his election to the U.S. Senate, Hagel was president of McCarthy & Company, an investment banking firm in Omaha. He also served as Deputy Administrator of the Veterans Administration under President Ronald Reagan. Hagel is a graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and has two children with his wife, Lilibet.