About the Burkle Center

The Ronald W. Burkle Center for International Relations fosters cutting edge research and interdisciplinary and policy-oriented teaching on the contemporary world and the role of the United States in global security, military, political, social and economic affairs. In addition, the Burkle Forum brings to campus internationally renowned policy makers and analysts to present their perspectives on issues of global importance. BCIR’s interim director is Ron Rogowski, who is a Professor of Political Science and Interim Vice Provost and Dean of the UCLA International Institute.

Steven Spiegel, Professor of Political Science, is Associate Director and founder and director of the Multilateral Middle East Program of track II diplomacy supported by the governments of the United States, Greece and Qatar.

In recent years, the Burkle Forum has hosted public lectures by UCLA’s Chancellor Albert Carnesale, former President Jimmy Carter, former Secretraries of State Warren Christopher and George Schultz, former Mexican Minister of Foreign Affairs Jorge Castaneda Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi and Nobel Prize Winner in Economics Robert Mundell, former Secretaries of Defense William Cohen and William Perry, former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Paul Volker, former Russian Finance Minister Yegor Gaidar, former Special Middle East Coordinator for President Clinton Dennis Ross, Director of Policy Planning at the State Department Stephen Krasner, former Senator Gary Hart, syndicated columnists Thomas Friedman, leading public intellectuals Alan Dershowitz and Edward Said, as well as ambassadors from a dozen countries.

The Burkle Center also sponsors innovative teaching programs at UCLA. The BCIR-Tel Aviv University initiative offers seminars on US-Israeli relations in which UCLA and Tel Aviv undergraduates interact in realtime via videoconferencing. Secretary Christopher teaches a seminar for the Center in UCLA’s Honors Collegium on International Flash Points. Law Professor Richard Steinberg teaches International Law and Politics to a group of undergraduate students with the support of the Burkle Center. In the spring of 2003 Geoffrey Garrett and Steven Spiegel of BCIR taught an Honors Collegium lecture course that was also open to the public on The United States and the World Since September 11.

In the spring of 2005, the Burkle Center supported a series of public lectures on Global Challenges featuring, former Secretary of Commerce Mickey Kantor and former CEO of Star TV Gerald Chan as well as Chancellor Carnesale and Secretary Christopher, as part of the International Institute’s new Global Studies degree, as well as a course on international treaty negotiations led by political science professor Barbara Koremenos.

The Burkle Center also offers funding opportunities for both UCLA students and faculty undertaking research on international relations. The center also supports student-led initiatives such as the UCLA Darfur Action Committee and the UCLA Undergraduate International Relations Society.

Core financial support for the Center is provided by an endowment generously given by Ronald W. Burkle. Other major sources of support for BCIR include the UCLA International Institute, the University of California’s Institute on Global Cooperation and Conflict, the governments of the United States, Greece and Qatar, and many private donations.