https://spia.princeton.edu/faculty/barton

From Gaza and Ukraine to Sudan and beyond, global instability is on the rise while traditional and newer peacebuilding efforts are being sidelined. In an era defined by aggression, arms buildups, and the targeting of civilians, how do we restore order?

Join us for a high-level conversation with Ambassador Rick Barton, former Ambassador and Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations, and author of Peace Works – America’s Unique Role in a Turbulent World. Drawing on his experience in over 40 conflict zones, Ambassador Barton will move beyond the headlines to provide sharp analysis of our "new norms" and offer constructive, proven alternatives for building peace in a divided world.

Ambassador Rick Barton is a lecturer at Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, where he served as co-director of the Scholars in the Nation’s Service Initiative from 2016-23. Amb. Barton was the first Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations, America’s ambassador to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations in New York, the UN’s Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva, and founded USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives. He led peacebuilding initiatives in over 40 crisis zones across the globe, from Haiti, Iraq, Nigeria, Burma to Pakistan.

He advises numerous non-profits and public service institutions and serves on boards.  A regular contributor on major policy discussions, Barton’s pieces have appeared in a wide range of publications, including the New York Times, New York Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, The Hill, Los Angeles Times, and many more.