The  World Affairs Councils of America 2018 National Conference will be held November 7-9 at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, DC. 

We have secured a special group rate for 1 Deluxe Room:  $259 per night (Single/Double Occupancy) plus tax.

Click here to reserve your room!

Join our  Cover to Cover conference call with Jeffrey Lilley on  Wednesday, August 8, at 2:00-2:30 pm ET.

After surviving the blitzkrieg of World War II and escaping from three Nazi prison camps, Soviet soldier Azamat Altay fled to the West and was charged as a traitor in his homeland of Kyrgyzstan in Soviet Central Asia. Chingiz Aitmatov became a hero of Kyrgyzstan, propelled by family loss to write novels about the everyday lives of his fellow citizens. Altay became the voice of democracy on Radio Liberty, broadcasting back into his shuttered homeland, while Aitmatov rose through the ranks of Soviet society, a quiet rebel whose prose masked ugly truths about Soviet communism. Yet just as they seemed to be pulled apart by the divisions of the Cold War, they found their lives intersecting in compelling ways, joined by a common mission to save their people. 

In his new book,  Have the Mountains Fallen?: Two Journeys of Loss and Redemption in the Cold War ,  Jeffrey Lilley  traces the lives of these two men as they confronted the full threat and legacy of the Soviet empire. Through narratives of loss, love, and longing for a homeland forever changed, a clearer picture emerges of the struggle for freedom inside the Soviet Union during the Cold War .

Did you miss WACA's July  Cover to Cover with Dambisa Moyo on her new book,  Edge of Chaos: Why Democracy is Failing to Deliver Economic Growth - and How to Fix It? Listen to the podcast here!

The World Affairs Co un cil of Albuquerque holds its Engage America: Oman program, co-sponsored by WACA and its grant funder Sultan Qaboos Culture Center , on August 15-16.

Dr. Linda Pappas Funsch, a career specialist in Islamic history and modern Middle Eastern studies, will discuss Oman's unique world view and international relations, which reflect the country's interaction over many centuries with diverse cultures. Its unbroken alliance with the United States, dating from 1790, is unparalleled among countries of the Middle East. Funsch is the author of Oman Reborn: Balancing Tradition and Modernization (Palgrave Mamillan, 2015).

WACABQ's program is the latest in the WACA Engage America: Oman 2018 Series. Previously, WAC Harrisburg and WAC San Antoni o have featured experts recommended by the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center.

Join the World Affairs Council of Houston in Washington, DC this November for an exclusive tour of our nation's capital.The trip

includes exclusive access to museums, conversations with government officials, and opportunities to connect with other global citizens at WACA's 2018 National Conference.

Global Minnesota, under the leadership of Carol Byrne, has created groundbreaking programs on important international topics, engaging tens of thousands in Minnesota to know more about the world. The organization has financially grown by more than 300 percent and has experienced transformational change with Byrne at the helm. She gives credit for the early growth of Global Minnesota under her leadership in the late 1990s to others in the WACA network who served as mentors, including former WACA head Jerry Leach.

“I am privileged to have served as a steward of the worthy mission of this amazing organization that makes such a positive difference in our community and world,” Byrne said.

The Global Minnesota Board of Directors has engaged Ballinger|Leafblad, an executive search firm with extensive experience in the nonprofit sector, to conduct a national search. More details will be available soon on the Global Minnesota website.

The World Affairs Councils of America is seeking a Communications and Marketing Officer. Reporting to the Chief Operating Officer, the Officer coordinates public relations and marketing efforts for WACA national flagship programs - both externally (including media, news stories, issuance of press releases, website updates) and internally (newsletters to member Councils and the national Board of Directors).

See the  job announcement and apply via email, with your cover letter, resume, and a writing sample, to  [email protected]. Councils: please circulate within your network.

Apply by close of business on   Friday, August 3

Vermont Council on World Affairs -- Marketing and Events Coordinator

The South Dakota World Affairs Council will welcome Dr. Sinan Ciddi , Executive Director of The Institute of Turkish Studies and Visiting Assistant Professor Political Science at Georgetown University, this week for a variety of events, including a lecture, " Democracies in Decline: the Case of Turkey," an interview with South Dakota Public Broadcasting, and opportunities to reconnect those who have previously traveled to Turkey on trips co-sponsored by SDWAC, the Turkish Cultural Foundation, and WACA. 

Travel with  Council Leaders - hear them lecture on Travel the World tours from the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia!