Watson Events

Mark Asquino -- The Future of Africa's Largest Country: Sudan's 2011 Referendum on Southern Self-Determination

"The Future of Africa’s Largest Country: Sudan’s 2011 Referendum on Southern Self-Determination," with Mark Asquino, Senior Public Diplomacy Fellow, George Washington University.

From 1975-1976, Mark Asquino was the Fulbright Lecturer in American Studies at the University of Oviedo in Spain. In addition to teaching at Brown University as a graduate assistant, Mark was also a lecturer at the University of Rhode Island prior to entering the Foreign Service.

Mr. Asquino began his Foreign Service career with the U.S. Information Agency in 1978. His overseas assignments include Public Affairs Junior Officer Trainee at U.S. Embassy Caracas and Assistant Press Officer, U.S. Embassy Panama City. From 1982-1986, he served at U.S. Embassy Madrid, where he was Director of the U.S. Cultural Center and Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer. Mr. Asquino was assigned to U.S. Embassy Bucharest as Cultural Affairs Officer (1991-1994), and from 1994-1998 was the Information Officer at U.S. Embassy Santiago.

After completing Russian language training, Asquino served as Public Affairs Officer at U.S. Embassy Tashkent from 1999-2002. In the wake of the September 11 attacks, Uzbekistan became a front-line state that the U.S relied upon for assistance to Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan. Mr. Asquino conducted regular briefings and assisted the hundreds of American and international journalists who came to Tashkent to cover OEF.

From 2003-2006, Mr. Asquino was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Almaty, Kazakhstan where he directed the Mission's move to the new capital of Astana. Following this assignment, he returned to Washington to serve as Principal Deputy Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization (S/CRS) at the U.S. Department of State. S/CRS has the mandate to lead, coordinate, and institutionalize U.S. government efforts to prevent conflict and to help stabilize and reconstruct countries in transition from conflict situations.

Before coming to George Washington as the Senior Public Diplomacy Fellow, Mr. Asquino was the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan. In this position, he oversaw day-to-day operations of a Mission with 125 American and 700 Sudanese employees, including those at Consulate General Juba in Southern Sudan.

Location: McKinney Conference Room, Watson Institute, 111 Thayer Street.