The inaugural North American Distinguished Visiting Lecturer is Dr Richard Haass (Politics, 1973). A veteran diplomat and respected scholar of international relations, Dr Haass is president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations after having served as its president for twenty years. He is also senior counselor with Centerview Partners, an international investment banking advisory firm. In 2013, he chaired the multiparty negotiations in Northern Ireland that provided the foundation for the 2014 Stormont House Agreement. For his efforts to promote peace and conflict resolution, he received the 2013 Tipperary International Peace Award.

Dr Haass is the author or editor of fourteen books on American foreign policy, one book on management, and one on American democracy. His latest book, The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens (Penguin Press 2023) became a New York Times best seller. He is also the author of a weekly newsletter, Home & Away, published on Substack.