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| President's Letter |
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Dear Friends and Colleagues,
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George C. Marshall
Harvard University
June 5, 1947 |
"I need not tell you the world situation is very serious....[O]ne difficulty is that the problem is one of such enormous complexity that the very mass of facts presented to the public by press and radio make it exceedingly difficult for the man in the street to reach a clear appraisement of the situation."
So began then-Secretary of State George Marshall's commencement address at Harvard 70 years ago on this day. He called for a program of assistance to alleviate acute suffering and prevent political deterioration in war-torn Europe:
"It is logical that the United States should do whatever it is able to do to
assist in the return of normal economic health in the world, without which there can be no political stability and no assured peace." Although controversial at the time, Congress approved $13.3
billi
on
($150 bn in today's dollars) in aid to 16 European countries between 1948 and 1951. The appropriation for 1949 alone totaled about 12% of the U.S. federal budget.
Several distinguished current and former officials
gathered today in Leesburg, VA to assess the Marshall Plan's legacy and the state of transatlantic relations after President Trump concluded, in Europe, his first overseas trip. America's closest NATO allies are not feeling reassured about U.S. commitments to upholding global order and institutions. The administration's "
Pittsburgh, not Paris" rationale for quitting the 2015 climate agreement adopted by 196 nations deepened the rift.
I look forward to hearing the thoughts of luminaries such as Secretary George P. Schultz, who will be honored by our Council of the Month (more below), in San Francisco at the World Affairs Awards Dinner and 70th
Anniversary Celebration. And then it's on to WAC Pittsburgh for our Council Leadership and National Board meetings.
No doubt both visits will prompt reflection of the diplomatic achievements of Marshall, who in closing his speech said: "It is of vast importance that our people reach some general understanding of what the [international] complications really are, rather than react from a passion or a prejudice or an emotion of the moment."
The role World Affairs Councils play in our communities is ever vital.
Yours,
Bill Clifford,
President and CEO
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Cover to Cover Author Series
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Souad Mekhennet is a correspondent for The Washington Post national security desk and is a visiting fellow at Harvard, Johns Hopkins SAIS, and the Geneva Center for Security Policy
. (
Full bio
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)
July's Cover to Cover will feature Lisa Palmer on her new book, Hot, Hungry Planet on Tuesday, July 18, at 2:00-2:30 PM ET. Palmer is a freelance journalist in the environment and energy sector. Her work can be found in The Guardian, Slate Magazine, Scientific American, and other news and academic publications. (Full bio.)
Coming up on Cover to Cover
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KNOW NOW Conference Call Series:
USIP President to Speak on World Refugee Day 2017
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USIP President
Nancy Lindborg
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The global humanitarian system is stretched to its limits. The world is challenged by the greatest flood of refugees since World War II. In Syria alone, the United Nations estimates that over 11 million people are displaced, with 4.8 million having fled the country as refugees. At the same time, the international community faces the specter of four concurrent famines in the fragile states of Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen.
As we mark World Refugee Day, there is a clear imperative to get ahead of these crises by understanding what drives instability and violent conflicts around the world, and the approaches that can prevent and resolve them.
Join the president of the United States Institute of Peace, Nancy Lindborg, for a conversation with Bill Clifford, WACA President and CEO, about the tools the U.S. needs to address the causes and consequences of the global refugee crisis, and why this matters.
Tuesday, June 20, at 2:00 - 2:30 PM ET
KNOW NOW conference calls feature global thought leaders hosted by WACA, as well as local authorities in government, business, academia and cultural fields who are identified and moderated by local Councils.
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America's Diplomats WACA Program Series
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The America's Diplomats film screening and discussion program series, sponsored by the American Academy of Diplomacy, continues this month. Several local WACA councils have hosted this program so far, bringing diplomacy to the doorstep of American communities. America's Diplomats will run through the end of this month.
Upcoming program dates:
June 15: Peoria WAC with Ambassador Ronald E. Neumann
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Council of the Month: World Affairs (Northern CA)
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The WACA National Office is proud to recognize
World Affairs (formerly known as the World Affairs Council of Northern California)
as Council of the Month for the celebration of its 70th anniversary this June
. For the past seven decades, this Council has been converging thought leaders, change makers and engaged citizens to share ideas and engage in conversations that matter
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The
Conversation Starters video series, launched in honor of the World Affairs' milestone year, features thought leaders such as
Nicholas Kristof, Anne-Marie Slaughter, and Reid Hoffman in examining the history and future of hot-button issues including the future of democracy, of work,and of global poverty. where were we 70 years ago and where do we hope to be in another 30 years?
This landmark year will be commemorated at the
World Affairs Awards Dinner and 70th Anniversary Celebration this Wednesday, June 7 at the Fairmont San Francisco. The Celebration will highlight key pivot points in our nation's history and the leaders who made those moments possible, including General William Draper Jr., Hon. George P.Schultz, Dr. Kathryn D. Sullivan, and Dr. Bob Metcalf.
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WACA Leadership and Board Meetings: June 8-10
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WACA is
pleased that the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh will host the Spring Leadership Meeting for Councils on June 8-9, one day before the WACA National Board's Summer Meeting on June 10.
Keynote speakers include Douglas H. Paal, VP for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and
Dr. Chris Howard, President of Robert Morris University.
A fundraising leadership session will be led by
Spencer Abruzzese
,
Founder of Transformative Development.
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Director of Development Job Announcement
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The Director is responsible for planning, organizing
, and implementing all of the World Affairs Councils of America's fundraising, including: major gifts; flagship programs and special events; planned giving; and capital campaigns. The ideal candidate will have a solid record of fundraising and development success. S/he will be a strategic and results-oriented leader who will articulate and implement a plan to advance WACA by expanding and diversifying its funding sources and relationships. The Director works closely with the President & CEO and the WACA National Board of Directors in all development and fundraising endeavors.
Full job posting available here. Please circulate within your network.
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Global I.Q. Minute with Jim Falk
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World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth's
Global I.Q. Minute featured
Garrett Graff, author of Raven Rock: The Story of the U.S. Government's Secret Plan to Save Itself. I
n this episode with Jim Falk, the journalist/author Garrett Graff explains U.S.' plans to protect itself in times if crises through american history through the idea of "continuity of government".
Listen to the
podcast
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World Affairs Councils in the News
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World Affairs Council of Connecticut
World Affairs Council of Philadelphia
Foreign Policy Association
World Affairs Council of Western Michigan
Juneau World Affairs Council
WorldDenver
World Affairs Council of Atlanta
World Affairs Council of Greater Reading
World Affairs Council - DC
Windham World Affairs Council
World Affairs Council of Charleston
World Affairs Council of Saint Louis
Cleveland Council on World Affairs
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Travel the World from WAC Philadelphia
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 Travel with Council Leaders - hear them lecture on Travel the World tours from the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia!
2017 travel schedule includes trips to:
- Dr. Carla Thorson, Senior VP of Programs, WAC of Northern California, Circumnavigation of Iceland: Aug. 1 - 9
- Kay Maxwell, Executive Director, World Affairs Forum (Stamford), Silk Road Odyssey: Oct. 3 - 19
- Derrick Olsen, President, WAC of Oregon, Trade Routes of Coastal Iberia: Oct. 9 -17
- Ambassador Mark Johnson, Founder, WAC of Montana, Mystique of the Orient: Oct. 17 - 29
- Dr. Jerry Leach, fmr. President, World Affairs Councils of America, Inside Morocco: Oct. 20 - Nov. 2
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| The World Affairs Councils of America 1200 18th St., NW, Suite 902, Washington, DC 20036 Phone (202) 833-4557 Fax (202) 833-4555 Email [email protected] Website www.worldaffairscouncils.org |
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