What's Up at NCWA?

NCWA's Programs Are Unmatched in Our Area

Happy NCWA New Year!
More Good Things Are
Ahead of Us for 2025

By MARK SCHWAB
NCWA President

Happy New Year!

Since the season opened a couple months ago at a new, more convenient lecture venue, we've heard from expert speakers on India, the future of NATO, Germany's place in the leadership of Europe, and whether Russia might prevail in what may be a new Cold War. We had the good fortune to participate in an in-depth session with a Middle East expert a couple of days after the fall of the al-Assad regime in Syria. 

Now, we look forward to equally relevant lectures in 2025 and a very exciting day of discussion with experts from the National War College on  February 21 about our national security. (Save the date! Instructions for registration will be emailed soon).

The depth and quality of our programs are unmatched by other organizations in our area. 

Great Decisions groups begin their eight-week program the week of January 13 (it's not too late to enroll!).

High school juniors recently applied for summer scholarships and will be selected shortly. Exciting Academic WorldQuest competitions for middle and high school students will take place on March 1 and 29.

The massive preparation required for a successful Southwest Florida Model UN competition is underway. Judges, position paper graders and facilitators are being recruited. FGCU will host us again this year. The March 3-4 event will draw high school teams from across the region.

The NCWA Board of Directors is recruiting to fill vacancies for the next fiscal year and beyond (beginning July 1). The deadline to apply is January 10.

We've been reaching out to you for your commitment of time and donations to support our educational programs. 

One of our hopes is to deepen our members' relationship with NCWA and with each other. We urge you to attend as many programs in person as possible to experience the special energy and connection with speakers, program leaders and fellow members. There are plenty of opportunities to expand your horizons while making new friends.  Hope to see you in person soon!

Lecture Schedule

Out of Peril and Chaos:
Can We Find Order?

3:45 and 7:30 pm

January 27:  "Will China become the World’s Strongest Power?" Ryan Hass

February 10:  "Iran’s New Patrons," Dr. Ray Takeyh 

Friday, February 21:  The Ninth Biennial National War College Seminar: Multiple speakers, “Our National Security”

March 10:  "American Statecraft," Aaron David Miller, a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

March 24:  "Artificial Intelligence," Ylli Bajraktari 

April 7:  "Immigration," Eddie Aldrete, Senior Vice President of International Bank of Commerce, chairman, National Immigration Forum.

Archived videos of the lectures that have been presented to date are available for members to view. Click here:

November 4:  “Pipe Dream or Strategic Windfall: What the United States Should Expect from India in a Changing World Order” Dr. Daniel S. Markey, a senior advisor on South Asia at the United States Institute of Peace and a Senior Fellow at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

November 18:  Germany, NATO and Nuclear Doctrine: “Germany after Merkel - Still a Leader of the Free World?” Dr. Liana Fix, a fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations and an adjunct faculty member at Georgetown University in the Center for German and European Studies.

December 2:  "Are We Embedded In a New Cold War? Will Russia Win?" Ian J. Brzezinski leads the Brzezinski Group, which provides strategic insight and advice to commercial and government clients, and is a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on Strategy and Security. 

December 9:  “The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present and Future in the Middle East”, Steven Cook, the Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies, Council on Foreign Relations. A special discussion of his book by the same title was held December 9. 

January 6: "The Next World Order: Does Europe Still Matter?" Dr. Charles A. Kupchan, Council on Foreign Relations and professor at Georgetown University.

NCWA Book Club: America's Strategy in the Face of Chinese Ambition

The NCWA Book Club meets via Zoom on the first Tuesday of the month from 12:00 to 1:30 pm, November through April. Next dates are February 4, March 4 and April 7.

By BILL KORSTAD
NCWA Book Club Chair

On February 4, the NCWA Book Club will discuss Eldridge A. Colby’s book The Strategy of Denial: America's Defense in the Age of Great Power Rivalry.  The discussion will begin at 12:00 noon and end around 1:30 pm. The Zoom link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84512910881

The Strategy of Denial discusses why and how America's defense strategy must change in light of China's power and ambition. Colby was the lead architect of the 2018 National Defense Strategy, the most significant revision of the U.S. defense strategy in a generation. Based firmly in the realist tradition but deeply engaged in current policy, this book offers a clear framework for what America's goals in confronting China must be, how its military strategy must change, and how it must prioritize these goals over its lesser interests. The most informed and in-depth reappraisal of America's defense strategy in decades, this book outlines a rigorous but practical approach, showing how the United States can prepare to win a war with China that we cannot afford to lose -- precisely to deter that war from happening. 

Colby was just appointed the Under Secretary for Policy in OSD, a high-level civilian official within the Department of Defense primarily responsible for advising the Secretary of Defense on national security and defense policy matters. This book was a top choice for most Book Club respondents.

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes more dynamic and ubiquitous, it is dramatically empowering people in all walks of life while also giving rise to urgent questions about the future of humanity—a historic challenge whose contours and consequences are revealed by three eminent thinkers in Genesis. As it absorbs data, gains agency, and intermediates between humans and reality, AI will help us to address enormous crises, from climate change to geopolitical conflicts to income inequality. It might well solve some of the greatest mysteries of our universe, revolutionize fields as diverse as medicine and architecture, and elevate the human spirit to unimaginable heights.

But it will also pose challenges on a scale and of an intensity that we have never seen—usurping our power of independent judgment and action, testing our relationship with the divine, and perhaps even spurring a new phase in human evolution. Whom will we choose to lead our species through this wilderness? Or have we, passively and unwittingly, already chosen? It’s an important topic, and as a bonus, it's the subject of our seventh Great Decisions discussion of the year, "AI and American National Security," slated for late February or early March for most. It’s a good tie-in.

On April 7, we’ll discuss The Art of Diplomacy by Stuart Eizenstat 

In one readable volume, diplomat and negotiator Stuart E. Eizenstat goes inside the greatest diplomatic negotiations of the past 50 years and covers every major contemporary international agreement, from the treaty to end the Vietnam War to the Kyoto Protocols and the Iranian Nuclear Accord. Written from the perspective that only a participant in top-level negotiations can bring, Eizenstat recounts the events that led up to the negotiation, the drama that took place around the table, and draws lessons from successful and unsuccessful strategies and tactics.

Based on interviews with over 60 key figures in American diplomacy, including former presidents and secretaries of state, and major political figures abroad, Eizenstat provides an intimate view of diplomacy as today’s history. The Art of Diplomacy will be an indispensable volume to understand American foreign policy and provide invaluable insights on the art of negotiation for anyone involved in government or business negotiations.

Dr. Eizenstat spoke at the Jewish Book Festival in Naples on January 10 and is scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the St. Petersburg Conference on World Affairs February 11-13 at the USF St. Petersburg campus. His remarks will be delivered the evening of February 11 and then in a panel the following morning, February 12. More information and registration is provided on the Conference website, www.worldaffairsconference.org. At this point, he is not scheduled to speak at NCWA.

For more information, contact Bill Korstad at bkorstad@mac.com or 303-887-7116.

NCWA Moves Lectures and Events to New Location

In response to a survey last year, NCWA members strongly suggested they would prefer a more convenient venue for our flagship lecture program.

The Board of Directors announced in September that it has acted on the members' suggestion, and beginning with the 2024-25 season, our lectures are presented at the Naples United Church of Christ (NUCC), 5200 Crayton Road, Naples 34103. 

While it is only a couple of miles north of our former venue, it is closer to the core geography where most of our members live.

Ample free parking is available (You can park on the grass!). 

A map to assist members and guests in locating NUCC is shown below.

Guest Programs Continue at Lectures and Great Decisions

Members are invited to bring guests to lectures and Great Decisions again this season!

Guests should be eligible to become members, namely residents of the Southwest Florida area either year round or during "season," have a strong interest in international relations and global affairs, and can contribute to our nonpartisan dialogue. Online procedures for registration of your guests have been updated: For information and registration, click here. Also, you may register them at the greeting desk at the lecture you desire to attend (There's plenty of room at Naples United Church of Christ).

Great Decisions also will continue its guest program. Group leaders will announce the procedure.

Some of the Many Benefits of Membership in NCWA

Sign Up for GlobalPost (formerly DailyChatter)

This informative and nonpartisan daily emailed newsletter on international     events is a quick way to stay current and enhance your understanding of       our lectures and Great Decisions discussions. It is a free benefit of NCWA membership! Click here to subscribe.

Travel with WACA Members

NCWA members enjoy the companionship of like-minded explorers when they explore the world with the World Affairs of America (WACA) travel program. Administered by the Philadelphia Council, the program features tours led by Council members to a wide variety of destinations. For more information on trips, go to www.wacphila.org.

A Deep Dive into Critical Foreign Policy and Diplomacy Issues

The Naples Council on World Affairs (NCWA) is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Our mission is to educate, inspire and engage our community in international affairs and global issues. 

Member benefits: Lectures by foreign affairs experts; small nonpartisan Great Decisions discussion groups; rich student programs, including Model UN, Academic WorldQuest competitions for middle school and high school students; scholarships for North American and overseas study; support for teachers, schools and students' careers in international affairs; book club, and opportunities for members to get involved in meaningful programs!