Weatherhead names new class of fellows

The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs (WCFIA) recently announced its 2008-09 class of fellows. Each year, the WCFIA fellows program brings senior-level international-affairs professionals to Harvard, where they conduct focused, independent research and also interact intensively with the academic community, including faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates.

This year’s WCFIA Fellows are as follows

Takeo Akiba, Japan, is director of the China and Mongolia Division in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. A career diplomat, Akiba has held a number of key assignments. From 2004 to 2006, he was director of the International Legal Affairs Division, and from 2002 to 2004 he served as director of the Treaties Division. He has also been director of the U.N. Policy Division, as well as executive assistant to the vice minister for foreign affairs. Overseas assignments include three years in Washington, D.C., where he was first secretary at the embassy with responsibility for Japan-U.S. trade disputes. While at Harvard, he will examine the impact of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) proliferation on East Asian security.

Justin Chinyanta, a Zambian citizen residing in Johannesburg, South Africa, is the founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Loita Holdings Corp., the holding company for Loita Capital Partners International. Chinyanta is an expert in the financial markets of sub-Sahara Africa, with more than 20 years of professional experiences in commercial and investment banking in the region. Before forming Loita Holdings Corp., Chinyanta was a vice president at HSBC Africa’s regional office (1992-94). He is currently executive vice president for the Southern Africa chapter of the Africa Business Roundtable, and is on the expert roster of the U.N. Institute for Training and Research. While at Harvard, he will examine the New Economic Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), with a particular focus on the role of the African private sector and capital markets in ensuring NEPAD’s success.

Onno Hückmann, Germany, has been a director with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 2002, with responsibility for legal issues arising from World War I and II. In this position, he dealt with the legal situation of foreign army personnel in Germany, of the Bundeswehr on mission in foreign countries, and on questions of property rights ensuing from both world wars and Nazi injustices. Since joining the diplomatic service in 1979, he has had several overseas assignments that have included serving in Buenos Aires and Dublin. He also served previously as deputy head of section in the legal department in Bonn. Hückmann studied and trained in law from 1969 to 1978. His Harvard research will focus on compensation for National Socialist injustice.

Tamim Khallaf, Egypt, is a diplomat in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has served most recently in Egypt’s Permanent Mission to the U.N. in Geneva, dealing with disarmament and arms control issues with a focus on nuclear, biological, and conventional weapons. Previously, he served in the Office of the Secretary General of the League of Arab States. He received his master of science in international relations from the London School of Economics and a master of arts in political science from the American University in Cairo; he also earned his bachelor of arts from the American University in Cairo. While at Harvard, he is pursuing research on nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament, and on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy in the Middle East.

Sarah MacIntosh, United Kingdom, diplomat, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), has served most recently as the British high commissioner to Sierra Leone and as ambassador to Liberia. Prior to that, she was the strategy coordinator for the U.N. Mission in Kosovo. MacIntosh has worked in the U.K. missions to the United Nations at New York (development, health, macroeconomics) and Vienna (International Atomic Energy Agency), and at the British embassy in Madrid (EU and economic). In London, she has worked mostly in conflict and security issues in the U.N. Department and Conflict Group of the Foreign Office, and in the Foreign Office’s Strategic Planning Unit. MacIntosh earned her bachelor of arts degree from Reading University, U.K. Her Harvard research will focus on weak and at-risk states.

Adamu Musa, a journalist from Cameroon, has spent most of his career with Cameroon Radio and Television (CRTV). He is currently editorial director, political analyst, and commentator, as well as a prime-time TV news anchor. He has held many other positions at CRTV, including editor-in-chief, news magazines and features, and senior reporter/presidential correspondent. Since 1984, he has also been a foreign correspondent and stringer for the BBC, Voice of America, and Voice of Germany. From 2004 to 2006, he served as communications officer in the World Bank’s Cameroon/Central Africa Country Office; he has also been a consultant to the World Bank. In 2002, he was invited to participate in the Yale World Fellows Program. Musa was educated at the University of Yaounde, earning bachelor of arts degrees in English and journalism, and a master of arts degree in African literature. His Harvard research will focus on the Chinese equation in the new superpower scramble for Africa.

Young-hwan Oh, a Korean journalist, joined the JoongAng Ilbo, a leading newspaper, in 1988. He is currently editor, foreign affairs, and security division, JoongAng SUNDAY, the paper’s Sunday edition. He has wide experience in foreign affairs and has been a correspondent for three key ministries: the Ministry of Unification, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He also worked previously as a correspondent to Tokyo. Oh served in the Korean military, working alongside U.S. soldiers at the Combined Field Army (ROK/US) headquarters. He was educated at Seoul National University, from which he received his B.A. in international relations. While at Harvard, he plans to examine the relationship between the United States and North Korea, and also to consider the future of the ROK-US alliance.

Steven W. Peterson, colonel, U.S. Army. Peterson has most recently served as a staff officer in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, U.S. Department of Defense. He has held a variety of intelligence command and staff positions in the United States, Germany, Korea, Bolivia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Iraq. He has served as an American Political Science Association Foreign Affairs Fellow/Legislative Aide to Congressman Steve Largent and in the Office of the Chief of Staff of the Army. He holds master’s degrees in national security strategy, military science, campaign design, and information systems management. While at Harvard, he is pursuing research on the role of intelligence in national security policy formulation, foreign affairs, and conflict.

Leonid Polyakov, Ukraine, is currently with the Parliamentary Committee on National Security and Defense, Verkhovna Rada (the Ukrainian parliament). From 2005 to early 2008, he was the vice minister of defense. In that position, he led a major review of defense policy, missions, and the armed forces’ plans; managed major defense transformation programs; developed the minister of defense’s positions on relations with NATO, EU, and Russia; managed Ukraine’s support for the UN and NATO operations. From 1999 to 2005, he served as director, military programs, Ukrainian Center for Economic and Political Studies. Other previous assignments include senior expert, National Security and Defense Council Staff; general staff postings, Ukrainian Armed Forces; and command postings, Soviet Armed Forces (including combat service in Afghanistan from May 1985 to June 1987. His Harvard research will focus on international security, regional security, and security governance in new democracies.

Carolina Roca, Guatemala, has served as commissioner, Tax and Customs Administration, since 2005. In that position, she has increased revenue collection, reduced the evasion rate, and implemented an institutional strengthening and modernization plan. She has also served in several other national cabinet-level positions, including vice minister of energy and mines, vice minister of public finance, technical secretary of the economic cabinet, and director of external financing. Previously, Roca was a member of the research faculty of the Central American Institute for Business Administration and she has been a consultant for international organizations, working in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Bolivia. She also worked in the private sector as a senior consultant and partner for a Guatemalan consultancy firm. While at Harvard, Roca hopes to examine the advantages and limitations of the use of international standards to modernize customs management in developing countries.

Peter Rothen, Germany, is a foreign service career diplomat. Since 2003, he has served as director, Human Rights Department, in the German Foreign Office. In his present job, he covers the full range of the U.N.’s system of human rights protection as the EU’s external human rights policy. From 1999 to 2003, he was head of the political department of the German Permanent Mission to the U.N. in Geneva. Other previous assignments include deputy head of the EU External Relations department, German Foreign Office; head of economic section of the German Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic; desk officer in the press department of the German Foreign Office; and officer at embassies in Pretoria, South Africa, and in London, respectively. While at Harvard, he plans to focus his research on human rights issues.

Alexis Rwabizambuga, Rwanda, has most recently been an LSE Fellow, based at the Centre for the Study of Human Rights at the London School of Economics (LSE). Prior to attending the LSE in 2002 for his Ph.D. in corporate social responsibility, he worked for UNICEF, where he served as the GAVI adviser to the Minister of Health of Mali in Bamako. Formerly a consultant at NS-consultants, he has worked in several countries in Europe and Africa. Previously, Rwabizambuga was an analyst at Storebrand ASA, a Norwegian insurance firm based in Oslo. He holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a master of science in energy management from the Norwegian School of Management. While at Harvard, he will pursue research in environmental security and sustainable development in Africa.

Michèle Stanners, Canada, comes to Harvard following two decades of investing in community and country by connecting people around issues of national unity, ethnic relations, education, culture, youth, and politics. A leader and cultural strategist, her most recent challenge was to develop and implement a cultural policy for the province of Alberta. She established and ran, from 1997 to 2005, the western regional office for the Canadian Unity Council, a national organization established to promote citizen understanding and involvement in the economic, political, social, and cultural institutions and values unique to Canada. Stanners is the recipient of numerous awards and is a frequently requested speaker and author for presentations on culture, leadership, and networking. While at Harvard, she will explore leveraging culture as a vehicle for economic and political integration.

Hiroshi Takano, Japan, politician, New Komei Party. As a member of the House of Councillors (upper house) from 1995 to 2007, Takano served as senior vice minister of the environment (2004-2005) and as chairman, standing committee on justice (2001-2002). From 1972 to 1994, he served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; his many assignments included overseas postings in Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, and the United States. Takano was educated at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and also studied at the Universidad de Navarra and Universidad de Barcelona. His Harvard research will focus on the U.S.-Japan alliance.

Ben Van Houtte, Belgium, civil servant, European Commission. Since 2006, Van Houtte has served as head of unit for logistics, innovation, co-modality, Energy and Transport Directorate General (DG); the new unit deals with a range of subjects reflecting the priority attached to innovation and co-modality by the revised “White Paper on Transport Policy.” Van Houtte joined the transport DG in 1996 with responsibility for the enforcement of liberalization legislation and for the control of state aid in the airline industry. Before joining the transport DG, Van Houtte worked in the commission’s telecommunications DG as head of section for legislation in the telecommunications industry. Van Houtte has written extensively on competition and air transport regulation and is the co-author of “EC Competition Law in the Transport Sector.” While at Harvard, he will focus on transport policy and European integration.

Ian Wallace, United Kingdom, civil servant, Ministry of Defence. Wallace’s most recent assignment was in Baghdad as the political/policy adviser to the deputy commanding general of Multi-National Forces. Previously, he served in similar roles alongside British-led forces in both Basra, Iraq (2005) and Pristina, Kosovo (2001). During the early stages of coalition operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, he was the head of policy at the headquarters that runs all the U.K.’s overseas military operations. Wallace has also served in a wide range of Ministry of Defence appointments, including serving as a private secretary to the U.K. defense secretary with responsibilities that included oversight of defense business in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and Central Asia. While at Harvard, he will pursue research on the conduct of stabilization operations and international engagement with failing states.

Craig Wills, United States, lieutenant colonel, U.S. Air Force. Wills’ most recent posting was as the commander, 493d Fighter Squadron, RAF Lakenheath, United Kingdom, where he was responsible for the combat readiness and employment of U.S. Air Forces in Europe’s only air superiority squadron. Previously, he was responsible for the development of air and space power strategy in the Korean theater of operations. Wills is a senior pilot with operational experience in F-15C/D and F-15E aircraft. He is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Air Command and Staff College, Squadron Officer School, and Air War College. His research interests include the expansion of NATO, the dynamics of coercion, and the integration of nongovernmental organizations in formulating postconflict security strategy.