World Affairs Council of New Hampshire upcoming events

Saint or Suckers? The Ethics of Foreign Aid (Tuesday, November 10, 2026)

Tue, 10 Nov 2026 22:30:00 GMT

Saints or Suckers?

The Ethics of Foreign Aid

Does the United States have a moral obligation to help people around the world when so many challenges remain at home? Is foreign aid an expression of American values, a strategic investment, or an ineffective use of taxpayer dollars? In today's political climate, foreign aid has become one of the most debated aspects of U.S. foreign policy—but much of that debate is shaped by misconceptions about how aid is funded, where it goes, and the oversight that governs it. At the same time, history shows that not every aid program has achieved its intended goals, raising important questions about how the United States can provide assistance more effectively while balancing the needs of Americans at home.

Join the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire and the Center for Ethics in Society at St. Anselm College on November 10 for a moderated Q&A featuring retired Ambassador Mark Storella. Through this moderated Q&A, this global community will grapple with the challenging questions surrounding the ethics, effectiveness, and future of U.S. foreign aid, with the goal of fostering a deeper understanding of the realities of this field.

Some questions that this community conversation will focus on include:

whose interests are served in providing aid,
does aid create dependency,
is it ethical to cut aid abruptly and what are the consequences if you do,
is it ethical to support some crises and not others,
how does one balance the ethics of humanitarian aid and the moral question of the means it might take to deliver that aid?

WACNH and the Center for Ethics in Society at St. Anselm College invites anyone interested in this conversation to participate in this fascinating community conversation, no international aid work experience required. This event is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Advanced registration is highly recommended. A pre-event reception will be held to welcome the community together.

About the Speaker

Ambassador Mark Storella is professor of the practice of diplomacy at Boston University the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies. Ambassador Storella was a United States Foreign Service Officer for over three decades serving as Ambassador to Zambia, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration, and Dean of the Leadership and Management School of the Foreign Service Institute. Other postings include as Deputy Chief of Mission in Brussels, at the U.S. Mission to the UN in Geneva and in Phnom Penh.

Ambassador Storella is recipient of the Presidential Rank Award, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Excellence in Service Award, the Thomas Jefferson Award presented by American Citizens Abroad, and several Department of State superior and meritorious honor awards.

He was Senior Department of State Fellow and Dean and Virginia Rusk Fellow at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses. His areas of expertise include humanitarian crises, health diplomacy, multilateral diplomacy, as well as diplomatic negotiation and theory.

Presented In Partnership with:

2026 Global Business Summit | Consulate Reception (Thursday, November 19, 2026)

Thu, 19 Nov 2026 22:00:00 GMT

2026 Global Business Summit

Consulate Reception

November 19, 2026

5:00pm to 7:00pm

NH Institute of Politics

100 St. Anselm Drive, Manchester, NH 03102

What if you could explore the cultures, opportunities, and perspectives of countries from around the globe—all without leaving New Hampshire?

Join the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire for the 2026 Consulate Reception, where New Hampshire's global community comes together for an evening of conversation, connection, and discovery.

Meet representatives from consulates serving the Boston and New York regions as they showcase their countries through discussions about international business, travel, culture, education, and diplomacy. Whether you're exploring new markets, planning your next adventure, or simply curious about the world, you'll have the unique opportunity to engage directly with diplomats and international partners—all in one evening.

The event will also feature the presentation of the 5th Annual International Businesswoman of the Year Award, honoring a leader whose work has strengthened New Hampshire's international connections.

Expand your network, broaden your perspective, and experience the world without leaving New Hampshire. Register today to be part of this signature celebration of global engagement.

Event Schedule

5:00 pm - Reception Doors Open

6:15 pm - International Businesswoman of the Year Award

7:00 pm - Event Closes

Consulates

WACNH is working to confirm the participation of the Consulates for this year. We will add them here as they confirm.

Sponsors

Partners

T. William & Patricia Ayers GTP: International Criminality: Uncovering the Dark Web (Thursday, December 03, 2026)

Thu, 03 Dec 2026 23:00:00 GMT

T. William & Patricia Ayers:

Global Tipping Points -

International Criminality

Uncovering the Dark Web

The expression “dark web” is used frequently in the context of cybersecurity threats and illegal operations such as phishing scams. But what do we really know about how it functions and who is at the controls?

Did you know dark web operations require special software like the Tor browser and “onion routing” – website URLs that end in ‘.onion’ instead of ‘.com’ – to bounce internet traffic through encrypted computers all over the world and hide the operators' real locations and IP addresses?

Did you know that the "Dark Web" is actually a sub-network within the “Deep Web” (where private data like online banking and email operates) the lies beneath the "Surface Web" realm indexed by Google?

And did you know that criminals operating on the dark web actually police their fellow-criminals with their own justice system?

Described as a digital black market, the dark web has the practical financial impact of billions of dollars in losses, while the UN notes that dark web activities interfere with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) laid forth by the United Nations to promote peace and sustainability for current and future generations.

The World Affairs Council of NH welcomes Dr. Claire Lee for an online conversation to shine a light on the dark web and guide our audience through the secretive networks of cybercrime, hacks and their perpetrators. Currently Associate Professor in the School of Criminology and Justice Studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Dr. Lee recently co-authored a paper, In the Name of Dark Web Justice: A Crime Script Analysis of Hacking Services and the Underground Justice System. She has also made focused studies of how online fraud victims are targeted in China and transnational identity fraud.

Following a moderated Q&A, WACNH invites the online audience to ask their own questions to gain a clearer understanding of how criminals operating on the dark web sell illegal goods, stolen data and hacking services and how cybercurrencies facilitate those actions.

WACNH will livestream this event to its global audience through YouTube on its website homepage.

About the Speaker

Claire Seungeun Lee, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the School of Criminology and Justice Studies at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Her research interests include cybercrime and cybersecurity, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models in online crime, and AI and cybersecurity education. Her research projects have been funded by federal and international agencies, including the U.S. National Science Foundation and the National Security Agency, and the National Research Foundation of Korea.