Renowned Scholar on Corruption to Give Lecture on Campus

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 4, 2018) — As part of the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce Fall Conference, students, faculty, staff and community members will have the opportunity to hear renowned scholar on corruption, Sarah Chayes, speak on campus today. The lecture titled, “The Lesson from Afghanistan: Government By and For the People is Essential to Security," starts at 7 p.m. in the William T. Young Library Auditorium.  

Chayes began her remarkable career freelancing from Paris for The Christian Science Monitor Radio and other outlets. From 1996 to 2002, she served as a reporter for National Public Radio, covering France, the European Union, North Africa and the Balkans.

In 2010, Chayes became a special adviser to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen. In this capacity, she contributed to strategic U.S. policy on Afghanistan and Pakistan. Chayes left the Pentagon for a five-year stint at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. At Carnegie, she launched a corruption and security initiative, which analyzes the structure of kleptocratic governments around the world.

Internationally recognized for her innovative thinking on corruption and its implications, Chayes has uncovered the unrecognized reality that severe and structured corruption can prompt international crises. Author of the prize-winning "The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban" and "Thieves of State: Why Corruption Threatens Global Security," she is working on a new book applying her analysis of kleptocratic systems to the United States.

“Ms. Chayes is a leader in her field with vast on-the-ground experience on the impact of corruption on state-building, governance and aid," Kathleen Montgomery, interim director of the Patterson School, said. "Anyone with an interest in Afghanistan security and development will benefit from her insights."

Every year, the Patterson School holds a fall conference focused on a topic of academic and policy interest. This year's theme will focus on “Afghanistan.” The conference, to be held Oct. 4-5, aims to build expertise on the most pressing foreign affairs issues and to enhance familiarity with different geographic regions.

The remainder of the conference, which is closed to the public, will feature four panels covering issues associated with commerce, diplomacy, development and security in Afghanistan.

For more information about the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Conference you can visit their website.