Global Leaders Examine a Changing World at Launch of Global Policy Institute

A Nobel Peace Prize laureate who helped change the course of 20th-century European history joined one of the United Nations' highest-ranking officials and leading voices in American foreign policy at the University of Maryland to launch a new center for research and policy engagement focused on the most consequential issues in international affairs.

Former Polish President Lech Wałęsa and UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed urged young people to pursue careers in public service to strengthen democratic institutions at Thursday’s event celebrating the School of Public Policy’s new Global Policy Institute (GPI).

Led by Director Robert C. Orr, the institute will blend research and policy engagement to address issues including great power competition, nuclear nonproliferation and global institutional reform. The institute will connect scholars with policymakers while providing students with opportunities to engage with international policy issues.

“By bringing together the expertise of the School of Public Policy and the rest of our entire university, we can connect scholars, students, policymakers and practitioners, and engage them directly in the work of finding solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges to shape our future,” said UMD President Darryll J. Pines.

School of Public Policy Dean Gustavo Flores-Macías described a changing international landscape in which cooperation is increasingly difficult, even as countries become more interconnected. “Perhaps the central paradox of our time is that countries are more deeply connected than ever, yet increasingly inclined to see those connections as sources of insecurity rather than opportunity,” he said.

Longtime UMD benefactor Alma Gildenhorn ’53 was recognized for her support in making the new institute possible. She and her late husband, former U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland Joseph B. Gildenhorn ’51, have left a lasting legacy at Maryland through their commitment to education and the arts; Thursday’s event took place in the recital hall at The Clarice named in their honor. The evening also included the announcement of Christian Ostermann, director of GPI's History and Public Policy Program, as the inaugural Joseph B. Gildenhorn Fellow.

Wałęsa, who helped bring an end to communist rule in Poland and beyond as a leader of the Solidarity movement, warned that democratic institutions have struggled to adapt to changing global conditions. Speaking through an interpreter, he called for greater cooperation across borders and new approaches to governing issues that individual nations cannot manage alone. “We thought that as soon as we topple this world order, democracy will solve everything.”

He also expressed concern about declining public confidence in democracy and political leaders focused more on elections than long-term solutions. Wałęsa challenged younger generations to take responsibility for strengthening democratic institutions suited to a new era.

The UN’s Mohammed told the audience that international institutions are struggling to respond to interconnected crises, including conflict, climate change and growing economic inequality.

Mohammed, who helped shape the United Nations' 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, argued that international financial systems must evolve to meet today’s needs, particularly in developing countries where debt burdens can undermine investments in health care and education. 

She raised concerns about declining trust in institutions and the exclusion of women from leadership and peace negotiations. She emphasized that lasting solutions require broader participation and renewed international cooperation. “There is no winning a war. There is finding a way to make peace,” she said. She encouraged students to pursue public service and work collaboratively to make a difference in others' lives. 

The event also included an expert panel that explored the challenges facing U.S. foreign policy as Washington balances its commitments in the Middle East with strategic competition from China. The discussion, moderated by GPI Research Director and Foreign Policy, Strategy and Statecraft Program Director Josh Shifrinson, featured Aaron David Miller, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and Robert Daly, director of GPI's China and the United States Program.

Miller argued that American foreign policy requires greater restraint and a clearer understanding of vital national interests. He also stressed that effective international leadership depends on strong democratic institutions at home. Daly pointed to domestic political divisions as an obstacle to sustained attention on China, noting that Americans often view their political opponents as a more immediate threat than foreign competitors. The discussion underscored the importance of understanding the limits of American power while considering how the United States can maintain its influence in international affairs.