'Clear and Present Safety' kicks off lecture series at UW-Whitewater

September 25, 2013

The reality behind America's threats, both foreign and domestic, will be explored as this year's Contemporary Issues Lecture Series begins at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Michael Cohen opens the lecture series with "Clear and Present Safety: America Has Never Been Safer." He will speak at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7, in Young Auditorium. All lectures are free and open to the public.

Cohen will discuss how danger is portrayed in the United States. He concludes that, despite popular belief, we are living in the safest time in American history.

"His topics take a critical look at issues ranging from national security to whistleblowers to elections," said Susan Johnson, assistant dean for student success in the College of Letters and Sciences and coordinator of the lecture series. "His experience as a speechwriter gives him a unique perspective on how government officials frame these issues for the American public."

Cohen is a writer and commentator on American politics and U.S. foreign policy. He served in the State Department as chief speechwriter for Bill Richardson, U.S. representative to the United Nations. Cohen is an adjunct lecturer in the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University.

He is the author of "Live from the Campaign Trail: The Greatest Presidential Campaign Speeches of the 20th Century and How They Shaped Modern America," as well as a columnist for the Guardian newspaper.

He has worked at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, as a senior fellow at the New America Foundation and the American Security Project and was chief speechwriter for Sen. Chris Dodd.

For more information on Cohen and the next five lectures in the 2013-14 series, see www.uww.edu/cls/about/lectures. Lectures will be presented at 7 p.m. on the following Mondays: Oct. 28, Dec. 2, Feb. 17, March 10 and April 21. The series is sponsored by the College of Letters and Sciences.