A conversation about geopolitics, American power, and public service with Ben Rhodes, a former national security and diplomacy advisor to President Barack Obama and host of the Pod Save the World podcast. How much should the general public know or understand about global affairs and foreign policy? How do the US government’s actions on the world stage correspond to the public interest? How do people who work on those policies respond when their understanding of the public interest differs from the majority of public opinion?

Ben Rhodes is a writer, political commentator, and national security analyst. He is the author of After the Fall: The Rise of Authoritarianism in the World We've Made and The World As It Is: A Memoir of the Obama White House. From 2009–17, he served as a speechwriter and Deputy National Security Advisor to President Obama.

This event will take place in-person at the Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St., in Portland. Doors will open at 6:00 p.m, and the event will begin at 7:00 p.m. The event will end at 8:30 p.m.

This event is part of The People and the Public, our 2024–25 Consider This series.

Tickets

Tickets are available for $15 (General Admission) and $30 (Conversation Starter). Tickets are available for purchase from the Alberta Rose Theatre.

To ensure that everyone who wants to attend is able to, we make a portion of tickets free. To request a no-cost ticket, please use this form.

If you’re able to pay for a ticket, we ask that you do so to help keep this program accessible to all. When you buy a Conversation Starter ticket, you help keep ticket prices low for everyone. Oregon Humanities uses income from Consider This ticket sales to pay for venue rental and honoraria for our guests.

Other ways to participate

Can't make it in person? Tune in from anywhere! The conversation will be broadcast live, for free, on our YouTube channel.

About the venue

Mobility access: The Alberta Rose Theatre is a wheelchair-accessible venue. Anyone who uses a wheelchair or other mobility device can reserve an accessible seat at the venue by emailing house@albertarosetheatre.com in advance of the event. Accessible bathrooms are to the right of the theater entrance. 

Parking: Free parking is available in the neighborhood around the theater. Parking spaces often fill up quickly. There is one disabled person parking space less than one block away on NE 30th Ave., in front of Emmanuel Church of God in Christ United, but the space does not have a curb cut or ramp. The closest disabled person parking space with curb cuts is four blocks west, at the southwest corner of Northeast 26th Avenue and Northeast Alberta Street. A map of disabled person parking spaces is available from the Portland Bureau of Transportation.

Public transit: The TriMet Line 72 bus stops in front of the theater. Lines 70 and 17 have stops within four blocks of the venue.

Food and drink: Beverages and limited food are available for purchase and may be consumed anywhere in the theater during the event. Outside food and beverages are not permitted.

Lighting: The venue has appropriate overhead lighting before and after the conversation. During the conversation, lights are dimmed with staged lighting facing the stage. Lights in the lobby/bar remain on during the program. The auditorium does not have floor lighting in the aisles.

Sound: There will be music at a moderate volume before and after the event.

Read more about the Alberta Rose Theatre.

If you need accommodations to participate in this event, please email programs@oregonhumanities.org by Thursday, November 7.

Thanks to our sponsors

This series is made possible by funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Oregon Cultural Trust, and The Standard.