23rd Annual Goldstone Forum

Causes of War, Solutions for Peace

A talk from Professor Jeffrey Sachs, a world-renowned economics professor, bestselling author, innovative educator, and global leader in sustainable development.

The war theorist Carl von Clausewitz famously wrote that “War is the continuation of politics with other means.”  This is true, yet it’s also true that war is a profound failure of politics as well.  Wars are preventable and can generally be ended through effective diplomacy.  President Kennedy famously observed in speaking of war and peace, “Our problems are man-made; therefore, they can be solved by man.”  I will discuss the causes of the current wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and the dangerously high tensions between the US and China, and describe how these conflicts can be quickly, soundly, and peacefully resolved through diplomacy. 

        4:30PM Talk
        5:30PM Q&A
        6:00PM Reception

This event is free and open to the public. Registration is not required.

About the Speaker

Jeffrey D. Sachs is University Professor and Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, where he directed the Earth Institute from 2002 until 2016. He is President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Co-Chair of the Council of Engineers for the Energy Transition, Commissioner of the UN Broadband Commission for Development, academician of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences at the Vatican, and Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah Honorary Distinguished Professor at Sunway University. He has been Special Advisor to three United Nations Secretaries-General, and currently serves as an SDG Advocate under Secretary General António Guterres. He spent over twenty years as a professor at Harvard University, where he received his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees. Sachs has received 42 honorary doctorates, and his recent awards include the 2022 Tang Prize in Sustainable Development, the Legion of Honor by decree of the President of the Republic of France, and the Order of the Cross from the President of Estonia. His most recent books are The Ages of Globalization: Geography, Technology, and Institutions (2020) and Ethics in Action for Sustainable Development (2022).

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The Goldstone Forum is made possible by Steven F. Goldstone, former chairman of Nabisco Group Holdings and Penn graduate (C '67) in Political Science.