April, 2016
Chairman's Letter
Arctic Economic Forum
Leadership Mission to Israel
EU in the U.S.
Academic WorldQuest
Cover to Cover
Councils in the News
2016 WACA National Conference
Travel the World
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Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center



Chairman's Letter

Dear Council Leaders, Friends, and Supporters:

I want to thank all the Council representatives who made the special effort to attend the WACA program featuring President Poroshenko of Ukraine last Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol. It was a wonderful evening that helped highlight the work of WACA in DC and, via the livestream, nationally and internationally. It also provided an opportunity to give recognition to the individual Councils and all the fine work that you do.  The event established new relationships with organizations that may help expand programming for Councils. Meetings are already being planned with the organizations to discuss potential collaborative efforts. 

The Spring Leadership Meeting the next day was also quite successful, attracting a great number of Councils for a very good exchange of ideas and suggestions for future work. Having a special event run parallel with the Leadership Meeting seems to be a fruitful model that we may want to consider for the future. Finally, I want to thank Bill, Althea and Lian for all the fine and hard work that they did to ensure the success of the speech by President Poroshenko and of the Leadership Meeting. It was an extraordinary back-to-back accomplishment for our team.

Roman Popadiuk
Chairman, WACA Board of Directors 

President Poroshenko addresses a full house on Ukraine's Battle for Freedom at the U.S. Capitol's Congressional Auditorium, March 30, 2016  

The World Affairs Councils of America was privileged and honored to host His Excellency President Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine  for a major speech at the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. Some  450 individuals attended and others watched the livestream on WACA's website; the recorded webcast can be seen  here This special program was followed by a VIP Reception with President Poroshenko and his delegation, along with WACA's 1918 Society members and selected guests of partner organizations.
 
President Poroshenko during Q&A moderated by  WACA's Bill Clifford

Media coverage: 

Arctic Economic Forum in Washington, DC

WACA is pleased to partner with the Wilson Center's Polar Initiative and Alaska-based Institute of the North   on their Arctic Economic Development Forum on Wednesday, April 6.  The program, to be held at the Wilson Center in DC, will address the opportunities for and barriers to regional development in the Arctic, and the paths toward greater economic prosperity in the far north.

Following the program, an invitation-only reception for Forum attendees will be held at the Norwegian Ambassador's residence starting at 6:00 PM.


The Arctic Economic Development Forum will be webcast live here If you would like to attend in person, please see registration details here.  F orum agenda here
Apply Now: June Leadership Mission to Israel 

The World Affairs Councils of America and the  America-Israel Friendship League will host a WACA Leadership Mission to Israel during  June 2-10, 2016 .

APPLICATIONS DUE FRIDAY, APRIL 8.

The Leadership Mission will be comprised of an AIFL escort, WACA President Bill Clifford, and  up to 14 delegates  from the Council network. 

This unique trip to Israel will focus on a variety of contemporary issues, including Middle East regional affairs, Israeli politics and diplomacy, counter-terrorism, immigration and refugees, innovation and entrepreneurship (alternative energy, IT, health care), and religious diversity. Full details 
EU in the U.S. Program Series

EU in the U.S. 2016 is administered by WACA in partnership with the Delegation of the European Union to the United States to raise awareness, knowledge, and understanding about EU policies, the EU's role as an international actor, and the value of the EU-U.S. relationship.

Upcoming Events:

The Iran Deal: What's Next for America? 

Last July, the U.S. and five other nations reached a milestone diplomatic agreement with Iran (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) designed to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon and to ensure that its nuclear program be exclusively peaceful.

Will this deal achieve that objective and will it serve America's broader interests in the turbulent Middle East? In return for accepting severe restrictions that hobble Iran's nuclear program and open Iran's nuclear facilities to unprecedented access of international professional inspectors, the U.S., the European Union, and the United Nations have agreed to lift economic sanctions that had been crippling Iran's economy over the past six years. The implementation of that agreement is now under way.

The Columbus Council on World Affairs will delve into this critical topic with three experts in the field, Dr. Jessica Tuchman Mathews, Richard Nephew, and Dr. Richard Herrmann. Event details

This program is supported by the World Affairs Councils of America, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and The Iran Project. In the coming weeks, World Affairs Council of Oregon, World Affairs Council of Seattle, and Cleveland Council on World Affairs will also participate in this program series. 
Academic WorldQuest 

The Carlos and Malú Alvarez 2016 Academic WorldQuest National Competition will be held in Washington, DC on April 22-23



Reception:
WACA is delighted to announce that its AWQ opening Reception will be hosted by the Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center , on Friday, April 22, at 5:30 to 6:45 PM.    

Competition Location: This year's competition will take place at  The National Press Club

For the 2015-2016 AWQ Study Guide,  click here


Thank You to Our Generous Sponsors:

      

 NATO    
 
Cover to Cover Author Series 

Cover to Cover  in April will present author Marc Lynch  on his new book The New Arab Wars: Uprisings and Anarchy in the Middle East, on Tuesday , April 26, at 2:00-2:30 PM ET




Marc Lynch is professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University. From 2009-2015 he served as director of the Institute for Middle East Studies. He is the founder and director of the Project on Middle East Political Science. He is also a non-resident senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and a contributing editor at the Monkey Cage blog for the Washington Post. He is the co-director of the Blogs and Bullets project at the United States Institute of Peace.


In May, we will host Steven Radelet on his new book The Great Surge: The Ascent of the Developing World
on Wednesday, May 18, at 2:00-2:30 PM ET.

Dr. Radelet, is the Donald F. McHenry Chair in Global Human Development at Georgetown University, as well as a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. His work focuses on economic growth, poverty reduction, foreign aid, and debt, primarily in Africa and Asia. He has worked in developing countries around the world for 30 years and currently serves as economic adviser to the President of Liberia. 

COUNCIL LEADERS: Please share these opportunities with your members and supporters as a free benefit!
World Affairs Councils in the News

World Affairs Council of Atlanta
World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth

World Affairs Council - Washington, DC

World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana

World Affairs Council of Northern California (San Francisco)

World Affairs Council of Inland Southern California

World Affairs Council of Jacksonville

Cleveland Council on World Affairs 

Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy
People on the Move -- Utah Business

Montana World Affairs Council

World Affairs Council of Western Michigan
Am I in America, Really?  -- School News Network

2016 WACA National Conference  
Save the Date! 

The World Affairs Councils of America is pleased to announce that its 2016 National Conference will take place on November 16-18, at The Capital Hilton

This distinguished hotel is  located in the heart of Washington, DC - just two blocks from the White House. Convenient to three Metro stations and Ronald Reagan National Airport, the hotel is within walking distance of museums and memorials, theaters and art galleries, shopping, dining, nightlife, and more. 

Further announcements on National Conference speakers, hotel reservations, and other program details will be made available later in the year.
Travel the World from WAC Philadelphia
Just Announced:  Council Leaders to Lecture on Travel the World tours from the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia!
 

Ambassador Heather Hodges , President & Ambassador-in-Residence, Cleveland Council on World Affairs, Across Spain and Portugal: September 6 - 22, 2016.
Kay Maxwell , Executive Director, World Affairs Forum, Stamford Journey through VietnamOctober 3 - 18, 2016.
Mimi Gregory, Vice President and Program Chairman, Naples Council on World Affairs, Cruising the Rivieras & Islands of France, Spain and Italy October 5 - 13, 2016.
Ambassador Sharon Wilkinson, former Board President, World Affairs Council of Arizona, Island Life in Cuba: October 23 - 31, 2016.
Dr. Carla Thorson, Senior Vice President of Programs, World Affairs Councils of Northern California, Tanzania: October 29 - November 8, 2016 
Craig Snyder , President and CEO, World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, Inside Oman, UAE and QatarNovember 2 - 16, 2016.
 
Contact  www.wacphila.org/travel or call 1-800-942-5004 x209 or x217.

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