February 18, 2020
WACA Weekly
Deadline Friday: 2020 Qatar Essay/Video Contest; Cover to Cover on Nationalism; KNOW NOW With Colombian Presidential Advisor Felipe Munoz; Councils' Star Speakers; WorldOregon's Int'l Speaker Series; Global I.Q. Minute With Jim Falk; WACA Engage America Program; + more Council Highlights!
Submissions Due This Friday! 2020 Qatar Essay/Video Contest
WACA is calling on all Councils to promote the 2020 Qatar Essay/Video Contest to colleges and universities in your area! The submission deadline for students is this Friday, Feb. 21. This is a great opportunity to have your Council represented by winning students in Doha, Qatar, in March!

Open to college and university undergraduate students across the country, the challenge is to submit an 800-word Memorandum OR a 5-minute Video to “ Advise our Secretary of State: Measures to Strengthen the U.S.-Qatar Strategic Partnership.” A panel of educators and experts in student exchange programs will judge the entries. The top 10 contestants will win an all-expenses-paid Doha Study Tour this March 13-20! Contest winners will also be eligible for scholarships to attend the WACA 2020 National Conference in Washington, DC on November 18-20.

Please submit your Application Form and original essays/videos to WACA Communications and Marketing Associate Rachel Pastor at rpastor@worldaffairscouncils.org. The deadline for submissions is Friday, February 21. Click here for submission details and requirements.
TOMORROW on  Cover to Cover :   Yuli Tamir on Why Nationalism
WACA is delighted to present our next  Cover to Cover conference call with a special guest from Tel Aviv on  Wednesday, February 19, at 2:00-2:30 PM ET . Professor Yael (Yuli) Tamir, President of Shenkar College and an adjunct professor at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University, will discuss her book,  Why Nationalism.

Around the world today, nationalism is back—and it’s often deeply troubling. Populist politicians exploit nationalism for authoritarian, chauvinistic, racist, and xenophobic purposes, reinforcing the view that it is fundamentally reactionary and antidemocratic. Professor Tamir makes a passionate argument for a very different kind of nationalism—one that revives its participatory, creative, and egalitarian virtues, answers many of the problems caused by neoliberalism and hyperglobalism, and is essential to democracy.
February KNOW NOW:   Colombian Presidential Advisor Felipe Muñoz
Register now for WACA's KNOW NOW conference call Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 2:00-2:30 pm ET, featuring Felipe Muñoz, Advisor to the President of Colombia for the Colombia-Venezuela Border.

As a consequence of the economic and political collapse in Venezuela, more than 1.6 million Venezuelan migrants and refugees have crossed the border and fled to Colombia seeking safety and opportunities for their future. The government of Colombia is going to extraordinary lengths to provide humanitarian relief to this unprecedented influx of migrants and making tremendous efforts to integrate the migrants into society.

WACA COO Liz Brailsford will moderate the KNOW NOW call with Felipe Muñoz to provide our Network with information about the magnitude of the crisis, the efforts undertaken by the Government of Colombia, and the role that the U.S. and the international community play in matching the scale of the crisis.
Star Speakers at Councils
Scroll down to the Council Highlights section for more speaker and topic ideas!
Michael Abramowitz
President
Freedom House
Amb. Charles Ries
Vice President, International
Rand Corporation
Barb Smith, President and Majority Owner, Journey Steel
Erin Arnold, President and Maj. Owner, NextStep Networking
Taos Wynn, Founder and CEO Perfect Love Foundation
James Woodall, President Georgia NAACP
Paul Salem
President
Middle East Institute
Eirliani Abdul Rahman
Executive Director, YAKIN
WorldOregon's Int'l Speaker Series Features Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster
Celebrating its 20th anniversary,  WorldOregon’s International Speaker Series is one of the nation’s premier platforms for international affairs. For two decades, the series has put Oregonians in the room with the global leaders, visionaries, and inspiring voices that are changing our world. This year is no different, presenting an array of big ideas and issues framing America's role on the world stage. Next up is Lt. General (ret.) H.R. McMaster, former U.S. National Security Advisor, on Wednesday, February 19, to discuss " Geopolitics, Security, and the State of the World Today." Stay tuned for Nadia Murad and Nicholas Kristof.
Global I.Q. Minute With Jim Falk Tackles the Coronavirus
Consul General Cai Wei, Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Houston, discusses the coronavirus and his hope for a united, international force to help combat the viruses spread. Listen as the Consul General shares his thoughts with Jim Falk, President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth on the latest edition of Global I.Q. Minute.
Council Job Opening!

The Business Operations Manager leads general business operations and office management for a small, fast-paced office. The role requires consistency in delivering prompt, organized, dependable support with thoughtful prioritization, impeccable attention to detail, confidentiality, and unparalleled professionalism. Apply here by Monday, February 24.
WACA Engage America : The Alliance Working in America
As part of WACA's Engage America Series: The Alliance Working in America, the Utah Council of Citizen Diplomacy will host a panel discussion to explore how U.S.-Japan relations serve U.S. national and regional interests. Sponsored by the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA, the delegation will consist of Yasuhiro Uozumi, Executive Director of Keidandren USA; Amb. James Zumwalt, Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA and Chairman of the Japan-America Society of Washington, DC; and Lee Carter, CEO and President of Rakuten Bank America, on Tuesday, March 10, for " The Alliance Working in Utah: The Impact and Importance of U.S.-Japan Relations."
Councils: Be Sure to Register Your AWQ National Competition Teams
Registration for the Carlos and Malú Alvarez 2020 Academic WorldQuest National Competition is now open! The AWQ championship weekend program will be held in Washington, DC on April 24-25.

Local champion teams of Academic WorldQuest competitions hosted by World Affairs Councils around the country must complete the Registration Form in order to participate in the AWQ National Competition. Registration Forms are due no later than Friday, March 27. Register your AWQ team!

This year's competition will be held on Saturday, April 25 , at the United States Institute of Peace.

For topics, study guide, and other information about this year's competition, please click here.

Hotel Reservations:
WACA has secured a group hotel block at The Westin DC City Center (1400 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20005) at a special rate of $169 / night plus tax. The block will expire April 2. Reserve today!
Participate in the Great Decisions Teacher Training Institute
The Foreign Policy Association's 2020 Great Decisions Teachers Training Institute for high school educators will be held June 29 - July 3 in New York City. Topics will include Climate Change, the Red Sea Region, Human Trafficking, and others. For more information and a full list of topics, please click here.

To apply for the Great Decisions Teachers Institute, all applicants are required to complete the application questionnaire. The application can be accessed by either clicking on this link or visiting the Institute's website. Educators are invited to apply by March 13, and all applicants will be notified by April 17.
 
If you have any questions in regards to the application or the Great Decisions Teachers Institute, please email teachers@fpa.org, or call the Foreign Policy Association at 212-481-8100 x249.
Council of the Month: WAC Charleston
The World Affairs Council of Charleston (WACC) is unique as it is one of the few WACA Member Councils to be an ‘all volunteer’ operation. There are no paid staff and no office space expenses. WAC Charleston's Board of Directors makes all management, organizational, and program decisions, and all revenues are directed to programs. The Council's leadership feels this approach helps insure WACC member ‘buy in’ to programs and activities, and conducts periodic reviews to insure the Council is doing what is best for its members and the Charleston community.

An all-volunteer Council operation is challenging and rewarding, as the organization runs on the hard-work and dedication of folks with a passion for global affairs and connecting their local communities with the world. For helpful tips and guidance on the operations of an all-volunteer Council, check out WACA's Member Resources bank (located in the Members-Only section of the WACA website). If you do not have access, please contact Rachel Pastor at rpastor@worldaffairscouncils.org for a login. If you have any helpful resource documents to share (all-volunteer or not), please send them to Rachel.
Council Highlights
Monday 2/17

World Affairs Council of Western Michigan hosts Julie McCarthy, International Correspondent at NPR, for “Mirror to the World: The Philippines Under Duterte.” Details

Tuesday 2/18

World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh hosts Michael Abramowitz, President of Freedom House, for “The Decline in Great Freedom.” Details

World Affairs Council of Palm Beach hosts Roger Simon, CEO Emeritus of PJ Media, for “Mainstream Media Today: Fake News Does It Exist and Why?” Details

Santa Fe Council on International Relations hosts Steven Rudnick, former Director of Environmental Studies at the University of Massachusetts, for “Great Decisions: Climate Change and the Global Order.” Details

Foreign Policy Association hosts Ellen Zentner, Chief U.S. Economist for Morgan Stanley, for “2020 U.S. Economic Outlook: Has the Fed Done Enough?” Details

Naples Council on World Affairs hosts Mara Liasson, National Political Correspondent for NPR, for “The Media and Politics.” Details

Columbia World Affairs Council hosts attorney David Garrett, Nexsen Pruet, for “Quand On Veut, On Peut Recruitment, Onboarding, Managing, and Firing.” Details

World Affairs Council of Hilton Head hosts author Alex Kershaw, Honorary Colonel in the 116th Infantry of the 29th Division, for “Evening Speaker Series.” Details

World Affairs Council of Inland Southern California hosts professor John Jones, La Sierra University, for “Buddhism in America.” Details

Wednesday 2/19

Indiana Council on World Affairs hosts Ambassador Charles Ries, Vice President, International at the Rand Corporation, for “Brexit: The End of the Beginning.” Details

World Affairs Council of Greater Houston hosts The Honorable Antonio Garza, former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, for “How Immigration, Security, and Trade Define Mexico and the U.S.” Details

WorldOregon hosts Lt. General (ret.) H.R McMaster, former U.S. National Security Advisor, for “Geopolitics, Security, and the State of the World Today.” Details

World Affairs Council of South Texas hosts Major Alex Ruiz, Strategic Advisor to the Commander of the 315th Cyberspace Operations Squadron, for “Cyber and Information Warfare: Next Battleground.” Details

World Affairs Council of Atlanta hosts Taos Wynn, Founder and CEO of the Perfect Love Foundation, and James Woodall, President of the Georgia NAACP, for “2020 from Sit-in's to Hashtags, The Evolution of Civil Rights.” Details

World Affairs of Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky hosts Barb Smith, President and Majority Owner of Journey Steel Inc., and Erin Arnold, President and Majority Owner of NextStep Networking, for “We Speak.” Details

WorldBoston hosts Kristen Leanderson Abrams, Senior Director of Combatting Human Trafficking at the McCain Institute, for “Great Decisions: Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking.” Details

World Affairs Council of Austin hosts Ted Karasik, Senior Advisor at Gulf State Analytics, for “Strategic Security Challenges in the Middle East: Perspectives on a ‘Second Arab Spring’ and the U.S.-Iran Confrontation.” Details

World Affairs Council of Charleston hosts Cynthia Arnson, Director of the Latin American Program at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC, for “Is There a Way Forward in Venezuela: Economic Collapse, Authoritarianism, and Massive Refugee Crisis?” Details

Vermont Council on World Affairs hosts professor Rebecca Pincus, U.S. Naval War College, for “Climate Change and a New Era of Geopolitics in the Arctic.” Details

WorldDenver hosts a panel of experts for “Career Development: Landing a Job Abroad.” Details

World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana hosts a panel of experts for “Preventing Conflict: Global Hotspots in 2020.” Details

Thursday 2/20

World Affairs Council of Orange County hosts Paul Salem, President of the Middle East Institute, for “Rethinking Strategy and Engagement: U.S. Policy in a Turbulent Middle East.” Details

International Affairs Forum (Traverse City) hosts Eirliani Abdul Rahman, Executive Director of YAKIN (Youth, Adult Survivors and Kin in Need) for “#FULLSTOP: Protecting Children and Ending Human Trafficking in the 21st Century.” Details

Institute of World Affairs (Milwaukee) hosts Nicholas Kralev, Executive Director of the Washington International Diplomatic Academy, and professor Ryan Scoville, Marquette Law, for “Policy and Politics in an Election Year: Domestic Politics and Democracy.” Details

Olympia World Affairs Council hosts Stephanie Coontz, Director of Research and Public Education at the Council on Contemporary Families, for “Uncharted Territory: Exploring the Changing Global Landscape of Gender and Marriage.” Details

Colorado Foothills World Affairs Council hosts Ambassador Christopher Hill, Chief Global Advisor at the University of Denver for “Iran and Iraq, Where Do We Go From Here?” Details

Santa Fe Council on International Relations hosts David Scheffer, former U.S. Ambassador at Large for War Crimes Issues, to discuss his book, The Sit Room: In the Theater of War and Peace. Details

World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts hosts Michael Klare, Director of Peace and World Security Studies at the Five Colleges Consortium, for “The Pentagon’s Perspective on Climate Change.” Details

Savannah Council on World Affairs host Maryam Alavi, Stephen P. Zelnak Jr. Dean’s Chair in Business at the Georgia Institute of Technology, for “Digital Transformation & Global Shifts in Workforce Skills.” Details

International Relations Council (Kansas City) hosts attorney Kirk Doan, Stinson LLP, for “Coronavirus: International Implications of a Viral Outbreak.” Details

Los Angeles World Affairs Council & Town Hall hosts author Leah Plunkett to discuss her book, Sharenthood: How Far is Too Far? Protecting Children’s Privacy in the Digital Age. Details

World Affairs (Northern California) hosts professor Dietrich Vollrath, University of Houston, for “The 2020 Economy: How to Measure Success?” Details

World Affairs Council of Sonoma County hosts professor Puspa Delima Amri, Sonoma State University, for “Indonesia’s Democracy and Economic Development” Details

World Affairs Council of Rhode Island hosts professor Marcus Nevius, University of Rhode Island, for “A Celebration of Black History Month.” Details

Friday 2/21

WorldOregon hosts Ambassador (ret.) Samantha Power, former U.S. Ambassador to the UN, for “The Education of an Idealist- What Can One Person Do?” Details

Windham World Affairs Council hosts Ambassador (ret.) Adrian Basora, Trustee at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, and Dr. Andrew Wilking, Professor Emeritus at Baylor College of Medicine, for “Can Democracy Be Saved? (and Why Bother?)” Details

World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth hosts professor David Baker, Pennsylvania State University, for “IPS: Education and U.S. Foreign Policy: How Are They Related?” Details

World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth hosts a panel of experts for, “LGBTQ+ Global Symposium.” Details
WACA's National Speaker Database Needs You!
We have recently debuted WACA's Speaker Database 2.0. In this new iteration, we have expanded our list of speakers and made it easier than ever for you, as Council staff and board members, to engage with it. We want your speakers! Please submit your speakers through the " Submit Your Speakers" button on our website.

You need to have an account through our website in order to view and interact with the database and submit your speakers. To check if you have an account, please visit your Council Member page on the WACA website and see if you are listed as a staff or board member. If you are not, you will not be able to interact with the database yet.

If you do not have an account or are having issues accessing the website and/or the Speaker Database, please email Rachel Pastor.
Travel the World With WAC Philadelphia

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

2020 travel schedule includes trips to: 

  • Ambassador Heather Hodges, President and Ambassador in Residence, Cleveland Council on World Affairs, Barcelona: April 18-26, 2020
  • Lise Falskow, President & CEO, Alaska World Affairs Council, Scottish Isles and Norwegian Fjords: May 16-24, 2020
  • Dr. Pamela Zeiser, Education Liaison, World Affairs Council of Jacksonville, Berlin Uncovered: May 24-31, 2020
  • Jim Falk, President & CEO, World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth, Arctic Expedition: Voyage Under the Midnight Sun: June 9-19, 2020
  • Ljubomir (LJ) Stambuk, President & CEO, World Affairs Council of Charlotte, Sailing Ancient Trade Routes: Helsinki to Copenhagen: June 27-July 9, 2020
  • Craig Snyder, President & CEO, World Affairs Council of Philadelphia, Ukraine Seminar: July 5-16, 2020
  • Mimi Gregory, Vice President and Program Chairman, Naples Council on World Affairs, Cruising the Adriatic and Aegean Seas: September 9-17, 2020
  • Bill Clifford, President & CEO, World Affairs Councils of America, Ancient Greece Odyssey: October 22-30, 2020
  • Don Samford, Chairman of the Education Outreach and Program Committees, Peoria Area World Affairs Council, Legendary Turkey: October 2-16, 2020
  • Derrick Olsen, President, WorldOregon, Romance of the Douro River: October 13-24, 2020

Contact  www.wacphila.org/travel   or call  800-942-5004 , ext.  209  or  217 .