Prudence Bushnell looks through a feminist eye at lessons of policy and leadership learned from the 1994 genocide in Rwanda and the 1998 Al Qaeda bombings in Kenya – where she was serving as ambassador – and Tanzania.  As she provides highlights of her experiences in the Washington inter-agency community and ambassador to the republics of Kenya and Guatemala,  she will open the discussion to “smart” power as an alternative to “soft” or “hard”  power.  Her book, “Terrorism, Betrayal and Resilience: My Story the 1998 U.S. Embassy Bombings” provides further insights into the national security arena.

Ambassador Prudence Bushnell, a retired career Foreign Service Officer, served the United States government as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during the Genocide in Rwanda, and U.S. Ambassador to the Republics of Kenya and Guatemala, having survived the Al Qaeda attacks against the U.S. Embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam in 1998.