World Affairs Council of Austin

Globalist Coffeehouse: Economic Migration Around the World
2025-02-19 18:30 - 19:30 (America/Chicago) | 5280 Burger and Taphouse, 7032 Wood Hollow Dr, Austin, TX, 78731, United States
Please join us for the Globalist Coffeehouse at the 5280 Burger and Taphouse, 7032 Wood Hollow Dr, on WEDNESDAY, February 19th, at 6:30 p.m.

Economic Migration Around the World

Throughout history, migration has played a key role in the establishment of borders, territories, and countries. Think of nomads traveling across vast types of lands and vegetation in order to continue moving onward, despite not having an established settlement. Yet, their influence plays a key in how future settlements came about.

Fast forward to the present day, the level of international reliance on one another- in economic terms- has become a major factor in how we conduct business; it is difficult to imagine otherwise.

When it comes to specific policies, each country has its own understanding in regards to refugees, immigration, and ultimately a path towards citizenship. Although the process might be varied, all countries agree that they want a positive contribution within their borders. However, what happens when there are anomalies? What regulations should be set in place in order to adhere to the laws? What implications might climate change, catastrophe, or war play in how a country dictates its immigration policy?

Please join us for a lively discussion.

For non-members: Please register first to receive your invitation as a guest.

Brexit 5 Years Later - Where are We Now, and What are the Future Implications?
2025-02-27 17:30 - 19:00 | Neill-Cochran House Museum, 2310 San Gabriel Street, Austin, TX, 78705, United States
In 2020, the UK left the EU. What were the expectations, and where are we now? It’s said that Brexit will cost the UK economy 4% of GDP over the long term. Today, polls show that most individuals in the UK regret the decision. And what about its impact on the EU? Who has benefited from this action? Many would say Ireland and even the EU as corporations moved from London to Dublin, Paris, or other European cities and even countries to remain in the EU. There is talk of a “reset” with a focus from the EU perspective on long-term fishing rights and freedom of movement. Finally, and perhaps most significantly, what are the implications for both organizations, the UK and the EU, with new US administrations’ tariff policies on imports and potentially disengaging from NATO?

Dr. Michael W. Mosser is the Director of the University of Texas at Austin Center for European Studies (CES). He is also an Associate Professor of Instruction with a joint appointment in the Department of Government and the International Relations and Global Studies (IRG) program. He is a Distinguished Scholar at the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law and was the Executive Director of the Global Disinformation Lab (GDIL) from 2022 to 2024.

Dr. William Nichols is the Chair of the Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Global Studies, and Political Science at St. Edwards University. He has taught various courses over the years, focusing in particular on International Relations, European Politics, American Foreign Relations, and Strategic Intelligence. Dr. Nichols is active in global initiatives on the St. Edwards campus and abroad. He has led 12 European and Asian study programs.

For non-members: Please register first to receive your invitation as a guest.

Commander Jonathan Norris, Naval Aviator and Foreign Area Officer
2025-03-04 17:30 - 19:00 | Neill-Cochran House Museum, 2310 San Gabriel Street, Austin, TX, 78705, United States
Join us for an engaging talk with Commander Jonathan Norris, a distinguished Naval Aviator and Foreign Area Officer. With over 19 years of service, CDR Norris brings a wealth of experience from his diverse roles in aviation, leadership, and international relations. From piloting helicopters in the Middle East to serving as a military advisor in Washington DC and managing defense cooperation in Azerbaijan and Egypt, his career spans crucial aspects of modern military operations and diplomacy. Currently a Federal Executive Fellow at UT Austin’s Clements Center for National Security, CDR Norris offers unique insights into leadership, national security, and defense strategy. Don’t miss this opportunity to hear from a decorated officer whose career embodies the multifaceted nature of today’s naval service.

For non-members: Please register first to receive your invitation as a guest.

WorldNow: The Future of Borders with Edward Alden
2025-03-19 18:00 - 19:00 | ONLINE
Join your fellow World Affairs Council of Austin members for this WorldNow virtual conversation. In its first few weeks, the Trump administration announced sweeping changes to immigration policy – from mass deportations and a migrant detention center at Guantanamo Bay to suspending asylum and trying to restrict birthright citizenship. What is the cost of these policies – to citizens and noncitizens alike?
CFR’s Edward Alden joins us on WorldNow with Jim Falk to explain the economic, social, and international impact of the new administration’s border policies and mass deportations.

Meet the Author
Edward Alden is Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Alden’s career spans more than three decades in journalism, think tanks, and academia. He was the bureau chief for the Financial Times newspaper in Toronto, Canada, and Washington, DC before joining the Council on Foreign Relations in 2007.
In addition to his own books and articles, he has worked with senior US policymakers on in-depth investigations of issues such as US immigration policy, US trade policy, border security, and the future of work. Since 2019 he has also been a visiting professor at Western Washington University, and he currently writes a column for Foreign Policy.
Meet the Host
Jim 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. Jim also hosts Perspectives Matter, which airs weekly on KERA-Dallas (PBS). He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

When the World Closed Its Doors: The Covid-19 Tragedy and the Future of Borders by Edward Alden and Laurie Trautman
A detailed exploration of the most sweeping government border closures in human history during the Covid-19 pandemic and the implications for the future of global mobility.
In When the World Closed Its Doors, Edward Alden and Laurie Trautman tell the story of how nearly every country in the world shut its borders to respond to an external threat and explain how this global shock to the system ended up transforming state border policies around the world.
They detail the consequences of the COVID border restrictions – couples separated for years, children blocked from reuniting with their parents, container ship workers moving essential goods trapped at sea, pregnant citizens barred from returning home – and explain why governments used their harshest containment measures on those coming from outside.
Throughout, Alden and Trautman focus on human stories to show the multiple impacts that states’ increasing restrictiveness has had – economic, demographic, social, and political. And the fallout continues: governments left unchecked will continue to restrict borders with little regard to the collateral damage and disruption they cause.
A sweeping overview of the re-bordering of the world, both during and after 2020, this synthetic, wide-angle view of a singular shock to the international systems of travel and migration highlights why citizens need better protections and governments more robust guardrails.
Get a copy of When the World Closed Its Doors

Foreign Policy ONLINE Town Hall with Senator Chris Murphy
2025-03-31 11:00 - 12:00 | ONLINE
Join fellow World Affairs Councilmembers from across the nation for a town hall on U.S. Foreign Policy. We’ll address the massive changes to the State Department, the role of the U.S. in conflicts around the world, and relationships with allies and adversaries alike.
REGISTER HERE
About Senator Murphy

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), is a member of the Foreign Relations Committee; the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee; and the Appropriations Committee. He previously served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Connecticut’s fifth congressional district. Before being elected to Congress, he served for eight years in the Connecticut state legislature.

Africa: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
2025-04-17 17:30 - 19:00 | Neill-Cochran House Museum, 2310 San Gabriel Street, Austin, TX, 78705, United States
Former Ambassador Larry Andre, currently with the L.B.J. School, previously presented a program on Africa to the World Affairs Council. He will return to discuss a continent that has seen radical change in the very recent past. The media tends to focus on a continent facing civil war, militant Islam/terrorism, famine, and even genocide. Is it an accurate portrayal? No. Many African countries offer stability and opportunity to their citizens. Professor Andre will briefly discuss a few positive examples.
American influence in Africa has suffered a setback due to the abrupt cancellation of USAID. Given the importance of some forms of foreign aid in advancing U.S. goals, influence, and interests, Professor Andre will discuss how vital foreign aid functions can operate “post-USAID.” What should the U.S. humanitarian response be for global health, development aid, technical aid, and security assistance?
REGISTER HERE

World Now: Human Scale - A Conversation with Lawrence Wright
2025-05-06 18:00 - 19:00 | ONLINE
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 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.”
A 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.
“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
REGISTER HERE
Lawrence Wright is an author, screenwriter, playwright, and staff writer for The New Yorker magazine.
He 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.
Wright 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.
Jim 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.

United States Foreign Policy in the New Century: Defining Vital Interests
2025-05-21 17:30 - 19:00
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 for Democracy?” If so, how?
Dr. Jeremi Suri, the author of “Civil War By Other Means: America’s Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy,” will address these questions and issues in a very engaging program.
This 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.
REQUEST AN INVITATION HERE
Dr. Jeremi Suri holds the Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. He is a professor in the University’s Department of History and the LBJ School of Public Affairs. Dr. Suri is the author and editor of eleven books on contemporary politics and foreign policy, most recently Civil War By Other Means: America’s Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy. His other books include The Impossible Presidency: The Rise and Fall of America’s Highest Office; Henry Kissinger and the American Century; Liberty’s Surest Guardian: American Nation-Building from the Founders to Obama; and Foreign Policy Breakthroughs: Cases in Successful Diplomacy (with Robert Hutchings).
Dr. Suri writes for major newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News, Dallas Morning News, Houston Chronicle, Boston Globe, The Atlantic, Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs, Fortune, The American Prospect and Wired — as well as for various online sites and blogs. He is a popular public lecturer and appears frequently on radio and television.
Education:
Ph.D. in History, Yale University, 2001
M.A. in History, Ohio University, 1996
A.B. in History, Stanford University, 1994

REQUEST AN INVITATION HERE

Globalist Coffeehouse: Defining our Vital Interests in a New Century
2025-06-25 18:30 - 20:00
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 warfare to cybertechnology and even AI. We are in the process of redefining our role in the world. What are our vital interests? Is there a role for the US in promoting Democracy, Human Rights, and Development? How do we establish priorities and implement corresponding policies to serve our vital interests?

We hope you will join us for what will be a very timely and consequently “lively” conversation!
REGISTER HERE
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

Federal Foreign Policy Briefing
2025-07-29 17:30 - 19:00
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. Kullenberg will share details of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition’s (USGLC) brand new report, “Economic Security is National Security.” In addition to explaining USGLC’s work across the country and in Washington DC, Ms. Kullenberg will address USGLC’s recommendations for Rebuilding America’s International Assistance Infrastructure.
This 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.
REQUEST YOUR INVITATION HERE
Kiersten Kullenberg serves as The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition’s Outreach Director for Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado. The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) works in our nation’s capital and across the country to champion America’s civilian-led tools of development and diplomacy to advance our national security, economic prosperity, and leadership position in the world. By advocating for a strong International Affairs Budget, the USGLC is working to make America’s international affairs programs a keystone of U.S. foreign policy. Prior to joining USGLC’s staff, Kiersten served as Director of Programs for the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth. Kiersten earned her B.A. in political science and international relations from Louisiana State University, studied abroad in Morocco, and was a member of The Golden Band From Tigerland.

Globalist Coffeehouse: Economic Security is National Security
2025-08-20 18:30 - 20:00 | Khon Thai Kitchen, 5800 Burnet Road, Austin, 78756, United States
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 also economically, and they are playing to win. Yet, too often, security and economic threats are addressed on separate tracks, not recognizing the connection between our financial security and national security. The fact that over the last decade, China has increased its investments in the developing world by 525% is just one excellent example. Simultaneously, many would suggest that most recently, we have actually retreated, with Africa and USAID being just the latest policy reversal.
While Americans certainly don’t want to be the “policeman of the world,” we do need to protect our interests. In addition to strengthening supply chains, bolstering infrastructure in emerging economies, and leveraging technology, some would suggest that using “soft power,” through US economic/development aid, is also a highly cost-effective tool. How should/will we use these tools at our disposal? What should our global role be, both economically and militarily, in future decades?

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

World Now: A Tale of Two Kings - Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the Future of Power in the Middle East
2025-09-09 18:00 - 19:00 | ONLINE
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.
Jordan’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.
Join 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.

Meet the Authors
Karen 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.

Aaron 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.

Meet the Host
Jim 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.

About the Books
The Man Who Would Be King: Mohammed Bin Salman and the Transformation of Saudi Arabia by Karen Elliot House
Pulitzer 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.
House 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.
Get a copy of The Man Who Would Be King on Bookshop.org to support your local bookstore.

The Most American King: Abdullah of Jordan by Aaron Magid
The 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.
Aaron 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.
Get a copy of The Most American King.

A Conversation with Lawrence Wright
2025-09-18 17:30 - 19:00
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 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.”
Mr. Wright will discuss and provide insights on the current social, economic, and political scene in the Middle East.
This 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.
REQUEST YOUR INVITATION HERE
Lawrence 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.
He 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.
“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.
Wright 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.

Global Security Forum 2025: Fireside Chat with LTG Robert Ashley, USA (Ret.)
2025-10-07 18:00 - 19:00 | ONLINE
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, Jr. retired from the U.S. Army November 2020 after over 36 years of activity duty service as an intelligence officer. He assumed his last duty position on 3 October 2017 when he became the 21st Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA).
He formerly served as the Army Deputy Chief of Staff, G-2, where he was the senior advisor to the Secretary of the Army and Army Chief of Staff for all aspects of intelligence, counterintelligence and security. He has commanded at the company, battalion, squadron, and brigade levels with six combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a squadron, brigade commander, and Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence (J-2). Other key assignments include the Director of Intelligence, United States Army Joint Special Operations Command; the Director of Intelligence, United States Central Command; the Deputy Chief of Staff, Intelligence, International Security Assistance Force and Director of Intelligence, United States Forces, Afghanistan; and Commanding General and Commandant United States Army Intelligence Center and School Fort Huachuca, AZ.
Lieutenant General Ashley has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Appalachian State University, a master’s degree in Strategic Intelligence from the National Intelligence University (formerly known as the Defense Intelligence College) and a master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College. Lieutenant General Ashley is the CEO of Ashley Global Leadership and Security (LLC).
Garrett Yee currently serves as a Vice President within the Defense Division at General Dynamics Information Technology. In this role, he is responsible for the successful operation, execution, and management for GDIT’s Army mission programs.
Prior to GDIT, Garrett served in the U.S. Army retiring as Major General. In his final assignment with the Army, Garrett served at the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) where he helped to lead a global organization of approximately 8,000 military and civilian personnel who plan, develop, deliver, and operate joint, interoperable, command and control capabilities and a global enterprise infrastructure in direct support of the president, secretary of defense, joint chiefs of staff, combatant commanders, Department of Defense components, and other mission partners across the full spectrum of operations.
Prior to his assignment at DISA, Garrett served as the Military Deputy to the Army CIO/G-6 and Senior Information Security Officer in the Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO)/G6, Headquarters, Department of the Army in the Pentagon. Garrett holds a bachelor’s degree from Santa Clara University, a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Golden Gate University.
This event is part of the Global Security Forum Series 2025 (GSF2025).
The theme of GSF2025 is Unraveling Order. We will explore the edge of uncertainty – the threats that emerge when norms collapse and the opportunities that arise when power shifts. GSF2025 gathers the world’s top leaders and minds to ask: when certainty collapses, what comes next?
GSF2025 is evolving to reach a growing number of attendees and to host more international and national leaders than ever before. GSF has expanded from its traditional form of a one-day gathering into a series of over 10 in-person and virtual events held throughout Fall 2025. Learn more and find the full schedule here.

Global Security Forum 2025: Unraveling Order - The Threat of Nuclear Anarchy
2025-10-20 11:00 - 12:00 | ONLINE
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 control and international security from 2021 to 2024, Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins oversaw three bureaus: Arms Control, Deterrence and Stability; International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN); and Political-Military Affairs. In May 2023, Secretary of State Antony Blinken named Jenkins, the first African American to serve as an under secretary of state, as the department’s lead on implementation of AUKUS, the trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Jenkins served as special envoy for cooperative threat reduction programs in the ISN bureau from July 2009 until January 2017. She coordinated U.S. government efforts alongside international programs that prevent non-state actors from developing chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons. She was the State Department’s lead for the President’s Nuclear Security Summits and the U.S. representative to the G7 Global Partnership Against the Spread of Weapons and Materials of Mass Destruction, and she led diplomatic efforts to promote the Global Health Security Agenda. She was the 2016 ISN nominee for the Secretary of State’s Award for Excellence.
From its inception in 2017 until April 2021, Jenkins was the founder, executive director, and board chair of Women of Color Advancing Peace and Security. From 2005 to 2009, she was the program officer for U.S. foreign and security policy at the Ford Foundation. She also served as counsel on the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (9/11 Commission).
Jenkins was a legal adviser to the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. She has been an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law School, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, George Washington University, the University of Virginia, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Minnesota. Jenkins designed and led arms control simulations at Stanford University. Jenkins is a retired U.S. Naval Reserve officer.

This event is part of the Global Security Forum Series 2025 (GSF2025).
The theme of GSF2025 is Unraveling Order. We will explore the edge of uncertainty – the threats that emerge when norms collapse and the opportunities that arise when power shifts. GSF2025 gathers the world’s top leaders and minds to ask: when certainty collapses, what comes next?
GSF2025 is evolving to reach a growing number of attendees and to host more international and national leaders than ever before. GSF has expanded from its traditional form of a one-day gathering into a series of over 10 in-person and virtual events held throughout Fall 2025. Learn more and find the full schedule here.

Globalist Coffeehouse: The Middle East - Where are We Now?
2025-10-22 18:30 - 20:00 | Khon Thai Kitchen, 5800 Burnet Road, Austin, 78756, United States
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 US has announced a 20-point plan for the region, and at this time, some would say that a ceasefire and the return of the Israeli hostages is perhaps feasible. However, the more critical issue is where the region moves forward from there. The details in the proposal are often rather vague, even aspirational. A cease-fire and hostage exchange is not necessarily peace in the Middle East.
Please join us for a lively discussion on what is currently essentially a fluid process.

Ukraine and Innovation at the Edge
2025-10-29 17:30 - 19:00
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 the Texas A&M University System RELLIS Campus in Bryan.
This 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.
REQUEST YOUR INVITATION HERE
Ross Guieb is the Executive Director for the George H.W. Bush Combat Development Complex at the Texas A&M University System RELLIS Campus in Bryan, Texas. He is a husband, Aggie Dad, and a “Soldier for Life.”
As Executive Director, Ross provides oversight of a unique ecosystem of state-of-the-art facilities, researchers, staff and faculty, organized and focused to accelerate priority Department of Defense technologies from the lab to the field. This includes developing strategic partnerships across DoD, academia, and the defense industrial base. BCDC represents a more than $200M combined investment from the Texas A&M University System, State of Texas, and Army Futures Command.
A decorated combat Veteran, Ross retired in 2020 as a Colonel with 29 years of service in the U.S. Army.
As a senior staff executive, Ross played an instrumental role in the development of Army Futures Command and the reorganization of the Army’s modernization enterprise, and brings to the Texas A&M
University System tremendous insight on how to best support national security research priorities. Ross holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from the University of California, a Masters of Arts in Business and Organizational Security Management from Websters University, a Masters of Science in Adult Education from Kansas State University and a Masters of Science in National Security Policy and Resource Strategy from the Eisenhower School at the National War College. He is also a graduate of the FBI Academy, and received professional certification from the University of St Andrews (Scotland) Centre for the Study of Terrorism. Ross was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (x3), and Bronze Star (x3). Ross was also awarded the Key to the City of London.
Ross is married to Kathleen a lifelong public educator and is the proud father of three sons, two are currently on ROTC scholarship with the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M University. Ross’ oldest son is a proud graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles.

WorldNow: The New Global Disorder with Ambassador Michael McFaul
2025-11-12 18:00 - 19:00 | ONLINE
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, and an increasingly insular America – and what it all means for democracy and security in a changing world.
In Autocrats vs. Democrats, Ambassador McFaul makes the case for democsracy and defines the threats posed by China, Russia, and America’s shift to isolationism to the global international order as we know it.
Join us November 12th to hear exclusive insight from Ambassador McFaul, the leading Russia and Eurasian affairs expert, on his forthcoming book and his vision of American leadership on the world stage.

About the Book
Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder by Michael McFaul
A bold, clear-eyed look at how the autocracies of China and Russia are challenging the current global order, and how America’s future depends on successfully confronting this threat.
The rise of China, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the reelection of President Donald Trump have reinforced a gloomy yet growing consensus: the old global order has ended, and a new Cold War has begun.
In this sweeping account of great power competition between the United States, China, and Russia over the past three centuries, Michael McFaul—former ambassador to Russia and international affairs analyst for NBC News—argues persuasively that today’s challenges require fresh thinking, not constrained by distant memories of the Cold War or the nationalist dreams of MAGA.
Acknowledging how Xi’s China, Putin’s Russia, and Trump’s America are upending the current international system, Autocrats vs Democrats makes the case against America’s retreat from the world, detailing why:

Russia’s disruptive ambitions should not be underestimated.
China’s capabilities should not be overestimated.
Trump’s shift toward isolationism and autocracy will weaken America’s place in the world.

At once a clarion call for American diplomacy and a forceful rebuttal of the Trump administration’s policies, Autocrats vs Democrats provides a nuanced assessment of the China and Russia threats, as well as a bold vision for renewing America’s leadership on the world stage.
Pre-order a copy of Autocrats vs. Democrats, coming October 28th, 2025

Globalist Coffeehouse: US Currency & Its Global Influence
2025-11-20 18:30 - 20:00 | 5280 Burger and Taphouse, 7032 Wood Hollow Dr, Austin, TX, 78731, United States
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 the most significant bill to have ever been produced was between December 18, 1934, and January 9, 1935. It was worth $100,000, printed with the portrait of then-President Woodrow Wilson.

Despite recent economic shifts and, perhaps more importantly, technological evolution, the US dollar remains the global currency. What was the role of the dollar’s stability in the 20th century? What exactly made it much more appealing to other countries than their own currency? Most importantly, what will be the status of the dollar in the first half of the 21st century and beyond?

Please join us for a lively discussion on such a vital topic.

WorldNow: The World Ahead 2026 with The Economist's Editor Tom Standage
2025-12-08 11:00 - 12:00 | ONLINE
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 with Jim Falk, host of WorldNow.
Join us to unpack all of the trends that will define 2026 – from a possible AI bubble and global climate policy controversies to evolving global conflicts, problems for Europe, and China’s rise.
The details:
When: Monday, December 8 | 12:00PM ET
Where: Zoom Webinar | Registration required
REGISTER HERE: No charge, RSVP required

Meet the Economist
Tom Standage is deputy editor of The Economist and editor of its future-gazing annual, “The World Ahead.” Standage directs the newspaper’s digital strategy and the development of new digital products and is the author of seven history books, including Writing on the Wall (2013), The Victorian Internet (1998), and A History of the World in 6 Glasses (2005). He studied engineering and computing at Oxford University and has written for other publications including the New York Times, Daily Telegraph, The Guardian, and Wired.

Meet the Host

Jim 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.

Venezuela and the U.S.: What Comes Next?
2025-12-09 18:00 - 19:00 | ONLINE
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 U.S. has declared an armed conflict with Venezuela, increased military pressure in the Caribbean, and accused Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro of heading Cartel de los Soles, recently declared to be a foreign terrorist organization. Simultaneously, President Trump has indicated an openness to talks with his Venezuelan counterpart.
Is the U.S. headed towards war with Venezuela?
Former Ambassador to Venezuela, Charles Shapiro, joins us to unpack everything we know about the potential of further U.S. military action and what could come next.
A career foreign service officer with 34 years of service, Amb. Shapiro held a number of senior positions at the United States Department of State including Ambassador to Venezuela, Acting Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere, and Coordinator for Cuban Affairs.
REGISTER HERE

Featuring
Ambassador Charles Shapiro
Ambassador (ret.) Charles Shapiro is a senior advisor at the Pendleton Group, co-founder of Art of Diplomacy Tours, and a Professor of Practice at the Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech.
A career foreign service officer with 34 years of service, Shapiro held a number of senior positions at the United States Department of State including Ambassador to Venezuela, Acting Assistant Secretary for the Western Hemisphere, and Coordinator for Cuban Affairs.
In 2011 Shapiro became the president of the Institute of the Americas, a think tank at the University of California San Diego. In 2014 he became president of the World Affairs Council of Atlanta. While at the World Affairs Council, he taught international business in the Executive MBA program at the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University.
Shapiro’s op-eds have been published in the Toronto Star, Efecto Cocuyo, the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Atlanta Business Chronicle, the Miami Herald, the San Diego Union Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times.

America’s Changing Strategic Assumptions about China: Implications for the Bilateral Relationship
2026-01-13 17:30 - 19:00
In his talk, David Firestein will examine how key U.S. assumptions about China and strategic aspirations and intentions have changed over the last ten to fifteen years and analyze and assess the impact of these shifts on U.S. policy choices and policy performance.
This 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.

REQUEST YOUR INVITATION HERE

David J. Firestein is the inaugural president and CEO of the George H. W. Bush Foundation for U.S.-China Relations (Bush China Foundation) and a founding and current member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors.
Before joining the Bush China Foundation, Mr. Firestein was the founding executive director of The University of Texas at Austin’s (UT) China Public Policy Center (CPPC) and a clinical professor at UT’s Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.
A decorated career U.S. diplomat from 1992–2010, Mr. Firestein specialized primarily in U.S.-China relations, posted in both Beijing, China, and Moscow, Russia. Mr. Firestein is the author or co-author of three books on China, including two China-published Chinese-language best-sellers, as well as numerous China-focused monographs, policy reports, and articles.

WorldNow: The Architect of Espionage - The Man Who Built Israel’s Mossad
2026-01-14 18:00 - 19:00 | ONLINE
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.
Samuel 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.
Katz 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.
REGISTER HERE

Meet the Author

Samuel 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.

Meet the Host

Jim 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.

About the Book
The Architect of Espionage: The Man Who Built Israel’s Mossad into the World’s Boldest Intelligence Force by Samuel M. Katz
From 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.
In 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.
Dagan 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.
Katz 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.
For 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.
Get yourself a copy of The Architect of Espionage on Bookshop.org and support your local bookstore.

WorldNow: Trillion Dollar War Machine with Bill Hartung
2026-01-21 18:00 - 19:00 | ONLINE
The U.S. spends nearly a trillion dollars on its military each year, more than any other nation. Is it really keeping us safe?

Bill Hartung, author and senior fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, argues that not only is America’s high military spending not keeping America safe, but it is endangering both the U.S. and the world at large.
On January 21st, Hartung joins WorldNow with Jim Falk to reveal how the American military industrial complex operates, its key players – from Hollywood and Silicon Valley to lobbyists and the Pentagon’s top contractors – and how we can secure America’s future and prosperity by re-envisioning America’s trillion-dollar war machine.

REGISTER HERE

The Trillion Dollar War Machine: How Runaway Military Spending Drives America into Foreign Wars and Bankrupts Us at Home by William D. Hartung and Ben Freeman
A hard-hitting investigation into how the Pentagon’s runaway spending embroils America in foreign wars, squanders its wealth, and enriches a privileged elite
“A damning indictment of the conflicts of interest running rampant in the defense establishment.”―Publishers Weekly
America spends nearly a trillion dollars a year on its military. This extraordinary spending not only detracts from our ability to address pressing social problems but compels us into foreign wars to justify our vast arsenal. Sold to us in the name of “security,” our military industrial complex actually makes us far less safe.
Top policy experts William D. Hartung and Ben Freeman follow the profits of militarism from traditional Pentagon contractors, which receive more than half of the Pentagon’s budget, to the upstart high-tech firms that shamelessly promote unproven and destabilizing technologies. They unmask the enablers of the war machine—politicians, lobbyists, the media, Hollywood, think tanks, and so many more—whose work enriches a wealthy elite at the expense of everybody else, spreading conflict around the world and embroiling America in endless wars.
A damning tour de force, The Trillion Dollar War Machine shows who is pulling the strings and pushing for war, and offers a blueprint for how we can shut down the war machine and restore American security and prosperity.
Get yourself a copy of The Trillion Dollar War Machine on Bookshop.org and support your local bookstore.

Globalist Coffeehouse: China in the First Decades of the 21st Century
2026-02-04 18:30 - 20:00 | 5280 Burger and Taphouse, 7032 Wood Hollow Dr, Austin, TX, 78731, United States
NEW DATE: February 4th
In the decades to come, what will China’s role be in the global world order? The relationship with the U.S. has been one of competition but also cooperation on certain global issues, such as climate change. Still, it is said that the “Belt and Road Initiative” might become the “Belt and World Initiative” as they move into the vacuum the U.S. has created, from Africa to Asia and the Indian subcontinent. And finally, how will our traditional allies view their relationship with China?
Please join us for what will be a discussion that will dominate global interests for years, if not decades, to come.
REGISTER HERE

World Now: 250 Years of U.S. Foreign Policy - The Best & Worst
2026-03-31 18:00 - 19:00 | ONLINE
From the Marshall Plan, the Louisiana Purchase, and the creation of the United Nations to the bombing of Nagasaki, Indian Removal Act, and the invasion of Iraq, U.S. foreign policy decisions throughout its 250-year history have had an immense impact in reshaping our nation and the world.
James Lindsay, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, unveils the ultimate rankings of the best and worst decisions in U.S. foreign policy in 250 years. Join us March 31 on WorldNow with Jim Falk as we explore these foreign policy moves, their impact on the U.S. and the world, and the future of U.S. foreign policy in the century ahead.
The details:
When: Tuesday, March 31 | 6pm Central
Where: Zoom Webinar
RSVP HERE

Meet the Guest

James M. Lindsay is the Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy and Director of Fellowship Affairs at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). A leading expert on U.S. national security and foreign policy, Lindsay has held senior roles at CFR and previously served on the National Security Council.
He is the author of several acclaimed books, including The Empty Throne and America Unbound, and hosts the podcast The President’s Inbox. He holds advanced degrees from Yale University and has taught at the University of Texas and the University of Iowa.

Meet the Host

Jim 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.

Presented by
WorldNow with Jim Falk is hosted by the World Affairs Council of Connecticut with the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth and the World Affairs Councils of America. Presented in partnership with Councils nationwide:

Critical Rare Earth Minerals & Shifting Geopolitical Landscape
2026-04-09 14:00 - 15:30 | ONLINE
Competition on critical rare earth minerals has moved to the forefront of the global geopolitical landscape with many policy leaders and industry experts contending that this issue could be the defining feature of the international security and economic system for decades ahead. In April 2026, the World Affairs Council of Austin in collaboration with the Department of International Affairs/Political Science at St. Edward’s University will feature a two-part forum exploring the role of critical rare earth minerals and global geopolitics and risk.
Leading expert speakers from policy and industry will offer perspectives on forming optimal government and business strategies for managing and mitigating risk in rare earths. Discussion will range from consequences of distribution of
resources, processing and production, supply chains, sustainable development and potential for global competition and cooperation. In part two of the forum, St. Edward’s University students will share research insights on critical rare earths throughout various regions of the world with the Austin World Affairs Council community.
Moderated by Dr. Sharyl Cross, Distinguished Professor of Political Science/International Affairs, St.
Edward’s University
Panelists:
-Steve Clemons, Editor at Large, The National Interest & Co-Founder of PRISM
-Melissa Sanderson, Director, American Rare Earths Limited & Co-Chair, Critical
Minerals Institute
-Rodger Baker, Chairman S4GEO-Society for Geopolitics
The second follow-up session will be held on Thursday April 16 at 12:00 noon where St. Edward’s University Geopolitical Risk students will present their regional semester project team research (Latin America, Africa, Europe-Eurasia) on Geopolitics and Critical Earths. This session will be co-sponsored by World Affairs Council Austin in cooperation with the St. Edward’s University student Global Affairs Group (St. Edward’s University campus, in the St. Andre multipurpose room)

Panelists
Steve Clemons
Steve Clemons is Editor at Large of The National Interest and has served as Editor at Large of The Hill, The Atlantic and Semafor as well as in senior editorial roles at National Journal and Quartz. He is also editor and publisher of the popular political blog, The Washington Note, and host of “The Bottom Line” which airs on the global network of Al Jazeera English. Clemons serves on the Advisory Board of Future U.S. and CareLab, and is Chairman & CEO of Widehall LLC, a strategic communications and global policy events firm that translates ideas into high-traction impact. Steve recently co-founded PRISM aimed to facilitate optimal policy and strategy development in priority areas including critical rare earths. Clemons writes and speaks frequently on politics of all sorts and matters of foreign policy, defense, and domestic and international economic policy. He was Founder and Senior Fellow of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation, where he previously served as Executive Vice President. He has also served as Executive Vice President of the Economic Strategy Institute, Senior Economic & International Affairs Advisor to Senator Jeff Bingman (D-NM) in the US Senate and was founding Executive Director of the Nixon Center (now the Center for the National Interest). He serves on the GLOBSEC International Advisory Board.

Melissa Sanderson
Bringing extensive experience in both policy and industry, Melissa “Mel” Sanderson served in the US Foreign Service contributing to shaping policy across Latin America, Europe, and Africa and played an instrumental role in re-establishing US-DRC relations post-conflict while stationed at the American Embassy in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In the mining industry, Mel served as Vice President for Africa operations and subsequently Director of International Affairs for Freeport-McMoRan Inc. developing and executing global strategies that merged government relations with sustainable development initiatives. Her work extended to managing Freeport’s engagement with Indigenous communities in North America, ensuring that corporate activities aligned with best practices in Environmental Social Governance/ESG and stakeholder relations. In 2020, Mel founded Sanderson Consulting LLC, where she advises companies on sustainable development and ESG solutions. In addition to her consulting work, Mel serves as a Director for American Rare Earths Limited, where she focuses on government relations, ESG, and strategic vision. As the company’s Interim President for North America in 2023, she led a business transformation, enhancing investor relations and expanding the company’s profile within the critical minerals sector. Her leadership has positioned American Rare Earths as a key player in the rare earths value chain, with an emphasis on sectors such as defense and technology. Melissa has contributed to The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Reuters and spoken throughout the international community reflecting her standing as a leading expert in critical minerals and geopolitics. She currently serves as Co-Chair of the Critical Minerals Institute (CMI), where she drives innovation and policy in the critical minerals sector, focusing on securing sustainable supply chains and advancing ESG principles.

Rodger Baker
Rodger Baker, based in Austin, is the Executive Director of Stratfor Center for Applied Geopolitics. Rodger guides the company’s analytical process, to include the development of their understanding and application of Stratfor’s proprietary methodology grounded in the study of applied geopolitics and intelligence analysis. He established the widely accessed RANE analysis platform bringing insights to the defense community, industry and academics on critical geopolitical developments and risk assessment. Rodger leads the MacKinder Forum on Geopolitics and the S4GEO Society for Geopolitics. He teaches in the area of Applied Geopolitics at Florida Atlantic University. Baker is a leading expert on North Korea and Asian/Indo-Pacific geopolitics, defense and geoeconomics. He has dedicated extended periods living and working in and around the Korean peninsula. His core emphasis is the multidisciplinary approach to geopolitics and the evolution of international relations to develop mid- and long-term forecasts to assist companies, governments and other globally engaged organizations in making informed decisions. Rodger holds a master’s degree in military history from Norwich University and regularly engages with academic institutes and research groups around the world briefing executives and corporate boards as well as delivering keynote addresses to a wide range of industry groups. He regularly appears in media including CNN, BBC, CBC, CNBC International, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Economist, Reuters and The Associated Press.

Sharyl Cross, Session Moderator
Dr. Sharyl Cross is Distinguished Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at St. Edward’s University. She served previously in the College of International and Security Studies at the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies in Garmisch Germany, U.S. Air War College at Maxwell AFB and as Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the United States Air Force Academy. Professor Cross earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Los Angeles with concentrations in international relations, comparative politics (Soviet Union/Russia/ Eurasia/Eastern Europe and Latin America regional concentrations), and American foreign and security policy. She held appointments as a U.S. Fulbright Visiting Senior Research Scholar and Professor at the Institute of USA and Canada Studies and Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), Visiting Professor of Transatlantic Security and International Political Studies at Science-Po Lille, Kennan Institute Woodrow Wilson Center, post-Doctoral Fellowship Scholar at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and resident fellowship scholar and consultant at the RAND Corporation. Dr. Cross published China, Russia, and Twenty First Century Global Geopolitics co-authored with Paul J. Bolt Oxford University Press and has published extensively on issues of international security, foreign policy and geopolitics in leading professional peer reviewed journals. She is offering a new course in 2026 on Applied Geopolitical Risk in support of a certificate concentration for the programs in Political Science and International Affairs at St. Edward’s University. Her students, engaged this semester in regional research initiatives exploring the relevance of rare earth minerals to global geopolitics and risk, will present their conclusions next week at a session sponsored by World Affairs Council Austin in cooperation with the Global Affairs Society at St. Edward’s University.

Student Presentations on Critical Rare Earth Minerals & Shifting Geopolitical Landscape
2026-04-16 12:00 - 13:00 | St Edwards University St Andre Apartments Multipurpose Room, 3001 South Congress Avenue, Austin, TX, 78704, United States
Join the World Affairs Council of Austin along with others interested in geopolitics, political risk, and critical rare earth mineral issues to hear from St. Edwards University students as they present conclusions from their semester-long major projects on geopolitical risk.
Given the turbulence in today’s world, governments & businesses are increasingly prioritizing assessing geopolitical risks & seeking strategies for mitigation & management of potential crisis, shock or destabilizing circumstances that might adversely impact policy, diplomacy or business investment. A general consensus exists among experts in political risk that neither qualitative or quantitative approaches provide absolute certainty as tools of prediction. However, there is much that focused analysis of geopolitical conditions, national level circumstances & trends can offer as resources in considering development & management of policy & strategy in any given regional or domestic context.
The St. Edwards students have studied the complex array of interconnected transnational trends in geopolitics, economics, socio-cultural & environmental conditions that could be consequential for stability at the global & regional levels or within specific nation-state contexts. Factors such as major power competition & conflict, cyber & hybrid challenges, propensity for societal polarization, corruption, terrorism, crime, legislation within nations restricting investment or leading to expropriation, sanctions, debt, vulnerability to environmental devastation are all issues that can affect stability & policy execution, markets & investment.
The students’ coursework also took into account material & reputational risks generated by non-state actors & individuals with increasing capacity to rival even nation-states in presenting threats to policy & business engagement throughout the world. Student presentations will focus on perspectives from both academics & industry, country case studies & form regional project teams assessing reciprocal geopolitical risk in rare earth minerals during the forum sponsored in cooperation with World Affairs Council Austin.

World Now: The Iran War - What We Know, What Comes Next
2026-04-20 19:00 - 20:00 | ONLINE
With the U.S. and Iran now in open conflict and the world’s energy supply under threat, the stakes could not be higher – or more uncertain.
Join us on WorldNow with Jim Falk as we sit down with Steven Cook, senior Middle East expert at the Council on Foreign Relations; Amb. Deborah Jones, U.S. Ambassador (ret.) to Kuwait and Libya; and Beth Sanner, CNN National Security Contributor and former Deputy Director of National Intelligence.
We’ll explore what’s happened so far in the conflict with Iran, what may happen next, and the war’s long-term impact on the region and beyond.
The details:
When: Monday, April 20th | 7pm CDT
Where: Zoom Webinar
REGISTER HERE

As this program will be simulcast with KSFR’s The Forum, it will begin one hour later than our usual start time. The Zoom link will open at 7:00 PM CDT, and the program will get underway at 7:04 PM CDT.

Featuring

Steven A. Cook
Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa Studies, Council on Foreign Relations
Steven 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 The End of Ambition: America’s Past, Present, and Future in the Middle East.

Amb. Deborah Jones
U.S. Ambassador (ret.) to Kuwait and Libya
Ambassador Deborah Jones retired from the U.S. Department of State in 2016 with the rank of Career Minister following a 34-year diplomatic career that included assignments in Argentina, Iraq, Tunisia, Syria, Ethiopia, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey, as well as service as U.S. Ambassador to Kuwait and Libya.

Beth Sanner
Deputy Director of National Intelligence (2019-2021), National Security Contributor for CNN
Beth Sanner, a leading commentator and analyst of global affairs, is a national security contributor for CNN, director of geopolitics and strategy at International Capital Strategies. As Deputy Director of National Intelligence from April 2019 to March 2021, Beth was the nation’s top intelligence analyst and also served as President Trump’s intelligence briefer during his first term.
In an intelligence career spanning three decades, she was director of the President’s Daily Brief, vice chair of the National Intelligence Council, and a senior executive in CIA’s Directorate of Analysis, before being appointed DDNI. She also served on the White House National Security Council staff and at the State Department.
In 2021, Beth received the Presidential Rank Award, the highest honor granted to civil servants, for her leadership role in support of U.S. national security and the Distinguished Intelligence Service Medal, the Intelligence Community’s highest award.

Moderated by

Jim 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. Inaddition 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.

Presented by

Globalist Coffeehouse: Rare Earth Minerals and Global Geopolitics
2026-04-22 18:30 - 20:00 | 5280 Burger and Taphouse, 7032 Wood Hollow Dr, Austin, TX, 78731, United States
REMs (Rare Earth Minerals) and REEs (Rare Earth Elements) and their role in the global economic system and even national security will be defining issues in the decades ahead. The terms are used interchangeably. But the name is a misnomer, as they are not rare. It is the mining and, most importantly, the processing into a component in magnets that can be effectively used in everything from EVs to data centers and AI, which is complicated. Also, there are national security issues; for example, a single F-16 carries 100 lbs. of REMs.
The mining process is very destructive, but in Africa, it is also economically viable for multinational corporations. What does it mean that the US has essentially pulled out of Africa and access to this resource? Currently, the supply chain is on the other side of the world. China dominates the market, producing 90% of the refined product and effectively setting the price. What are the implications of this situation? How does this play into the larger national security issue?

Please join us for a very interesting and surprisingly relevant discussion.
