This year's  Spring Leadership and Board Meetings will be held in partnership with the   World Affairs Council of San Antonio,  May 17-19. 

The meetings will open with an installment of WAC San Antonio's  Distinguished Speaker Series on  Thursday, May 17 at 5:30 pm CT: San Antonio’s First 300 Years: From Spanish Colony to Modern City

On  Friday, May 18, following professional development workshops, WACA will host a dinner with a VIP speaker.

The WACA Board meets  Saturday, May 19 from 9:00 am - 12:00 pm.

Hotel Block

We have extended our hotel block at Hotel Valencia. We are offering a rate of $169/night. The block will now close  Wednesday, May 2 at 5:00 pm CT.  Book your room today!

*Registration and agendas coming soon. ($50; free for 1918 Society members and Council leaders who renewed membership by the deadline)

A heartfelt thank you to all students, teachers, parents, and other participants who made the Carlos and Malu Alvarez 2018 Academic WorldQuest National Competition a wonderful success!

Special thanks also to all of our sponsors, including the United States Institute of Peace, which held a welcome reception for all Academic WorldQuest attendees. Read the WACA press release.

WACA is pleased to announce that the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg is our May Council of the Month. "Council President Joyce Davis has dedicated tremendous energy to making Academic WorldQuest a top-notch offering for high school students in Greater Harrisburg," said WACA President Bill Clifford, "Joyce's commitment to our national AWQ program is also impressive, and we thank her for the great job she did as emcee, again this year, of our 2018 National Competition on Saturday."

In 2008, when Michael McFaul was asked to leave his perch at Stanford and join an unlikely presidential campaign, he had no idea that he would find himself at the beating heart of one of today’s most contentious and consequential international relationships. As President Obama’s adviser on Russian affairs, McFaul helped craft the U.S. policy known as “reset” that fostered unprecedented collaboration between the two countries. Then, as U.S. Ambassador to Russia (2012-2014), he had a front-row seat when this fleeting, hopeful moment crumbled with Vladimir Putin’s return to the presidency.

From Cold War to Hot Peace is a riveting inside account that combines history and memoir to tell the full story of U.S.-Russia relations from the fall of the Soviet Union to the new rise of the hostile, paranoid Russian president.

Join the May Cover to Cover conference call to discuss McFaul's new book, From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin's Russia, on Tuesday, May 15, at 2:00-2:30 PM ET.

New WACA National Board terms will commence July 1 (a term is three years).

 

According to the bylaws, one authorized representative of each member organization may vote YEA or NAY on the nominees for the WACA National Board. See bios.

Please respond by email vote to Chelsea Beaulieu at [email protected] no later than close of business on Friday, May 18.

With the start of our new fiscal year on July 1, 2018, WACA National Board Committees will be recomposed. The Nominating Committee will announce an official call for nominations to the board in early September. Please begin now to consider the strongest Supporting (corporate and institutional) and Council candidates for the WACA National Board, with terms to start in July 2019. 

CANDIDATES ELECTION (JULY 2018-JUNE 2021 TERM):

BOARD CANDIDATES (Supporting Member Nominees):

Carlos Alvarez, CEO, The Gambrinus Company (TX)

Alex Lari, CEO, The Claremont Group (NY) 

BOARD CANDIDATES (Council Rep Nominees):

Joan Lemoine, immediate past Executive Director, WAC Hilton Head

Derrick Olsen, President, WorldOregon

Incumbent Supporting Member Nominee (second 3-year term):

Forough Hosseini, Senior Vice President, Information Systems, ICI Homes, Inc. (FL) 

Incumbent Council Rep Nominees (second 3-year term):

 

Craig Snyder, President and CEO, WAC Philadelphia 

Xiao Yin Zhao, Executive Director, WAC Kentucky and Southern Indiana

The World Affairs Councils of America is pleased to announce selected Councils in our annual programming partnership with the Korea Economic Institute (KEI).

KEI, in consultation with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, the U.S. Department of State, and the World Affairs Councils of America, based its selection on a highly competitive application process. WACA will administer the grants for Future of Korea 2018 programs.

Turkish Heritage Organization (THO) is pleased to announce the call for applications for its 2018-19 Nonresident Fellowship Program.

Starting in September 2018, successful applicants will have the opportunity to contribute to constructive dialogue surrounding U.S.-Turkey relations and Turkey’s role in the international community.

Graduate students, young researchers and professionals, and practitioners with a special interest in U.S.-Turkey relations are encouraged to apply. Application Deadline: June 4, 2018 at 11:59 pm ET.

 

Full information about the fellowship and application requirements can be found here.

The word Sabla in Omani Arabic dialect refers to places in communities where people gather to receive hospitality. Sabla also serves as a meeting place to discuss important public issues. 

The Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center's  Sabla Program  is an intensive summer language program designed to benefit current university-level students and recent graduates. The program emphasizes the instruction of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). The program runs for five weeks, offering highly intensive coursework in Arabic.

Scholarships are available. Apply by  May 6, 2018 .

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