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 October 2014

In This Issue
Letter from the President
National Conference
Livestream Event
News from the National Office
AWQ 2014-2015
WACs in the News
What's Happening in the Network
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Letter from the President

Dear Friends and Supporters:

 

When I arrived at the National Office on Oct. 10 last year, one of my objectives was to increase the sharing of ideas and program content within the Council network. Output and quality get good marks; leveraging technology to do even more, even better, is key. It supports our mission and amplifies our visibility and brand. Examples:

 

Steve Sokol of WAC Pittsburgh will moderate a videoconference this Friday, Oct. 3 at 2:00 PM ET, on Europe since the Fall of the Berlin Wall (details below)

 

WACA's 10th Cover to Cover conference call on Monday, Oct. 6 at 1:00 PM ET, will feature Amb. Christopher Hill on his new book Outpost (see below)

 

Primer on Social Media - the second in our new Council-led Best Practices monthly conference calls - will be held Tuesday, Oct. 21 at 4:00 PM ET  

 

Jim Falk of WAC Dallas/Fort Worth hosted a Global I.Q. Minute podcast with Middle East expert Marc Lynch

 

I get into the act in two ways: my YouTube debut, from an interview last week at Bridgewater State University, and a televised panel on India Prime Minister Modi's visit to the U.S.

    

The National Office aims to highlight and circulate Council audio and video content - yours! - in these newsletters and on the WACA Web site. 


I also seek your best video content for possible inclusion in our 45-second video submission in support of WACA's nomination in the international category for a 2014 Diversity and Inclusion (DANDI) Award. Please send!

 

And we do things in person, too, that you won't want to miss: the America and the World 2015 Conference, Nov. 5-7. Be sure to join us - and introduce someone to world affairs by registering them, as well!


Yours,

 
Bill Clifford
President and CEO
2014 National Conference
The World Affairs Councils of America hosts its 2014 National Conference, America and the World 2015, November 5-7 at The Fairfax at Embassy Row Hotel in Washington, DC.

Held annually for over two decades, the Conference engages our national network's leaders and members drawn from the business, civic, and education communities with leading policy-makers and experts. More Information

Register Now

Reserve Hotel Room

 

Newly Confirmed Speakers





Executive Vice President, Unconventionals, Shell Upstream Americas




International Editor, Newsweek




Director, China Environment Forum, Wilson Center 

Senior Editor, Circle of Blue

 

 

 

Confirmed Embassy Receptions


 

Staying at The Fairfax at Embassy Row Hotel 
We have secured a special group rate at The Fairfax at Embassy Row on the dates November 4, 5, 6, and 7:

 

Superior King: $234 per night (Single/Double Occupancy)

 

Superior Two Doubles: $254 per night (Single/Double Occupancy)

 

Reserve Room Here

 

The Fairfax at Embassy Row is a historic Washington, DC hotel is located in the Dupont Circle area. A Washington, DC landmark, the hotel has an intriguing history that spans more than 80 years. More Information


 

Thank You to Our Generous Sponsors


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Livestream Event: WAC Pittsburgh
Join Steve Sokol, President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh and WACA National Board Member, for a livestreamed panel discussion on "Conversations on Europe: 25 Years of the Berlin Republic" on Friday, October 3, at 2:00 PM ETMore Information

 

Email adelnore@pitt.edu to register for the livestream.
 News from the National Office
October Cover to Cover
The World Affairs Councils of America's author series hosts Ambassador Christopher R. Hill on his new memoir Outpost: Life on the Frontlines of American Diplomacy. The call will take place on Monday, October 6, at 1:00 PM ET. WACA President Bill Clifford will moderate the call. 

An "inside the room" memoir from one of America's most distinguished ambassadors who served in some of the most dangerous diplomatic outposts. He takes us from one-on-one meetings with the dictator Milosevic, to Bosnia and Kosovo, to the Dayton conference, where a truce was brokered. He was the first U.S. Ambassador to Macedonia; Ambassador to col-war Poland; Ambassador to South Korea and chief disarmament negotiator in North Korea; and Hillary Clinton's hand-picked Ambassador to Iraq. Full Summary

Amb. Christopher R. Hill is Dean of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver. He writes a monthly column for the online journal Project Syndicate. He was a career diplomat, a four-time ambassador, nominated by three presidents. Hill has received many State Department awards including the Secretary of State's Distinguished Service Award and the Robert S. Frasure Award for Peace Negotiations. Full Bio

Bill Clifford on "American Power"
WACA President Bill Clifford gave a talk on Sept. 25 at Bridgewater State University in Massachusetts on "American Power and the Shifting World Order," as part of BSU's John Quincy Adams Foreign Affairs Distinguished Speaker Series. The event was reported on the BSU Web site. Dr. Michael Kryzanek, Executive Director of the Minnock Center for International Engagement at BSU, also interviewed Bill about World Affairs Councils of America's activities; see the 10-minute YouTube video of this interview.

TIMES NOW's The Newshour Debate
On Sept. 29, Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-Chief of TIMES NOW, a 24-hour English news channel based in Mumbai and broadcast in India and across several countries, taped The Newshour Debate program that featured a panel of Washington-based analysts including WACA's Bill Clifford on what to expect from Prime Minister Modi's visit with President Obama. Watch the 53-minute video here.

 

Combating Human Trafficking 

Carlson & The Carlson Family Foundation renewed funding of the World Affairs Councils of America's national program on combating human trafficking. More than 30 World Affairs Councils participated in the 2013 program, which featured screenings of the documentary film Not My Life. The 2014 program features discussion forums as well as film screenings.

Events scheduled this month include:

 

October 2 -- Institute of World Affairs (Milwaukee, WI)

 

October 7 -- Columbus Council on World Affairs

 

October 8 -- World Affairs Council of Orange County

 

October 15 -- Sarasota World Affairs Council

 

October 22 -- International Center of the Capital Region (Albany, NY)

 

October 23 and 28 -- Peoria Area World Affairs Council

 

October 24 -- World Affairs Council of Monterey Bay

 

October 27 -- Columbia World Affairs Council

 

October 29 -- Alaska World Affairs Council


Understanding Muslim Societies
Carnegie Logo
The World Affairs Councils of America, with the generous support of Carnegie Corporation of New York, continues its very successful Engage America Series Understanding Muslim Societies. The program focuses on countries in the Middle East, as well as Afghanistan/Pakistan, and those relevant rising economic powers that are competing globally with the United States, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Events this month include:

October 16 -- WorldDenver

October 30 -- World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth

 

Freedom and Power in the Digital Age

The World Affairs Councils of America continues its Engage America Speaker Series in partnership with Google. The program is two-fold: a Speaker Event featuring a Google expert speaking on Freedom and Power in the Digital Age and an Educators Seminar focusing on how teachers and students can best leverage the tools of the new digital age to further their educational missions. More Information

Events this month include:

October 14 -- World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth

Academic WorldQuest 2014-2015
The World Affairs Councils of America National Office has released the topics and study guide for the 2014-2015 Academic WorldQuest program.

2014-2015 Academic WorldQuest Topics
Russia / Eurasia; Human Trafficking; Youth, Jobs, and Social Unrest; Future of Energy; Millennium Development Goals: 2015 and Beyond; Food and Water; Asia and the New Global Economy; Great Decisions; Africa Rising; and Current Events.


National Competition
The 2015 Academic WorldQuest National Competition will take place Saturday, April 25, 2015 at the Georgetown University Hotel and Conference Center in Washington, DC.



World Affairs Councils in the News

Santa Fe Council on International Relations 


World Affairs Council of Atlanta

Building the World Affairs Council of Atlanta: Local Focus, Global Scope -- Global Atlanta

 

South Dakota World Affairs Council

Swedlund Receiving City's Human Rights Award -- Brookings Register

 

World Affairs Council of Charleston

World Affairs Council of Charleston: Bringing the World Closer -- Moultrie News

 

World Affairs Council of Northwest Ohio

Speaker Touches on American News Coverage of Middle East, Shares Views -- Bowling Green News


World Affairs Council of the Quad Cities

World Affairs Council Begins Lecture Series -- Bettendorf News

 

International Affairs Forum

International Affairs Forum to Kick Off 2014-15 Series -- Grand Traverse Insider

What's Happening in the Network 

There are over 120 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 

1200 18th St., NW, Suite 902, Washington, DC 20036

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

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