Frank Lavin - American Reckoning - Feb 5 2026

Thursday, February 5, 2026 at 3 PM
Glaser Center, Santa Rosa

An American Reckoning:
Lead or Step Back?

With Frank Lavin,
former Diplomat

Frank Lavin's sponsor is Mike Morrison, 
WACSC Program Chair

About the Program

          For decades, U.S. foreign policy followed a Cold War playbook that survived even the collapse of the Soviet Union. But today that model is under strain. From scaled-back commitments to NATO, to a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, to open challenges to alliances and global trade, American leadership abroad is increasingly questioned—at home and abroad. Is international leadership still essential to U.S. security and prosperity, or have its costs begun to outweigh its benefits? Frank Lavin revisits the Reagan-era Cold War playbook to ask what we once got right, where we failed, and whether the lessons that shaped American power still offer a path forward—or belong to a world that no longer exists.

Register HERE

Register HERE

About the Speaker

             Frank Lavin served in the Reagan White House and on the National Security Council, and later held senior positions in both the George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush administrations. During the latter, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Singapore and as Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade. In addition to a distinguished career in banking and international business, Lavin is a Fellow at the University of Southern California. His latest book, Inside the Reagan White House, vividly captures the energy, ambition, and high-stakes decision-making of a pivotal era in American leadership.

Register HERE