Message from the FIU President

I am pleased to welcome you to Florida International University’s Geopolitical Summit website. With “America and the Rising Powers” as the theme, this summit is an unprecedented gathering of four of the world’s most influential and innovative thinkers on American foreign policy. Our Geopolitical Summit presents a unique opportunity to examine and discuss the aspirations, challenges and possibilities of American foreign policy in the next few decades.

This summit comes at a propitious time, as President Barack Obama takes office and sets a new course for U.S. foreign policy. It also comes as FIU establishes its School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA). This school fulfills the promise of Florida International University’s name – a global university committed to making “international” a part of every student’s experience.  SIPA’s creation also underscores the importance of understanding international affairs in our increasingly global society.   

Miami serves as a perfect location for this summit. As the gateway to the Americas, it is home to hundreds of multinational corporations and many foreign consulates, foreign trade offices and bi-national chambers of commerce.  

I hope you will join us at FIU on February 24th for this occasion, which promises to expand the way we think about our role in the world.

Modesto A. Maidique
President
Florida International University (FIU)