Transatlantic students, cadets welcome four-star general to Chapel Hill
September 9, 2024UNC Global Affairs
Ambassador Barbara Stephenson welcomes General Christopher G. Cavoli to Chapel Hill. Photo by Huth Photo.
In a rapidly changing world, NATO remains critical to the global security architecture. Now 75 years since its founding in 1949, the alliance experiences new challenges and continues to ensure the collective defense of its 32 members, according to General Christopher G. Cavoli.
On Thursday, Aug. 29, Carolina students welcomed Cavoli to campus. UNC Global Affairs, Carolina’s ROTC, the Department of Political Science and the Center for European Studies (CES) worked together to host Cavoli, who serves as Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) and commander of U.S. European Command. He is the top U.S. general in Europe and oversees all NATO military operations in Europe.
Cavoli spoke to students studying transatlantic security, including students in the TransAtlantic Masters (TAM) program, in Dey Hall, and ROTC cadets at the Naval Armory. During both engagements, Cavoli discussed a wide range of geopolitical and security matters. He emphasized the organization’s vital role in safeguarding global security amid increasingly complex and uncertain geopolitical landscapes.
“It has been a momentous couple of years in European security, to put it mildly,” Cavoli said. “In February 2022, the light came on, glaring.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a prominent topic, but Cavoli situated the invasion in the larger context of NATO’s evolution from a post-World War II alliance to the treaty organization of today.
“General Cavoli has had a varied and distinguished career,” said Robert Jenkins, teaching professor of political science. “His combination of staff and command experience and field training give him unique expertise.”
Jenkins, who received the Faculty Award for Global Excellence in 2023 and currently serves as the Diplomacy Initiative Faculty Fellow, teaches the transatlantic security class and hosted the general with Katie Shanahan Lindner, executive director of CES, which administers the TAM program and Contemporary European Studies major. During the event, which Jenkins moderated, Cavoli highlighted the importance of area and language studies, one of Carolina’s standout strengths and a critical component of the University’s Global Guarantee, which promises a global education to every Tar Heel.
“If you are going to shape transatlantic relations and contribute meaningfully to formulating policy on questions like what NATO’s posture toward Russia should be, a deep understanding of Russia — Russian culture, how Russia views the world — is essential,” Cavoli said. “I can’t emphasize enough the importance of area studies in preparing future transatlantic leaders.”
“You’re going to be part of a world where existential problems exist for America,” he said. “And you’re going to be part of the solution.”
After speaking with the students, Cavoli spoke to cadets in the Drill Deck of the armory. He shared lessons on leadership and service to the cadets, answered questions and spoke candidly about their future service. Reflecting on experiences from his esteemed career — which began as an ROTC cadet at Princeton University — the four-star general encouraged the cadets to take seriously their oaths to the U.S. Constitution and commitments to lead and serve.
Lieutenant Colonel Lisa Klekowski serves as the chair of Carolina’s Department of Military Science, Army. She and other department leadership organized the event alongside Air Force cadets and Navy midshipmen, and she acknowledged the significance of Cavoli’s visit to the nation’s oldest public university.
“This is a unique and rare experience for these young leaders,” Klekowski said. “General Cavoli provided meaningful leadership lessons that will have a lasting impact on their future.”
Cavoli’s visit builds on other recent events through Carolina’s Diplomacy Initiative. The importance of transatlantic security as central to U.S. foreign policy was a theme of recent Diplomatic Discussions with diplomats from Estonia and Finland, as well as academics from Carolina and King’s College London.
“One of America’s standout strengths is our unrivalled network of alliances,” Vice Provost for Global Affairs and Chief Global Officer Barbara Stephenson said. “I am so glad General Cavoli accepted my invitation to come to campus to share firsthand with students how NATO has, especially since Russia invaded Ukraine, been revitalized. I look forward to additional Diplomatic Discussions this year exploring NATO at 75.”
Carolina’s Diplomacy Initiative — administered by UNC Global Affairs, led by Stephenson, — helps students grapple with global challenges and practice skills like negotiation and listening to find common ground. Diplomatic Discussions, a core component of the Diplomacy Initiative, as well as other Diplomacy Initiative events, like Cavoli’s visit, bring policy experts and practitioners to Chapel Hill, giving students opportunities to learn and engage with leaders in foreign affairs.
“Cavoli’s visit gave me a snapshot of security policy and leadership up close,” Connor Zamora, a TAM graduate student, said. “He left the impression of a highly intelligent man who not only put American interests at the forefront of his job, but also clearly understood the importance of unity among allies in response to ongoing problems, stressing how transatlantic security is instrumental to US interests.”
Learn more about the Diplomatic Initiative here, including the upcoming conversation with Daniel W. Drezner, author and distinguished professor of international politics at Tufts University, who will speak with students about the past, present and future of globalization.
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