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DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260210T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260210T190000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20251219T211458Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251219T211458Z
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SUMMARY:WorldNow: The Great Firewall with Yi-Ling Liu
DESCRIPTION:Journalist Yi-Ling Liu takes us behind the Great Firewall to the reality of 30 years of surveillance and censorship on the Chinese Internet.\n\n\n\nThirty years ago\, the world began to discover the power of the Internet: a digital world and resource to connect\, share ideas\, learn\, and earn. While the rest of the world connected\, the Chinese government began creating a system of strict surveillance and censorship on its internet – now known as the Great Firewall. \nToday\, as the country’s leadership intensifies its control of public discourse and Western headlines reduce the Chinese public to a faceless monolith\, what is the true online and on-the ground reality for Chinese citizens? \nJoin us February 10th on WorldNow as author and journalist Yi-Ling Liu tells the untold story of the Chinese internet. Hear how Chinese citizens have navigated the last 30 years of surveillance and censorship while searching for freedom and connection – behind the Great Firewall. \n\n\nREGISTER HERE\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nThe Wall Dancers: Searching for Freedom and Connection on the Chinese Internet by Yi-Ling Liu\nAn eye-opening exploration of the Chinese internet that reveals the intricate dance between freedom and control in contemporary China \nIn the late 1990s\, as the world was waking up to the power and emancipatory promise of the internet\, Chinese authorities began constructing a system of online surveillance and censorship now known as the Great Firewall. But far from being a barren landscape\, the digital world that sprouted up behind the firewall brimmed with new subcultures and tech innovations\, offering many Chinese citizens previously unimaginable connection and opportunity. \nToday\, as the country’s leadership intensifies its control of public discourse and Western headlines reduce the Chinese public to a faceless monolith\, journalist Yi-Ling Liu presents an intimate portrait of China’s online ecosystem—and a crucial lens into the on-the-ground reality of life there. Tracing the last three decades of the Chinese internet’s evolution—from its lexicon to its memes to the precise nature of its censorship—she equips readers with a critical tool to assess the past\, present\, and future of a global power. \nDrawing on years of firsthand reporting\, The Wall Dancers weaves together the stories of individuals navigating China’s transformation into both the world’s largest online user base and one of its most populous authoritarian states. As these entrepreneurs\, activists\, artists\, and dreamers experience the internet’s power as a tool for both control and liberation\, they grapple with universal questions of success and authenticity\, love and solidarity\, faith and resilience. \nThe Wall Dancers is at once an unforgettable work of human storytelling and a vital exploration of what it means to live with dignity and hope within the technological systems that now shape all our lives. \nPre-order a copy of The Wall Dancers\, coming February 3rd\, 2026.
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/worldnow-the-great-firewall-with-yi-ling-liu/
LOCATION:ONLINE
CATEGORIES:Asia,author
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Firewall-e1766178806394.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20260114T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20260114T190000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20251219T210328Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20251220T203357Z
UID:14768-1768413600-1768417200@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:WorldNow: The Architect of Espionage - The Man Who Built Israel’s Mossad
DESCRIPTION:How did Mossad\, Israel’s intelligence service\, come to be one of the world’s most notorious and prominent players in global intelligence? Just look to Meir Dagan\, the Mossad’s former director who transformed the service into the leading force in counterterrorism and espionage it is today. \nSamuel Katz\, bestselling author of The Architect of Espionage: The Man Who Built Israel’s Mossad in to the World’s Boldest Intelligence Force\, joins WorldNow to introduce us to the former Mossad director. \nKatz will give us an inside look at Dagan’s leadership and the operations carried out during his tenure\, including counterterrorism efforts\, covert missions related to Iran’s nuclear program\, and expanded intelligence cooperation with international partners – and how he transformed modern espionage and the Middle East. \nREGISTER HERE\n  \n\nMeet the Author\n \nSamuel M. Katz is a New York Times bestselling author who has written over twenty books on the Arab Israeli conflict\, military and law enforcement special operations\, espionage\, and counterterrorism. He has written hundreds of articles for magazines and journals around the world\, as well as documentaries for television. He is also the former editor-in-chief of Special Operations Report\, a trade publication for the world’s commando and counterterrorist community. Katz lectures police agencies and military commands around the world on the history of terrorism\, and he is a frequent guest on television and radio networks. \n\nMeet the Host\n\nJim Falk is President Emeritus of the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth. Now residing in Santa Fe\, NM\, he is Vice Chairman of the Board of Global Santa Fe. In addition to hosting WorldNow with Jim Falk\, Jim produces and hosts The Forum\, a weekly talk show on KSFR-FM\, Santa Fe Public Radio. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. \n  \n  \n\nAbout the Book\nThe Architect of Espionage: The Man Who Built Israel’s Mossad into the World’s Boldest Intelligence Force by Samuel M. Katz \nFrom a New York Times bestselling author and an expert on Middle Eastern conflict comes a riveting biography of Meir Dagan\, the legendary Mossad director who transformed Israel’s intelligence service into a global powerhouse of espionage and counterterrorism.\nIn The Architect of Espionage\, Samuel M. Katz masterfully chronicles the life of Meir Dagan\, a visionary covert warfare veteran who revolutionized the art of intelligence and espionage. Born in the shadows of the Holocaust\, his life personified the modern history of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. Dagan’s journey embodies decisive action\, innovative thought\, and bold leadership under fire. His tenure as the head of the Mossad marked a transformative era in Israel’s history\, reshaping the agency into a formidable global force. \nDagan spent thirty-two years in uniform\, and under his eight-year leadership\, Mossad orchestrated a series of high-stakes missions\, including targeted assassinations\, clandestine attempts to stop Iran from becoming a nuclear power\, and the covert expansion of Israel’s strategic collaborations with members of the global intelligence fraternity\, notably with the CIA. These operations not only bolstered Israel’s security but also altered the geopolitical dynamics of the Middle East. \nKatz brings to life the portrait of a spymaster whose influence extended far beyond Israel’s borders\, shaping intelligence relationships across the Middle East and worldwide. \nFor anyone captivated by espionage thrillers or historical biographies\, this is an essential and timely read\, providing an insightful glimpse into the mind of one of the most influential spymasters of our era. \nGet yourself a copy of The Architect of Espionage on Bookshop.org and support your local bookstore.
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/worldnow-the-architect-of-espionage-the-man-who-built-israels-mossad/
LOCATION:ONLINE
CATEGORIES:author,Geopolitics,peace and conflict
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/WorldNow-Espionage.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250918T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250918T190000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20250829T201300Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250829T201423Z
UID:14619-1758216600-1758222000@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:A Conversation with Lawrence Wright
DESCRIPTION:Join your fellow World Affairs Council of Austin members for a conversation with Lawrence Wright\, author\, screenwriter\, and playwright. \nMr. Wright received the Pulitzer Prize for this book\, “The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11.” With a degree from American University in Cairo\, he has spent time living and reporting on the Middle East. His latest book\, “The Human Scale\,” released in 2025\, set in Israel\, the West Bank\, and Gaza. Publisher’s Weekly calls it a “superb thriller from Pulitzer winner Wright…an uncomfortable and unforgettable plunge into the heart of a devastating conflict.” \nMr. Wright will discuss and provide insights on the current social\, economic\, and political scene in the Middle East. \nThis event is by invitation-only. Please notify us of your interest to receive an invitation by providing your contact information in the form below. Priority registration is available for World Affairs Council of Austin members. Bring your invitation to the event.  Invitations are non-transferable. \nREQUEST YOUR INVITATION HERE\nLawrence Wright is an author\, screenwriter\, playwright\, and staff writer for The New Yorker Magazine\, where he has published numerous prize-winning articles\, earning him three National Magazine Awards. He is a graduate of Tulane University in New Orleans and the American University in Cairo. \nHe is the author of eleven nonfiction works\, including “Going Clear: Scientology\, Hollywood\, and the Prison of Belief\,” which was made into a documentary for HBO\, winning six Emmys; and “The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11\,” which won the Pulitzer Prize and became a series for Hulu\, starring Jeff Daniels\, Alec Baldwin\, and Tahar Rahim. \n“The Human Scale” is Wright’s fourth novel. His previous works include “The End of October\,” and “Mr. Texas.” In 2006\, Wright premiered his first one-person play\, “My Trip to Al-Qaeda\,” at The New Yorker Festival. It was made into a documentary film of the same name\, directed by Alex Gibney\, for HBO. \nWright is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations\, the Society of American Historians\, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He also serves as the keyboard player in the Austin-based blues band\, WhoDo.
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/lawrence-wright/
CATEGORIES:author,Geopolitics
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Lawrence-W.-photo-e1756498327418.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250909T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250909T190000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20250806T031800Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250806T031800Z
UID:14601-1757440800-1757444400@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:World Now: A Tale of Two Kings - Saudi Arabia\, Jordan\, and the Future of Power in the Middle East
DESCRIPTION:Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman – de facto ruler of one of the wealthiest states in the Middle East – has positioned himself as a transformative leader. His rule is defined by economic and social change\, a close relationship with President Trump\, and concerns about human rights abuses and power consolidation. \nJordan’s King Abdullah II leads one of the region’s most economically challenged countries with a steady hand and traditional approach. His rule is characterized by alliance building and cautious political reform\, while also stifling political opposition. \nJoin us on WorldNow with Jim Falk for an inside look at two very different yet consequential leaders who are shaping the future of the Middle East – and redefining what it means to be king in the 21st century. With Pulitzer Prize-Winner Karen Elliot House\, author of The Man Who Would be King: Mohammad Bin Salman and the Transformation of Saudi Arabia and Aaron Magid\, author of The Most American King: Abdullah of Jordan. \n \nMeet the Authors\nKaren Elliott House is a Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist with nearly five decades of experience covering Saudi Arabia. She is also a former executive of Dow Jones & Company and former chair of the Rand Corp. Her deep expertise informs her latest book\, The Man Who Would Be King: Mohammed bin Salman and the Transformation of Saudi Arabia\, which draws on more than half a dozen in-depth interviews with the Crown Prince himself. House spent over 30 years at The Wall Street Journal\, serving as a reporter\, editor\, and ultimately publisher. She resides in Princeton\, New Jersey. \n\nAaron Magid is a former Amman-based journalist and the author of the recently published The Most American King: Abdullah of Jordan. His analysis on the Hashemite Kingdom has appeared in Foreign Affairs\, Foreign Policy\, Al-Monitor\, the Atlantic Council\, France 24\, Al-Jazeera\, and the Middle East Institute. He hosts the podcast On Jordan. He obtained a Master’s Degree in Middle Eastern Studies from Harvard University. \n\nMeet the Host\nJim Falk is President Emeritus of the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth. Now residing in Santa Fe\, NM\, he is Vice Chairman of the Board of Global Santa Fe. In addition to hosting WorldNow with Jim Falk\, Jim produces and hosts The Forum\, a weekly talk show on KSFR-FM\, Santa Fe Public Radio. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. \n\nAbout the Books\nThe Man Who Would Be King: Mohammed Bin Salman and the Transformation of Saudi Arabia by Karen Elliot House \nPulitzer Prize-winning reporter and former Wall Street Journal publisher\, Karen House has gained unprecedented insights into Saudi Arabia and its controversial leader\, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman through her more than forty years of experience covering the Arab kingdom. \nHouse reveals a leader who\, like Peter the Great\, is a reformer determined to modernize his kingdom but also an autocrat who jails political opponents and rival princes to assure his grip on power. Drawing on extensive interviews with the Crown Prince\, his royal relatives\, and his inner ring of advisors\, The Man Who Would Be King explains in full what shaped the man who is reshaping Saudi Arabia. It is an unprecedented and much needed in-depth portrait of the leader who\, at only thirty-nine\, will be a major player on the world stage for the next half century. \nGet a copy of The Man Who Would Be King on Bookshop.org to support your local bookstore. \n\nThe Most American King: Abdullah of Jordan by Aaron Magid \nThe first comprehensive biography on Jordan’s King Abdullah\, The Most American King details Abdullah’s rise to power\, survival amid protests from Jordanians\, and his efforts to cement an alliance with Washington. \nAaron Magid\, a former Amman-based journalist\, charts Abdullah’s path to power from a Massachusetts prep school to a British military academy to the throne\, and reveals how Abdullah has remained in power for over a quarter century. While leaders nearby were ousted during the 2011 Arab Spring protests\, Abdullah survived the wave of discontent. Drawing on interviews with over 100 of King Abdullah’s classmates\, former Jordanian ministers\, and CIA directors\, The Most American King offers a thorough account of this key Arab leader. \nGet a copy of The Most American King.
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/world-now-a-tale-of-two-kings-saudi-arabia-jordan-and-the-future-of-power-in-the-middle-east/
LOCATION:ONLINE
CATEGORIES:author,Geopolitics,Middle East
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/A-Tale-of-Two-Kings-e1754450146393.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20250506T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20250506T190000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20250502T034929Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250502T034929Z
UID:14470-1746554400-1746558000@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:World Now: Human Scale - A Conversation with Lawrence Wright
DESCRIPTION:In his new political thriller The Human Scale\, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Lawrence Wright tells the story of an Israeli cop and a Palestinian-American FBI agent who join forces to solve the murder of an Israeli police chief in the West Bank – set against the backdrop of the decades-long Israel-Palestine conflict. \nWright joins us on WorldNow to discuss how his novel\, which concludes on October 8th\, 2023\, underscores the human cost of this longstanding conflict. As he writes at the end of the book: “One cannot hope for an end to the strife without acknowledging the separate histories that each side claims.” \nA staff writer at The New Yorker\, Wright has spent decades reporting from the Middle East as a journalist\, playwright\, and novelist. He won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11\, his acclaimed nonfiction account of the rise of Al-Qaeda. \n“The politics in this book are impossible to ignore; indeed\, they’re the point. Wright is thorough in his recounting of key elements of the conflict.” – The New York Times\nREGISTER HERE\nLawrence Wright is an author\, screenwriter\, playwright\, and staff writer for The New Yorker magazine. \nHe is the author of eleven nonfiction books. His book about the rise of al-Qaeda\, “The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11” (Knopf\, 2006)\, was published to immediate and widespread acclaim. It won numerous awards\, including the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. It was made into a series for Hulu in 2018\, starring Jeff Daniels\, Alec Baldwin\, and Tahar Rahim. \nWright has published four novels\, “Noriega: God’s Favorite” (Simon and Schuster\, 2000) which was made into a Showtime movie starring Bob Hoskins; “The End of October” (Knopf\, 2020)\, a bestseller about a viral pandemic that came out right at the beginning of COVID; “Mr. Texas” (Knopf\, 2023)\, which has been optioned as a limited streaming series; and his most recent novel\, “The Human Scale\,” released in the spring of 2025. \nJim Falk is President Emeritus of the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth. Now residing in Santa Fe\, NM\, he is Vice Chairman of the Board of Global Santa Fe. In addition to hosting WorldNow with Jim Falk\, Jim produces and hosts The Forum\, a weekly talk show on KSFR-FM\, Santa Fe Public Radio. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/world-now-human-scale-a-conversation-with-lawrence-wright/
LOCATION:ONLINE
CATEGORIES:author,educational,Geopolitics
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Lawrence-Wright.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="World Affairs Council of Connecticut":MAILTO:info@ctwac.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20240801T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20240801T193000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20240712T221258Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240730T220000Z
UID:14095-1722535200-1722540600@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:WorldNow: End of Ambition with Steven Cook
DESCRIPTION:What’s next for the U.S. in the Middle East? Join author Steven Cook\, senior fellow for Middle East & Africa at the Council on Foreign Relations\, in conversation with Jim Falk on what went wrong with U.S. involvement in the region\, and how the U.S. should reimagine our strategic interests in the Middle East amid a changing global order. \n“Cook demonstrates with terrifying clarity that the Middle East’s reputation for devouring the schemes and dreams of great powers is sending to more and is more often than not a place where grandiose American ideas have gone to die.” – Aaron David Miller\, Senior Fellow\, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. \nPurchase The End of Ambition here. \nThe details:\nWhen: Thursday\, August 1 | 6:00PM CT \nWhere: Zoom Webinar \nTickets: Free | REGISTER HERE\nWorldNow with Jim Falk is hosted by the World Affairs Council of Connecticut and Global Santa Fe. Presented in partnership with the Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations\, Phoenix Committee on Foreign Relations\, World Affairs Council of Albuquerque\, World Affairs Council of Austin\, World Affairs Council of Charlotte\, World Affairs Council of Colorado Springs\, World Affairs Council of Hampton Roads\, World Affairs Council of Jacksonville\, World Affairs Council of Orange County\, World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts\, WorldOregon\, and Perspectives Matter. \nAbout the Book\nThe End of Ambition: America’s Past\, Present and Future in the Middle East by Steven Cook \nA clear-headed vision for the United States’ role in the Middle East that highlights the changing nature of US national interests and the challenges of grand strategizing at a time of profound change in the international order. \nFollowing a long series of catastrophic misadventures in the Middle East over the last two decades\, the American foreign policy community has tried to understand what went wrong. After weighing the evidence\, they have mostly advised a retreat from the region. The basic view is that when the United States tries to advance change in the Middle East\, it only makes matters worse. \nIn The End of Ambition\, Steven A. Cook argues that while these analysts are rightly concerned that engagement drains US resources and distorts its domestic politics\, the broader impulse to disengage tends to neglect important lessons from the past. Moreover\, advocates of pulling back overlook the potential risks of withdrawal. Covering the relationship between the US and the Middle East since the end of WWII\, Cook makes the bold claim that despite setbacks and moral costs\, the United States has been overwhelmingly successful in protecting its core national interests in the Middle East. Conversely\, overly ambitious policies to remake the region and leverage US power not only ended in failure\, but rendered the region unstable in new and largely misunderstood ways. \nWhile making the case that retrenchment is not the answer to America’s problems in the Middle East\, The End of Ambition highlights how America’s interests in the region have begun to change and critically examines alternative approaches to US-Middle East policy. Cook highlights the challenges that policymakers and analysts confront developing a new strategy for the United States in the Middle East against the backdrop of both political uncertainty in the United States and a changing global order. \nPurchase The End of Ambition here. \nAbout the Author\nSteven A. Cook is Eni Enrico Mattei senior fellow for Middle East and Africa studies and director of the International Affairs Fellowship for Tenured International Relations Scholars at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). He is an expert on Arab and Turkish politics as well as U.S.-Middle East policy. Cook is the author of False Dawn: Protest\, Democracy\, and Violence in the New Middle East. Cook is a columnist at Foreign Policy magazine. He speaks Arabic and Turkish. \nAbout the Moderator\nJim Falk is President Emeritus of the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth. Now residing in Santa Fe\, New Mexico he is member of the Board of Global Santa Fe where he chairs the program committee. Jim co-hosts Perspectives Matter\, a McCuistion Program\, that airs weekly on KERA-Dallas (PBS). He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/worldnow-end-of-ambition-with-steven-cook/
LOCATION:ONLINE
CATEGORIES:author,Geopolitics,Middle East
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/End-of-Ambition-Steven-Cook.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20240402T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20240402T190000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20240215T030402Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240319T222800Z
UID:13422-1712079000-1712084400@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:Afghanistan: Where are we now and what’s next?
DESCRIPTION:In 2021\, the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan. What followed was a period of turmoil\, as they turned on those who were in the Administration of President Ashraf Ghani or supported it. Then\, there was the diaspora of those associated with the Americans in any capacity. Rangina Hamidi\, who served as the first female Minister of Education for the country in 30 years\, was among those who were forced to flee. Please join us as she provides an update on the status/situation in Afghanistan in 2024. Ms. Hamidi will also provide her insights as to what the future holds for the Taliban regime and Afghanistan. \n\n\n\n\nRangina Hamidi\nRangina Hamidi is an Afghan American writer\, educator\, social entrepreneur\, and politician who served as Afghanistan’s minister of education until August 2021. She was the first cabinet-level\, female minister of education to hold that position in thirty years. Ms. Hamidi works tirelessly to advocate for women’s rights by empowering girls and women through social entrepreneurship and other initiatives to build their lives. \nShe earned a BA with a double major in religious studies and gender studies at the University of Virginia. She later completed an MA in Global Affairs and Management at Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University. Ms. Hamidi is currently a professor at Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University\, Phoenix\, Arizona  \nShe has contributed to numerous publications and radio programs\, including TIMES Asia Magazine\, The Globe and Mail\, Der Spiegel\, Business Week\, The New York Times\, The Guardian\, The Telegraph\, NPR\, BBC\, and Voice of America. Ms. Hamidi has co-authored “Embroidering within Boundaries: Afghan Women Creating a Future\,” which takes the reader on a pictorial journey into her own life and tells the stories of the courageous Afghan women she serves.
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/afghanistan-where-are-we-now-and-whats-next/
LOCATION:Neill-Cochran House Museum\, 2310 San Gabriel Street\, Austin\, TX\, 78705\, United States
CATEGORIES:Asia,author,peace and conflict,Women Empowerment
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/IMG_1714.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20240212T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20240212T190000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20240105T184035Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20240107T223233Z
UID:13713-1707760800-1707764400@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:ONLINE Lincoln\, Democracy & The American Experiment with Princeton Professor\, Allen Guelzo
DESCRIPTION:Hosted in partnership with the World Affairs Council of Connecticut and Global Santa Fe\, the World Affairs Council of Austin invites you to this ONLINE event on Lincoln’s birthday with award-winning historian and author Allen Guelzo. Mr. Guelzo will join a conversation with Jim Falk on the American President whose firm and powerful beliefs in democracy guided him through one of the most tumultuous periods in American history – and how his beliefs continue to shape our country. \nAbout the Book\nOur Ancient Faith: Lincoln\, Democracy\, and the American Experiment \nAn intimate study of Abraham Lincoln’s powerful vision of democracy\, which guided him through the Civil War and is still relevant today—by a best-selling historian and three-time winner of the Lincoln Prize. \nAbraham Lincoln grappled with the greatest crisis of democracy that has ever confronted the United States. While many books have been written about his temperament\, judgment\, and steady hand in guiding the country through the Civil War\, we know less about Lincoln’s penetrating ideas and beliefs about democracy\, which were every bit as important as his character in sustaining him through the crisis. \nAllen C. Guelzo\, one of America’s foremost experts on Lincoln\, captures the president’s firmly held belief that democracy was the greatest political achievement in human history. He shows how Lincoln’s deep commitment to the balance between majority and minority rule enabled him to stand firm against secession while also committing the Union to reconciliation rather than recrimination in the aftermath of war. In bringing his subject to life as a rigorous and visionary thinker\, Guelzo assesses Lincoln’s actions on civil liberties and his views on race\, and explains why his vision for the role of government would have made him a pivotal president even if there had been no Civil War. Our Ancient Faith gives us a deeper understanding of this endlessly fascinating man and shows how his ideas are still sharp and relevant more than 150 years later. \nPurchase Our Ancient Faith here. \n\n\n\nAbout the Author\nAllen C. Guelzo is Senior Research Scholar at the Council of the Humanities at Princeton University. He is the author of several books about the Civil War and early-nineteenth-century American history. He is a recipient of the Guggenheim-Lehrman Prize for Military History and has been awarded the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize three times. He lives in Pennsylvania. \n\n\n\n\nAbout the Moderator\nJim Falk is President Emeritus of the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth. Now residing in Santa Fe\, New Mexico he is member of the Board of Global Santa Fe where he chairs the program committee. Jim co-hosts Perspectives Matter\, a McCuistion Program\, that airs weekly on KERA-Dallas (PBS). He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. \n\n\n 
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/lincoln-democracy-the-american-experiment-with-princeton-professor-allen-guelzo/
LOCATION:ONLINE
CATEGORIES:author,educational
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/LincolnDay-2024.png
ORGANIZER;CN="World Affairs Council of Connecticut":MAILTO:info@ctwac.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20230404T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20230404T130000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20230111T214532Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20230330T232707Z
UID:12890-1680609600-1680613200@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:Kozmetsky Forum on the Impact of Artificial Intelligence
DESCRIPTION:The World Affairs Council of Austin and the Kozmetsky Center of Excellence in Global Finance at St. Edward’s University host a series of Forums on Global Investment\, Finance\, Emerging Markets and Geopolitical Risk. Our next Forum will feature Amir Husain\, CEO of Sparkcognition. \nAmir Husain is an entrepreneur\, inventor\, technologist\, and author based in Austin. He has been named Austin’s Top Technology Entrepreneur of the Year\, listed as an Onalytica Top 100 Artificial Intelligence Influencer\, and received the Austin Under 40 Technology and Science Award\, among several other accolades recognizing his work in artificial intelligence. Amir serves on the Board of Advisors for The University of Texas at Austin Department of Computer Science and on the NATO Maritime Unmanned Systems Innovation Advisory Board\, and is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. \nIn 2013\, Amir incorporated SparkCognition\, an artificial intelligence company\, where he has served as the Founder and CEO since its inception. SparkCognition has received widespread recognition\, including being ninth on the Wall Street Journal’s Top Tech Companies to Watch in 2018\, listed on the 2017 CNBC Disruptor 50\, being named the fastest-growing company in Central Texas by Austin Business Journal in 2017\, and ranking on the CB Insights Al 100 list in 2017\, 2018\, 2019\, and 2020. \nIn November 2018\, Amir became founding CEO of SkyGrid\, a Boeing and SparkCognition joint venture that is building the aerial operating system to power the next century of aviation. In 2020\, Amir has been awarded over 30 patents and is the author of the best-selling book “The Sentient Machine: The Coming Age of Artificial Intelligence.” \n \n 
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/kozmetsky-forum-on-global-political-risk-emerging-markets-and-finance-impact-of-ai-featuring-amir-husain-ceo-of-sparkcognition/
LOCATION:ONLINE
CATEGORIES:Austin Center for Global Trade,author,Business,Geopolitics,Global Trade,Kozmetsky Forum on Global Investment
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/KozmetskyHusainFinal-scaled-e1677019218973.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20221002T183000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20221002T193000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20220407T033303Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20221029T213016Z
UID:12202-1664735400-1664739000@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:Diana Negroponte\, author of Master Negotiator: James A. Baker\, III’s Role at the End of the Cold War
DESCRIPTION:*****EVENT CANCELLED *** \nWe are pleased to feature Diana Villiers Negroponte as our special guest speaker.   \nAuthor and professor\, Diana Negroponte has focused on the Cold War and how it ended. In between teaching at Fordham\, George Washington and Georgetown Universities\, she researches and writes. In 2015 the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Studies offered her a fellowship to write her book Master Negotiator: James A. Baker\, III’s Role at the End of the Cold War.  \n\n\n  \nWhile teaching at Fordham University she began Seeking Peace in El Salvador: The Struggle to Reconstruct a Nation at the End of the Cold War\, Palgrave Macmillan (212) and later translated into Spanish and published in El Salvador\, En Busca de La Paz en El Salvador\, Editorial Delgado (2016). She retained her focus on Latin America becoming a Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution where she wrote reports on New Directions in Brazilian Foreign Relations (2007)\, The Merida Initiative and Central America: Challenges of Containing Public Insecurity and Criminal Violence\, (2009) and edited a book The End of Nostalgia: Mexico Confronts the Challenges of Global Competition (2013). \nShe has received numerous awards\, including Soroptimist International’s Advancing the Status of Women Award\, the Salvation Army of Mexico’s Award for Outstanding Community Service\, Rotary Club of Honduras’ Woman of the Year and the Belgium King’s Chevalier de l’Ordre de Leopold. \nHer current work is focused on Britain’s future after BREXIT and teaching a master’s seminar on international conflict management at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service. \nA copy of her book can be purchased separately\, on websites such as Amazon. \n 
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/diana-negroponte-author-of-master-negotiator-james-a-baker-iiis-role-at-the-end-of-the-cold-war/
LOCATION:ONLINE
CATEGORIES:author,diplomatic,Geopolitics,peace and conflict,Security
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Diana-Villiers-Negroponte-photograph-scaled-e1644276434766.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20220831T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20220831T140000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20220816T224639Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220816T224639Z
UID:12536-1661950800-1661954400@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:Cover to Cover - The Fifth Act: America's End in Afghanistan
DESCRIPTION:On the first anniversary of the U.S.-NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s takeover\, WACA presents Elliot Ackerman to talk about his experience in the war-ravaged country. Ackerman left the U.S. military ten years ago\, but his time in Afghanistan and Iraq with the Marines and later as a CIA paramilitary officer marked him indelibly. The Fifth Act is a recollection of his service in Afghanistan and an examination of America’s 20-year involvement in Afghanistan’s conflict. Ackerman weaves a personal history with the war’s long progression\, beginning with the initial invasion in the months after 9/11 through the fall of Kabul\, last August. The five acts serve as a prelude to Afghanistan’s dark future\, a recognition of the peace that Afghan people have rarely enjoyed\, and a look at the failings of U.S. intervention. The book also brings readers into close contact with a remarkable group of characters\, American and Afghan\, who fought the war with courage and dedication\, and at great personal cost. \n \nABOUT THE AUTHOR:\nElliot Ackerman is a writer\, journalist\, former White House Fellow\, and decorated veteran. His books have been nominated for the National Book Award\, the Andrew Carnegie Medal in both fiction and nonfiction\, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. A former Marine\, he served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan\, where he received the Silver Star\, the Bronze Star for Valor\, and the Purple Heart. As a prominent figure in the veteran community and a regular contributor to TIME and CNN\, Ackerman uses his platform to speak about his time serving in Iraq and Afghanistan\, his perspective on current international relations in the Middle East\, and how he turned to writing—both fiction and nonfiction—to chronicle America’s struggles
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/cover-to-cover-the-fifth-act-americas-end-in-afghanistan/
LOCATION:ONLINE
CATEGORIES:author,Geopolitics,peace and conflict,Security
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Afghanistan-Ackerman-e1660689844611.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20220713T130000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20220713T140000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20220528T182808Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20220528T182808Z
UID:12384-1657717200-1657720800@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:Cover to Cover: A Voice Out of Poverty
DESCRIPTION:The World Affairs Councils of America’s Cover to Cover webinar features author Jillian Haslam as she speaks about her new book: A Voice Out of Poverty. \nA Voice Out of Poverty is a raw and inspiring memoir. Haslam tells the story of her childhood in the slums of Calcutta. Growing up in poverty\, Haslam overcame disease\, malnutrition\, and tragedy. Despite the severity of her family’s living circumstances\, she completed her education and landed her first major employment as a personal assistant to the CEO at Bank of America in India. Haslam rose through the ranks and is now dedicated to addressing the root causes of poverty through the Bank of America’s Charity and Diversity Network in India and her own nonprofit organizations. Her story speaks to the intersection of poverty\, race\, and gender. Register for our program to learn about Haslam’s memoir and current work. \n\nABOUT THE AUTHOR:\nJillian Haslam was born in 1970 and raised primarily in the slums in Calcutta\, where she faced a childhood of extreme poverty. Haslam is a renowned speaker and has appeared at countless prestigious organizations\, including the University of Cambridge\, Bank of America\, Bank of England\, PwC\, Nova Nordisk\, Barclays\, and more. She also has been honored with a growing list of awards\, including the prestigious Mother Teresa Memorial International Award\, The True Legend Award from The Telegraph\, and the Asian Woman of the Year Award by The Independent. She has launched six nonprofits focused on educational programming for students.
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/cover-to-cover-a-voice-out-of-poverty/
LOCATION:ONLINE
CATEGORIES:Asia,author,Women Empowerment
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/VoiceoutofPoverty.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="World Affairs Councils of America":MAILTO:waca@worldaffairscouncils.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20210324T170000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20210324T180000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20210211T202701Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210311T170003Z
UID:11496-1616605200-1616608800@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:Walter Isaacson: The Code Breaker - Jennifer Doudna\, Gene Editing and the Future of the Human Race
DESCRIPTION:The World Affairs Council of Austin is pleased to partner with the World Affairs Council of Greater Houston in hosting David Rubenstein in a discussion with Walter Isaacson on his new book\, The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna\, Gene Editing and the Future of the Human Race.  The bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci and Steve Jobs returns with a gripping account of how Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues launched a revolution that will allow us to cure diseases\, fend off viruses\, and have healthier babies. \nWhen Jennifer Doudna was in sixth grade\, she came home one day to find that her dad had left a paperback titled The Double Helix on her bed. She put it aside\, thinking it was one of those detective tales she loved. When she read it on a rainy Saturday\, she discovered she was right\, in a way. As she sped through the pages\, she became enthralled by the intense drama behind the competition to discover the code of life. Even though her high school counselor told her girls didn’t become scientists\, she decided she would. \nDriven by a passion to understand how nature works and to turn discoveries into inventions\, she would help to make what the book’s author\, James Watson\, told her was the most important biological advance since his co-discovery of the structure of DNA. She and her collaborators turned a curiosity of nature into an invention that will transform the human race: an easy-to-use tool that can edit DNA. Known as CRISPR\, it opened a brave new world of medical miracles and moral questions. \nThe development of CRISPR and the race to create vaccines for coronavirus will hasten our transition to the next great innovation revolution. The past half-century has been a digital age\, based on the microchip\, computer\, and internet. Now we are entering a life-science revolution. Children who study digital coding will be joined by those who study genetic code. \nShould we use our new evolution-hacking powers to make us less susceptible to viruses? What a wonderful boon that would be! And what about preventing depression? Hmmm…Should we allow parents\, if they can afford it\, to enhance the height or muscles or IQ of their kids? \nAfter helping to discover CRISPR\, Doudna became a leader in wrestling with these moral issues and\, with her collaborator Emmanuelle Charpentier\, won the Nobel Prize in 2020. Her story is a thrilling detective tale that involves the most profound wonders of nature\, from the origins of life to the future of our species. \nABOUT THE SPEAKER \nWalter Isaacson\, a professor of history at Tulane\, has been CEO of the Aspen Institute\, chair of CNN\, and editor of Time. The bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci and Steve Jobs returns with a gripping account of how Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues launched a revolution that will allow us to cure diseases\, fend off viruses\, and have healthier babies. He is also the author The Innovators;  Einstein: His Life and Universe; Benjamin Franklin: An American Life; and Kissinger: A Biography\, and the coauthor of The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made. Visit him at Isaacson.Tulane.edu \nABOUT THE MODERATOR \nDavid M. Rubenstein is a Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of The Carlyle Group\, one of the world’s largest and most successful private investment firms. Mr. Rubenstein co-founded the firm in 1987. Since then\, Carlyle has grown into a firm managing $246 billion from 29 offices around the world. \nMr. Rubenstein is Chairman of the Boards of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and the Council on Foreign Relations; a Fellow of the Harvard Corporation; a Regent of the Smithsonian Institution; a Trustee of the National Gallery of Art\, the University of Chicago\, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center\, Johns Hopkins Medicine\, the Institute for Advanced Study\, the National Constitution Center\, the Brookings Institution\, and the World Economic Forum; a Director of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; and President of the Economic Club of Washington. \n  \nTo redeem your exclusive membership price ticket for this event\, add one “Non-members -3/24” ticket to your cart. After clicking Get Tickets\, click Proceed to Checkout on the following page when ready.  On the Checkout page\, please click on the green box containing the text “Have a coupon? Click here to enter your code”. Enter “houston” in the box and press Apply coupon to see your reflect discounted rate.
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/walter-isaacson-the-code-breaker-jennifer-doudna-gene-editing-and-the-future-of-the-human-race/
LOCATION:ONLINE
CATEGORIES:author,educational,healthcare,MedTech
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/the-code-breaker-e1613075186693.jpg
ORGANIZER;CN="World Affairs Council of Greater Houston":MAILTO:info@wacahouston.org
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20200827T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20200831T090000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20200901T014058Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200901T014058Z
UID:5883-1598515200-1598864400@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:Author Lesley Blume among Speakers in August
DESCRIPTION:August — \n6th at 1pm Fallout: The Hiroshima Cover-Up and the Reporter Who Revealed It to the World featuring Lesley Blume\, award-winning journalist\, historian\, and New York Times bestselling author // \n11th at 10am International Biz Advantage: Austin & Israel featuring Lior Koriat\, CEO at Quali; Ze’ev Lavie\, VP at the Israeli Chambers of Commerce; and Limor Nakar-Vincent\, Deputy Executive Director at the BIRD Foundation // \n13th at 10am Intelligent Manufacturing in Europe Series featuring Italy and Turkey // \n14th at 1pm Discussion with Former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry with author Tom Collina // \n18th at 10am The Power of Netiquette featuring Philip Sykes\, Founder and Principal of the British School of Etiquette // \n18th at 11am The Dynamics of Today’s Supply Chain in SE Asia featuring Ambassador Robert O Blake\, Jr. // \n22nd at 3pm Japan Fest Online Cooking Demo featuring Oita – Austin’s Sister City // \n27th at 10am Intelligent Manufacturing in Europe Series featuring Sweden\, Denmark and the United Kingdom //
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/author-lesley-blume-among-speakers-in-august/
CATEGORIES:author,Business,Cultural Heritage Series,educational,Geopolitics,Global Business Series,Global Trade
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/LesleyBlume-e1595904742406.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20200422T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20200422T193000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20200305T001529Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200326T223957Z
UID:5554-1587578400-1587583800@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:The Firebird: The Elusive Fate of Russian Democracy
DESCRIPTION:EVENT POSTPONED DUE TO EUROPEAN TRAVEL LIMITATIONS \n  \nThe World Affairs Council of Austin\, the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute\, the Kozmetsky Center of Excellence at St Edwards University\, and Center for Russian\, East European and Eurasian Sudies at the University of Texas are pleased to present the Kennan Conversation with Andrei Kozyrev.  Mr. Kozyrev will provide attendees with an eyewitness account of the collapse of the Soviet Union\, the struggle to create a democratic Russia in its place\, and how the promise of a better future led to the tragic outcome that changed our world forever. \nAndrei Kozyrev was foreign minister of Russia under President Boris Yeltsin from August 1991 to January 1996. During the August 1991 coup attempt against Mikhail Gorbachev\, he was present when tanks moved in to seize the Russian White House\, where Boris Yeltsin famously stood on a tank to address the crowd assembled. He then departed to Paris to muster international support and\, if needed\, to form a Russian government-in-exile. He participated in the negotiations at Brezhnev’s former hunting lodge in Belazheva\, Belarus where the leaders of Russia\, Ukraine\, and Belarus agreed to secede from the Soviet Union and form a Commonwealth of Independent States. Kozyrev’s pro-Western orientation made him an increasingly unpopular figure in Russia as Russia’s spiraling economy and the emergence of ultra-wealthy oligarchs soured ordinary Russians on Western ideas of democracy and market capitalism. \n  \nAbout the Kennan Conversation \nFor 45 years\, the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute has worked to improve American understanding of Russia and the surrounding region. Located in Washington\, DC\, the Institute is the nation’s premier national research center devoted to Russia\, producing policy relevant knowledge\, and providing a non-partisan environment to study and debate issues concerning the region. Starting in 2016\, the Kennan Institute recognized the need to connect directly with audiences outside of the Washington beltway to answer their questions about Russia. \nThe Kennan Conversation program takes our experts on Russia and the region to meet with and engage local audiences across the United States who are fascinated by what they read and hear in the news\, but often do not have the opportunity to hear directly from leading experts. We seek out local partners to identify audiences and conduct outreach to local media and other groups interested in learning more about this part of the world.
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/the-firebird-the-elusive-fate-of-russian-democracy/
LOCATION:TX\, United States
CATEGORIES:Austin Center for Global Trade,author,diplomatic,educational,Geopolitics
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/andrei_kozyrev.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20200227T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20200227T191500
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20191224T023434Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200220T025613Z
UID:5269-1582826400-1582830900@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:The Shifting Role and Impact of Diplomacy in a World in Disarray
DESCRIPTION:The World Affairs Council of Austin welcomes Nicholas Kralev\, Executive Director of the Washington International Diplomatic Academy\, who will discuss the shifting role and impact of diplomacy in a world in disarray. \nNicholas Kralev is an author\, journalist and entrepreneur specializing in diplomacy and international affairs\, whose work of more than 20 years has taken him to almost 100 countries. \nHe is the founding executive director of the Washington International Diplomatic Academy\, an independent organization that provides practical professional training in diplomacy and international affairs. \nA former Financial Times and Washington Times diplomatic correspondent\, he witnessed firsthand the conduct of American diplomacy while accompanying U.S. Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton\, Condoleezza Rice\, Colin Powell and Madeleine Albright on their travels around the world. \nHe is the author of “America’s Other Army” and “Diplomats in the Trenches\,” as well as the host of the TV series on diplomacy “Conversations with Nicholas Kralev.” His work has been published in The New York Times\, The Atlantic\, Foreign Policy Magazine and the Huffington Post. He has appeared on NPR\, CNN\, BBC\, Fox News and local stations across the globe. \nHe holds a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School and speaks five languages. \n  \nEVENT LOCATION ON CAMPUS MAP \nPARKING REGISTRATION LINK \n  \n  \n \n  \n  \n 
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/the-shifting-role-and-impact-of-diplomacy-in-a-world-in-disarray/
LOCATION:St Edwards University St Andre Apartments Multipurpose Room\, 3001 South Congress Avenue\, Austin\, TX\, 78704\, United States
CATEGORIES:author,cultural,diplomatic,Geopolitics
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Kralev.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20190521T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20190521T200000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20190402T010738Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20190518T194329Z
UID:4553-1558461600-1558468800@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:World Spins Series: An Assessment of  U.S.-China Relations Midway in the Trump Administration
DESCRIPTION:Two years into the Trump Administration\, what is the current state of the U.S.-China relationship?  The U.S.-China “trade war” has dominated headlines in both the United States and globally throughout 2018 and into 2019. \nBut in what ways is the U.S.-China relationship of today different from that of early 2017?  In addition\, to trade and investment issues\, the United States and China have engaged on topics ranging from North Korea\, the South China Sea\, U.S. arms sales to Taiwan\, sometimes agreeing and sometimes disagreeing. \n  \nDavid Firestein\, former U.S. diplomat\, U.S.-China relations expert and founding executive director of the University of Texas at Austin China Public Policy Center and inaugural president and CEO of the George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations\, will share his analysis and insights about the state of the U.S.-China relationship at this mid-way point of Trump’s current term in office. \nRSVP and join us!
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/world-spins-series-an-assessment-of-u-s-china-relations-midway-in-the-trump-administration/
LOCATION:Neill-Cochran House Museum\, 2310 San Gabriel Street\, Austin\, TX\, 78705\, United States
CATEGORIES:Asia,author,Business,Geopolitics,Global Trade,World Spins Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/DavidFirestein-e1553904781817.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20181129T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20181129T193000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20180916T222700Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20181120T000038Z
UID:3800-1543514400-1543519800@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:Yemen: Failed State and Dire Tragedy
DESCRIPTION:Yemen is another front that openly exhibits Iran-Saudi Arabia geopolitical rivalry. History has come full circle: Yemen has become to Saudi Arabia what Vietnam was to the United States. \nHow did Yemen get to this point? \nThe World Affairs Council of Austin is pleased to have David Oualaalou (pronounced Walalou\, known also as Dr. O) discuss the situation in Yemen and its impact on the Middle East. \nDr. David Oualaalou is an international geopolitical consultant\, global speaker\, award winning educator\, author\, and former international security analyst in Washington DC. He is also the founder of Global Perspective Consulting headquartered in Dallas\, TX. \nDr. O’s unique background allows him to provide current and relevant insight on our world’s greatest challenges and issues within critical economic and security areas. His theoretic and practical real-world knowledge of how geopolitics\, global security\, energy issues\, domestic and international business intersect is founded on his experience as a former international security analyst in Washington\, D.C.\, his doctoral studies\, and as a military veteran who worked in the field with elite military forces carrying out operations at the behest of U.S. policymakers. \nDr. Oualaalou is the author of Beneath the Veil: Fall of the House of Saud(2018)\, Volatile State: Iran in the Nuclear Age (2018)\, and The Ambiguous Foreign Policy of the United States toward the Muslim World: More than a Handshake (2016).\n  \nHis editorials have appeared in newspapers and online journals\, including The Huffington Post\, Al Jazeera\, the European Atlantic Council\, Middle East & North Africa Forum\, and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. Some of his articles have been translated into more than ten languages. \n  \nAgenda \n6:00 PM Registration and networking   \n \n6:15 PM Speaker Presentation followed by Q&A \n7:15 PM  Additional networking \n7:30 PM Event Concludes
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/yemen-failed-state-and-dire-tragedy/
LOCATION:Neill-Cochran House Museum\, 2310 San Gabriel Street\, Austin\, TX\, 78705\, United States
CATEGORIES:Austin Center for Global Trade,author,Business,Global Trade,Middle East,World Spins Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/17249-Dr._David_Oualaalou-4724-M.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20180905T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20180905T193000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20180131T211606Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180830T234121Z
UID:3355-1536170400-1536175800@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:Trump-Putin\, US-Russia and World Order
DESCRIPTION:The World Affairs Council of Austin is pleased to host Sharyl Cross\, PhD\, Director of the Kozmetsky Center at St. Edward’s University and Global Policy Scholar at the Kennan Institute\, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington\, D.C.  Dr. Cross will provide an overview of US-Russia relations and the impact on geopolitics. \n \nAgenda \n6:00 PM Registration and networking \n6:15 PM Speaker Presentation followed by Q&A \n7:15 PM  Additional networking \n7:30 PM Event Concludes \n  \nSharyl N. Cross\, PhD\, was appointed director of the Kozmetsky Center at St. Edward’s University and Global Policy Scholar at the Kennan Institute\, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington\, D.C.\, in 2013.  Dr. Cross was Professor at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch-Partenkirchen Germany from 2005-2013 where she was Director of Academics for both the Program in Advanced Security Studies and Senior Executive Seminar\, and previously had been appointed Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. \n\nShe earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California\, Los Angeles\, and was a resident fellowship scholar and consultant at the RAND Corporation completing programs in Russian area and policy studies. Dr. Cross was a Senior Fulbright Scholar and Professor in Moscow serving on the faculty of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MGIMO) and the Institute of USA and Canada Studies\, Russian Academy of Sciences. She has published widely in leading academic and policy sources on US/NATO-Russia security Issues\, Russian foreign policy\, Sino-Russian relations\, religious dimensions of security\, and sources of violent extremism and terrorism.  Dr. Cross has briefed/consulted for the U.S. State Department\, U.S. Congress\, Office of the Secretary of Defense\, and among senior policy and defense institutions throughout Europe and Eurasia. \nShe is currently co-directing a project on Religion and International Security together with faculty of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and with support of the Public Diplomacy Engagement section of NATO.  Her most recent book is China\, Russia\, and Twenty First Century Global Geopolitics\, co-authored with Dr. Paul Bolt\, Oxford University Press\, 2018.   Full bio here.
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/china-russia-and-twenty-first-century-global-geopolitics/
LOCATION:Neill-Cochran House Museum\, 2310 San Gabriel Street\, Austin\, TX\, 78705\, United States
CATEGORIES:Asia,Austin Center for Global Trade,author,diplomatic,educational,Europe
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/WACSEPT-2018.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20180222T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20180222T130000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20171227T225346Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20180202T204529Z
UID:3262-1519299000-1519304400@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:Disruptive Astronomy:  How Technology\, Serendipity\, and the Weirdness of Nature Have Changed What We Know About the Universe
DESCRIPTION:The World Affairs Council of Austin\, in partnership with the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business\, is proud to present the Texas Enterprise Speaker Series. \nJoin us on 22 February for a presentation by Daniel Jaffee\, Ph.D.Vice President of Research; Professor of Astronomy\nCollege of Natural Sciences.\n \n“We had our Universe literally laid out in front of us in 1990…25 years later and it’s a whole new ballgame…people have had to change what they’re doing\, techniques they’re using\, and develop new instrumentation because the world is not what we thought it was.” \nThe history of astronomy since WWII has been one of new technologies opening new modes of discovery.  Radio astronomy brought quasars\, pulsars and the big bang.  Millimeter wave astronomy brought interstellar molecules.  X-ray astronomy brought black holes. The discoveries of the 1990’s – planets around other stars and the acceleration of the universe resulted from a combination of new techniques\, lucky observations\, and the astounding and unexpected properties of the natural world. \nThese discoveries spawned new “industries”\, massive efforts that now dominate the field\, and generated a drive for a whole range of new technologies to help us understand our origins.  Today’s astronomy thrives on innovation but faces many of the constraints and competitive challenges that businesses face.  I will discuss some of the latest work in the field and how it has responded to new technical developments and to the unexpected discoveries that make astronomy such an exciting area of study. \nAttendees will learn: \n• How post-WWII technologies opened new modes of discovery \n• What technologies astronomers use and how they work \n• The industries “discovered” by disruptions in astronomy \n• The constraints and competitive challenges that businesses and astronomers both face. What they can learn from each other. \nRegistration cost includes lunch.  RSVP via the event website link here or below. \nDaniel Jaffe is the Vice President for Research and Jane and Roland Blumberg Professor in the Department of Astronomy at The University of Texas at Austin. Prof. Jaffe received his BA and PhD from Harvard University and held positions as an Enrico Fermi Fellow at the University of Chicago and an Assistant Research Scientist at UC Berkeley before joining the UT faculty in 1986.  Jaffe’s research encompasses device development\, instrumentation\, and observations geared toward understanding how stars and planetary systems form and evolve. \nHis group constructs silicon diffractive optics using precision lithography and currently has devices on instruments for NASA’s SOFIA airborne observatory and James Webb Space Telescope (the successor to Hubble)\, as well as several ground-based instruments.  His team’s IGRINS spectrograph operates at McDonald Observatory and the team is now designing an instrument for the Giant Magellan Telescope.  Prof. Jaffe’s astronomical research employs high-resolution infrared spectroscopy to look at the properties of protostars and of the disks around them that are forming planets. \nProf. Jaffe has been awarded Harvard’s Bart J. Bok prize\, a Humboldt Fellowship\, and a David and Lucile Packard Foundation Fellowship.  He was Chair of UT’s Astronomy Department from 2011 to 2015. \n \n 
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/disruptive-astronomy-how-technology-serendipity-and-the-weirdness-of-nature-have-changed-what-we-know-about-the-universe/
LOCATION:AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center\, 1900 University Ave\, Austin\, TX\, 78705\, United States
CATEGORIES:author,educational,Luncheon Series,Texas Enterprise Speaker Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/JaffeDan.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20171207T123000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20171207T140000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20170823T191326Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20171120T181019Z
UID:2946-1512649800-1512655200@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:Invisible:  Surviving the Cambodian Genocide
DESCRIPTION:In collaboration with the Kozmetsky Center at St. Edward’s University\, we will offer a lecture by Dr. Fran Pilch\, Professor Emeritus of the United States Air Force Academy.  Dr. Pilch’s lecture will incorporate insights from the course she developed for the Air Force Academy entitled “War Crimes\, Genocide\, and Human Rights\,” and extensive research included in her book released on this topic in 2017. \nDr. Pilch’s lecture will concentrate on the actual accounts of survivors of Pol Pot’s genocide which claimed the lives of an estimated two million people—more than one-fourth of the total Cambodian population. \nDr. Pilch served as a Fulbright-Hays Scholar in South Africa and a Fulbright Scholar in Mongolia\, where she taught International Law at the School of Diplomacy\, National University of Mongolia\, in Ulaanbaatar.  In 2011-12\, she was named the Case Carnegie Colorado Professor of the Year.  She was awarded her B.A. from the University of Connecticut and her M.A. and Ph.D. in International Relations from Yale University. \n  \n \n 
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/invisible-surviving-the-cambodian-genocide/
LOCATION:St. Edwards University\, Carter Auditorium\, 3001 S. Congress Ave\, Austin\, TX\, 78704\, United States
CATEGORIES:Asia,author,cultural,diplomatic,educational
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/cambodia.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20171106T080000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20171107T140000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20171028T155631Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20171028T155631Z
UID:3124-1509955200-1510063200@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:Democratic Reform in Europe
DESCRIPTION:The LBJ School of Public Affairs\, and the Center for European Studies – the University of Texas at Austin\, in partnership with the World Affairs Council of Austin present a conference on Democratic Reform in Europe. \nThis conference will bring to Austin the leading figures of the new movement for Democratic Reform in Europe\, including the former finance minister of Greece and author of the global bestseller\, Adults in the Room\, Yanis Varoufakis\, the recent French presidential candidate\, Benoit Hamon\, the rising Labour MP from Yorkshire\, Chi Onwurah\, the former Vice Prime Minister of Poland\, Grzegorz Kolodko. These leaders will join distinguished academic experts including Kunibert Raffer (University of Vienna)\, Giuseppe Sacco (LUISS University of Rome)\, Brendan O’Leary (University of Pennsylvania)\, Jorge Uxo (University of Madrid) and Henning Meyer of Social Europe\, among others. \nThis is the fourth in a biennial series of Texas conferences on European issues\, which have in past years explored the crisis of the Eurozone\, the Greek crisis and the relationship of the South American Summer to European problems. It will engage senior American experts as well\, including Michael Lind\, Jeremi Suri and James Galbraith of the University of Texas at Austin\, Damon Silvers\, Policy Director of the AFL-CIO\, and Pavlina Tcherneva of Bard College\, a leading advocate of Modern Monetary Theory. \nAn additional  focus of this conference is the emergence of young leaders in addressing the European crisis. These will include Philip Pilkington of Ireland\, Clara Mattei of Italy and the New School\, Daniel Munevar (a Colombian resident in Sweden and former adviser to the Greek finance ministry)\, and Tuomas Malinen of the University of Helsinki\, Finland. \nKeynotes will be given by Benoit Hamon and Chi Onwurah\, and a special panel will be devoted to the Democracy in Europe Movement\, led by Yanis Varoufakis — who is\, in addition\, a former member of the faculty of the LBJ School. \nFree and Open to the Public.  Agenda and RSVP here.
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/democratic-reform-in-europe/
LOCATION:Bass Lecture Hall\, 2315 Red River Street\, Austin\, TX\, 78712\, United States
CATEGORIES:author,diplomatic,educational,Europe,Law and regulations,Luncheon Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/DemoReformEurope-e1509209307299.png
ORGANIZER;CN="UT Center for European Studies":MAILTO:ces@austin.utexas.edu
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20171025T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20171025T193000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20170817T021539Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20171102T001342Z
UID:2926-1508954400-1508959800@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:Hot Topic: China’s Increasing Role in the Middle East
DESCRIPTION:The World Affairs Council of Austin is pleased to have David Oualaalou (pronounced Walalou\, known also as Dr. O) discuss China’s growing influence in the Middle East.  Dr. O is a global-affairs consultant\, analyst\, blogger\, author\, educator\, and former international security analyst in Washington\, DC. \nHis 15 years of experience in support of the US government’s foreign policy initiatives have given him a valuable perspective. His duties included providing regional orientation\, mediating cultural differences among the U.S. and its allies\, helping parties understand differing religious beliefs and values\, assisting with foreign internal defense\, offering insights into countries’ politics and economics\, and disseminating information to high-level officials during negotiations with foreign officials of targeted countries. Similarly\, he framed U.S. government policies and interests within the proper cultural and political context of countries engaged while facilitating cultural\, political\, economic\, and religious awareness between the U.S. and its counterparts. \nDavid worked in the field with elite U.S. military forces carrying out operations at the behest of U.S. policymakers. On many occasions\, he worked in and visited many countries in the Middle East and around the world in an official capacity representing the United States government. He speaks Arabic/French fluently\, grasp the depth of the Middle East’s economic\, social\, cultural\, and religious interactions\, and\, from both abstract and practical perspectives\, know how the region’s internal politics work. His assignments took him to Afghanistan\, Bolivia\, Cambodia\, Canada\, Denmark\, Djibouti\, England\, Finland\, France\, Germany\, Holland\, Iraq\, Ivory Coast\, Japan\, Kuwait\, Mexico\, Poland\, Romania\, Saudi Arabia\, Spain\, Sweden\, Switzerland\, Thailand\, and Yemen. \nDavid has written numerous analyses on global affairs issues which have appeared in many newspapers and online journals\, including the Slovak Atlantic Commission (SAC)\, an affiliate of the European Atlantic Council\, The HuffPost\, the Waco Tribune-Herald\, South China Morning Post (SCMP) in Hong Kong\, Eurasia Daily\, Journal on European Perspectives of the Western Balkans\, Defense Alert Journal\, MSN News\, Al-Jazeera\, Middle East & North Africa (MENA) Forum\, Security News Wire\, and Freedom and Justice Gate Journal in the Middle East\, among others. \nDavid has an international audience that spans the political spectrum. Some of his 140 plus articles have been translated into Arabic\, Chinese\, Farsi\, French\, German\, Malay\, Russian\, Spanish\, Thai\, Turkish\, and Vietnamese. \nDavid is the author of the Ambiguous Foreign Policy of The United States toward the Muslim World: More Than a Handshake (2016). His forthcoming book\, Volatile State: Iran in the Nuclear Age due for release in Jan/2018. Currently\, he is working on his third book\, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: the Hidden Truth. David has also co-authored other books including: Dying to Eat: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Food\, Death\, and the Afterlife\, (January\, 2018). \nDavid’s academic\, linguistic\, and cultural background\, coupled with his substantial experience\, has proved vital to understanding the geopolitical trends and the political\, economic\, and security risks organizations face when operating overseas. His insights are key to organizations’ long-term strategic planning and access to new markets not only in the Middle East but also in the world writ large. \n  \nAgenda \n6:00 PM Registration and networking \n6:15 PM Speaker Presentation followed by Q&A \n7:15 PM  Additional networking \n7:30 PM Event Concludes
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/chinas-increasing-role-in-the-middle-east/
LOCATION:ACC Highland Business Center 2nd Floor Boardroom\, 5930 Middle Fiskville Road\, Austin\, TX\, 78752\, United States
CATEGORIES:Asia,author,Business,diplomatic,educational,Middle East
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/DavidO-e1502939675585.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20170926T164500
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20170926T181500
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20170817T023244Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170919T201338Z
UID:2930-1506444300-1506449700@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:Truth Stranger Than Fiction?  How Thrillers are a Window into how U.S. Foreign Policy Really Works
DESCRIPTION:In collaboration with the Austin School Lecture Series\, the World Affairs Council of Austin is pleased to feature a presentation by Todd Moss\, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs\, now senior fellow at the Center for Global Development in Washington DC and a nonresident scholar at Rice University’s Baker Institute in Houston.  Todd’s work focuses on US-Africa relations\, energy policy\, and private investment. Previously\, he has been a professor at the London School of Economics (LSE) and Georgetown University and has worked at the World Bank and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). He’s the author nonfiction books including African Development: Making Sense of the Issues and Actors (2011) and Oil to Cash: Fighting the Resource Curse with Cash Transfers (2015).  Todd also writes an international thriller series for Penguin’s Putnam Books about a State Department crisis manager including The Golden Hour (2014)\, Minute Zero (2015)\, Ghosts of Havana (2016)\, and The Shadow List (2017). \nAgenda \n4:45 PM Networking \n5:15 PM Speaker Presentation followed by Q&A \n6:15 PM Event Concludes
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/truth-stranger-than-fiction-how-thrillers-are-a-window-into-how-u-s-foreign-policy-really-works/
LOCATION:ACC Eastview Campus MultiPurpose Room 8500\, 3401 Webberville Road\, Austin\, TX\, 78702\, United States
CATEGORIES:Africa,author,cultural,diplomatic,educational
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/ToddMoss-e1502940687327.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20170922T114500
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20170922T130000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20170614T174635Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170614T174635Z
UID:2795-1506080700-1506085200@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:Navigating Business Overseas—Without Falling on Your Assumptions
DESCRIPTION:Intercultural communication can complicate business practices. Here’s your chance to practice and learn to recognize your own cultural orientation; notice and identify cultural tendencies in any environment; predict problems culture-based difference will cause in the workplace; and develop management strategies. \nMcCombs School of Business faculty members Deirdre Mendez\, Orlando Kelm\, and John N. Doggett will use real-world examples and audience feedback to show you how to recognize and manage cultural differences on international partnerships\, teams\, and projects of all kinds. \nParking options include the AT&T Executive Education & Conference Center and surrounding public lots. \nThis event is in partnership with:
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/navigating-business-overseas-without-falling-on-your-assumptions/
LOCATION:AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center\, 1900 University Ave\, Austin\, TX\, 78705\, United States
CATEGORIES:Africa,Americas,Asia,author,Business,educational,Europe,Global Trade,Middle East
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/TXEUFinal21-e1496963567639-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20170125T173000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20170125T203000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20161015T152506Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20170104T034050Z
UID:2215-1485365400-1485376200@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:Austin Business Professionals Series: Modern Dining Etiquette & Manners
DESCRIPTION:Sharon Schweitzer \nHow do we navigate business dining in a digital age?\nWorld Affairs Council of Austin and Sharon Schweitzer announce the Austin Business Professionals Series Inaugural Event: Business Dining Etiquette & Modern Table Manners. \nModern dining manners are important in today’s corporate and social environments. Research reveals 49% of CFOs report their most successful meetings occur out of the office\, at restaurants. For employers\, an applicant’s table manners may “make or break” a hiring decision. Event to be held at Ruth Chris’ Steak House\, 107 W. Sixth Street.  Seats are very limited\, please REGISTER HERE. \nHere to explain the ins and outs of modern dining manners is Sharon Schweitzer\, author\, cross-cultural trainer\, international etiquette expert\, and 2016 Greater Austin Business Award Winner. \n3-course Etiquette Dinner Tutorial: \n\nModern Guest & Host Duties\nNavigating the Place Setting\nSilverware & Napkin Savvy\nSilent Service Codes & Nonverbal Cues\nEating Various Foods & Menu Pronunciations\nTipping & Rideshare Etiquette\n\nNetworking Etiquette Tips: \n\nConversation Starters\nHow to Avoid (Engage) in Political Conversation\nClosing Conversations\n\nFAQ \nWhat are my transport/parking options getting to the event? \nValet Parking begins at 5:30 p.m.\, or find nearby street or garage parking. \nWhat can/can’t I bring to the event? \nVideotaping is not permitted. \n  \nAbout Sharon Schweitzer: \nSharon Schweitzer\, J.D.\, is an award-winning entrepreneur\, cross-cultural trainer\, modern manners & international etiquette expert and the founder of Protocol & Etiquette Worldwide. She is accredited in intercultural management\, is the resident etiquette expert for CBS Austin’s We Are Austin\, regularly quoted by BBC Capital\, Investor’s Business Daily\, Fortune\, and other media. She is the international award-winning author of the best-selling book Access to Asia: Your Multicultural Business Guide\, named to Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2015\, and recipient of the British Airways International Trade\, Investment & Expansion Award at the 2016 Greater Austin Business Awards. \n 
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/holiday-dining-etiquette-modern-table-manners/
LOCATION:Ruth’s Chris Steak House\, 107 W 6th Street\, Austin\, TX\, 78701\, United States
CATEGORIES:author,cultural,educational
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/SharonDiningEtiquette.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20160713T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20160713T200000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20160626T192236Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160630T165433Z
UID:2000-1468432800-1468440000@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:Author's Night: Liz Alexander
DESCRIPTION:Author Liz Alexander will be speaking about her new and upcoming project.  She will be giving away copies of her collaboration book\, written with Transamerica Retirement Solutions.  This event will be a dialogue about the process of researching and writing international business publications.  We encourage all members\, especially those interested in becoming authors\, to attend. \nRead Liz Alexander’s blog post: How to “pre-adapt” your future and power more success\n  \nBIO: \nLiz Alexander’s talent and passion is preparing people for remarkable futures\, and collaborating with companies to become future-smart. Dr. Alexander has written or co-authored 18 internationally published books that have sold close to a million copies. Award-winning titles include Transform Tomorrow: Awakening the Supersaver in Pursuit of Retirement Readiness\, and #Thought Leadership Tweet: 140 Prompts for Designing and Executing an Effective Thought Leadership Campaign. She is co-founder of global consultancy\, Leading Thought (leadingthought.us.com) and also helps experts transform their insights into thought leading business books (www.drlizalexander.com). She is a member of the World Future Society and the World Futures Studies Federation\, and mentors entrepreneurs in Bangalore\, India on behalf of the Founder Institute. Liz received her Ph.D. in educational psychology from The University of Texas at Austin. \n 
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/authors-night-liz-alexander/
LOCATION:ACC Highland Business Center Board Room\, ACC Highland Business Center\, 2nd Floor Board Room\, 5930 Middle Fiskville Rd\, Austin\, TX\, 78752\, United States
CATEGORIES:author
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/HiRes-Liz_Alexander-5854-Edit-scaled.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20160407T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20160407T193000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20150812T173302Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160318T011801Z
UID:1428-1460052000-1460057400@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:Author's Night: Sharon Schweitzer Presents 'Access to Asia'
DESCRIPTION:‘Sharon Schweitzer\, JD is an international etiquette expert\, corporate trainer\, Kirkus-acclaimed and Best-selling author of Access to Asia: Your Multicultural Guide to Building Trust\, Inspiring Respect & Creating Long Lasting Business Relationships. Sharon’s dynamic\, engaging and interactive delivery includes her humorous experiences in 60 countries on seven continents.\nSharon provides organizations\, law firms\, universities and executive teams with practical techniques to improve business communication and increase revenue. Topics: Global Leadership\, Global Competence Assessment\, Cross-Cultural Communication\, Multi-Cultural Sales and Marketing\, International Manners and Etiquette.
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/book-discussion-sharon-schweitzer-presents-access-to-asia/
LOCATION:ACC Highland Business Center Board Room\, ACC Highland Business Center\, 2nd Floor Board Room\, 5930 Middle Fiskville Rd\, Austin\, TX\, 78752\, United States
CATEGORIES:author,Business,cultural,educational
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Sharon.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20160401T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20160401T130000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20160318T153742Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160329T021828Z
UID:1801-1459510200-1459515600@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:Global Business Series: International Dimensions of Strong Corporate Cultures
DESCRIPTION:Studies consistently show that the most engaged and innovative organizations\, whether in the United States or elsewhere\, tend to be the most successful. What do the cultures of these companies have in common? This presentation provides five foundational keys to a strong business culture and provide ways to bring these attributes to your own businesses. These keys include: \n\nConnect\nDevelop\nDiscover\nCollaborate\nTransform\n\nA strong\, articulated culture allows you to clearly align how you do business with partners and clients no matter where they are located. It gives a clear path to mutually beneficial understandings on day-to-day interactions. By having a clear vision of “how we do things\,” we can more effectively bridge and overcome differences at all levels. \nCome to learn\, share\, and connect with the amazing Austin international community. Let’s each increase our effectiveness in creating successful international businesses that positively impact the world. \nREAD CARRIE’S BLOG POST. \nThis is a brown bag lunch and learn series.  PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR LUNCH. \n_______________ \nCarrie Vanston leads Corporate Cultures That Rock which helps organizations maximize purpose and connection to create better performance and profit with a strong view to the future. She is a consummate connector who enjoys bringing people together to connect\, collaborate\, and grow. She is developer of “Five Keys to an Engaged & Innovative Culture” and co-author of the award-winning book MINITRENDS: How Innovators & Entrepreneurs Discover & Profit From Business & Technology Trends. Her Five Keys feature placed #4 in the “Top 10 Articles of 2015” in Texas CEO Magazine. \nShe directed TFI’s popular MiniTrends Conference Series with the themes “The Integration of Profit & Social Responsibility\,” “Insight\, Innovation & Strategy\,” and “Translating Emerging Trends into Business Opportunities.” \nCarrie enjoys speaking on creating and growing strong cultures with presentations at events including Investing with Impact Conference; WorldFuture 2015; RISE Conference; Latin America Regional Project\, Women in Technology Multi-Regional Project; Product Camp; The University of Texas SAGE Program; Central Texas World Future Society\, West Point Society\, TFI Technology Forecasting Conference\, and IEEE CTCN.
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/global-business-series-international-dimensions-of-strong-corporate-cultures/
LOCATION:ACC Highland Learning Center Room 2217 (Second Floor)\, 6101 Airport Blvd\, Austin\, TX\, 78752\, United States
CATEGORIES:author,Business,cultural,educational,Global Business Series
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Carrie-Vanston-3-11-16.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20151029T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20151029T200000
DTSTAMP:20260429T222238
CREATED:20150730T161957Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20160424T023026Z
UID:1376-1446141600-1446148800@wacaustin.org
SUMMARY:Author's Night: Ted Carpenter Discusses Perilous Partners
DESCRIPTION:How do we resolve the dilemma of securing important American foreign policy objectives without betraying basic American values and making ethical compromises? American leaders have cooperated with regimes around the world that are\, to varying degrees\, repressive or corrupt. Such cooperation is said to serve the national interest. It also often contravenes the nation’s commitments to democratic governance\, civil liberties\, and free markets. \nIn Perilous Partners\, authors Ted Carpenter and Malou Innocent offer case studies of U.S. engagement with dubious allies\, and show that too often American leaders have sacrificed the moral high ground in pursuit of secondary and peripheral national interests.  Perilous Partners will be available in bookstores on September 22\, 2015. \nTed Galen Carpenter is senior fellow for defense and foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute. Dr. Carpenter served as Cato’s director of foreign policy studies from 1986 to 1995 and as vice president for defense and foreign policy studies from 1995 to 2011. He is the author of nine and the editor of 10 books on international affairs\, including The Fire Next Door: Mexico’s Drug Violence and the Danger to America\, Smart Power: Toward a Prudent Foreign Policy for America\, America’s Coming War with China  A Collision Course over Taiwan\, The Korean Conundrum: America’s Troubled Relations with North and South Korea\, Bad Neighbor Policy: Washington’s Futile War on Drugs in Latin America\, The Captive Press: Foreign Policy Crises and the First Amendment\, Beyond NATO: Staying Out of Europe’s Wars\, and A Search for Enemies: America’s Alliances after the Cold War. Carpenter is contributing editor to theNational Interest and serves on the editorial boards of Mediterranean Quarterly and the Journal of Strategic Studies\, and is the author of more than 600 articles and policy studies. His articles have appeared in the New York Times\, the Washington Post\, the Wall Street Journal\, theLos Angeles Times\, the Financial Times\, Foreign Affairs\, Foreign Policy\, the National Interest\, World Policy Journal\, and many other publications. He is a frequent guest on radio and television programs in the United States\, Latin America\, Europe\, East Asia\, and other regions. Carpenter received his Ph.D. in U.S. diplomatic history from the University of Texas.
URL:http://wacaustin.org/event/ted-carpenter-discusses-his-new-book-perilous-partners/
LOCATION:ACC Highland Business Center Board Room\, ACC Highland Business Center\, 2nd Floor Board Room\, 5930 Middle Fiskville Rd\, Austin\, TX\, 78752\, United States
CATEGORIES:author
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacaustin.org/wp2015/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Ted-Carpenter-Photo-e1461469986565.jpg
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR