President's Letter; Council of the Month; Introducing New WACA Part-Time Staff; WACA's American University Practicum Fellows; Star Speakers This Week; WACA's Engage America; and more!
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Dear Colleagues and Friends:
January 20, 2021 will be rightly marked and, in more quarters than not, celebrated as a U.S. Inauguration Day for the history books. Exactly one year after the first reported COVID-19 case in the U.S., science will again guide policy rather than suffer debasement by political interference and fiction.
Inaugural pageantry from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial soothed and struck healing chords of optimism two weeks ago. But the health of the republic remains on the line. So intertwined with the public health catastrophe and never more threatened in modern times than by the lethal January 6 siege of the Capitol, the fate of American democracy requires soaring calls for unity yet so much more.
Meanwhile, the world is watching. “Here is my message to those beyond our borders. America has been tested and we have come out stronger for it,” the 46th U.S. president said minutes after taking the oath of office. “We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again.”
Considerable global relief is coupled with skepticism, as the European Council on Foreign Relations notes in a policy brief: “Americans have a new president but not a new country.” The resumption of daily State Department briefings (see Secretary Blinken’s commitment here) and White House readouts of Biden’s calls to world leaders signal a refreshing substance and tone. Greater transparency and acceptance by the Biden team of what reasonable skeptics have to say will help bridge divides abroad and at home.
The meshing of local and global is no longer a choice. The issues laid bare by converging crises demand “glocal” sensitivity (otherwise there will be no solutions) to: the pandemic and health care; racial equity; climate; economic inequality; immigration; and domestic terrorism. Given these, and given the twin issue of America’s internal divisions and its standing in the world, it is not strange at all that Biden has tapped a former national security adviser, Susan Rice, as his top domestic policy adviser.
As we move into Black History Month, let’s heed the remarkable stanza of National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, whose history making will doubtless continue beyond Inauguration Day 2021:
For there was always light.
If only we're brave enough to see it.
If only we're brave enough to be it.
Peace,
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Bill Clifford, President and CEO |
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Council of the Month: Los Angeles WAC & Town Hall |
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WACA is pleased to announce the Los Angeles World Affairs Council & Town Hall as the February 2021 Council of the Month! Los Angeles WAC & TH has been a leader in providing top quality programming with high profile individuals. This month, Los Angeles WAC & TH will be hosting Bill Gates and Don Cheadle for a live virtual discussion on Gates' new book How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need.
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*Your ticket purchase includes a hardcover copy of "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster."
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David Firestein
George H. W. Bush Foundation
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Amb. (ret.) Barbara K. Bodine
Prof., Georgetown University
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Maj. Gen. (ret.) Chris Ballard
Strategic Advisor, Jacobs
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Tom Countryman
Chair, Arms Control Association
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Nikole Hannah-Jones
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist
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Steven Olikara
CEO, Millennial Action Project
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WACA's Engage America Speaker Series
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World Food Program USA
Feeding the World Through Innovation: How Technology & the Corporate Sector Collaborate to Fight Global Hunger
Thursday, Feb. 4 at 10:00 AM ET
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Gabriela Alvarado
WFP Chief of IT Emergency Preparedness and Response
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Bernhard Kowatsch
Director, WFP’s Innovation Accelerator
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Tiffani Burt
Exec. Director, Sealed Air Innovation and Sustainability
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KEI: Future of Korea 2021
The Korean-U.S. Alliance
Thursday, Feb. 4 at 12:00 PM ET
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Sung-hoon Park
Congressional Section, Embassy of the Republic of Korea
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Jennifer Brannan
Desk Officer, Office of Korean Affairs, U.S. Department of State
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Mark Tokola
Vice President, Korea Economic Institute of America
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Introducing WACA's New Part-Time Staff! |
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Shannon McNaught works on Special Projects at the World Affairs Councils of America. Shannon comes to WACA as an experienced cultural programmer and policy researcher, with a background in international education and the arts. In addition to working for universities and cultural institutions in the United States and overseas, Shannon has conducted policy research on behalf of the UK National Commission for UNESCO, Americans for the Arts, and the U.S. Department of State. Shannon holds a B.A. in Art History and French from the University of Notre Dame; an M.A. in the History of Art from the Courtauld Institute of Art; and an M.A. in Intercultural and International Communication from American University. You can reach Shannon at smcnaught@worldaffairscouncils.org.
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Ana Benfield is a multidisciplinary graphic designer with experience in branding, illustration, and social design. Over the past ten years, Ana has worked at marketing design studios located in Mexico and the USA, participated in the development of exhibitions, and as a volunteer for non-profit organizations aimed towards helping low income and native communities creating brand identities, packaging, and visuals to start their own business.
Ana holds an MFA in Graphic Design from Boston University and a CFA in graphic design from UVM University in Mexico. You can reach Ana at abenfield@worldaffairscouncils.org.
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WACA's American University Practicum Fellows |
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WACA is pleased to announce that it will participate as a client of the American University, School of International Service's practicum course. Five graduate students will spend the spring semester working with WACA and Councils on bolstering engagement among youth and young professional demographics. Councils can expect to be surveyed on any youth engagement and/or young professionals programs that are offered. More details to come. Meet the Practicum Fellows below!
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EU Medium-Term Economic Outlook: Vaccine and New Policy Developments Fuel Optimism
Thursday, February 25 at 1:00 PM ET
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As the global economy emerges from the pandemic, the EU has launched an ambitious Recovery Plan that will underpin strong growth and a green, digital transformation.
With the pace of vaccine distribution set to increase steadily over the coming months and a Brexit deal on the books, there is good reason to be optimistic about the future. Although the second wave of the pandemic will inevitably delay the recovery of the EU economy, green shoots are beginning to show and the outlook for the second half of 2021 looks rosy.
Join us for an in-depth discussion of all these issues as well as an overview of the latest EU economic outlook.
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Kris Orsini, Counselor for Economic and Financial Affairs, EU Delegation to the United States
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Ben Carliner, Senior Economist, EU Delegation to the United States
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Yvonne Bendinger-Rothschild, Executive Director, European American Chamber of Commerce New York [Moderator]
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AWQ National Competition Format |
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It is confirmed the 2021 Academic WorldQuest National Competition in Washington, DC will be held virtually. Additional announcements will be forthcoming.
The Carlos and Malú Alvarez 2020-2021 Academic WorldQuest National Competition is scheduled to be held virtually on April 16-17, 2021.
AWQ Administrators
The AWQ local competition questions have been sent! The National Competition will utilize MyQuiz.org and Zoom breakout rooms. More technical details on the National Competition format to be announced.
2021 New Guideline!
Due to the AWQ National Competition being virtual in 2021 and endeavoring to be as inclusive as possible, each Council may bring up to three teams to the National Competition - whether you have a local competition or not. Even if your Council joins another Council's competition remotely, each Council may bring up to three teams to WACA's virtual National Competition in April.
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WorldOregon's 2021 International Speaker Series |
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February 4
Nikole Hannah-Jones — 1619, Race, & Democracy
Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times journalist
February 25
Maryn McKenna & Marcel Curlin, MD — COVID-19 & the Path to Recovery
Science/medical journalist & infectious disease specialist
March 4
Ari Shapiro — Journalism, Facts, & Other Things Considered
Cohost of NPR's All Things Considered
April 7
Tom Colicchio — Hunger, Food, & Human Rights
Acclaimed restauranteur and Top Chef lead judge
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Monday 2/1
World Affairs Council of Seattle hosts Patrick Evans, former Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization to Pakistan, for “Careers in the United Nations.”
Tuesday 2/2
Cleveland Council on World Affairs hosts Naunihal Singh, Author of Seizing Power: The Strategic Logic of Military Coups, and Professor Rachel VanLandingham, Southwestern Law School, for “Coups and the Fragility of Democracy.”
Wednesday 2/3
World Affairs Council of Seattle hosts Ambassador (ret.) Barbara Bodine, Director of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, for “Yemen’s Humanitarian Crisis.”
World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth hosts Sebastian Mallaby, Paul Volcker Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, for “The Post-COVID American Economy.”
Thursday 2/4
World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana hosts Kathy Stearman, FBI Agent (ret.) in Counterintelligence and International Terrorism, for “Securing the Capitol.”
Friday 2/5
World Affairs Council of Greater Houston hosts Vishal Goradia, CEO at Vinmar International, for “Global Connections.”
World Affairs Council of Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky hosts Sam Schutte, Rotarian at Rotary Club of Cincinnati, for “Supporting the Environment.”
Sunday 2/7
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Access Council Virtual Programming via WACA's Members-Only Portal |
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WACA is busy preparing a number of additional resources for the Members-Only section! WACA strives to provide Councils with easy access to tools, guidelines, events, and more that add value to our Members both personally and professionally, to our Councils' overall operations, and to the Network as a whole. This is a top priority for the National Office, especially during the COVID-19 crisis. That is why we've added two resource sections dedicated to COVID-19 related information and digital programming available to the public by Councils.
The goal is to make the Members-Only section a one-stop shop for all Council needs. However, these sections are only as good as the information contained within, so we are calling on all Councils to please submit any documentation per the categories below, or any other information helpful to the Network.
The Members-Only section is a private benefit for our Council Members. Please contact Laura Duncan at lduncan@worldaffairscouncils.org for login details and account creation.
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1010 Vermont Avenue NW, Suite 516, Washington, DC 20005
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