No matter who is elected the next president of the United States, he will face unprecedented foreign policy challenges.

Two former national security advisers with first-hand experience in that arena and Cornell alumni who are experts in the field will talk about those challenges Oct. 25.

Former national security advisers Samuel Berger '67, who served under President Bill Clinton 1997-2001, and Stephen Hadley '69, who served under President George W. Bush 2005-09, will share their insights into the realities confronting a new president the day after election and how these realities shape the early days of an administration.

The event, "The World, the Day After ... Election 2012," will take place Thursday, Oct. 25, 8-9 p.m. in Bailey Hall on the Cornell campus as part of the Trustee Council Annual Meeting. The event is free and open to Cornell campus community.

Borrowing from the format of television's "Meet the Press," accomplished Cornellians will serve as a panel of questioners. The exchange is designed to offer a better understanding of the global challenges -- and the differences in how to engage them -- that are on the table in the election of 2012.

The event's host will be Jonathan Kirshner, professor of government and director of Cornell's Judith Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies. The panelists will be Kathay Feng '91, executive director of California Common Cause, a nonprofit, nonpartisan citizens' lobby organization, and Gustavo Arnavat '84, U.S. executive director of Inter-American Development Bank, a primary source of multilateral financing in Latin America.

Berger is chair of Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategy firm led by Berger, Madeleine Albright and Warren Rudman. As national security adviser, he drove policy on the fight against terrorism, Iraq, advancing the peace process in the Middle East, and building relations with India and China, among others.

Hadley is principal of RiceHadleyGates LLC, an international strategic consulting firm based in Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C. In his role as national security adviser, he was responsible for issues including a U.S.-Russia political dialogue, the Israeli disengagement from Gaza and developing a strategic relationship with India.