A British diplomat will discuss the realities of the post-Brexit world in a public lecture at University of Lynchburg this week.
David Riley, from the British Embassy in Washington, D.C., will present the talk on March 23 at 4 p.m. in Hopwood Auditorium.
With the United Kingdom set to begin the official process of exiting the European Union by the end of this month, Riley will discuss some of the major changes that the move will bring to the world and different perspectives on the development, including:
- the future of Europe and especially the European Union
- the way the move could impact the UK as the nation loses trade advantages and other benefits of EU membership
- the future of U.S.-British relations, as well as striking parallels between Britain’s resistance to foreign migrants and similar policies in the U.S.
- the future of NATO
- Britain’s perspective on the growing presence of Russia in the European and global affairs (also possibly in Syria and the Middle East in general).
- the changing international balance of power.
Riley is a career diplomat who currently works in the Foreign and Security Policy Group at the British Embassy in Washington, DC, where he oversees the coordination of policy between the US and UK on European Affairs, including the EU, NATO, Russia and the wider FSU.
The event is organized by Dr. Marek Payerhin and sponsored by the School of Humanities and Social Science with Dr. Chip Walton, dean, as well as the Department of Political Science and International Relations.