2012-2013 Lecture Series
"Striving For Global Harmony"
We are delighted to present an outstanding line up of speakers on subjects vital to our interests.
October 29th: Dr. Brian Latell, “Fidel Castro’s Missile Crisis: 50 Years Later” What secrets have been revealed from the archives of Fidel’s intelligence machine, now that those records are in the public domain? Does the world really know how close we came to nuclear holocaust? Dr. Latell serves as Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies at the University of Miami. He is the recipient of many academic and professional awards as well as the CIA’s Distinguished Intelligence Medal.
November 12th: Dr. Thomas Wright, “The Geopolitical Implications of the Eurocrisis”. The Eurozone crisis in its third year and poses a direct threat to the global economy and the European Union itself. How did we get to this point? What would a breakup of the Euro mean for the United States and the rest of the world? Can Europe’s leaders take the steps necessary to create a closer political and fiscal union to avoid a break-up? Dr. Wright is a Fellow at the Brookings Institution.
December 10th: Dr. Shibley Telhami, “Understanding Muslim Societies” This program is part of a grant awarded to the World Affairs Councils of America by the Carnegie Corporation of New York, as part of the US Six Top Issues for US National Security; Engage America Series. Dr. Telhami is the Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland.
January 7th: Dr. Frederick M. Hess, “More Than the Same Thing Over and Over.” Dr. Hess will explain how America’s system of schooling is ill-suited to challenges of the 21st century and what it will take to be more competitive in a new global climate. As Resident Scholar and Director of Education Policy at the American Enterprise Institute, his talk should be right on target following the teachers’ strike this September.
January 21st: Sandra Postel, “Can We Live Harmoniously in a Water Short World?” As we enter an unprecedented period of water stress globally, how will we, as a society, respond to the implications for food security, the health of the aquatic environment and social and political stability? Sandra Postel is founder and director of the Global Water Policy Project.
February 4th: General Barry McCaffrey, “Challenges to American’s Security-After Afghanistan and Iraq”. What are the principal security challenges we will face as the Armed Forces complete their final withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014? General McCaffrey will also examine the future potential security threats in domestic and international communities. Will a diminished Defense Budget make us vulnerable? Click here to view General Barry McCaffrey's presentation in PDF format.
February 18th: David Ensor, “American Public Diplomacy and Communications: From a War Zone to the Global Airwaves”. How can we improve our communications with publics around the world, using the revolution in human communications currently underway? What is the role of the Voice of America, a source of balanced journalism, doing to reach foreign audiences? David Ensor is Director of the Voice of America.
March 4th: Daniel Markey, “Natural Partners? U.S.-India Relations and the Rise of Asia”. How does our relationship with India fit into the wider context of a rising China and a faltering Pakistan. What are Washington’s challenges as it attempts to forge closer relations with New Delhi? Dr. Daniel Markey is Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations for India, Pakistan and South Asia.
March 18th: Barbara Slavin, “Syria: the Weakest Link in the Shiite Crescent”. Syria’s civil war has made her a liability rather than an asset to Iran, Hezbollah, and militant Palestinian groups. Syria is now the “weakest link” in a Shiite-Muslim dominated crescent that runs from Iran through Iraq and Syria and into Lebanon. Barbara Slavin is a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center and Washington Correspondent for Al-Monitor.com.
April 1st: Cynthia Watson, “Western Hemisphere Relations: Tectonic Shifts”. The traditional assumption that U.S.-Latin American relations will overcome minor tensions to create an increasingly stronger relationship is under considerable stress. Outsiders such as the Chinese, the Iranians, and the Russians continue to deepen their involvement in the region. Dr. Watson will discuss these trends and extrapolate what the effects will be for the future of the relationship and U.S. ties in the region. She is Professor of Strategy at the National War College.
