MONTEREY >> Former Secretary of State and Democratic Presidential nominee John Kerry will be among a group of experts to discuss “Russia, China, the Middle East, the Panama Canal — What Will Be the Foreign Policy Legacy of the Trump Era?” in the latest edition of the Panetta Lecture Series on May 19.

The panel will once again be lead by former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and will include former Ambassador to China Nick Burns, former National Security Advisor Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster and former White House and Department of Defense spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby. Each panelist is a foreign policy expert, Panetta says, who understands “the diplomatic and military complexities of our dangerous world.”

“In less than two months in office, President Trump has turned U.S. foreign policy embraced by both Democratic and Republican presidents since World War II on its head,” said Panetta in a press release. “He has fractured the United States’ relationship with Europe, called into question Washington’s commitment to NATO, blamed Ukraine for Russia’s aggression, withdrawn from key United Nations institutions, initiated a global tariff war, interrupted the global delivery of American aid and humanitarian assistance, and threatened to take control of Canada, Panama, Greenland and Gaza.”

Panetta plans to discuss whether those actions “undermine America’s strength in the world or do they support a new and different economic, military and technological international presence? Does a strong-man American foreign policy actually strengthen or weaken our security?” McMaster served as National Security Advisor under Trump starting in February 2017 after the resignation of Michael Flynn. McMaster resigned in April 2018. Burns was the ambassador to China during the Biden Administration. Kirby also served in the Biden Administration, as White House national security communications advisor. Kerry served as secretary of state during the Obama Administration, succeeding Hillary Clinton in 2012. Kerry also was the Democratic nominee for president, losing to George W. Bush in 2004.

The 28th annual season’s overarching theme is “What Will Be the Legacy of the Trump Era?” The event, the third of the season’s series, will be held at the Monterey Conference Center at 7 p.m. on May 19. Individual tickets to the May 19 lecture sell for $100. To order call the Panetta Institute at (831) 582-4200 to pay with a credit card.

For additional information on tickets, subscriptions or broadcast details, please call the Panetta Institute or visit www.panettainstitute.org.