World Affairs Council of New Hampshire upcoming events

Continental Power, Maritime Power, and the New World Order (Thursday, October 08, 2026)

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 21:30:00 GMT

Continental Power, Maritime Power, and the New World Order

How do governments' continental or maritime frameworks shape outcomes for their countries? Why do some leaders insist on pursuing destructive wars, rather than focusing on mutually beneficial trade?

Join us for a thought-provoking moderated Q&A with Dr. Sarah C. M. Paine, one of the world’s leading historians on East Asian and naval affairs, as we explore the ways that changing geopolitical mindsets are shaping the world today. Throughout this conversation, participants will have the opportunity to dive deeply into Dr. Paine's insights into how the world's democracies can succeed in the emerging world order.

This timely conversation will move beyond headlines to explore the deeper forces shaping today’s global landscape and how countries can utilize their natural advantages for shared prosperity. The first part of the conversation will focus on how the U.S. and its allies have pursued the maritime order, while China and Russia have viewed the world through a continentalist perspective. Dr. Paine will then review how the efforts of different countries ensured that democracies prevailed at the end of the First Cold War, setting themselves up for astounding economic growth. Finally, she will outline the possible path forward for the United States and how it can best leverage its advantages for future leadership.

Regardless of your level of global engagement or understanding, this discussion will equip you with insightful, well researched, and easily accessible information on how the world works.

A light reception will follow the discussion for in-person participants.

The World Affairs Council of New Hampshire and the Portsmouth Athenaeum present this global conversation to their members for free. Not-yet-members of either organization can purchase a $15 ticket to attend in-person. Everyone can watch the livestream of the event for free.

About the Speaker

Sarah C. M. Paine is William S. Sims University Professor of History and Grand Strategy in the Strategy & Policy Department of the U.S. Naval War College. Nine years of research in Australia, China, Japan, Russia, and Taiwan form the basis for her publications: The Japanese Empire (Cambridge, 2017); Wars for Asia, 1911-1949 (Cambridge, 2012, Gelber prize longlist; Leopold Prize and PROSE award for European & World History), The Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895 (Cambridge, 2003), and Imperial Rivals: China, Russia, and Their Disputed Frontier (M. E. Sharpe, 1996, Jelavich prize).

She has also written: Nation Building, State Building, and Economic Development (edited, M.E. Sharpe, 2010); Modern China: Continuity and Change 1644 to the Present, 2nd ed. (co-author with Bruce A. Elleman, Rowman & Littlefield, 2019); and five naval books: Naval Blockades and Seapower: Strategies and Counter-Strategies 1805-2005, Naval Coalition Warfare: From the Napoleonic War to Operation Iraqi Freedom, Naval Power and Expeditionary Warfare: Peripheral Campaigns and New Theaters of Naval Warfare, Commerce Raiding: Historical Case Studies, 1755-2009, and Navies and Soft Power: Historical Case Studies of Naval Power and the Nonuse of Military Force (all co-edited with Bruce A. Elleman, Routledge, 2006-11; Naval War College Press 2014-15).

Most recently she co-edited with Andrea J. Dew and Marc A. Genest, From Quills to Tweets: How America Communicates about War and Revolution (Georgetown University Press, 2019). Her degrees include: B.A. Latin American Studies, Harvard University; M.I.A. Columbia University School for International and Public Affairs; certificates from both the East Asian and Russian Institutes; M.A. Russian, Middlebury College; and Ph.D. history, Columbia University.

Presented In Partnership with:

Freedom Cafe & WACNH Host Migration Diplomacy Simulation (Tuesday, October 20, 2026)

Tue, 20 Oct 2026 22:30:00 GMT

Become a citizen diplomat -- negotiate, persuade, compromise, convince --
if only for one night!

Ever wish you could understand what goes on behind the scenes when diplomats tackle the problems of our world, like migration, religious persecution and famine? What is it like to be in the room where solutions happen?

Join the Freedom Cafe and World Affairs Council of NH for a Diplomacy Simulation based on an imagined, but all too familiar, scenario seeking to protect a persecuted minority group and preventing another refugee crisis from occurring.

In this highly interactive, two-hour program, you will take on the role of diplomat, focusing on a minority group known as the Rubits in the fictitious country of Budan. The majority population in Budan is persecuting the Rubits for their religion. Many Rubits have fled as refugees across the border into the neighboring country of Gilbia, straining resources and the ability of local air groups to respond.

As a participant in the diplomacy simulation, you will join a team of negotiators to represent one of the critical stakeholders in this simulation. Working together and independently, you will have the opportunity to negotiate the best deal possible for your team's interests. This engaging simulation puts you in the middle and challenges you to represent the interests of one of the following groups:

Gilbia - the country receiving refugees

Budan - the country asserting its national sovereignty

U.S. Department of State - the country looking to mediate

Malil - a large authoritarian country allied with Budan

U.N. High Commission on Refugees - seeking to protect refugees and support resettlement

Association for Refugees & Minorities - a nonprofit dedicated to supporting and protecting refugees.

When you register for the free event, you have the option to choose which team you'd like to be on -- gather your friends and neighbors to present a united front -- or sign up as a free agent to be placed on a team! You will receive background information and materials to support your team argument, in advance.

Then, guided by WACNH facilitators, your team will try to resolve this humanitarian and human rights crisis by finding common ground to prevent a worsening of the refugee situation in Gilbia.

Over the course of the evening, you will:

Work with your teammates to define your negotiating position;
Present your opening statements to the other teams;
Break into negotiating groups to lay the groundwork for agreements;
Pause for refreshments and informal conversations about where things stand;
Send a representative from each team to the main "negotiating table" to try to reach consensus;
Define your take-aways.

Are you willing to jump in and address this urgent situation?

We believe you bring the necessary skills to this table and to future opportunities: the ability to hear others’ viewpoints; the ability to analyze your own and others’ positions and goals; a spirit of cooperation; and a belief that everyone can be a part of a solution when you work to Negotiate, Convince, Compromise & Persuade.

The World Affairs Council of New Hampshire and the Freedom Cafe present this engaging simulation for free.

Who: Freedom Cafe and World Affairs Council of NH

What: Interactive Diplomacy Simulation on the topic of migration in a hypothetical situation. Free and open to the public. Light refreshments served.

When: Thursday, October 20, 2026, 6:30-8:30 pm.

Where: The Freedom Cafe, 37 Main Street, Durham NH 03824

About Diplomacy Simulations

The National Museum of American Diplomacy offers WACNH immersive programs that the Council uses with high school and college students and interested organizations to explore the goals and practice of diplomacy, teach diplomatic skills, build global awareness and understanding and illustrate how the critical work of American diplomats impacts people’s everyday lives.

The Diplomacy Simulation Program is the Diplomacy Museum’s premier educational tool. In a collaborative learning environment, participants step into the shoes of real-life diplomats. Participants receive a scenario related to a global issue, in this case a hypothetical but topical situation, with six stakeholder groups (e.g., foreign ministries, NGOs, and international organizations), each with different perspectives and priorities. Participants then role-play these stakeholders in small teams. Under facilitated time constraints to keep the program moving, the groups are challenged to negotiate a peaceful solution to the crisis in the scenario. Participants use the information provided in the simulation packet to develop their group’s policy positions and defend or modify their choices in real time.

Presented In Partnership with:

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 19th, 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