Francis J. Gavin Session Overview

Giovanni Agnelli Distinguished Professor, Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
Director, Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs, Johns Hopkins

FRANCIS J. GAVIN is the Giovanni Agnelli Distinguished Professor and the inaugural Director of the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, D.C. He is also the chairman of the Board of Editors for the Texas National Security Review. He is the Co-Founder, Co-Director, and Principal Investigator, with James Steinberg, of the Carnegie International Policy Scholars Consortium and Network (IPSCON), and Founder and Director of the Nuclear Studies Research Initiative (NSRI). Gavin currently serves on the CIA Historical Panel and is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Gavin’s most recent books, Thinking Historically – A Guide to Statecraft and Strategy and Wonder and Worry: Contemporary History in an Age of Uncertainty were published in 2025.

25th Anniversary Video

Hear past and present organizers reflect on over 25 years of the Seminar XXI Program and its impact on the national security policy community.

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2026–2027 SESSION DATES

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Find out who attended and the national security topics discussed.

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