The Institute of World Politics

The Institute of World Politics
  • 4.1 (39)
  • EDUCATION
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The Institute of World Politics is a graduate school of national security and international affairs, dedicated to developing leaders with a sound understanding of international realities and the ethical conduct of statecraft, based on knowledge and appreciation of the principles of the American political economy and the Western moral tradition. **Please note that the views expressed by our guest lecturers do not necessarily reflect the views of The Institute of World Politics.**

  1. AI-Powered Simulation Training for Diplomacy, Negotiation, and Crisis Communication

    2D AGO

    AI-Powered Simulation Training for Diplomacy, Negotiation, and Crisis Communication

    Jan Kasprzycki-Rosikon is the Founder and CEO of Convrsy, Inc., an AI-powered communication training platform focused on high-stakes negotiation, crisis communication, and adversarial simulation. Previously, he co-founded and scaled MillionYou, a collective intelligence and crowdsourcing platform acquired by EY. Over the past decade, he has led large-scale innovation and AI initiatives across Europe, the Middle East, and the United States, working with global organizations and public-sector stakeholders. His current work focuses on applying AI simulation to diplomacy, leadership training, and values-based education. This lecture explores how AI-driven simulation can be used to prepare individuals and institutions for high-stakes conversations in diplomacy, public affairs, and crisis environments. Rather than focusing on AI as a tool for content generation, the session examines AI as a training mechanism, capable of recreating emotionally complex negotiations, strategic dialogue, escalation scenarios, and real-time decision pressure. The discussion will also address broader implications for national security, negotiation training, leadership development, and the future of strategic influence in an era of increasingly persuasive AI. **Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academics/graduate-degree-programs/ ***Make a gift to IWP: https://wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=3

    1h 5m
  2. Private Military Contractors: Understanding the Non-State Actors Changing the Institution of War

    MAR 20

    Private Military Contractors: Understanding the Non-State Actors Changing the Institution of War

    Dr. Caroline Batka analyzes PMCs in Private Military Contractors: Understanding the Non-State Actors Changing the Institution of War. This lecture draws on Dr. Caroline Batka’s compendium of research on Private Military Contractors (PMCs) and examines how they are reshaping the modern institution of war. The presentation explores key similarities and differences in how the U.S. military and the European Union employ and integrate PMCs, clarifies PMC terminology and classifications, and assesses their relationship to mercenaries, warlords, and other non-state actors. The lecture also examines the Wagner Group as a distinct and influential non-state organization. Dr. Caroline Batka is a senior military analyst at Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. She is currently working on a study funded by the Slovak Research and Development Agency examining hybrid warfare in Europe. This includes studies on the societal factors facilitating receptivity to pro-Russian disinformation in Slovakia; the organizational structure of the Wagner Group; the EU’s use of private military and security contractors; and Slovak-Polish defense industrial base collaboration. Dr. Batka is also an adjunct professor at Bay Atlantic University in the Political Science and International Relations Department where she teaches Public Administration. In 2020-2021, Dr. Batka worked at King’s College London on a study of the U.S. military personnel’s interprofessional bonds with private military contractors. In that role, Dr. Batka conducted and analyzed qualitative interviews with contractors and coauthored a published article. From 2018-2020, she taught US Foreign Policy at Webster Vienna Private University. Beyond her academic experience, Dr. Batka has worked in a range of non-profit oversight and government capacities. From October 2011 to July 2016, she worked at RAND Corporation in Washington, D.C. where her research focused on Army operations and planning, military programs and policy, health care, and veterans’ issues. Dr. Batka served as RAND’s liaison to the U.S. Army G-3/5/7 (Operations and Plans). In this capacity, Dr. Batka led coordination and communication between the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army, G-3/5/7 and the RAND leadership team. Dr. Batka has honed expertise in U.S. military and veterans’ health and mental health issues. She has conducted dozens of studies for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on the effectiveness of treatment programs and policy for PTSD, depression, and traumatic brain injuries. Dr. Batka is also a skilled and experienced qualitative researcher. She has conducted, coded, and analyzed hundreds of interviews with policymakers and stakeholders on a range of specialized and sensitive subjects, including military sexual assault, mental health and health policies and programs, and identification of potential DoD programs and activities for consolidation or elimination. Dr. Batka also has extensive experience working with surveys, cenarios analysis, and case studies. Prior to working at RAND, Dr. Batka has worked at the National Academy of Public Administration, the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the Disabled American Veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and on Capitol Hill. Dr. Batka holds a PhD from Comenius University, a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Washington in Seattle, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Communication from Virginia Tech **Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academics/graduate-degree-programs/ ***Make a gift to IWP: https://wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=3

    1h 1m
  3. The CEE Region and the 21st-Century Window of Opportunity

    MAR 12

    The CEE Region and the 21st-Century Window of Opportunity

    Csaba B. Horváth, PhD earned his PhD in International Relations at Corvinus University of Budapest after completing degrees in History and Political Science at Eötvös Loránd University. He is a member of the General Assembly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. His research focuses on geopolitics, with a particular emphasis on the Indo-Pacific as well as on Central and Eastern Europe. He has held visiting research fellowships at several universities in Australia, China and Taiwan, and earlier in his youth, spent two years living in Japan, where he acquired conversational proficiency in Japanese. He is also a regular participant in international conferences and held public talks across the Indo-Pacific, including in Australia, China, India, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore. The talk explores the idea that East-Central Europe is currently experiencing a rare strategic “window of opportunity” not seen since the 18th century. For centuries, the region functioned largely as a buffer zone dominated by external imperial powers. Today, the effective disappearance and disintegration of traditional continental empires has created a structural power vacuum in the region, which, combined with shifting global power balances and growing strategic interest from the United States, is generating unprecedented conditions for East-Central Europe to emerge as a more autonomous geopolitical actor. The presentation examines the risks, constraints, and potential pathways for such a transformation. This lecture is part of the 18th Annual Symposium of the Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies. The Kościuszko Chair serves as a center for Polish Studies in the broadest sense, including learning, teaching, researching, and writing about Poland’s culture, history, heritage, religion, government, economy, and successes in the arts, sciences, and letters, with special emphasis on the achievements of Polish civilization and its relation to other nations, particularly the United States. This year, the 17th annual Kościuszko Chair Conference focuses on the topic of threats and opportunities in the Intermarium. **Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academics/graduate-degree-programs/ ***Make a gift to the IWP Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies: https://wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=4

    21 min
  4. Polish Foreign and Security Policy in the Context of the Russian Ukrainian War

    MAR 12

    Polish Foreign and Security Policy in the Context of the Russian Ukrainian War

    Professor Przemysław Żurawski vel Grajewski - Polish political scientist, an academic, and an associate professor at the University of Lodz. Furthermore, he is an associate of the European Institute in Łódź, the Center for Political Thought, and a lecturer at the Natolin European Center and the National School of Public Administration. In 2015, Mr. Żurawski vel Grajewski became a member of the National Development Council, appointed by President Andrzej Duda. His main areas of research include international relations and geopolitics. This lecture is part of the 18th Annual Symposium of the Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies. The Kościuszko Chair serves as a center for Polish Studies in the broadest sense, including learning, teaching, researching, and writing about Poland’s culture, history, heritage, religion, government, economy, and successes in the arts, sciences, and letters, with special emphasis on the achievements of Polish civilization and its relation to other nations, particularly the United States. This year, the 17th annual Kościuszko Chair Conference focuses on the topic of threats and opportunities in the Intermarium. **Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academics/graduate-degree-programs/ ***Make a gift to the IWP Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies: https://wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=4

    58 min
  5. Challenges to Poland’s National Security in the Changing Geopolitics

    MAR 12

    Challenges to Poland’s National Security in the Changing Geopolitics

    Dr. Sebastian Bojemski graduated from the Institute of History of Warsaw University and gained his doctoral degree at The Cardinal Wyszyński University in Warsaw. At the Institute of World Politics (Washington, DC) he attended individual courses in geography and strategy, geoeconomy, strategic influence and propaganda. He was awarded scholarships by the Kosciuszko Foundation (USA) and the M. Grabowski Fund (UK). Mr Bojemski also has extensive experience in strategic communication, marketing, sales and management. For over 15 years (2003-2018) he had owned a Warsaw-based consulting firm. Between 2018-2024 he was an executive director for marketing at PKN Orlen – the largest oil company in Central Europe, a vice chairman at Lotos Fuels, the second largest oil company in Poland and a vice chairman at PERN, the largest fuel and logistics company in the region and critical infrastructure operator. He is currently affiliated with the University College of Professional Education as a member of the Center for Research on Disinformation and Cybersecurity and a senior fellow at the Eastern Flank Institute, a Brussels-based think tank. The start of the Russian invasion in 2014 changed the security architecture in Central and Eastern Europe. These changes deepened in 2021 after Belarus launched a border operation targeting Poland. Another milestone in this process was Russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine. The level of security on Poland's eastern border has significantly decreased. In this situation, it is necessary to make changes in the area of national security. This includes the development of the armed forces, the assignment of new strategy to the secret services, and the strengthening of critical infrastructure protection. This lecture is part of the 18th Annual Symposium of the Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies. The Kościuszko Chair serves as a center for Polish Studies in the broadest sense, including learning, teaching, researching, and writing about Poland’s culture, history, heritage, religion, government, economy, and successes in the arts, sciences, and letters, with special emphasis on the achievements of Polish civilization and its relation to other nations, particularly the United States. This year, the 17th annual Kościuszko Chair Conference focuses on the topic of threats and opportunities in the Intermarium. **Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academics/graduate-degree-programs/ ***Make a gift to the IWP Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies: https://wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=4

    25 min
  6. Solidarity across borders: London’s support for Poland’s Solidarity Movement

    MAR 12

    Solidarity across borders: London’s support for Poland’s Solidarity Movement

    George Byczynski is a defense and security expert specializing in Central and Eastern Europe. He is an Adviser to the UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Poland and a Chief Operating Officer of Anders de Wiart Associates. A former Adviser to the All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Lithuania and Ukraine and a founder of the British Poles Media Group. He holds an LLM in International Law from the University of Westminster and a BSc in International Politics from Brunel University. He is a member of the New Security Leaders of the Warsaw Security Forum and co-author of the reports Three Seas Initiative and the Opportunities for Global Britain and Financing the Future – How to Attract More Foreign Investors to the Three Seas Region. He was awarded the Commission of National Education Honours (KEN) by the Polish Minister of Education and the “Ambassador of Polish History” state award by the Institute of National Remembrance. Byczynski volunteers for the Royal British Legion and the RAF Museum Charity and serves as an Ace Ambassador of the National Spitfire Project. This lecture examines the critical contributions of the British Polish community and the United Kingdom government to Poland’s Solidarity movement during the 1980s. It analyzes the significance of the Polish Solidarity Campaign, Solidarity Working Group and the strategic advocacy by Polish émigrés in briefing British parliamentarians, the imposition of economic and diplomatic sanctions on Poland’s communist regime following the introduction of martial law in December 1981, the public demonstrations that galvanized support for the Polish cause and the multifaceted approach of British trade unions towards Polish anti-communist movements. The lecture elucidates how these concerted efforts bolstered Poland’s struggle for liberty and shaped the broader narrative of international solidarity against the communist oppression. This lecture is part of the 18th Annual Symposium of the Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies. The Kościuszko Chair serves as a center for Polish Studies in the broadest sense, including learning, teaching, researching, and writing about Poland’s culture, history, heritage, religion, government, economy, and successes in the arts, sciences, and letters, with special emphasis on the achievements of Polish civilization and its relation to other nations, particularly the United States. This year, the 17th annual Kościuszko Chair Conference focuses on the topic of threats and opportunities in the Intermarium. **Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academics/graduate-degree-programs/ ***Make a gift to the IWP Kosciuszko Chair of Polish Studies: https://wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=4

    54 min
  7. The War in Ukraine - An Update from The Front

    FEB 24

    The War in Ukraine - An Update from The Front

    IWP Professor Glenn Corn provides an update on the situation in Ukraine based on his recent travels to that country, including visits to multiple cities/locations. **Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academics/graduate-degree-programs/ ***Make a gift to IWP: https://wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=3

    1h 9m
  8. Standing With a Witness of Faith During the War in Ukraine

    FEB 10

    Standing With a Witness of Faith During the War in Ukraine

    Bishop Vitalii Kryvytskyi offers a firsthand perspective on the war in Ukraine, focusing on children, families, and resilience. Bishop Vitalii Kryvytskyi will offer a firsthand pastoral perspective on life amid the prolonged war in Ukraine, with particular attention to the experiences of children and families. Drawing on his role as Roman Catholic Bishop of Kyiv–Zhytomyr, he will discuss how the Church fosters stability, resilience, and recovery through parish life, youth ministry, and structured programs serving children and families under wartime conditions. The lecture will be delivered with interpretation by Valentyna Pavsyukova, Founder, President, and CEO of Chalice of Mercy, who will translate for Bishop Kryvytskyi throughout the event. About the Speakers: Bishop Vitalii Kryvytskyi, SDB, is the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Kyiv–Zhytomyr, a role he has held since his appointment by Pope Francis in 2017. Born in Odesa, Ukraine, he entered the Salesian Society of St. John Bosco in 1990 and completed his theological formation in Poland, earning a Master of Theology from the Catholic University of Lublin. Ordained a priest in 1997, Bishop Kryvytskyi has devoted much of his ministry to parish leadership, youth formation, and pastoral care across Ukraine, particularly in Odesa, Zhytomyr, and Lviv regions. In addition to his diocesan responsibilities, he serves in several national leadership roles within the Catholic Church in Ukraine, including Deputy Chair of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Ukraine and Head of its Ecumenical Commission. He is also an active member of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations, which he led in 2019. His episcopal ministry is guided by his motto, In Iesu Christo (“In Jesus Christ”). Valentyna Pavsyukova is the Founder, President, and CEO of Chalice of Mercy, a nonprofit organization she established in 2007 to advance humanitarian aid, pro-life advocacy, and family support in Ukraine. Born and raised in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, she immigrated to the United States after winning the U.S. Green Card Lottery and became a U.S. citizen in 2010. Her early years in the U.S. included a career in cosmetology, which she left in 2009 to dedicate herself fully to mission work following a profound spiritual conversion influenced by Mother Teresa and St. John Paul II. Valentyna continues her intellectual and spiritual formation through studies at the Theology of the Body Institute and Oxford University’s Politics Certification Program. Under her leadership, Chalice of Mercy has delivered extensive humanitarian and medical assistance, including over $80 million in medical supplies since 2022, organized life-saving medical missions, supported hospitals, hospices, orphanages, and families, and founded faith-based educational initiatives such as Saint Maria Goretti Daycare in Zaporizhzhia. A frequent international speaker, she has addressed audiences at the March for Life in Washington, D.C., Ukrainian Week, and major youth and policy forums. She also serves as a Strategic Adviser to the Protez Foundation, supporting rehabilitation and prosthetics for wounded Ukrainian soldiers, and her work has been recognized by Ukrainian and international institutions for extraordinary humanitarian and defense support. **Learn more about IWP graduate programs: https://www.iwp.edu/academics/graduate-degree-programs/ ***Make a gift to IWP: https://wl.donorperfect.net/weblink/WebLink.aspx?name=E231090&id=3

    1h 17m
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4.1
out of 5
39 Ratings

About

The Institute of World Politics is a graduate school of national security and international affairs, dedicated to developing leaders with a sound understanding of international realities and the ethical conduct of statecraft, based on knowledge and appreciation of the principles of the American political economy and the Western moral tradition. **Please note that the views expressed by our guest lecturers do not necessarily reflect the views of The Institute of World Politics.**

Information

  • Creator
    The Institute of World Politics
  • Years Active
    2015 - 2026
  • Episodes
    479
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    The Institute of World Politics

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