World Affairs Council of Austin

Iran: Upcoming Elections & U.S. Diplomacy
2021-06-09 11:30 - 12:30 (America/Chicago) | ONLINE
Learn more about Iran’s elections and the impact on U.S. diplomacy.
Panelists include:
-Ambassador Thomas Shannon Jr.
Senior International Policy Advisor, Arnold & Porter
-Dr. Roxanne Farmanfarmaian
University of Cambridge, Department of Politics & International Studies
-Dr. Ben Radd
UCLA Center for Middle East Development

Speakers:

Ambassador Thomas Shannon Jr.
Senior International Policy Advisor @Arnold & Porter
Ambassador Thomas A. Shannon, Jr. brings more than three decades of government service and diplomatic experience to his practice, providing strategic counsel to clients across a range of legislative, foreign policy, and national security issues. Most recently, Ambassador Shannon served as Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, the third highest ranking position at the State Department. Holding the personal rank of Career Ambassador, he was the highest ranking member of the United States Foreign Service, the country’s professional diplomatic corps. During his tenure as Under Secretary, Ambassador Shannon was in charge of bilateral and multilateral foreign policymaking and implementation, and oversaw diplomatic activity globally and in our missions to international organizations. He managed the State Department during the presidential transition, led bilateral and strategic stability talks with the Russian Federation, worked with our allies to oversee Iranian compliance.

Dr. Ben Radd (MODERATOR)
@UCLA Center for Middle East Development
Dr. Benjamin Radd is a Political Scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he teaches global studies, international relations, public diplomacy, and comparative law. Dr. Radd is an expert on the government and politics of the Middle East, with an emphasis on Iran and US-Iranian foreign policy. He is also a teaching fellow at the UCLA Center for Middle East Development and a member of the UCLA International Institute. Dr. Radd holds a PhD in Political Science from UCLA and a JD from Stanford Law School.

Dr. Roxanne Farmanfarmaian
@University of Cambridge, Department of Politics & International Studies
Dr Roxane Farmanfarmaian is a University of Cambridge academic, specialist in Iranian and Gulf politics, media commentator and public speaker. She is Director of International Studies and Global Politics at the University of Cambridge Institute for Continuing Education and a Senior Associate Fellow at the European Leadership Network. Her publications include Blood and Oil: A Prince’s Memoir of Iran From the Shah to the Ayatollah, and recently, articles in The Hill, Foreign Policy and Responsible Statecraft. She has a PhD and MPhil from the University Cambridge and a BA from Princeton. She lives in London and has a son attending the University of Southern California.

Conversation with Todd Chapman, U.S. Ambassador to Brazil
2021-06-15 12:00 - 13:00 | ONLINE
Join the World Affairs Council of Austin for a special conversation with Todd C. Chapman, U.S. Ambassador to Brazil. Ambassador Chapman will discuss current events in Brazil as well as the Texas-Brazil relationship with Political Officer Ian Brown at the U.S. Embassy in Brazil.

Todd C. Chapman is the U.S. Ambassador to Brazil. He was nominated by President Donald Trump on October 30, 2019, confirmed by the U.S. Senate on February 20, 2020 and arrived in Brazil on March 29, 2020. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Ambassador Chapman earlier served as U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador from 2016 – 2019.
Ambassador Chapman’s career has focused on promoting economic development and security partnerships around the world. He previously served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Political Military Affairs at the Department of State (2014-2016); Deputy Chief of Mission, U.S. Embassy Brasilia, Brazil (2011-2014); Senior Deputy Coordinator for Economic Affairs, U.S. Embassy Kabul, Afghanistan (2010-2011); and Chargé d’Affaires at U.S. Embassy Maputo, Mozambique (2007-2010). Earlier assignments included Bolivia, Costa Rica, Nigeria, Taiwan, and several tours at the Department of State in Washington D.C.
Ambassador Chapman first came to Brazil in 1974 when his father’s U.S. company transferred the family to Sao Paulo. He attended Escola Maria Imaculada (Chapel School) where he graduated in 1980. Before joining the Foreign Service, he worked as a commercial banker in New York and Saudi Arabia, and later as a business consultant in Brazil and his hometown of Houston, Texas. Altogether, he has lived in Brazil for 11 years.
Ambassador Chapman earned an A.B. in History from Duke University in 1983, and a M.S. in Strategic Intelligence from the Joint Military Intelligence College in 2000.
He is joined in Brazil by his wife of 34 years Janetta Chapman and they are the proud parents of two sons, Joshua and Jason, and daughter-in-law Brooke, all who reside in Denver, Colorado.

Event hosted by:

The Globalist Coffeehouse: The Global Rise of Populism - What Does it Mean for the World’s Democracies?
2021-06-17 18:30 - 19:30 | ONLINE
Over the last decade, there has been a rise in populist and authoritarian regimes around the world. From the increasing influence of authoritarian countries like China to the retreat of democracy across Eurasia and the former Soviet Bloc countries. You have Marine Le Pen and xenophobia in France and Modi in India where the rise of Hindu nationalism threatens Muslims and other minorities. The same trend is found in the Americas and Africa.
Right-wing populism is not a monolith, yet there are some common elements: nationalistic traits, xenophobia, a tendency towards authoritarianism, opposition to immigration, discontent with multi-culturalism/social liberalism and an anti-elitist message.
So what is the solution? How do democracies address this trend? While the focus of our discussion will be mostly global, some would also suggest that recently even the U.S. has been experiencing a similar process.
Please join us for what will certainly be a lively conversation.

For more details contact:
Ellen Murry, WAC Advisory Board
ellen.murry@yahoo.com
Polina Anastassieva, WAC Management Team
polina@wacaustin.org

Kozmetsky Forum on Global Investment, Finance, Emerging Markets and Geopolitical Risk
2021-09-07 12:00 - 13:00 | ONLINE
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 focusing on political risk will feature Joseph Sadek.
Joseph was the 2016 co-Chair of the Conference on Management Political Risk at The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University, and is currently a Research Manager in Financial Services. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations from The Fletcher School, and a Bachelor’s Degree in International Studies from The Ohio State University.
The Kozmetsky Forums will be held on Zoom during the fall of 2021.

Globalist Coffeehouse: Afghanistan - What’s Next?
2021-09-16 18:30 - 19:30 | ONLINE
Please join like-minded “global thinkers” for a monthly discussion on the major political/economic issues that our world is currently experiencing. Due to the Delta-Variant, this will be an online zoom discussion. Hopefully, in the future, we will be able to return to an in-person discussion at the Shoal Creek Saloon. The topic will be Afghanistan.

Over the course of the last month, we have seen the immense changes that have occurred in Afghanistan. To say that the withdrawal was not well managed would be an understatement. However, there are a variety of complex issues that arise from this. Can the Taliban even be trusted? What role do countries such as Iran, Russia, China, Pakistan, and even India have in filling in the vacuum our departure has created? How has this impacted the credibility of the United States? The President of France has asked the question: Can the U.S. be trusted? What about our ongoing commitments elsewhere in the world – from the Middle East to Asia? Finally, there are the allies and comrades that we left behind. What is their future?
From the state department perspective, some have suggested that the lack of tours of duty sufficient to master the problems and the confusion of policy and implementation are both ongoing issues, and not just for Afghanistan. For a more historical perspective, others have cited an “imperial aversion to instability,” from the British in 19th century Sudan, to our own years in Vietnam. And now perhaps Afghanistan?
How will our Afghanistan experience impact our actions and foreign policy decisions in the future?
Please join us for what will be a very lively discussion.

For further information please contact:
Ellen Murry, WAC Advisory Board

ellen.murry@yahoo.com

Polina Anastassieva, WAC management team
polina@wacaustin.org
We have also included some suggested articles for further reading on this topic.
https://foreignpolicy.com/projects/leaving-afghanistan/
China, Russia Look to Outflank U.S. in Afghanistan
Intervention: Unlearned Lessons, or the Gripes of a Professional

Global Security Forum 2021
2021-10-02 07:50 - 14:30 | ONLINE
The World Affairs Council of Austin is a partnering with the World Affairs Council of Connecticut to present the annual Global Security Forum 2021. From space to cyber, the Forum will explore the changing currency of power and ask: how will decisions made today come to define the future? Are U.S. battle systems prepared to meet the threats and challenges of the future? With a new U.S. administration, what role will the United States play on the global stage? Ultimately, what transformations must occur today in national and global security in order to realize a stable and secure world in the future?
Featured speakers include: General Charles W. Hooper, former director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency; Admiral Kenneth Braithwaite, the 77th Secretary of the Navy; Admiral Michelle Howard, former commander of United States Naval Forces Europe, United States Naval Forces Africa, and Allied Joint Force Command Naples; General Lori Robinson, former commander of United States Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command; Secretary Ryan McCarthy, Former Secretary of the United States Army, among others.

10th Annual Texas-EU Business Summit
2021-11-09 08:00 - 19:00 | San Jacinto Meeting Rooms, 309 E 21st St, Austin, TX, 78712, United States
In its 10th year, the Texas-EU Business Summit is the premier event for Texas businesses, entrepreneurs and economic development professionals seeking to expand their footprint in Europe.
Texas is already the largest exporting state to the European Union. The summit builds on that footprint, focusing on promoting the international trade capacity of Texas businesses and economic development organizations while creating greater awareness regarding the benefits of exporting.
The Texas-EU Business Summit sessions are led by business leaders, trade and investment officials from EU countries, trade policy experts and political officials.
Event hosts include:
The Center for European Studies, the University of Texas at Austin,
Austin Community College,
The Consulate General of Ireland in Austin,
The Kozmetsky Center of Excellence at St. Edwards University,
The Texas-Central & Eastern Europe Tech Summit
and
Pendas International

Transatlantic Security Forum - "NATO, Russia, China: World Order and 21st Century Global Security Challenges”
2021-11-15 09:00 - 2021-11-17 12:00 | ONLINE
The Kozmetsky Center of Excellence at St. Edward’s University and the Center for European Studies and Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies at the University of Texas at Austin will co-sponsor our seventh annual “Transatlantic Security Forum” entitled “NATO, Russia, China: World Order and 21st Century Global Security Challenges” on November 15-17, 2021 with support of the United States Department of Education Title VI National Resource Program. The seventh session will be held in cooperation with the Public Diplomacy Engagement Division of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization NATO, Research Committee on Geopolitics of the International Political Science Association (IPSA) and World Affairs Council Austin. Featured speakers include Ambassador Baiba Braže, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy; Dr. Andrew A. Michta, Dean, George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies; Dr. Su Hao Distinguished Professor, Department of Diplomacy and founding Director of Center for Strategic and Peace Studies, China Foreign Affairs University; Dr. Igor A. Zevelev, Global Policy Scholar, Kennan Institute, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars;
Dr. Jamie Shea, Professor of Strategy and Security, Strategy and Security Institute, University of Exeter and former Assistant Secretary General NATO, Emerging Security Challenges;
Dr. Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director at the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow; Dr. Mark N. Katz, Professor of Government and Politics, George Mason University Schar School of Policy and Government; Dr. Julian Lindley French, Senior Fellow, Institute for Statecraft in London, Director of Europa Analytica, Netherlands and founder of The Alphen Group and several other leading experts representing a diversity of national perspectives in the United States, Europe and Asia.
The forum dialogue will focus on implications of shifting global relationships and world order for transatlantic and broader global security. Among major topics, speakers will assess the impact of COVID19 to include discussion of political systems, values and responsiveness to the pandemic, lessons of the withdrawal from the twenty-year war in Afghanistan, consequences of climate change, weapons proliferation and terrorism, regional clashes and conflicts, cyber and information security, competing visions of world order, geopolitical and security implications of shifting relationships among major powers and other topics of critical relevance to transatlantic and global security. We are especially interested in facilitating dialogue among a diversity of national and regional experts exploring the most pressing security challenges facing the global community at this critical juncture contributing to deepening understanding of opportunities and obstacles to advancing security cooperation among nations.
For conference agenda and additional information click on the image below:

Kozmetsky Forum on Geopolitical Risk Featuring Dr. Beat Habegger
2022-02-01 12:00 - 13:00 | Online
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 on managing (geo-)political risk will feature Dr. Beat Habegger, Global Fellow and Executive in Residence at the Geneva Centre for Security Policy. Understanding the risk management processes and considerations of globally operating insurance companies in terms of political risks will provide attendees with relevant insights for managing exposure in their respective industries.

Beat Habegger, PhD is an independent advisor on risk & resilience, sustainability, public affairs, and strategic foresight, leveraging 20 years of professional experience in multinational companies, private consultancies, think thanks, and public policy. He supports private and public sector institutions as well as individuals with topical, analytical, strategic, and communicative expertise to better navigate uncertain and complex situations and environments.

After Merkel: The Future of Transatlantic Security
2022-02-23 12:15 - 13:30 | ONLINE
Since the end of World War II, Germany and the United States have maintained strong political, trade, and security relations. As a NATO Ally and one of the largest and economically prosperous EU member states, Germany has been a crucial partner for the United States in ensuring security on the European continent and fostering a global order based on liberal democracy and economic cooperation. Nevertheless, in recent years the bilateral US-German relationship has experienced a number of turbulences that have impacted on broader questions of transatlantic and international security. During the presidency of Donald J. Trump, bilateral tensions over security and military cooperation have become more visible. The end of Angela Merkel’s chancellorship in December 2021, after more than 16 years in office, has also raised questions over the future trajectory of German foreign and defense policy.
Will the new German “traffic light” coalition of Social Democrats, the Green Party, and Free Democrats stay the course of a German foreign policy premised on transatlanticism, military restraint, and a strong economic model? And will the Biden administration be able to restore mutual friendship and trust between Washington, DC and Berlin?
This World Affairs Council of Austin program in partnership with the Center for European Studies at the University of Texas (Austin) and the Kozmetsky Center for Excellence at St. Edward’s University will feature:

Dr. Sharyl N. Cross, Director, Kozmetsky Center for Excellence (St. Edward’s)
Dr. Sebastian Bruns, McCain Fulbright Visiting Professor (US Naval Academy, Annapolis)

Globalist Coffeehouse: Cybersecurity as a National Security Threat
2022-03-17 18:30 - 19:30 | ONLINE
Cybersecurity has been called “one of the most serious national security threats facing the U.S.” It has been estimated that malicious cyber activity costs the U.S. economy between $57 to $109 billion dollars a year.
We have already fallen victim to cyber-attacks, one example being the hacks and leaks targeting the 2016 elections. And then last year, Russia used “backdoor” accesses to hack SolarWinds – located in Austin – and impacted approximately 250 federal agencies. Another threat is artificial intelligence driving the speed of misinformation. For instance, conspiracy theories around the pandemic.
The problem is not unique to America. Russia also uses misinformation to generate anti-refugee sentiment in the EU and undermine NATO. And just last week, we witnessed the cyber-attack on Ukraine’s infrastructure and defense systems. They are not the only players in this game. Others such as Israel, North Korea and China are also “hacking” the internet.
How and where will this issue be addressed? The current administration has introduced the Cyber Diplomacy Act. It established the Office of International Cyberspace Policy under the State Department, and invested $10 billion in IT and cybersecurity infrastructure, which is an excellent start. But is it enough given the threat, especially in relation to our total defense spending? So, what is the future of cyber technology and how should the U.S. and the international community respond?
Please join us for what will be a very lively discussion. Due to the Omicron-variant, this will be an online zoom discussion. Hopefully, in the future, we will be able to return to an in-person discussion at the Shoal Creek Saloon.

For further information please contact:
Ellen Murry, WAC Advisory Board
ellen.murry@yahoo.com
Polina Anastassieva, WAC management team
polina@wacaustin.org

Globalist Coffeehouse - International Waters: The Law of the Sea vs. a Country's Coastal Sovereignty
2022-04-21 18:30 - 19:30 | La Madeleine, 9828 Great Hills Trail, Suite 650, Austin, 78759, United States
***We are very pleased to announce that this month’s Globalist will be in person on Thursday, April 21st, 6:30–7:30 p.m.!! Please join us in the private dining room at La Madeleine’s located at 9828 Great Hills Trail, Suite 650, Austin, TX 78759.***
International Waters: The Law of the Sea vs. a Country’s Coastal Sovereignty
When we refer to a country’s border, we at least have a map as to where one country ends and another one begins. However, how do we define those boundaries on water?
International waters (high seas) do not belong to any individual country’s jurisdiction, and all have the right to fishing, navigation, overflight, laying cables and pipelines, as well as scientific research.
Beginning in the 1950s, international mandates have come to govern who has sovereignty over a country’s coastal waters. The Convention on the High Seas, defined “high seas” to mean “all parts of the sea that are not included in the territorial sea or in the internal waters of a State.” This was used as a foundation for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), signed in 1982, which recognized exclusive economic zones extending 200 nautical miles.
But competition for natural resources and a military presence have led countries like China to create their own definition of its coastal waters’ sovereignty – the Nine-Dash-Line. This has led to serious tensions among China’s regional neighbors, such as the Philippines and Vietnam. In the Arctic, Nordic Nations have their own boundary issues, with competition for resources with Russia.
What are the implications of all this in the South China Sea, but also for other countries with coastal boundaries? What will be the impact of climate change on coastal sovereignty?

From the Polish Cyber Frontlines to Texas. Lessons Learned and New US-EU Cybersecurity Opportunities
2022-06-22 12:00 - 14:00 | Capital Factory, 701 Brazos Street, Austin, TX, 78701, United States
Explore way to learn from, and cooperate with, some of Poland’s most elite cybersecurity experts as they discuss their work in Europe combating one of the 21st centuries most pressing threats.

Wednesday, June 22, 2022
Panel, Lunch, & Networking: 12:00pm-2:00pm
Capital Factory, Captain America Room, 8th floor, 701 Brazos St, Austin, 78701
RSVP: Rafal.Sordyl (at) msz.gov.pl

Globalist Coffeehouse: What is the future of the UN in the 21st century?
2022-08-18 18:30 - 19:30 | Shoal Creek Saloon, 909 N. Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX, 78703, United States
Please join like-minded “global thinkers” for a monthly discussion on the major political/economic issues that our world is currently experiencing. We will be meeting in person in the semi-private dining room at the Shoal Creek Saloon, 909 N. Lamar. This month’s topic is:

What is the future of the UN in the 21st century?
With an ongoing war in Ukraine, post-pandemic recovery, and a drastic climate change all around our planet, the future of the United Nations isn’t something that particularly comes to the top of our minds. The UN was originally established post-WWII, with the goal to prevent any future wars. The UN Charter was adopted on June 25, 1945, and took effect October 24th, that same year.

It is made up of 5 divisions/components – the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, and the International Court of Justice. The UN is immune from the laws of the countries where they operate, seeing it is impartial to the host and member countries.

As stated in its charter, the primary role of the UN is to maintain peace and security throughout the world. Yet, in the Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syrian conflicts, the UN has been essentially irrelevant except for humanitarian aid. It has no role in the current China/Taiwan tensions, and its forces in Africa have not been particularly effective.
Is the UN irrelevant as many of its economic and national security responsibilities are handled by military and economic organizations – NATO, the EU, ASEAN, and the QUAD in Asia? While they have a constructive role in the international trade (WTO), they are often simply ignored. Even the composition of the Security Council (countries represented) reflects a politically bi-polar world that doesn’t exist today.
Some would say that the UN (WHO) has been effective with the distribution of the vaccine throughout the pandemic. It has also aided with the humanitarian food crisis caused by both the drought (climate change) and as a result of the war in Ukraine.
What should the role of the UN be in the 21st century – especially with climate change becoming the greatest global threat?

For more details contact:
Ellen Murry: ellen@wacaustin.org
Polina Anastassieva: polina@wacaustin.org

Cover to Cover - The Fifth Act: America's End in Afghanistan
2022-08-31 13:00 - 14:00 | ONLINE
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.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Elliot 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

Global Security Forum 2022
2022-09-23 07:50 - 14:30 | ONLINE
The Global Security Forum convenes the nation’s top military leaders, experts and thought leaders to address the most critical global security issues of today as well as the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow.
The World Affairs Council of Austin is pleased to partner with the World Affairs Council of Connecticut, the Charter Oak Chapter of the Military Officers Association, and the McCain Institute for International Leadership for an all-day seminar featuring experts from top military and civilian institutions. This event is not to be missed. Purchase your ticket for this virtual event by clicking on the button below:

The Global Security Forum brings the world’s top leadership directly to the citizenry. Generals, experts, policymakers, and foreign leaders convene to address the most critical global security issues of today and the opportunities of tomorrow.
Announced Speakers:

Admiral Dennis Blair, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Former Director of National Intelligence
Lieutenant General Mark Hertling, U.S. Army (Ret.), Former Commanding General of U.S.Army, Europe
Lieutenant General Jon Tyson Thomas, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), Former Deputy Commander, Pacific Air Forces
Dr. Carolyn Washington, Col., U.S. Army (Ret.), Women, Peace & Security Manager, Dept. of Homeland Security
Col. Bill Shelton, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), RAND Corporation
Lieutenant Col. Luke Knittig, U.S. Army (Ret.), Chief of External Relations for Power Africa, USAID
Cadet Chiara Wurdack, U.S. Military Academy
David E. Sanger, Chief Washington Correspondent, New York Times
Jillair Kubish, Executive Vice President of Business Operations, Colt’s Manufacturing
Rozlyn Engel, Chief Economic Strategist, The MITRE Corporation
Andre McMillian, Vice President of Sustainment Operations, Pratt & Whitney Military Engines
David Sanger, White House and National Security Correspondent, The New York Times
Arthur House, Former National Security and Intelligence Officer, State of CT

World Order, Challenges, Transition, Chaos? Western and Global Perspectives on Conflict in Ukraine
2022-09-26 12:00 - 14:00 | ONLINE
On February 24, 2022 Russia invaded Ukraine resulting in major population displacement, thousands of civilian and military casualties, jeopardizing global energy and food supplies and threatening potential escalation of clashes involving a major world nuclear power. Please join our partners at the Kozmetsky Center on Monday September 26, 2022 at 12:00 noon for the forum entitled “World Order, Challenges, Transition, Chaos? Western and Global Perspectives on Conflict in Ukraine.” This session will bring together a diversity of international experts representing Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, China, India and the United States to discuss the sources and consequences of the current conflict, risks of further escalation of hostilities, prospects for diplomatic settlement and the future of Ukraine and world order and global security architecture.
ATTEND THE PROGRAM ON ZOOM: https://stedwards.zoom.us/s/99173603911

Diana Negroponte, author of Master Negotiator: James A. Baker, III’s Role at the End of the Cold War
2022-10-02 18:30 - 19:30 | ONLINE
*****EVENT CANCELLED ***
We are pleased to feature Diana Villiers Negroponte as our special guest speaker.
Author 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.

While 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).
She 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.
Her 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.
A copy of her book can be purchased separately, on websites such as Amazon.

Germany’s Zeitenwende: Setting New Priorities in Foreign, Security, and Energy Policy
2022-10-18 18:00 - 19:30 | EVENT FILLED TO CAPACITY, Austin, 78705
In collaboration with the German-Texan Heritage Society and the American Council on Germany, the World Affairs Council of Austin invites you to meet Ambassador (ret.) Stefan Schlüter and learn more about Germany’s Zeitenwende: Setting New Priorities in Foreign, Security, and Energy Policy.

Abassador (ret.) Stefan Schlüter served in the German Foreign Office until the summer of 2017 and is now a Program Director at the Diplomatic Academy in Berlin. After studying political science at the University of Hamburg, Mr. Schlüter joined the German Foreign Office in 1979. His first foreign assignments brought him to Buenos Aires and Algiers. From 1986 to 1990 he served as the spokesman of the German Embassy in Tel Aviv before returning to the Foreign Office in Bonn as desk officer for the Maghreb countries. From 1992 to 1995 he served as Deputy Consul General in Los Angeles before returning to Bonn as Deputy Director for the southern part of Latin America. From 2000 to 2004, he was posted to the United States a second time and served as Deputy Consul General in New York City before moving to Buenos Aires as Deputy Chief of Mission. In 2007 he returned to the Foreign Office in Berlin to assume the position of Director for Conflict Prevention, Peace-Building, Democracy Promotion and State-Building, promoting German projects in this field world-wide. In 2010 he was appointed Ambassador to the Eastern Caribbean Region, residing in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago before moving on to his last assignment as Consul General in San Francisco in 2014.

Globalist Coffeehouse: Latin American Relations - Where is the U.S. now and what is its role in the future?
2022-10-27 18:30 - 19:30 | Shoal Creek Saloon, 909 N. Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX, 78703, United States
Recently, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken toured Latin America to reaffirm its commitment to the allies amid concerns that neglect of the hemisphere has let China make economic inroads. He hopes that Latin America’s new leaders will continue to maintain a free-enterprise-friendly approach to nurture U.S. ties.
Meanwhile, many counties have their own challenges to consider. In Brazil, everyone waits anxiously to see what will happen with the country’s election results. In Venezuela, a total of seven Americans, five of which were held in captivity for over five years, were recently released in a prisoner swap. In Ecuador, prison gang violence has overwhelmed an under-resourced and overcrowded system leading to a state of emergency in three provinces. In Columbia, peace talks between its government and the National Liberation Army are set to resume. In Chile, the country just recently elected its youngest-ever president, a former student activist. That is in addition to the fact that Peru is the number two copper producer in the world.
With an increasingly ambitious China, the largest importer of goods and services from Brazil and Chile, and the second largest from Argentina and Peru, and the trend toward authoritarianism in this part of the world (actually a global trend), what are the options for the U.S. in the future? How can we solidify our relationships with Latin American countries?

Please join us for what will be a lively discussion about a topic that evolves regularly.
For more details contact:
Ellen Murry: ellen@wacaustin.org
Polina Anastassieva: polina@wacaustin.org

Globalist Coffeehouse: The Global Food Crisis - what are the solutions?
2022-11-17 18:30 - 19:30 | Shoal Creek Saloon, 909 N. Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX, 78703, United States
As we enter a season of “culinary extravagance” we should perhaps think about the food crisis that is impacting people throughout the world. In 2021 acute food security affected 193 million people globally, and in North Africa, almost half – a million people are facing starvation and death.
The U.S. provides $2 billion annually or half of the world’s food aid. But our generosity is undermined by the fact that food aid must be purchased in the U.S. and transported on U.S.-flagged ships. While 25,000 people are now dying daily of hunger, the U.S. throws away 96 billion pounds of food each year – or 320 pounds per person.
There are several factors that overlap. Global food prices rose to new heights in 2021, due to COVID-19 and supply chain disruptions. Around 21 million refugees face “conflict food insecurity,” from North Africa to Yemen, and most recently in Ukraine.
The temperate lands of the Global North have control over many primary commodities, crops, and minerals grown in the Global South, through the control of seeds, fertilizer, and distribution. Russia and Ukraine together account for 33% of the world’s exports of wheat, and Russia is the leading exporter of nitrogen fertilizers globally.
And then there is climate change, from devastating floods in Pakistan and typhoons in the Philippines to hurricanes in Central America. China has seen both drought and flooding, leaving parts of the Yangtze unnavigable. Drought in North Africa and Yemen in the Middle East acerbates “conflict food insecurity.”
What are the solutions? Certainly, ending the war in Ukraine and shipments resuming from both there and Russia is a near-term option. Many others see a future in genetically modified plants; Bill Gates calls them “magic seeds.” Some believe that supporting and underwriting conventional breeding to improve crop yields, is the future. With this process, there has been a 50% increase in crop yields from 1981 to 2000 and it continues today. Finally, many would say that we need another breakthrough like the one that produced the “Green Revolution,” but those crops are dependent upon expensive fertilizers. At the present, people are dying of starvation.
Please join us for what will be a very lively discussion about a subject critical to our future as a people and even a planet.

For more details contact:
Ellen Murry: ellen@wacaustin.org
Polina Anastassieva: polina@wacaustin.org

Kozmetsky Forum on Global Political Risk, Emerging Markets and Finance Featuring Yves Dubus, Belgian Trade and Investment Commissioner
2023-02-24 12:00 - 13:00 | St. Edwards University, Mabee Ballroom, Ragsdale Building, 3001 Congress Ave, Austin, TX, 78704, United States
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 Yves Dubus, Belgian Trade and Investment Commissioner.
Mr. Dubus is a Belgian career diplomat since 2008. He was posted in Guangzhou, China, as Trade & Technology Commissioner for 5 years, before being posted in Houston, Texas, in August 2013.
His primary mission is to foster trade and investment relations between the Wallonia and Brussels Regions of Belgium and the Southern States of the United States of America. Through official channels and privileged partnerships, he maintains an extensive network of contacts to facilitate the creation of new companies on both sides of the Atlantic.
Prior to his public career, he held various positions in the private sector working in IT between 1988 and 2008, first, in the development of new businesses linked to the deregulation of the airlines industry in Europe, and second, in the development of new technologies, and new business models, linked to the development of the Internet. In 2000, he was the General Manager of Travelprice, the first ever online travel agency in Belgium, and later served as VP of Professional Services, in Munich, for Siemens Mobile Travel Services. Yves holds a Master’s Degree in Political Sciences from the University of Cape Town, South Africa.
Services provided by the Belgian Trade Commission in Houston include market intelligence and assessments, as well as assistance for the development of business plans for Belgian companies in the USA, and the facilitation of access to government authorities for American companies investing in the Wallonia and Brussels Regions of Belgium.
Off-campus guests can obtain a $5 campus visiting parking permit at: https://stedwards.nupark.com/portal/Account/VisitorLogin
If you should require assistant on obtaining a parking permit, please contact Mr. Don Vansandt [donaldv@stewards.edu]

Kozmetsky Forum on the Impact of Artificial Intelligence
2023-04-04 12:00 - 13:00 | ONLINE
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.
Amir 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.
In 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.
In 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.”

Connexions Conference on Global Media in Diplomacy and Foreign Policy
2023-04-10 08:00 - 2023-04-12 17:30 | Sid Richardson Hall Bass Lecture Hall, 2315 Red River St, Austin, TX, 78712, United States
#Connexions will create an international space for discourse on modern media and technology in state affairs to help address the critical need for informed and expert leadership in the information sphere, promoting a safer and healthier digital environment that in turn shapes the direction of history. Of main focus will be the chaos of information itself and how it informs and impedes the creation, execution, and communication of policy and the effective conduct of diplomacy. Academics, policymakers, and media practitioners will convene to address the key issues of our ever-evolving media environment, including fake news, disinformation, social media, cyber warfare, artificial intelligence, and the vulnerabilities of technologies that govern and drive global connectivity.
Speaker, agenda and registration details here:

Religion-Policy/Security Nexus Project Series: Religious Freedom, Human Rights and Geopolitics
2023-04-19 12:00 - 14:00 | St. Edwards University, Carter Auditorium, 3001 S. Congress Ave, Austin, TX, 78704, United States
The World Affairs Council of Austin invites you to join us for the final Kozmetsky Center program with featured speaker Nury Turkel, Chair of the U.S. Commission on Religious Freedom and Chair of the Uyghur Human Rights Project for the Religion-Policy/Security. This session will focus on issues of human rights, religious freedom and geopolitics. Nury Turkel will join returning project participant panel contributors, Dr. Elizabeth Prodromou, Professor at Boston College and Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, Dr. John Erickson, priest of the Orthodox Church of America and former Dean & Professor Emeritus of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary and Father/Dr. Lou Brusatti and Dr. Kelley Coblentz Bautch of St. Edward’s to continue the dialogue and exploration on the potential for religious-policy/security collaboration in supporting human rights, religious freedom and human security.
The Religion-Policy/Security Nexus project was initiated in 2016 in partnership and with grant support from NATO Public Diplomacy, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, Atlantic Council and other domestic and international university partners. Conferences and forum sessions have brought together policy officials, academics and religious clerics from different nations and cultures to share research contributions and professional insights with our students supporting research and policy development.
The session will be held in-person on campus in the Carter Auditorium on Wednesday, April 19 from 12:00-2:00 PM.

Beijing's Global Media Offensive: China's Uneven Campaign to Influence Asia and the World
2023-05-24 11:00 - 12:00 | ONLINE
The World Affairs Council of Austin in collaboration with the World Affairs Council of Orange County invite you to join this webinar featuring Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). He is the author, most recently, of Beijing’s Global Media Offensive: China’s Uneven Campaign To Influence Asia and the World. Kurlantzick was previously a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he studied Southeast Asian politics and economics and China’s relations with Southeast Asia, including Chinese investment, aid, and diplomacy.
Previously, he was a fellow at the University of Southern California Center on Public Diplomacy and a fellow at the Pacific Council on International Policy. He is currently focused on China’s relations with Southeast Asia, and China’s approach to soft and sharp power, including state-backed media and information efforts and other components of soft and sharp power. He is also working on issues related to the rise of global populism, populism in Asia, and the impact of COVID-19 on illiberal populism and political freedom overall.

The Future of Joint Combined Operations: Large-Scale Combat Operations in the Late 21st Century
2023-06-07 17:30 - 19:00 | Neill-Cochran House Museum, 2310 San Gabriel Street, Austin, TX, 78705, United States
The World Affairs Council of Austin invites you to attend a presentation by LTG Ross Coffman, Deputy Commanding General of the Army Futures Command, on the future of warfare in the 21st century.
The Army Futures Command is headquartered in Austin, with over 26,000 personnel world worldwide working on modernization priorities. The AFC leads a continuous transformation of Army modernization in order to provide future war-fighters the concepts, capabilities and organizational structures they need to dominate a future battlefield. It integrates daily with entrepreneurs, scientists, academia and businesses to make the discoveries required to design and field the future military force of the 21st century.
LTG Ross Coffman has had a 30 year in the military, where has served at the tactical, operational and strategic levels in the United States and overseas. Previous to being selected as the deputy commanding general of the U.S. Army Futures Command, he has led Army efforts in Saudi Arabia, Bosnia, Europe, Haiti, Kuwait, Iraq and the U.S. LTG Coffman’s civilian education includes an MBA from Embry Riddle University and a graduate fellowship at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

Parking at Neill-Cochran House House Museum: Free in the museum lot, accessible via 23rd between Leon and San Gabriel; additional street parking available.

The Globalization Myth: Why Regions Matter with Shannon O'Neil
2023-06-22 11:00 - 13:00 | ONLINE
The World Affairs Council of Austin in collaboration with the World Affairs Council of Orange County invite you to join this webinar featuring Shannon K. O’Neil, vice president, deputy director of studies, and the Nelson and David Rockefeller senior fellow for Latin America studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. Dr. O’Neil will be explain why regionalization, not globalization, has been the biggest economic trend of the last forty years.
Shannon K. O’Neil is an expert on global trade, supply chains, Mexico, Latin America, and democracy. Dr. O’Neil has lived and worked in Mexico and Argentina. She was a Fulbright scholar and a justice, welfare, and economics fellow at Harvard University, and has taught Latin American politics at Columbia University. Before turning to policy, Dr. O’Neil worked in the private sector as an equity analyst at Indosuez Capital and Credit Lyonnais Securities.
Dr. O’Neil is the author of The Globalization Myth: Why Regions Matter (Yale University Press, October 2022), which chronicles the rise of three main global manufacturing and supply chain hubs and what they mean for U.S. economic competitiveness. She also wrote Two Nations Indivisible: Mexico, the United States, and the Road Ahead (Oxford University Press, 2013), which analyzes the political, economic, and social transformations Mexico has undergone over the last three decades and why they matter for the United States. Dr. O’Neil is a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion and a frequent guest on national broadcast news and radio programs. She has often testified before Congress and regularly speaks at global academic, business, and policy conferences.
Dr. O’Neil is a member of the board of directors of the Tinker Foundation. She holds a PhD in government from Harvard University, an MA in international relations from Yale University, and a BA from Yale University.

“Nothing to See Here, Folks”: The U.S. - China Relationship in 2023
2023-08-16 17:30 - 19:00 | Neill-Cochran House Museum, 2310 San Gabriel Street, Austin, TX, 78705, United States
The already deeply strained relationship between the United States and China has been particularly rocky in 2023. Bilateral controversies over the Chinese balloon, Taiwan, TikTok, and Xi Jinping’s visit to Russia, among other developments, have exacerbated tensions and prompted speculation by some that the United States and China could be headed for serious conflict.
David Firestein, president, and CEO of the George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.- China Relations will speak on the current state of and future prospects for the U.S.- China relationship and answer audience questions about recent developments.

David J. Firestein serves as president and CEO of the George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations and is a current, and founding, member of its board of directors. A decorated former U.S. career diplomat and near-native speaker of the Chinese language, Firestein has specialized in U.S.-China relations for most of his thirty-year professional career. For the last twelve years, Firestein has worked in the non-profit and academic sectors and has served as a member of the graduate faculty of The University of Texas at Austin, where he taught courses on U.S.-China relations and U.S.-Russia relations. Firestein currently serves on the boards of directors or advisors of about a dozen mostly U.S. non-profit entities in a variety of fields. He is the author or co-author of three books on China – including two China-published, Chinese-language bestsellers – and nearly two hundred articles in major U.S. and overseas media publications. Firestein is a native of Austin, Texas and currently resides in the greater Austin area.
Parking at Neill-Cochran House House Museum: Free in the museum lot, accessible via 23rd between Leon and San Gabriel; additional street parking is available.

Globalist Coffeehouse: China - What's Next?
2023-08-24 18:30 - 19:30 | 5280 Burger and Taphouse, 7032 Wood Hollow Dr, Austin, TX, 78731, United States
We will be meeting in person at the 5820 Burger and Taphouse. This month’s topic is:
China: What’s next?
What will be China’s role in the global economy and geopolitics in general, over the next decades? There is the South China Sea and the potential for conflict over Taiwan. But there is also “soft power” global influence. For example, through the Belt and Road initiatives, from the “Stans” to South Asia, Africa, and even South America. Of course, there is also China’s relationship with Russia and Putin. And finally, China has its own internal issues with the implications of the demographics they will be facing in the future.
This topic will be a follow-up discussion to the presentation by David Firestein on August 16th. We hope you will attend both events.
Please join us for what will be a very interesting discussion.

For more details contact:
Ellen Murry, Co-chair, of the Globalist Coffeehouse: ellen.murry@yahoo.com
Polina Anastassieva, Co-chair, of the Globalist Coffeehouse: polina@wacaustin.org
