International diplomat to join SIS faculty for fall 2014

The School of International Studies (SIS) welcomes Ambassador Arsene M. Balihuta as a visiting diplomat to University of the Pacific for the fall 2014 semester.

Balihuta was Uganda's ambassador to Switzerland and the World Trade Organization (WTO) and currently is senior advisor on public private partnerships to the president of the Republic of Uganda. Amb. Balihuta received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Notre Dame and, prior to his diplomatic career, was associate professor of economics at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda.

While at Pacific, he will lead the seminar "Trade, Diplomacy and International Negotiations," where students will learn about diplomatic cooperation, conflict, accomplishment, and frustration from the perspective of a seasoned negotiator from a less-developed country.

His research has been on economics of education, poverty, and general development issues, and he has also written on the capacity in urban local governments in Uganda, including several articles co-authored with William Herrin, director of the School of International Studies, and Michelle Amaral, associate professor of economics. As a consultant for a number of international organizations and government agencies, he has analyzed poverty and income distribution and studied the impact of trade on the environment. He is also the author of the book "The Song of Silence" published in 2012. 

Amb. Balihuta will be the featured speaker at the SIS Distinguished Scholar Lecture and its Tuesday World Forum.  Details of these events will be forthcoming. 

He is also available for guest lectures and to meet with interested faculty and students. He can be reached at his office is in George Wilson Hall, room 103; at 209.932.2897; or abalihuta@pacific.edu.