Students Talk Security | Anticipate, Prevent, Respond

Notre Dame International Security Center

Title: Anticipate, Prevent, Respond: Conflict Stabilization and U.S. Foreign Policy in Africa Hosted by Katherine McLaughlin Summary: With 54 voting UN members, economies ripe for investment and development, and the emergence of foreign influence in the continent, Africa’s future is of strategic importance to U.S. foreign policy. In this episode of “Students Talk Security,” Kate McLaughlin sits down with Foreign Affairs Officer Libby Strait to discuss the priorities and challenges facing the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, with a particular focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. Biography: Libby Strait has served as a Foreign Affairs Officer at the U.S. Department of State since 2011. She currently works in the Bureau of Conflict & Stabilization Operations (CSO), where she leads the bureau’s efforts to prevent and mitigate violent conflict in West Africa. She has previously served as Acting Deputy Director for the bureau’s Africa Office and as Team Lead for East Africa. During her tenure with the Department, Libby has deployed to U.S. Missions in Nigeria, Kenya, and Mozambique, serving as an advisor to U.S. Ambassadors, country teams, and partners on conflict-related foreign policy challenges. She has also served at U.S. Africa Command and in the State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs. Prior to joining the State Department, Libby worked in international development and as a writer and editor for the Minnesota State House of Representatives. Libby is a proud Minnesotan, earned a BA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MA in International Affairs and Conflict Resolution from the George Washington University.