An Introduction: Adapting to a Rapidly Changing World

The Meeting took place against a dramatic backdrop of events: the rapid expansion of the so-called Islamic State in Syria and Iraq; a security and refugee crisis in the Middle East; escalating conflict in Eastern Ukraine and Crimea; an Ebola crisis in West Africa; and the build-up to a widely anticipated round of negotiations on climate change. Mr. Ahmet Üzümcü, Director-General of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, spoke of the organization's recent work in Syria and participated in the Hudson Medal Luncheon, which centered around a relaxed conversation between Professor Reisman and Hudson Medal recipient Pierre-Marie DuPuy of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva.