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2015 WACA National Conference
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Leading America: Foreign Policy
Challenges and the 2016 Election
Held annually for over two decades, the WACA National Conference engages our Council leaders and members drawn from the business, civic, and education communities with leading policy-makers and experts.
Leading America: Foreign Policy Challenges and the 2016 Election
will provide original and essential insights. Keynote speakers and relevant panel discussion - on the Middle East, great power rivals Russia and China, the global economy, energy, and transnational challenges from cyber to migration - will frame the foreign policy agenda for candidates. Council programs in 2016 will be enriched by the policy conversations and networking that take place here.
Conference Registration
Save $30 - $100 by taking advantage of
early-bird rates through September 11.
Check out our new
registration page! There, you can also find information about booking our special hotel group rates at the Fairfax at Embassy Row (hotel details are also provided below).
A new feature of this year's conference will be the opportunity to select and visit Washington, DC think tanks such as Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Peterson Institute for International Economics. For the full list of speakers, visit our registration page.
New Speakers Added
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Jeffrey E. Garten
Dean Emeritus, Yale School of Management. Dean Garten will give the GREAT DECISIONS Keynote on Globalization
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Visiting Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics
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Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute for International Economics
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For a list of confirmed speakers, click here.
Staying at The Fairfax
We have secured a special group rate at The Fairfax at Embassy Row.
- Superior King: $249/night (Single/Double occupancy)
- Superior Two Doubles: $269/night (Single/Double Occupancy)
The Fairfax at Embassy Row is conveniently located in the Dupont Circle area. A Washington, DC landmark, The Fairfax's intriguing history spans more than 80 years.
Sponsors:
To sponsor the 2015 WACA Conference, please contact Bill Clifford at 202-833-4557
for a complete list of benefits.
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| Hot Topics Call on the Iran Nuclear Deal |
The Iran Nuclear Deal:
Separating Fact From Fiction
Featuring: Reza Marashi, Research Director
at the National Iranian American Council
Moderated by: Ambassador Mark Johnson
Monday, August 31, at 2:30 PM ET
Reza Marashi
is the first Research Director at the National Iranian American Council. He has worked in the Office of Iranian Affairs at the U.S. Department of State and the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS). Marashi is frequently consulted by Western governments on Iran-related matters. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, among other publications.
Full Bio
Ambassador Mark Johnson
was a career foreign service officer, serving as Ambassador to Senegal, Deputy Inspector General of the State Department, Deputy Chief of Mission in Kuwait in 1991, and as Deputy Chief of Mission in Cairo, Egypt. He was the first American diplomat to return to the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait City after it was liberated in the Desert Storm campaign. He also was involved with the Middle East peace process and the Iranian hostage crisis. Mark is a former Vice Chair of the WACA National Board, and he founded the Montana World Affairs Council. He is a Mansfield Adjunct Professor at the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center at the University of Montana.
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| Apply to Host: 9th Annual CHINA Town Hall |
The National Committee on U.S.-China Relations
will hold its ninth annual
CHINA Town Hall,
a national day of China-related programming,
on Monday
evening, October 5. Several World Affairs Councils have hosted CHINA Town Hall events over the years that have raised their audiences' understanding of U.S.-China bilateral relations as well as the effect of China's rise on their own communities.
There are two components to the program. The first is a national webcast. This October, a panel discussion focusing on the recent growth of Chinese foreign direct investment in the United States will feature: Former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, Mayor Sheldon Day (Thomasville, Alabama), and Mr. Daniel Rosen, founding partner of Rhodium Group. They will discuss the impact of Chinese FDI, including job creation, revitalization of economically depressed areas, infrastructure improvement, and the deepening of ties between the U.S. and China.
In the second component, local partners including World Affairs Councils and the National Committee will work to identify a visiting speaker who would address a topic of interest to their audiences; the National Committee would be responsible for recruiting that person and covering his/her costs.
All proposals must be submitted by Friday, September 4. To fill out a venue proposal form
, please
click here.
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Diplomacy Begins Here: Upcoming Summits
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 Global Ties U.S. and our common member Councils, in partnership with the State Dept., are hosting a series of summits across the U.S. that will bring together local, national, and international leaders from the business, government, and nonprofit world.
Upcoming Summits
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| RESCHEDULED: September Cover to Cover |
Desert Diplomat discusses Jordan's political relationships and historic decisions in both Saudi Arabia and Washington between 2001-2003. While providing a candid and thoughtful assessment of the sometimes distressing dysfunction in the conduct of American foreign policy, warfare, and intelligence gathering, Jordan also offers important insights into the many changes occurring in this critical region, particularly Saudi Arabia.
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Jim Falk Named Outstanding Fundraising Executive
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Jim Falk, President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth and a member of the WACA National Board, has been named by the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Dallas Chapter, as
Outstanding Fundraising Executive
. He will be recognized on National Philanthropy Day, November 13, for exceptional contributions to his community. Hearty congratulations to our colleague, Jim, for such a well-deserved honor.
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Weekly Highlights
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Monday, August 24
The World Affairs Council of Western Colorado hosts "Panel Discussion on Nepal Relief Efforts."
Details
The Tennessee World Affairs Council hosts "Global Terror Threats: Not Just Over There Anymore."
Details
Tuesday, August 25
WorldDenver hosts "The United States and the Asia-Pacific: Opportunities and Challenges from a Singapore Perspective."
Details
Friday, August 28
The Colorado Springs World Affairs Council hosts "2015 Pikes Peak WorldQuest."
Details
The Santa Fe International Relations Center hosts "'Nyet Means Nyet' - A Redline on Ukraine."
Details
The World Affairs Council of Oregon hosts "Social Impact Fair: Pan-Africa Young Leaders."
Details
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Travel the World from WAC Philadelphia
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 Just Announced:
Council Leaders to Lecture on Travel the World tours from the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia!
Mimi Gregory, Vice President, Naples Council on World Affairs, Grand Danube: August 8-23, 2015.
Kay Maxwell, Executive Director, World Affairs Forum Stamford,
Vietnam and Cambodia: October 12-27, 2015.
Dr. Carla Thorson, Senior Vice President of Programs, World Affairs Council of Northern California, Cuba: December 6-14, 2015.
Ambassador Mark Johnson, Board, Montana World Affairs Council, The Mediterranean Through the Centuries: October 14-25. 2015. Dr. Jerry W. Leach, Former President, World Affairs Councils of America, Turquoise Coast Cruise, October 27-November 4, 2015. Contact www.wacphila.org/travel or call 1-800-942-5004 x209 or x217.
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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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