The Fall COMPAS Conference explored the value trade-offs that are involved in pursuing competing visions of a sustainable future. The Spring COMPAS Conference on " Realizing Sustainability" turns to the practical: the challenge of realizing sustainability. Who bears responsibility for this challenge and how can we motivate the necessary shifts in public policy and personal behavior? If the Paris meetings represent a moment, as President Obama has stated, when "nations embrace their responsibility to assure a world worthy of our children," what policy implications follow from that change in moral viewpoint? The conference will bring together an interdisciplinary group of experts from communications, decision sciences, economics, law, philosophy, and political science, among other fields, to address these issues. See complete conference program

Leif Wenar, a Columbus native, now holds the Chair of Philosophy and Law at King's College London. After earning his bachelor's degree from Stanford, he edited an autobiographical volume by the Nobel-winning economist F.A. Hayek and was Karl Popper's research assistant. He went to Harvard to study with John Rawls, and while there took classes with Amartya Sen and led discussions for Michael Sandel's course on justice. He wrote his Harvard qualifying thesis on Karl Marx's theory of history, and his doctoral dissertation on property rights with Robert Nozick. In this presentation, Wenar will discuss how the world's most coercive regimes depend on trade of stolen natural resources, and how the West can lead a peaceful global revolution by ending dependence on authoritarian oil. Read more and register at go.osu.edu/wenarl

William Reno is professor of political science and director of the Program of African Studies at Northwestern University. He is the author of Corruption and State Politics in Sierra Leone (Cambridge, 1995), Warlord Politics and African States (Lynne Rienner, 1999), Warfare in Independent Africa (Cambridge, 2011), and other works on the politics of conflict and the organization of armed groups in failed states. More information about his research is at http://www.willreno.org. Reno will discuss research explains variations in how armed groups organize their relations with surrounding communities in the context of conflict in collapsed states. Read more and register at go.osu.edu/renow

Immigration is a critical part of our history, a big part of our future, and the flash point of ongoing national debate on topics ranging from terrorism to economics. What is the impact of refugees in Central Ohio? Major findings from the Impact of Refugees in Central Ohio report. Featuring Angela Plummer, executive director of Community Refugee and Immigration Services, Deborah Rogers, associate director, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, and Rachel Peric, deputy director, Welcoming America. Guadalupe Velasquez will host the discussion. Read more and register

Now more than ever, the question of how to feed 9.6 billion people by 2050 is at the forefront of discussion in the international community. Increasing agricultural trade and production is imperative to combat this global challenge, especially at a time when natural resources are dwindling and arable land is disappearing. Applying new and innovative technologies, identifying market linkages, and cultivating enabling environments are crucial steps to foster sustainable food security and economic growth. Food security is a national security issue, as it is both a cause and a consequence of civil unrest and conflict. Our ever-changing climate, increasing urbanization rates, and growing displaced populations prove there is a strong case for continued U.S. involvement and investment in long-term agricultural development work. 

Join CCWA as we explore the future of global food security with two of the nation's most experienced experts in the field. Phil Karsting was appointed administrator of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service in May 2013. He previously served more than 22 years on Capitol Hill, most recently as Chief of Staff to Senator Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), then-chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee's Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, and Related Agencies. Kimberly Flowers is director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Global Food Security Project, which examines and highlights the impact of food security on U.S. strategic global interests. The project evaluates current efforts and provides long-term, strategic guidance to policymakers to ensure that U.S. foreign assistance programs are efficient, effective, and sustainable. Read more and register