June 2015
Letter from the President
Rational Middle Energy Series
June 'Cover to Cover'
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WAC Pittsburgh President Search
Spotlight on Turkey
Taiwan Leadership Mission
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Letter from the President

Dear Council Leaders, Friends, and Supporters:


On behalf of Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky, Chair, and the National Board of Directors, I am pleased to congratulate the following individuals on their election to the WACA Board for three-year terms commencing July 1:

 

New Supporting MembersMs. Jennifer Ganten, Manager, International Government Affairs, Chevron (Washington, DC); Ms. Forough Hosseini, SVP, ICI Homes Inc. (Daytona Beach, FL); New Council Members Ms. Karen S. de Bartolom?, Founding Executive Director, WorldDenver (CO); Ms. Amy Holland, Executive Director, World Affairs Council of Maine (Portland, ME); Mr. Craig Snyder, President and CEO, World Affairs Council of Philadelphia (PA); Ms. Xiao Yin Zhao, Executive Director, World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana (Louisville, KY)Incumbent Supporting Members: Mr. Sam Johnson, Chairman and CEO, Johnson Sterling, Inc. (Birmingham, AL); Incumbent Council MembersMr. Noel Lateef, President and CEO, Foreign Policy Association (New York, NY); Mr. Don Samford, Board Member, Peoria Area World Affairs Council (IL).

 

The WACA Board will hold its semi-annual meeting in Washington, DC on June 5-6. I will report to you on the outcome of that meeting in an e-mail next week. Also, thanks to the excellent work of the Board's Search Task Force, we expect to announce the next WACA Board Chair shortly.

 

Welcome again to the new Board members, and thanks to all who are engaging the public daily, making our communities more inclusive, and helping to inform decisions that will make the world a better place.


Sincerely,

 
Bill Clifford
President and CEO

The Rational Middle Energy Series
The World Affairs Councils of America is pleased to kick off its newest national program series in partnership with  The Rational Middle Energy Series . With nearly 2 million views and counting, the 22-episode documentary film series has sparked a movement based on productive conversation around the current energy challenge and what it will take to achieve a cleaner energy future.

Upcoming events include:



June Cover to Cover 
WACA's Cover to Cover Author Series features historian  Walter Laqueur on his new book, Putinism: Russia and Its Future with the West . The call will be held  Thursday, June 18, at 2:00 PM ET .


For two decades, Walter Laqueur has been ahead of the curve, predicting events in post-Soviet Russia with uncanny accuracy. In Putinism, he deftly demonstrates how three long-standing pillars of Russian ideology--a strong belief in the Orthodox Church, a sense of Eurasian "manifest destiny," and a fear of foreign enemies--continue to exert a powerful influence on the Russian populace.  Laqueur explains how America's tendency to see Russia as a Cold War relic is dangerous and premature. As the situation in Ukraine has already demonstrated, Russia can and will challenge the West and it is in the West's best interest to figure out exactly who it is we are facing--and what they want--before it is too late.

Walter Laqueur directed the Institute of Contemporary History in London for 30 years. Concurrently, he served as chairman of the International Research Council of CSIS in Washington, DC. He was also a professor at Georgetown University and has authored more than 25 books, including After the Fall and The Last Days of Europe.

Save the Date : Our July Cover to Cover will feature Nina Ansary , journalist and author of Jewels of Allah: The Untold Story of Women in Iran . The call will take place on Tuesday, July 14, at 2:00 PM ET .

Subscribe to PRISM, Attend Reception in DC
The Center for Complex Operations at the National Defense University is pleased to offer a free subscription of their quarterly journal, PRISM, to World Affairs Councils and their members. PRISM is a security studies journal chartered by the Department of Defense to inform policymakers, allies, and academics on complex and integrated national security operations; reconstruction and state-building; and developments in training and education. Each journal features academic and policy-driven articles, book reviews, commentaries, and lessons from the field. Recent contributors include former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman, former U.S. Army General and CIA Director David Petraeus, former DIA Director Michael T. Flynn, and former U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan James F. Dobbins.



For those in the Washington, DC area, the National Defense University's Center for Complex Operations cordially invites you to attend a  PRISM Authors and Friends Reception featuring remarks from Senator Tim Kaine on  Tuesday, June 2, from 6:00-8:00 PM. Please click here for full details.

WAC Pittsburgh President & CEO Posting
The World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh seeks a new President and CEO who has passion for the mission, a desire to operate the Council like an entrepreneurial, creative and value adding business, and with a tempo that captures the energy of the issues which the Council brings to the community. Partnerships need to be built and monetized; the revenue base needs to expand and diversify; and, the Council needs to be positioned with a compelling value proposition that resonates with multiple audiences and contributes meaningfully to the community. Click here for the full posting.  Contact:  worldaffairscouncil@divsearch.com .

Spotlight on Turkey Teacher Study Tours
At the end of June, the first group of teachers selected from World Affairs Councils across the country participating in this year's Spotlight on Turkey program will depart for Turkey for a two-week study tour. The trip is part of Phase II of the full calendar year program focused on giving an overview of Turkey's rich culture. It consists of a spring Teacher Workshop, a Teacher Study Tour in the summer, and public cultural programs in the fall. 

World Affairs Councils represented in the first group include:

Pacific and Asian Affairs Council
Santa Fe Council on International Relations
World Affairs Council of Houston
World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana
World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh
World Affairs Council - Washington, DC

Taiwan Leadership Mission
The World Affairs Councils of America is proud to announce the Leadership Delegation to Taiwan sponsored by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office. The Leadership Mission will take place  June 13-21, 2015 . The delegation includes:

Mr. Bill Clifford - Head of Delegation
President & CEO, World Affairs Councils of America

James Allen
Chair, Colorado Springs World Affairs Council

Chad Bettes
Director & Past President, International Relations Council of Kansas City

Shelby Kardas
Vice President, Administration & Development, World Affairs Council of Oregon

Farah Killidar
CEO, World Affairs Council of Houston

Kimberly McLaughlin
Assistant Treasurer, World Affairs Council of Maine

Roger Naik
CEO, Hawaii Pharma
Member, World Affairs Council of Atlanta

Judy Rubinstein
Board Member, Naples Council on World Affairs

Alida Skold
Board Member, World Affairs Council of Seattle

Alaska WAC hosts King Harald V of Norway
The Alaska World Affairs Council recently hosted His Majesty King Harald V of Norway as part of a two-day state visit for an event on the arctic circle and the growing importance of the region.

H.M. King Harald V address the
Alaska World Affairs Council




World Affairs Councils in the News

World Affairs Council of San Antonio

Ambassador Paula Dobriansky on 'Putinism' And Russia's Relationship with the West -- Texas Public Radio

 

World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth

In Crowded Field, Perry Turns to National Security, Foreign Policy -- Houston Chronicle

   
World Affairs Council of Charlotte

Minnesota International Center

North American Borderplex Council

What's Happening in the Network
There are over   60   World Affairs Council events  scheduled this month across the country. Sign up for the  WACA Weekly Digest     to receive updates from around the network that include programs you can attend, participate in virtually, get ideas about speakers, or model format. Also be sure to check out   travel programs offered by World Affairs Councils    on    our homepage   . We encourage you to follow-up with the sponsoring council for more information. If we missed something or if you have a program that you would like highlighted on our website or in the WACA Weekly, please contact Ian J. Byrne at  ibyrne@worldaffairscouncils.org .  

The World Affairs Councils of America 

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Phone (202) 833-4557  Fax (202) 833-4555

Email waca@worldaffairscouncils.org Website www.worldaffairscouncils.org