November Fellows Breakfast with Mai’a Davis Cross

*This event is only open to 2023-2024 Fellows.

The World Affairs Council Fellows Program offers a unique professional development opportunity to a small group of greater Seattle's business and community leaders. The Fellows convene monthly for breakfast discussions with carefully selected high-caliber international experts who offer unparalleled insight into current global issues, in addition to meeting throughout the year for additional Council events and dedicated networking opportunities.

About the Speaker

Mai’a K. Davis Cross is the Dean’s Professor of Political Science, International Affairs, and Diplomacy and the Director of the Center for International Affairs and World Cultures in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities at Northeastern University. She is an expert on international cooperation, especially in the areas of European foreign and security policy, epistemic communities, crises, diplomacy, and public diplomacy.

She is the author or co-editor of six books, including most recently International Cooperation Against All Odds: The Ultrasocial World (Oxford University Press, in press).  This book draws upon new insights about human nature from evolutionary biology, neuroscience, cognitive psychology, anthropology, among others, to examine the underlying causes and processes that have led to unanticipated instances of international cooperation across time.

Her previous books include, European-Russian Power Relations in Turbulent Times (University of Michigan Press, 2021) and The Politics of Crisis in Europe (Cambridge University Press, 2017). She is the winner of the Best Book Prize from the University Association of Contemporary European Studies for Security Integration in Europe (University of Michigan Press, 2011).

In addition to these major works, Professor Cross has also written over 45 articles and book chapters on a wide range of topics, including European defense, space security, crises, intelligence sharing, soft/smart power, and public diplomacy. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Government from Harvard University and a PhD from Princeton University.  She is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.