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. Wright joins us on […]
How will we define the vital interests of the U.S. related to our foreign policy in this new century? What should be our priorities, and how will we assess tradeoffs from Geostrategy to Economics? Also, what will be our role in promoting Human Rights, Democracy, and Development? Will we continue to lead America’s “Unfinished Fight […]
As a country and world power, we are in a period of transition, from how we approach both our allies and potential adversaries to the impact of technology, from drone […]
Join the World Affairs Council of Austin and hear from our featured guest speaker, Kiersten Kullenberg, the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition’s Outreach Director for Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. Ms. […]
The global threats to US national security increase day by day, with our adversaries and competitors working together to create chaos and disruption, not just on the military front, but […]
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 […]
Join your fellow World Affairs Council of Austin members for a conversation with Lawrence Wright, author, screenwriter, and playwright. Mr. Wright received the Pulitzer Prize for this book, "The Looming […]
An online conversation with LTG Robert Ashley, USA (Ret.), 21st Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency and MG Garrett Yee, USA (Ret.) About the speakers: Lieutenant General Robert P. Ashley, […]
As the nuclear threat heats up, we sit down with Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, former Undersecretary of State for Arms Control & International. As the under secretary of state for arms […]
What is the region’s future, starting with Gaza and the West Bank? What will be the role of the US and countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Egypt? The […]
Join your fellow World Affairs Council of Austin members for Ukraine and Innovation at the Edge featuring Ross Guieb, Executive Director for the George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex at […]
Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul joins us on WorldNow with Jim Falk to explore the global rise of autocracy, new challenges posed by an assertive Russia and China, […]
In 1785, the US adopted the dollar sign as its official currency. Just three years later, in 1789, the very first dollar bill was issued. By 1791, Alexander Hamilton established the Bank of the United States. For over the last century, the dollar has been a dominant force in international trade. An interesting fact is that […]
Each year, The Economist publishes The World Ahead series: an informed prediction of the major themes that will dominate the coming year. Spanning topics from politics to technology to sociology and more, this series edited by Tom Standage is as ambitious as it is awe-inspiring. On December 8, Standage rejoins the Council to discuss his publication’s analysis for 2026. In conversation […]
Gunboat diplomacy, armed conflict, or all-out regime change? As tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela continue to rachet up, all outcomes and more seem to be on the table. The […]