World Affairs Council of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky

Global Dialogue | A Conversation With Hon. Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, Kurdistan Regional Government Representative to the United States of America
2021-02-09 20:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York)
Global Dialogue Webinar Series
A Conversation With
Hon. Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman
Kurdistan Regional Government Representative to the United States of America

and host
Patrick Ryan
Founding President, TNWAC

Join us for this conversation with the Kurdistan Regional Government Representative to the U.S., Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, a great friend of the Tennessee World Affairs Council and homeland connection to the thousands of Iraqi Kurds who call Nashville home as new Americans. TNWAC thanks her for her previous programs with the Council including hosting our visiting student groups in Washington, D.C.
***
There is a Kurdish proverb, “No friends but the mountains,” that captures the sense of what the Kurds face as an ethnic group living across several international borders in the Middle East. The Kurds living in the autonomous Kurdistan Region of Iraq have suffered at the hands of the Saddam Hussein government — enduring genocidal campaigns — and attacks from the Islamic State Caliphate.
At the end of the Operation Desert Storm, when a U.S.-led military coalition reversed Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait, he turned his army on the Kurds in the north and the Shia minority in the south. The Kurds were being driven into the mountains. Here is how Madam Abdul Rahman described it during a 2016 program with TNWAC and Lipscomb University:
Saddam turned his weapons on us because he had by then been thrown out of Kuwait, and he committed terrible crimes during that period of the uprising. And this was just a couple of years after the chemical bombardment of Halabja, where five thousand people were killed, and the Anfal genocide campaign, where two hundred fifty thousand people were killed.
So when Saddam turned against the Kurdish people everybody thought he would use chemicals again. Everyone fled. They fled to the borders of Iran and Turkey. This was in the spring of 1991, an incredibly cold spring, severe weather conditions. People died on the mountaintops. People starved. They died of exhaustion and exposure.
The United States, Britain, France launched Operation Provide Comfort. It was the biggest military and humanitarian operation, and probably the most successful in history. I’ve met some of the military leaders, American military leaders who were involved in that operation, General Jim Jones, General Bob Barrow, General Jay Garner, and others who were involved in that operation, and they all speak of that operation with great pride because they saved lives. They saved hundreds of thousands if not one and a half million lives.
[Complete remarks here]
The United States went on to enforce a UN “No Fly Zone” that prevented Saddam from persecuting the Iraqi Kurds and allowing the Kurdistan Region to develop as an autonomous area. The 2003 invasion of Iraq permanently eliminated the threat from Saddam. In recent years the Kurds were again beset by the ominous threat posed by the Islamic State. The remarkably brave Peshmerga fighters of Kurdistan stood against ISIS with American and other coalition troops and support joining in the campaign. We commend to your reading the remarks of Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman during her April 2016 program in Nashville.
The KRG enjoys a special relationship with the United States. The Kurdish people have been reliable partners, seeking democracy and independence and looking to the West for partners.
We invite you to talk with Madam Abdul Rahman in this special program.
***

Remarks from 2016 Visit

Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman
Kurdistan Regional Government Representative to the United States
Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman is the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Representative to the United States of America.
Key to her role are strengthening ties between Kurdistan and the United States, advocating her government’s position on a wide array of political, security, humanitarian, economic, and cultural matters and promoting coordination and partnership. Prior to her US appointment in 2015, Ms. Abdul Rahman was the High Representative to the United Kingdom. She was elected to the Leadership Council of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in 2010.
Before her career in public service, Ms. Abdul Rahman worked as a journalist for 17 years. She began her career on local newspapers in London and won the Observer Newspaper’s Farzad Bazoft Memorial Prize in 1993, which led her to work at The Observer and later at the Financial Times. She worked for the FT in Britain and in Japan, where she was Tokyo Correspondent.
Her late father, Sami Abdul Rahman, was a veteran of the Kurdish freedom movement, joining the Kurdistan Democratic Party in 1963 and playing a critical leadership role in the Kurdish and Iraqi opposition to Saddam Hussein’s regime. He held the post of Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government and General Secretary of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). Sami Abdul Rahman was killed alongside his elder son Salah and 96 others in a twin suicide bombing in 2004.
Ms. Abdul Rahman was born in Baghdad. Her family briefly lived in Iran in the mid-1970s before moving to Britain in 1976. She is a history graduate from London University.
SPONSOR THIS PROGRAM!
We invite businesses, organizations and individuals to sponsor this event. It is through your support that we are able to bring quality global affairs programs to the community.
You can enroll for sponsorship through the Eventbrite ticketing below. For information about sponsoring other programs and series of events contact Patrick Ryan, TNWAC President @ 931-261-2353, pat@tnwac.org
Sponsorship at the $250.00 level accords you with recognition in program materials — web site, newsletters and social media — and with acknowledgement at the program start, as well as admission to the program. Thank you for your support.
THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS IN GLOBAL AFFAIRS AWARENESS AND EDUCATION OUTREACH

Small World Cafe: Managing Change in the International Realm
2021-02-11 13:00
Our Small World Café is partnering with Global Ties Detroit to bring the world to your home through informal conversations with professionals from around the globe. Sessions are free. We encourage participants who are able to donate to our GoFundMe Charity page dedicated to our Youth Diplomats program or to Global Ties Detroit. Preregistration to each café is required.

On Thursday, February 11, 2021, from 12:00 – 1:00 PM Central Time (UTC -6), you are invited to meet Fred KETCHEM who will speak on “Managing Change in the International Realm.” Fred successfully completed a rewarding career with the U.S. Department of State. He retired as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Assistant Director of the Diplomatic Security Service. As a senior executive of the Diplomatic Security Service, Fred managed overall operations and set strategic goals to ensure the safety and security of U.S. diplomatic facilities worldwide.
During his long career, Fred also served as the Counselor for Regional Security to the U.S. Mission in Afghanistan, the first DSS Special Agent-in-Charge for U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Senior Deputy Regional Security Officer to the U.S. Mission in Iraq, the Deputy Regional Director of Near Eastern Affairs and South Central Asia, the Senior Regional Security Officer to the U.S. Mission in Brazil and over 100 additional international postings.
He is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and the recipient of numerous Department of State awards – including the Distinguished Honor Award, the Secretary’s Career Achievement Award, the State Department’s Award for Heroism and was the 2008 Diplomatic Security Employee of the Year. He was profiled in the book “The Secretary”, the National Geographic special “Inside the State Department” and the Discovery Channel’s “Secrets of Diplomatic Security.” Fred served honorably in the U.S. Navy.
Please join us for this informal coffee by registering through this link.

2021 Hybrid Learning Summit
2021-02-17 09:00 - 13:00
The Ohio Valley ESC is excited to be presenting the 2021 Hybrid Learning Summit on Wednesday, 2/17/21 from 9 am – 1 pm. PK-12 Teachers from across our region will be sharing their best practices in the areas of

Student Motivation
🤸,
Literacy ,
STEAM,
Career Tech ‍♀️,
Citizenship ️

Please encourage your teachers to register to attend this great opportunity by clicking on the link here, or below by the Summit poster.

Additionally, keynote speaker and Fulbright teacher Joshua Amstutz will be kicking-off the Summit with an inspiring address on Student Motivation in the Hybrid Learning World. You may preview his keynote address by clicking on this link to my brief interview with Mr. Amstutz.

They are also still accepting session proposals through January 26th. More information about submitting a proposal can be found by clicking the link here.

The Summit is the apex event of the OVESC’s 2020-21 Teaching & Learning professional development series. We look forward to you joining us!

The 2021 Europe Webinar Series: Doing Business in Spain
2021-02-23 11:00
Overview
Learn how Spain’s diversified economy and its growing green and digital industries offer unique opportunities for furthering U.S. exports. Don’t miss out on this rare chance to expand your market!

Objectives
Learn about the business opportunities in Spain.

Event Information

Learn about doing Business in Spain.
Understand how to access this important market.
Hear how the U.S. Commercial Service can assist your company with entering or expanding in the Spanish market
Join trade experts from the U.S. Commercial Service at U.S. Embassy Madrid and the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade

Please read the following information carefully:

The U.S. Commercial Service requires event registrants to accept specific Terms and Conditions and review Product Standards before payment can be collected.
Please read the Privacy Act Notice.
Date: February 23, 2021 Time: 11:00am ET (8:00am PT) Cost: $25 per participant.
You will receive 3 emails. First email is your registration receipt. Second eMail contains participation information. Reminder eMail 24-hrs in advance.
Participation is via your computer and telephone. You must dial into the telephone and log into the webinar to experience the webinar.
Please use Google Chrome when logging into the webinar.
Paid Participants will receive a copy of the power point presentation slides as well as a recording of the webinar.

Town Hall Discussion - International Education and COVID-19
2021-02-26 09:30
To reduce the spread of COVID-19, most countries around the world have decided to temporarily close educational institutions. However, learning has not stopped, but is now fully taking place online as schools and universities provide remote schooling. As these challenging times have made seeking a stable education harder, several organizations have adopted various unique methods to continue their work in educating and shaping young minds.
We are pleased to announce that we’re teaming up with CRRSS to host a Town Hall Discussion to discuss how we re-shaped our programs during the COVID-19 times. Our team will be discussing these changes and how we have navigated through them on Friday, 26 February 2021 at 09:30 am EST (20:00 IST, 15:30 CET).

TOWN HALL: EDUCATION & COVID-19.
Friday, 26 February 2021 at 09:30 am EST (20:00 IST, 15:30 CET).

Register here: https://www.thinkcrrss.com/panel-disscusions

The Impact on Japan and Geo-strategic Challenges in Asia: Two Perspectives
2021-03-02 18:00 - 19:00
Tune in to hear two different perspectives on the challenges of Japan and how they will set out to solve them. Join us in this special event! It will be a GREAT one!!
Visit the Japan America Society of Greater Cincinnati website to register:
https://jasgc.org/en/events/#!event/register/2021/3/2/the-impact-on-japan-of-geostrategic-challenges-in-asia-two-perspectives

Teacher Training - Using Sustainable Development Goals in the Virtual Classroom
2021-03-08 08:00 - 09:30
Join us for the first 2021 teacher training. We will have special guests joining us from Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, and Sri Lanka! You will have the chance to meet and interact with peers from around the world in education. Don’t miss out!!
Plus it is free to sign up & you will get CEU credit!

Too Much and Never Enough: Climate Change and Water Insecurity - Our discussion with Ambassador Kenneth Brill
2021-03-11 19:00
National and international security, stability and prosperity will face novel challenges in the coming decades. Rivalry between the “great powers” (U.S., China, and Russia), as well as between regional states, will remain a feature of 21st Century international relations. But novel transnational issues, such as climate change, cyber space, and pandemic diseases, will establish the context in which rivalries between states play out; at the same time, these transnational challenges will require global cooperation to prevent them from becoming potentially existential threats to human well being.

Climate change is the most all encompassing of transnational threats. The natural world, which is the basis for all human societies, had adapted to one set of climatic conditions, but is now adapting to new and still changing climatic conditions. That adaptation, the historical data show, will change the nature and location of the global water supply, whether frozen or liquid, as well as sea levels. This will lead to various kinds of water insecurity, which, in turn, will increase state fragility and failure, increasing the potential for instability and potentially domestic and cross-border conflict. To give an example of the scale of the issue, a 2015 National Academy of Sciences study suggested that an increase in global temperatures of 7.2 degrees Fahrenheit — a business-as-usual scenario — could lock in enough eventual sea-level rise to submerge land currently home to 470 to 760 million people globally by the end of the century. Asia would be the hardest hit region, but more than 20 million people would be affected in U.S. coastal areas.

Ambassador (ret.) Ken Brill will discuss how climate change is producing water insecurity, the various forms that insecurity can take, what regions globally are most prone to experiencing water insecurity, what the long term implications of growing water insecurity are, how these issues are being addressed currently and, and what more can be done manage water-related challenges to stability and prosperity.

About Ambassador Kenneth Brill

Ambassador (ret.) Kenneth C. Brill was a career Foreign Service Officer whose overseas posts were in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Europe. His domestic assignments included African and Middle Eastern issues, acting Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES), and staff jobs for senior State Department policy officials.

Brill served as Ambassador to Cyprus for President Clinton and Ambassador to the IAEA and the UN Office in Vienna for President George W. Bush. In his final Foreign Service assignment, he was asked by the first Director of National Intelligence, John Negroponte, to establish and lead the U.S. National Counterproliferation Center, an organization providing strategic leadership to the U.S. Intelligence Community in countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and preventing WMD terrorism. After retiring from the Foreign Service he has worked with non-partisan NGOs in various capacities on issues ranging from nuclear security and strengthening America’s diplomacy to fragile states and climate change.

Brill is a graduate of Ohio University and received his MBA from the University of California at Berkeley. He and his wife, Mary, have two children and one granddaughter. His op-eds have appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today, Politico, and The Hill.

An Evening with Samantha Power: Discussing “The Education of an Idealist”
2021-03-18 19:00 - 20:00
Samantha Power will discuss her New York Times-bestselling memoir and offer insight on a range of pressing global issues.

About this Event

Join the Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center for a virtual conversation with Samantha Power, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and former United States Ambassador to the United Nations. In this intimate and thought-provoking dialogue, Samantha Power will discuss her New York Times-bestselling memoir, The Education of an Idealist, and offer insight on a range of pressing global issues.
This memoir asks the question: What can one person do? At a time of upheaval and division, Samantha Power offers an urgent response to this question —and a call for a clearer eye, a kinder heart, and a more open and civil hand in our politics and daily lives.
Themes discussed in the memoir are aligned with social issues explored in the Humanity Gallery within the Holocaust & Humanity Center’s museum at historic Union Terminal. In The Education of an Idealist, Power explains how she coined the term “upstander,” and how we all have the opportunity to be upstanders in unique ways. Upstanders are individuals who stand up for others and their rights. They fight against injustice and unfairness, and they use their character strengths to inspire action and become the best of humanity today.
“Every day, almost all of us find ourselves weighing whether we can or should do something to help others,” Power writes in the book. “We decide, on issues large and small, whether we will be bystanders or upstanders.”
Humorous and deeply honest, The Education of an Idealist lays bare the searing battles and defining moments of her life and shows how she juggled the demands of a 24/7 national security job with the challenge of raising two young children. Along the way, she illuminates the intricacies of politics and geopolitics, reminding us how the United States can lead in the world, and why we each have the opportunity to advance the cause of human dignity. Power’s memoir is an unforgettable account of the power of idealism—and of one person’s fierce determination to make a difference.
The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust & Humanity Center is proud to host this event in conjunction with its Cincy Upstander Project. Through generous funding from the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation, the Cincy Upstander Project aims to inspire our community to become upstanders through a city-wide art campaign, monthly programs, museum tours, giveaways, and training opportunities.
When you purchase the Special Admission Package ($30), you receive:
• Admission to “An Evening with Samantha Power: Discussing ‘The Education of an Idealist’ and What It Means to Be an Upstander”
• Your own copy of “The Education of an Idealist,” provided by Joseph-Beth Booksellers and the Holocaust & Humanity Center
• Exclusive access to HHC’s Book Club. Hosted by our museum staff in early March, you can discuss the book in a casual format with other community members in preparation for Samantha Power’s lecture.
• A chance to win Cincy Upstander shirts, posters, masks, and museum tickets during HHC’s March giveaway event
General Admission, without a copy of the book, is $10.
About Samantha Power
Samantha Power is a Professor of Practice at the Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Law School. From 2013-2017, Power served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and a member of President Obama’s cabinet. From 2009-2013, Power served on the National Security Council as Special Assistant to the President for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights. Power began her career as a journalist, reporting from places such as Bosnia, East Timor, Kosovo, Rwanda, Sudan, and Zimbabwe, and she was the founding executive director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at the Kennedy School. Power’s book, “A Problem from Hell”: America and the Age of Genocide won the Pulitzer Prize in 2003. She is also the author of the New York Times bestsellers Chasing the Flame: One Man’s Fight to Save the World (2008) and The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir (2019), which was named one of the best books of 2019 by the New York Times, Washington Post, Economist, NPR, and TIME. Power earned a B.A. from Yale University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.

Why Is It So Hard To Talk About Climate Change?
2021-03-23 18:00 - 19:00
The 2020-2021 Foreign Policy Forum Series is presented by Hitachi Healthcare Americas.
Climate change is one area where politics, economics, and science come together to create an all-encompassing challenge that must be met by leaders worldwide. Unfortunately, it is clear that the causes, effects, and policies needed to counter climate change are a point of contention, as everything regarding climate change has become politically divisive. Global issues require global responses and there is no agreement on whether or how the international community can coordinate approaches to the many challenges involving energy, environment, and fiscal responsibilities. Molly Williamson, a retired Foreign Service Officer and current scholar with the Middle East Institute, will explore key factors confounding policy makers and political leaders, both foreign and domestic.
Molly Williamson is a retired Foreign Service Officer, who served six different presidents, and achieved the rank of Career Minister. Williamson speaks extensively on energy, economic and demographic factors affecting foreign policy formulation, US-Middle East relations, especially regional unrest, the Israel-Palestine conflict, Iran and nuclear challenges, and the interagency process.
She is a scholar with the Middle East Institute and the National Council on US-Arab Relations, a consultant, and frequent guest lecturer at Johns Hopkins University, the Defense Institute of Security Cooperation, and the National Joint Staff College. Williamson has had a unique combination of policy positions in four Cabinet departments in the U.S. government as well as numerous diplomatic assignments in and about the Middle East. Williamson was the Senior Foreign Policy Advisor to the Secretary of Energy with global responsibilities at the nexus of foreign policy and energy policy.
This webinar is free, but advanced registration is required.
Register HERE.

2021 Annual ONE World Gala Presents International I-Eats Restaurant Insider Chat
2021-04-06 19:00 - 20:00
Join us to hear from our founding restaurant members: Alfio’s Buon Cibo, Oriental Wok, Wunderbar!, and Leyla Mediterranean.
The International i-EATS Restaurant Trail has officially launched! We encourage you to experience i-EATS, visit each of these restaurants – and Tour the World, One Restaurant at a Time! The trail is a delectable initiative sponsored by the World Affairs Council to promote our mission of encouraging cultural diversity and at the same time, helping out some of our region’s many family-owned, international restaurants. We now have four participating restaurants located on both sides of the river throughout our region – and the list is growing.
Grab your favorite cocktail and join us on April 6 at 7 pm for a one-hour, pre-gala happy hour where each of the i-EATS restaurants will share their story; the importance of food, specific dishes and spices to their country; and how you can experience culture through food. Click here to download and print your i-EATS Passport to support these local restaurants now!
This is the first pre-gala happy hours during ONE WORLD Gala week! ONE WORLD Gala is the annual fundraiser of the World Affairs Council supporting student success in a global world. Click here for FAQs.
Download the flyer, print you passport and let’s TRAVEL!! See all of the amazing restaurants and read more about this event here:
https://globalcincinnati.org/programs/international-eats/
We encourage you to experience the International i-EATS restaurant trail, visit each of these restaurants – and Tour the World, One Restaurant at a Time! When you complete your i-EATS Passport, you will receive a World Affairs Council coffee mug and receive one year complimentary World Affairs Council membership.

2021 One World Gala Cocktails of the World
2021-04-08 17:00 - 17:30
Do you delight in a special cocktail during the week? Cincinnati bar owner and mixologist Molly Wellmann is creating a special World Affairs Council cocktail while sharing about the Council’s history and teaching you how to make it at home! You can purchase a ticket with the cocktail kit with pre-measured ingredients or make the cocktail with your own ingredients.
Every purchase of a ticket plus cocktail kit not only supports the World Affairs Council but also helps to generate some funds for Molly’s workers and herself.
“You can take the bartender out of the bar, but you can’t stop Molly Wellmann from cocktail craftin’ and story tellin’, or however that saying goes…” Read more in this CityBeat article.
Send videos of yourself making the cocktails at home!
This is the second Pre-Gala Happy Hour during ONE WORLD Gala week! ONE WORLD Gala is the annual fundraiser of the World Affairs Council supporting student success in a global world.
Other ways to support this week:
Tuesday April 6 at 7pm – International i-EATS Restaurant Insider Chat
Saturday April 10 at 7pm – One World Gala & Global Trivia Night
Make sure to check out Japp’s Facebook page for 5 O’Clocktails to learn how to make even more cocktails at home with fund stories to boot. While the videos are a fun way to connect with her group of loyal customers while her bar Japp’s is temporarily closed, it’s also a way to generate some funds for her workers and herself.
Visit the official Gala website to learn more about our week-long event!
https://globalcincinnati.org/one-world-gala/

2021 Virtual One World Gala & Global Trivia Competition
2021-04-10 19:00 - 21:00
Join us for the eighth annual One World Gala & Global Trivia Competition – from home on Saturday, April 10!

We’re excited to host you at the first virtual gala, our annual fundraiser! Register your team for up to 10 players & please give what you can!
This event promises an exciting evening of global connections, and showcases our beloved City’s global sparkle – including a virtual global trivia game with prizes from some of Cincinnati’s most popular restaurants and businesses. Click here for FAQs.
Let’s get you ready to play:
1. Grab your favorite stay at home friends and get together your team! Only you, join us too! You don’t need a team to play! Heck, you can just observe and have a fun night with us.
One person can register your team for up to 10 players now. If possible, have names and emails of your team ready for registration plus your team name!
Gather your watch party team of Global Know-It-Alls today! Your team can be in person at your home or play from their own homes. You have either option.
2. Get your beverage of choice ready!
3. Consider dressing up & decorating for your favorite country!
4. Support local restaurants & buy your dinner from the iEATS International Restaurant Trail.
OMG! There are prizes too! The top team (up to 10 players) will each receive a bottle of wine from around the world and a wine tasting certificate donated by Tower Fine Wines in Mt. Washington and by board member, Doug Goldberg, Goldberg Partners International. Of course, this includes bragging rights!
Supporting this event shows your commitment to preparing students to be globally competent in the 21st century global environment. The World Affairs Council is committed to providing public school students with access to online global learning opportunities.
Any donations are 100% tax deductible.

MEET YOUR 2021 EMCEE
Kristyn Hartman is a regional Emmy and Murrow award winning journalist who was born and raised in the Midwest. She graduated from Northwestern University where she majored in Radio/Television/Film. Over her more than 20 years in the business working in Joplin, Peoria, Phoenix, Charlotte, and Chicago, Hartman has produced shows, shot video, edited, reported and anchored. She says her favorite stories are the ones with great characters, and the ones that genuinely shine a light on a problem. In her spare time, Hartman says she loves being a student of the world. She has traveled to Germany, Italy, Costa Rica, Greece, Hungary, France, Peru, Spain and all over the United States. She and her dog, Miss Ginny, also love exploring the Tri-State!

Other ways to support this week:
Tuesday April 6 at 7pm – International i-EATS Restaurant Insider Chat
Thursday April 8 at 5pm – Cocktails of the World with Molly Wellmann

Brexit and the EU - Great Decisions Group Discussion
2021-04-15 18:00 - 19:00
We welcome you to the Great Decisions Group Discussion facilitated by Susan Tracy. This group will meet the third Thursday of the month from 6 p.m. -7 p.m. monthly running from February through September. Great Decisions is America’s largest discussion program on world affairs. The program model involves reading the Great Decisions Briefing Book to discuss the most critical global issues facing America today.
With the “Brexit transition period” coming to an end this year, the United Kingdom will formally leave the European Union at the start of 2021. With negotiations between the two entities continuing to stall, what does the future of Europe and the UK look like? Will the UK survive a possible Scottish vote to leave? Who will step up and take command of Europe now that Angela Merkel is out of the spotlight?
Topics are:

April 15 – Brexit and the EU
May 20 – The Arctic
Sept 16 – China in Africa
Oct 21 – The two Koreas
Nov 18 – The Role of the WHO
Dec 16 – End of globalization

**You must order the Great Decisions Briefing Book on your own and prepare to join by having read the articles associated with the topic. To purchase the briefing book, go to this link: https://www.fpa.org/great_decisions/?act=gd_materials
Please contact Susan Tracy, dsxlstracy@yahoo.com or 513-582-5468 to join.

Climate Week 2021 - World Affairs Councils of America
2021-04-19 00:00 - 2021-04-23 00:00 | Virtual Event
The World Affairs Councils of America is pleased to present WACA Climate Week 2021 — five days of virtual programming April 19-23 that will convene high-caliber global and local experts on this most critical issue facing our world. Times vary through out the week.

NOTE: Separate registration is required for each and every program in this special series.

THE COMPLICATED CASE OF IRAQ – AN INSIDE LOOK INTO THE CHALLENGES OF DEMOCRACY BUILDING
2021-04-21 12:00 - 13:00
What’s it like in Iraq today? How is it to live in the the Republic of Kurdistan and Erbil, thought by some to be the world’s longest continually inhabited city? Is democracy taking hold there as America considers continuing military withdrawal from the country?

Join us for a live discussion from Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq with Steve Driehaus.
Steve Driehaus is Resident Senior Director in Iraq for the National Democratic Institute (NDI). He manages 16 Iraqi and other nationals who design and implement programs to support Iraqi democracy. NDI focuses on strengthening political parties, professionalizing offices and staff of Parliament Members, empowering women and youth to engage in the political process, and election monitoring.
Before joining NDI, Steve was President of Good Government Group, LLC, a consulting firm in the intersection of public policy, community engagement and economic development. Steve was Executive Director of Cincinnati Compass, a regional initiative advocating on behalf of immigrants. Previously Steve served as Country Director for the Peace Corps in Morocco, after 4 ½ year service for Peace Corps Swaziland, and 2 years in Senegal after graduation from Miami. Steve is a former U.S. Congressman (2009-11) and an 8-year Ohio Representative.
When not overseas, Steve and his wife, Lucienne, reside in Cincinnati, Ohio.

RESHAPING TRADE IN THE ASIA PACIFIC: WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION?
2021-04-28 12:00 - 13:00
Please join us for an FPLC special event with Wendy Cutler, Vice President of Asia Society and Former Acting Deputy US Trade Representative.
Wendy Cutler is Vice President at the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI) and the managing director of the Washington, D.C. office. In these roles, she focuses on building ASPI’s presence in the nation’s capital and on leading initiatives that address challenges related to trade, investment and innovation, as well as women’s empowerment in Asia.
She joined ASPI following an illustrious career of nearly three decades as a diplomat and negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), where she also served as Acting Deputy United States Trade Representative. During her USTR career, she worked on a range of bilateral, regional and multilateral trade negotiations and initiatives, including the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement, the Trans Pacific Partnership, US-China negotiations and the WTO Financial Services negotiations. She has published a series of ASPI papers on the Asian trade landscape, and serves as a regular media commentator on trade and investment developments in Asia and the world.
Cutler received her master’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and her bachelor’s degree from the George Washington University.

THE FUTURE OF SOFT POWER AND PUBLIC DIPLOMACY: REPORT LAUNCH
2021-04-30 12:30 - 13:30
In recent years the dynamics of global geopolitics have been wracked with uncertainty. Over the last year of the COVID-19 pandemic, a rising China, a revanchist Russia and a struggling West have added to this, with potential implications for the balance of global soft power. The pandemic itself has had significant implications for the operating context of foreign policy and public diplomacy practitioners.
A new critical issues report published by Sanctuary Counsel and CPD: “The Future of Soft Power and Public Diplomacy” seeks to shed light on the emerging challenges and opportunities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and a major reset in U.S. foreign policy under a new administration. Drawing on the insights of a global series of roundtables with experts and practitioners from the fields of international affairs, politics, media, culture and academia, the report aims to chart a way forward for governments, diplomats and international organizations working to foster understanding and build trust across borders.
Join us on May 4, 2021 for the formal launch of the report alongside leading public diplomacy practitioners and experts. This panel will discuss the future of public diplomacy as the world looks to move beyond the pandemic. Other topics to be discussed include the latest developments in soft power and public diplomacy in the context of a reset in American foreign policy and the UK’s post-Brexit reset following publication of the UK government’s Integrated Review: “Global Britain in a competitive age.”
Panelists

Katherine Brown, President and CEO, Global Ties U.S.
Ambassador Maureen Cormack, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, U.S. Department of State
Kate Ewart-Biggs OBE, Chief Executive, British Council
Jonathan McClory, Partner, Sanctuary Counsel
Macon Phillips, CEO, Starling Strategy (moderator)
Lord Peter Ricketts, former Permanent Secretary of the UK Foreign Office, National Security Advisor and UK Ambassador to France 2012–16
Jay Wang, Director, USC Center on Public Diplomacy (CPD)

Click here to register for this event.
About our panelists:
Katherine Brown
Katherine Brown, Ph.D., is President & CEO of Global Ties U.S., the largest and oldest citizen diplomacy network in the United States. She is also Adjunct Assistant Professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Security Studies. Before joining Global Ties U.S. in 2018, Katherine was Public Policy Manager at Facebook, Inc., where she was also in residence as a Council on Foreign Relations’ (CFR) International Affairs Fellow. From 2013–16, she served as Executive Director of the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State, an office authorized by Congress to appraise and strengthen U.S. engagement activities with foreign citizens. Katherine previously served in the U.S. government as an assistant to the National Security Advisor at the White House; as a communications advisor at the U.S. embassy in Kabul; and as a Professional Staff Member at the Committee on Foreign Affairs at the U.S. House of Representatives. Katherine received a Ph.D. in Communications from Columbia University in 2013 and completed her doctoral fieldwork in Afghanistan and Pakistan where she examined their news media’s effects on governance, civil society and foreign policy. Her book, Your Country, Our War: The Press and Diplomacy in Afghanistan, was published by Oxford University Press in 2019.
Ambassador Maureen Cormack
Maureen Cormack is the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs. She served previously as a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the German Marshall Fund and Senior Advisor for the 2019 Global Entrepreneurship Summit, co-hosted by the United States and The Netherlands in The Hague in June 2019. She was appointed as the U.S. Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina in January 2015. Prior to arriving in Sarajevo, Ambassador Cormack served in Washington D.C. as the Chief of Staff to the Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL; as Principal Deputy Coordinator for the Bureau of International Information Programs, and as Executive Assistant in the Office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs. Previously, she held the positions of Director of the Office of Western European Affairs, Deputy Director for Korean Affairs, and served as a Pearson Fellow on the Homeland Security Committee of the House of Representatives. Overseas, she served as Press Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Korea, as Deputy Cultural Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Paris, and as Consul at the American Presence Post in western France, covering the regions of Brittany, Normandy, and the Loire. Ambassador Cormack has a B.A. in performing arts management from the University of Illinois, an M.A. in international relations from the University of Chicago and a Diplome Semestriel from the University of Paris IV. She speaks French and has studied Bosnian, Polish, Korean, and Spanish.

Kate Ewart-Biggs OBE
Kate Ewart-Biggs OBE is Interim Chief Executive of the British Council, the United Kingdom’s international organization for cultural relations and educational opportunities, which operates in over 100 countries worldwide. Her British Council career has included postings in Africa, Europe and the Middle East, where she worked to build connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and other countries through arts and culture education and the English language. Previously, Kate was Director of the British Council’s Global Network, giving staff based overseas the backing of a strong support network of colleagues at home. She was also responsible for managing strategic relationships with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and other Whitehall partners, ensuring that the British Council remains central to the UK government’s Global Britain agenda.
Jonathan McClory
Jonathan McClory is Partner at Sanctuary Counsel. He is a globally recognized expert on soft power, public diplomacy and place branding. As a consultant, Jonathan has advised governments across four continents on matters of reputation and policy. Before joining Sanctuary Counsel, Jonathan was General Manager for Asia at Portland, where he built up and oversaw the company’s work across Asia Pacific from Singapore. Before working in the private sector, Jonathan was based at the Institute for Government, where he developed the world’s first composite index for measuring the soft power of countries. This earlier work informed his development of The Soft Power 30, an annual study that has been widely used as a benchmark by foreign ministries across the globe.
Macon Philips
Macon Philips founded The Starling Agency after 15 years of groundbreaking digital work in politics, government and international development. Philips oversaw online fundraising, organizing and communications for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign and founded the White House Office of Digital Strategy, transforming how the U.S. president could mobilize Americans. At the State Department, Macon developed digital engagement campaigns in over 30 countries and built a community of over 500,000 young African leaders through the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) Network. As CARE USA’s Chief Digital Officer, Macon managed the digital infrastructure for the global humanitarian organization, developed applications to digitize program data, and created both the policy and capacity to protect the privacy of beneficiaries. Philips currently serves on the board of NetHope, which joins the world’s largest nonprofits with technology innovators.
Lord Peter Ricketts
Lord Peter Ricketts has been at the heart of Britain’s foreign policy for more than 30 years. He was Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee, UK Permanent Representative to NATO, Permanent Secretary in the Foreign Office and Ambassador to France. As one of Britain’s most experienced senior diplomats, Peter Ricketts provides commentary extensively on international affairs, defense policy, home affairs and justice for the FT, The Times, New Statesman, Sky News and the BBC. His first book, Hard Choices: What Britain Does Next, explores key dilemmas facing Britain from trade to security, and the importance of international co-operation and solidarity in navigating an uncertain and dangerous world.
Jay Wang
Jian (Jay) Wang is Director of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy (CPD) and Associate Professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. He previously worked for the international consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where he advised clients on matters of communication strategy and implementation across a variety of industries and sectors. Wang has written widely on the role of communication in the contemporary process of globalization. He is co-editor of the newly published book, Debating Public Diplomacy: Now and Next. He is the author of Shaping China’s Global Imagination: Nation Branding at the World Expo and several other books. His research has been published in academic journals, including Journal of Communication, Journal of Broadcast & Electronic Media, Management Communication Quarterly, Public Relations Review and Place Branding & Public Diplomacy. He serves on the editorial board of the International Journal of Communication. Wang has led successful partnerships on research and programming with organizations, including the BBC, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the European Union Delegation to the U.S., Global Affairs Canada, Global Ties U.S., the Japan Foundation, NATO, Pew Research Center, the United Nations Foundation and the U.S. Department of State.

Munich Sister City Association Speaker: René Gobonya, Chief Financial Officer at American Modern Insurance Group
2021-05-03 18:00 - 19:00
Join us for our monthly meeting on Monday, May 3rd. May’s meeting will feature a brief presentation from René Gobonya. René Gobonya is the Chief Financial Officer at American Modern.
René is the past Deputy Head of Group Controlling at Munich Re, as well as Head of Financial Planning and Analysis and also Head of Group Capital Management. In his 25 years of work in primary insurance and reinsurance, he has held many finance, management, sales, and underwriting positions for Munich Re, and earlier at Winterthur International, a Credit Suisse subsidiary.
René earned his undergraduate degree and an M.B.A. from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland. He has command of six languages.
To join the meeting, simply click the meeting link on the 3rd click here: meet.google.com/hvv-cykd-qdv

Embassy Row Live! with Armenian Ambassador Varuzhan Nersesyan
2021-05-05 15:00 - 16:00
Armenian Ambassador Varuzhan Nersesyan will address key topics in Armenian current affairs and international relations in conversation with WorldBoston and the World Affairs Councils of America network. Armenia has been in U.S. news recently because of President Biden’s recent labelling of the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire between 1915-23 as genocide. Other important subjects may include regional tensions with Azerbaijan and the role of Russia, COVID recovery, upcoming June parliamentary elections, and relations with the U.S. and Turkey.

REGISTER HERE

His Excellency Varuzhan Nersesyan was Appointed Ambassador of Armenia to the United States of America as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in 2018. Previously, he served as Assistant to the Prime-Minister of the Republic of Armenia, as well as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Washington DC. Before that, he was the Head of the External Relations Department at the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, Head of the OSCE Division at the European Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, Head of the Conventional Arms Control Division at the Arms Control and International Security Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia, alongside other prestigious postings. He received the Medal of “Mkhitar Gosh” by the Decree of the President of the Republic of Armenia. He is a graduate of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and holds a Masters in Public Administration from the The Public Administration Academy of the Republic of Armenia.

Sake Tasting with Certified Sake Sommelier
2021-05-07 05:00 - 18:00
Join Certified Sake Sommelier Akisa Fukuzawa on Friday, May 7th, for a virtual event that is certain to put a smile on your face! She will teach us about sake and the culture behind the drink. We will be tasting 3 types of sake – Sparkling (Mio brand), Daiginjo (Dassai brand), and Ginjo (Kikusui brand).
Please note this event is only for those at least 21 years of age.

About the Presenter
Akisa Fukuzawa has studied and worked both in her native country of Japan and the United States for over 28 years in a variety of industries and sectors. While Akisa was serving as Executive Director for the non-profit Japan America Society of Central Ohio (JASCO) in 2014, she organized a sake tasting event at a downtown Columbus Japanese restaurant and was inspired by the sake sommelier who she hired. Since then, she studied to become a sake sommelier herself and was officially certified by the Food & Beverage Specialists Organization in Japan in 2016.
Akisa focuses on two areas related to sake: public education and sake tasting events. Since sake is very unique to Japanese culture, she believes that explaining the cultural background and history of sake is just as important as talking about the production process and tasting the different flavors.

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Please note: If you buy a ticket that includes sake, it is non-refundable since we will need to order the sake in advance. The sake we purchase will be available for pickup in one or more locations in and around Cincinnati; specific locations to be confirmed.
For those who prefer to purchase up sake on their own: two of the brands we will be tasting are available in the Cincinnati area as follows:
-Mio (Sparking): Kroger (some locations) and Jungle Jim’s (Fairfield)
-Kikusui (Ginjo): Jungle Jim’s (Fairfield)

This workshop is sponsored by:

with additional support from:

The Tōkaidō Fund

Vaccine Diplomacy - Presented by San Diego Diplomacy Council
2021-05-18 14:00 - 15:00
The San Diego Diplomacy Council is proud to offer a unique discussion on Vaccine Diplomacy

About this event

In recognition of the rising importance of vaccine diplomacy in the current climate, the San Diego Diplomacy Council is proud to offer a unique discussion with Dr. Yanzhong Huang, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations and professor and the director for global health studies at Seton Hall University’s School of Diplomacy and International Relations. This event will take place on Zoom at 11 AM PST on May 18th, 2021 as part of our E-Talk About series.
Vaccine diplomacy is among the most important foreign policy tools for countries seeking to shape their post-COVID international standings. Major powers including the People’s Republic of China, India, Russia, and the United States have emerged as contenders in this quest. How do these countries differ in their motivations, patterns, and successes in vaccine diplomacy? Will their efforts encourage equitable global vaccine access or merely result in geopolitical frictions?
Dr. Huang is the founding editor of Global Health Governance: The Scholarly Journal for the New Health Security Paradigm. He has written extensively on China and global health in outlets including Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. In 2006, he coauthored the first scholarly article that systematically examined China’s soft power. He is the author of Toxic Politics: China’s Environmental Health Crisis and its Challenge to the Chinese State (Cambridge 2020) and Governing Health in Contemporary China (Routledge 2013). He has testified before congressional committees many times and is regularly consulted by major media outlets, the private sector, and governmental and non-governmental organizations on global health issues and China. He is an expert adviser of the CSIS Commission on Strengthening America’s Health Security, where he chairs the China task force. In 2012, he was listed by InsideJersey magazine as one of the “20 Brainiest People in New Jersey.”

The San Diego Diplomacy Council is honored to host Dr. Yanzhong Huang and the San Diego Diplomacy Council to discuss these important issues.

May Global Diplomacy Dialogue
2021-05-21 12:00
Join International Focus on May 21 at noon for the monthly Global Diplomacy Dialogue. This month’s topic is Digital Transformation: Artificial Intelligence, Ethics, and Accessibility
Panelists:
– Victor Guzun | Managing Partner | Guzun Consulting
– Phaedra Boinodiris | Trust in AI Business Transformation Leader | IBM
Register here!

The Arctic - Great Decisions Group Discussion
2021-05-25 18:00 - 19:00
We welcome you to the Great Decisions Group Discussion facilitated by Susan Tracy. This group will meet the fourth Tuesday of the month from 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. running through to January. Great Decisions is America’s largest discussion program on world affairs. The program model involves reading the Great Decisions Briefing Book to discuss the most critical global issues facing America today.
U.S. President Donald Trump left many scratching their heads when it was rumored that he was looking to purchase the large island nation of Greenland from Denmark. While any potential deal seems highly unlikely, the event shows the changing opinion within the U.S. government toward engagement with the Arctic region. Because of climate change, large sheets of arctic ice are melting, exposing vast stores of natural gas and oil. With Russia and China already miles ahead with their Arctic strategies, can the U.S. catch up?
Topics are:

June 22 – The Arctic
Sept 28 – China in Africa
Oct 26 – the two Koreas
Nov 23 – The Role of the WHO
Jan 25 – End of globalization

Start with the new book! Order the Great Decisions Briefing Book on your own and prepare to join by having read the articles associated with the topic. To purchase the briefing book, go to this link: https://www.fpa.org/great_decisions/?act=gd_materials
Please contact Susan Tracy, dsxlstracy@yahoo.com or 513-582-5468 to join and for any questions you may have!

Rethinking American Grand Strategy | Christopher McKnight Nichols with Mary Carlin Yates & Derrick Olsen
2021-05-25 21:00 - 22:00
Rethinking American Grand Strategy recasts both historical and modern dimensions of U.S. grand strategy by broadening the factors, events, and figures that could be considered political, and therefore strategic. Join us for a 30-minute lecture with one of the volume’s co-editors, Christopher McKnight Nichols, laying out some of the broad themes, major events, and transformations in U.S. grand strategy, including an explanation of how an ensemble of leading scholars approached the history of the United States’ place in the world from the framework of rethinking.
Following the book talk, WorldOregon President Derrick Olsen will facilitate a discussion between Ambassador Mary Carlin Yates and Director of the Oregon State University Center for the Humanities Christopher McKnight Nichols about on how the historical insights provided in Rethinking American Grand Strategy could aid in re-conceptualizing domestic needs and foreign policy in a post-COVID-19 world.
Buy the Book
Copies of Rethinking American Grand Strategy are available for sale through the OHS Museum Store. Order your copy by emailing museumstore@ohs.org.
About Rethinking American Grand Strategy
Rethinking American Grand Strategy assembles a roster of leading historians to examine America’s place in the world. Its innovative chapters re-examine familiar figures, such as John Quincy Adams, George Kennan, and Henry Kissinger, while also revealing the forgotten episodes and hidden voices of American grand strategy. They expand the scope of diplomatic and military history by placing the grand strategies of public health, race, gender, humanitarianism, and the law alongside military and diplomatic affairs to reveal hidden strategists as well as strategies.

Christopher McKnight Nichols teaches history at Oregon State University. Nichols is Director of the Oregon State University Center for the Humanities. He founded OSU’s Citizenship and Crisis Initiative. Nichols specializes in the history of the United States and its relationship to the rest of the world, particularly in the areas of isolationism, internationalism, and globalization. In 2016 Nichols was awarded an Andrew Carnegie Fellowship. In 2017 Nichols became an Organization of American Historians (OAH) Distinguished Lecturer. Nichols’ 2018 TED Talk is entitled “The Untold Story of American Isolationism” (aka “Why History Matters Today”). A past OSU Professor of the Year, Nichols was recently named 2021 Sandy and Elva Sanders Eminent Professor in the OSU Honors College. Dr. Nichols is the author, co-author, or editor of six books, including Promise and Peril: America at the Dawn of a Global Age, which explains the origins of modern American isolationism and the dynamic interplay of international engagement, isolationist thought, and domestic reform from the 1890s through the 1940s.
Derrick Olsen is President of WorldOregon. Prior to joining the organization in 2016, Derrick was the Vice President of Regional Strategy at the regional economic development nonprofit Greater Portland Inc (GPI) for almost four years. Previously, Derrick managed international trade and investment issues for over four years with Business Oregon. Derrick also has over 13 years of experience managing political and economic issues as a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. Department of State in Latin America, Asia, and Washington, DC, with four overseas tours including as Chief of the U.S. Embassy’s Political Section in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
Ambassador Mary Carlin Yates is retired from the Department of State after a 32-year diplomatic career primarily in three geographic areas: Asia, Africa and Europe. She was special assistant to President Obama on the National Security Council (2009-11), first for Strategic Planning and then African Affairs. Her diplomatic assignments included positions at U.S. military commands: political advisor at the European Command and deputy commander for the new U.S. Africa Command. She is currently a board director at the Atlantic Council in Washington DC; and a member of the Board of Trustees of WorldOregon.
Copresented with

Listening for the Heartbeat of Iran
2021-05-26 19:00 - 20:00 | Virtual Event
Tara Kangarlou will be discussing the role of media and society in the U.S. and Iran, and her insights about the Iranian people and culture as the western media seems to highlight only a slim view of this country of 80 million people. Tara will be interviewed by Todd Schwartz, former Foreign Service officer with the United States and current Executive Director with the European American Chamber of Commerce Cincinnati.
More about Tara Kangarlou: She is an award-winning journalist who has reported, written, and produced breaking news, investigative pieces, and broadcast stories for NBC-LA, CNN, CNN International and Al Jazeera America. Her writing and reporting has also appeared in digital news outlets such as TIME, Vanity Fair, Huffington Post, and Al Monitor. She previously served as a fellow at the East West Institute, is a contributor to Al Jazeera, and a frequent commentator on various news outlets covering the MENA region and humanitarian issues worldwide.
In 2015, she led Al Jazeera America’s team with unprecedented access to report from inside Iran during the nuclear negotiations. In recent years, she has reported extensively from the Syrian border regions of Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan covering issues that impact Syrian refugees, host countries, and the Middle East at large. In 2016, she founded Art of Hope, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the psychosocial and mental health needs of refugees in Lebanon.
Her forthcoming book, The Heartbeat of Iran will be released on June 1st, and captures the heart and soul of a country that’s often seen through news headlines and a political fog that blurs the reality of life for millions of Iranians inside the country. Each chapter is an incredibly nuanced, textured, and intimate journey into the diversity of beliefs, struggles, and complexities of life in today’s Iran – all told through the real stories of its people. Tara was born and raised in Tehran and is fully bilingual in English and Farsi.
You can follow Tara at the handles below and pre-order her forthcoming book!
Twitter: @TaraKangarlou
LinkedIn: TaraKangarlou
Instagram: @TaraKangarlou
Website: TaraKangarlou.com
Facebook: TaraKangarlouJournalist
Book Link: The Heartbeat of Iran

More about Todd Schwartz:He retired from the Foreign Service of the United States in September 2015 with the personal rank of Counselor (roughly equivalent to Brigadier General).
Mr. Schwartz joined the State Department as a Foreign Service Officer in 1987. His overseas postings included Germany, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Qatar, the Philippines, Kuwait (Counselor for Economic Affairs), Canada (Principal Officer in Winnipeg, Manitoba), and Iraq (Counselor for Economic Affairs). His assignments in Washington have included tours as Director for the Office of Iraq Economic Affairs, Director of the Office of Iran Affairs, and as an assessor with the Board of Examiners for the Foreign Service. He received numerous awards throughout his career, including three Superior Honor Awards, six Meritorious Honor Awards, and the Secretary’s Career Achievement Award.
Mr. Schwartz earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Economics at the Richard T. Farmer School of Business at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. A father of four, he is married to the former Nancy Dye Sunderland of Dayton, Ohio. Nancy and Todd now reside in the Mount Washington area of Cincinnati.

This event was selected for World Affairs Council of America’s May Cover to Cover author series.

Drink at The Littlefield To Support the World Affairs Council
2021-06-01 - 2021-06-30 | The Littlefield, 3934 Spring Grove Ave, Cincinnati, Ohio, 45223
Grab the drink of the month at The Littlefield in Northside all of June to support the World Affairs Council. For every drink of the month you purchase, The Littlefield will donate $1 to the World Affairs Council. #supportlocal #supportnonprofit

WACA's Embassy Row Live! Dr. Hend Al-Muftah - Qatar: Women's Status and Expected Democracy
2021-06-03 12:00 - 13:00
Join WACA on Thursday, June 3 at 12:00 PM ET for their sixth Embassy Row Live!: Conversations That Bring Diplomacy Directly to You. This special platform spotlights distinguished diplomats discussing new ideas, policy developments, and possible solutions to critical international challenges.
Dr. Hend Al-Muftah is one of the first female Qataris to be appointed by the Emir as a member of Qatar’s Shura Council. Dr. Al-Muftah will join them in examining women’s status in Qatar, the upcoming Shura Council election, and expected democracy.

About Dr. Hend Al-Muftah:
Dr. Hend Al-Muftah is one of the first female Qataris to be appointed by the Emir of Qatar as a member of Qatar’s Shura Council. She has 20+ years of experience in leadership positions, including her last position as VPAF at Doha Institute for Graduate Studies. Dr. Al-Muftah has been actively involved in many local, regional, and international debates and events regarding political participation of Qatari women and empowerment, women and migrant labor human rights, and the coming Qatari elections in October 2021.
She also served as the VP for the International Women’s Empowerment & Capacity Building Organization (NGO based in UK). Dr. Al-Muftah is the first Qatari HR female professor in Qatar and has taught hundreds of students since graduating from the UK in 2004. She was classified as the most influential social media person in 2016 in Qatar.
Dr. Al-Muftah holds a Ph.D. in Human Capital Formation-Human Resources Management from Exeter University in the UK. She obtained her Master’s in Management Science from London University, SOAS, UK, and her Bachelor’s in Public Administration from Qatar University.

Munich Sister City Association of Greater Cincinnati - June's Virtual Meeting
2021-06-07 18:00 - 19:00
Join the Munich Sister City Association for their monthly meeting on Monday, June 7th. June’s meeting will feature a brief presentation from Dr. Don Heinrich Tolzmann. Dr. Tolzmann is a Historian & President of the German-American Citizens league & Curator of the German Heritage Museum.
Dr. Tolzmann will discuss preserving and presenting German Heritage.
To join the meeting, simply click the meeting link on the 7th click here: meet.google.com/vpc-kodr-drd
*Please RSVP if you will be attending the meeting*
Should be an interesting discussion. Hope to see you then!

15th Annual Women Spanning the Globe Leadership Conference
2021-06-09 08:30 - 16:30
For 15 years, the Women Spanning the Globe Leadership conference has been the premier destination for curious, talented, and ambitious female professionals from the Mid-Atlantic region and beyond. The World Trade Center Institute curates unique and inspiring conferences where female leaders and innovators share ideas, stories, and lessons with the goal of connecting and educating rising female leaders.

Agenda:

8:30 am Virtual Conference Hall Opens

8:45 am Welcome & Opening Remarks

9:00 am Keynote Address – Huddle: How Women Unlock Their Collective Power

9:50 am Networking Break

10:00 am Choose One:

Burn: How Grit, Innovation, and a Dash of Luck Can Unleash Your Success

Increase Your Leadership Resiliency | Workshop

11:00 am Choose One:

Rethinking Work: Flexibility & Engagement | Panel

Managing Upwards- The I’s Have It | Panel

Personal Finance Wellness Workshop: The Confidence of a Well Planned Life | Workshop

12:00 pm Virtual Lunch Tables

12:30 pm A Guided Meditation to Tap Into Your Personal Power

1:00 pm Welcome Back, Afternoon Kick Off

1:15 pm Choose one:

Building and Operationalizing Your DEI Strategy | Panel

In today’s business world, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are often treated as buzzwords. But the reality is, when you make DEI a priority, every facet of your organization benefits, including the bottom line. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all DEI roadmap, which leaves many organizations struggling with where to start and how to achieve success through strategy. In this session, you will hear from three leading executives who are advancing DEI within their organizations.

ROHINI ANAND PHD

CEO
Rohini Anand LLC

PRADHEEPA RAMAN

Global Head, Human Resources & Chief Transformation Officer
Stanley Black & Decker

TCHERNAVIA ROCKER

Chief People & Administrative Officer
Under Armour

LATOYA SUPERVILLE

Director of Supply Chain Innovation
McCormick

JON RAMBEAU

VP & General Manager
Lockheed Martin

Creating a League of Your Own: Building a Coalition of Allies | Panel

2:15 pm Networking Break

2:30 pm Becoming a Force for Good and a Force for Growth | MasterClass

3:45 pm Closing Remarks

4:00 pm Happy Hour with Live Musical Performance

4:30 pm Conference Ends
