Multilingualism and the ability to understand cultures helps in solving global crises such as climate change and military conflicts, said Obama administration official Mohamed Abdel-Kader May 10, 2017 as part of the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies’ Distinguished Speakers Series. An expert in international education and philanthropy, Abdel-Kader served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE) Office at the U.S. Department of Education's (ED) Office of Postsecondary Education. The talk was co-sponsored by the Southeast Asia Program (SEAP) and South Asia Program (SAP).