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Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) and the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC) are pleased to host Ambassador, Mayor, Congressman and White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel for a Fireside Chat with Ambassador Mike McFaul, with welcome remarks by Kiyo Tsutsui, Director of APARC and Q & A to follow. Ambassador Emanuel, most recently the Ambassador of the United States to Japan, is famous for straight talk, relentless drive, and game changing results. He will share his unvarnished thoughts on America’s relationships with Japan and other key allies and, more broadly, what it means to lead and the leadership we need at home and abroad at this moment in history. Ambassador Emanuel is a brilliant strategist and an engaging speaker who will hold us accountable. Get ready for a fast-paced and wide-ranging discussion including important insights from one of our generation’s brightest minds and greatest leaders.

Speaker

Rahm Emanuel has devoted his life to public service, with a remarkable number of impactful leadership positions across government.  Appointed the 31st United States Ambassador to Japan by President Joe Biden, he most recently served in Tokyo from 2021 – 2025 during a period of expanding Chinese aggression and massive investment in our Asia Pacific Alliances.  As Mayor of the City of Chicago from 2011-2019, he invested in education, providing universal public pre-kindergarten and full-day kindergarten for every Chicago child, and free community college.  Chicago led the U.S. in corporate relocations and foreign direct investment for seven consecutive years during his administration and he prioritized investment in infrastructure, public transportation, open space, and cultural attractions.

From 2008-2010, Ambassador Emanuel was President Barack Obama’s Chief of Staff and top advisor, helping secure the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act, and the landmark Affordable Care Act.  Emanuel was elected four times as a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois’s 5th Congressional District (2002-2008). As Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, Emanuel helped pass legislation to raise the minimum wage and authored the Great Lakes Restoration Act.  From 1993 to 1998, Ambassador Emanuel rose to serve as Senior Advisor to the President for Policy and Politics in the Clinton Aministration, spearheading efforts to pass the President’s signature achievements, including the Federal Assault Weapons Ban, the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act, and the historic Balanced Budget Act, which created the Children’s Health Insurance Program expanding health care coverage to 10 million children.

Moderator

Michael McFaul is the Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Professor of International Studies in Political Science, Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and the Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, all at Stanford University. He joined the Stanford faculty in 1995 and has served as FSI Director from 2015 to 2025. He is also an international affairs analyst for NBC News.

McFaul served for five years in the Obama administration, first as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs at the National Security Council at the White House (2009-2012), and then as U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation (2012-2014). He was also the Distinguished Mingde Faculty Fellow at the Stanford Center at Peking University in the summer of 2015.

Media Advisory

All media representatives interested in covering the event or accessing the event site should contact aparc-communications@stanford.edu by 5 p.m. PT on Friday, January 23, and include with their request a copy of a valid press credential from an established news organization. Freelance reporters should email a copy of a signed letter from the news organization for which they are working.

Terms and Conditions of Attendance

• Registration is non-transferable.
• Late arrivals will not be permitted into the auditorium. Please plan accordingly.
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