In  Digital World War , seasoned diplomat Haroon Ullah, with deep knowledge of Islamist politics and digital innovation, investigates the unprecedented impact of social media on the discourse of recent events in the Muslim World--from the Arab Spring and its aftermath to ISIS's online recruitment.

While he identifies the roles of social media in these events and the use of the dark web, hacking, and digital attacks, he also reveals how political parties, corporations, and governments have learned to exploit digital tools to target and mobilize audiences, to ultimately achieve power and status.

See Ullah's recent appearances on ABC's 20/20 with Diane Sawyer, as a guest on CNN, and read his article on ISIS in the Daily Beast.

Register for the call

Join us for  this month's Cover to Cover on  Thursday, December 14, at 2:00-2:30 PM ET.

January

Richard N. Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations, argues for an updated global operating system to address challenges - from terrorism and the spread of nuclear weapons, to climate change and cyberspace. His book:  A World in Disarray: American Foreign Policy and the Crisis of the Old Order. 

Register for the call

Join us  Wednesday, January 10, at 2:00-2:30 PM ET .

This Tuesday,  December 12, the International Relations Council (Kansas City) will host William B. Taylor, Executive Vice President at the United States Institute of Peace, for the WACA-USIP program,  Practical Peacebuilding for National Security .  The program will feature an opening reception followed by a talk by Taylor with time for audience Q&A. See more.

Sponsored by:

Former Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh was assassinated by Houthi forces on December 4, 2017. "No politician has left a greater mark on Yemen's modern history than President Saleh. He was known as a master of establishing and disbanding political coalitions, knowing correctly that no single political power can rule Yemen," Gamal Gasim, Ph.D., professor of Middle East Studies at Grand Valley State University, wrote for Al Jazeera.

Please join Dr. Gamal Gasim for a conversation with Michael Van Denend, Executive Director of the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan, about Yemen's political future, including the ramification of President Saleh's death, identifying his successor in the General People's Congress, and the possibility of an uprising in Sanaa.

Register for the call

Join us for  this month's KNOW NOW on  Tuesday, December 19, at 2:00-2:30 PM ET.

The Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center (SQCC)is delighted to announce its 2018 Summer Arabic Language and Media (SALAM) program, a fully-funded intensive Arabic language scholarship program.  SALAM 2018 will be held at the Sultan Qaboos College for Teaching Arabic Language to Non-Native Speakers in Manah, Oman. This intensive Arabic language program will allow students to gain a deeper knowledge of Arabic, while becoming familiar with Omani history and culture.  Deadline: December 31, 2017

Please see here for eligibility requirements and further details.  

Information for the 2017-2018 Academic WorldQuest program is now available!

This year's AWQ Study Guide is now available, along with more information about  The Carlos and Malu Alvarez 2018 Academic WorldQuest National Competition, to be held  Saturday, April 28, 2018.

This year's AWQ National Competition will feature a welcome reception at theUnited States Institute of Peace on 

Friday, April 27. For topics, Study Guide, 

and more, click here.

Please note: the links in this block for the AWQ Study Guide are up to date. Links from previous emails may no longer be active due to the launch of the new WACA website. 

Sponsored by: United States Institute of Peace

Monday, December 11

World Affairs (Northern California) hosts Marina Walker Guevara, Deputy Director of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, for "The Paradise Papers: Unveiling the Offshore Economy." Details

Naples Council on World Affairs hosts Steven Pifer, Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution, for "The Eagle and the Trident, the U.S. and Ukraine."  Details

World Affairs Council of Worcester hosts Chaz Freeman Jr., Senior Fellow at the Watson Institute for International Studies, for "The Middle East in the New World Disorder."  Details

World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh hosts General (Ret.) Michael Hayden, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, for "The Role of Intelligence in a Post-Truth World."  Details 

Tuesday, December 12

Foreign Policy Association hosts The Honorable Perrin Beatty, President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and Thomas J. Donohue, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, for its annual corporate dinner .  Details

World Affairs Council of Seattle hosts Gerry Simpson, Associate Director for Refugee Rights at Human Rights Watch, for "Refugee Rights: Protecting the Vulnerable."  Details

WorldOregon hosts Gerry Simpson, Associate Director for Refugee Rights at Human Rights Watch, for "Human Rights Watch and Global Refugee Rights." Details

Columbus Council on World Affairs hosts Jim Dickmeyer, North American Competitiveness Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, for "North American Trade: Canada, Mexico, and the Future of NAFTA." Details

Cleveland Council on World Affairs hosts a panel of experts for "Terrorism, Conflict, and Crises of Leadership in Africa." Details

World Affairs Council of Maine hosts a discussion group, "President Trump's Visit to China." Details

Wednesday, December 13

World Affairs Council of Philadelphia hosts a panel of experts for "The American Healthcare Debate: What's Next?"  Details

World Affairs Council of South Texas hosts Dr. William Samelson, author, professor, and veteran of the Korean War, for "Lessons from the Holocaust and the Korean War: A Survivor's Story ." Details

World Affairs Council of Greater Reading hosts Dr. Paul Esqueda, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Penn State Berks, for "Venezuela - Derailed Democracy?"  Details

World Affairs Forum (Stamford) hosts Dr. Nikolas Gvosdev, Professor of U.S. National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval War College,  for "Is a New Cold War Unavoidable? The Trajectory of U.S.-Russia Relations." Details

Thursday, December 14

World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth hosts Mark Updergrove, CEO of the National Medal of Honor Museum, to discuss his book, The Last Republicans.  Details

WorldBoston hosts Erik Jones, Director of European and Eurasian Studies at Johns Hopkins SAIS, for "The Future of Europe."  Details

Santa Fe Council on International Relations hosts Braden Allenby, Co-Chair of the Weaponized Narrative Initiative at the Center for the Future of War at Arizona State University, for "The Future of War."  Details

Travel with Council Leaders - hear them lecture on Travel the World tours from the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia!

2018 travel schedule includes trips to: 

• Dr. Carla Thorson, Senior Vice President, Programs, World Affairs Council Northern California, Southern Africa: Feb. 10-Mar. 5
• Bill Clifford, President and CEO, World Affairs Councils of America, Inside Japan: Mar. 31 - Apr. 12
• Jim Falk, President and CEO, World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth, Cruise the Rhine, July 11-29
• Anna Berry, Executive Director, World Affairs Council of New Hampshire, Cambridge, Oxford, and the Cotswolds: July 20-28
• Derrick Olsen, President, WorldOregon, Treasures of Ecuador: Aug. 27-31
• Megan Torrey, Executive Director, World Affairs Council of Hartford, Himalayan Kingdoms, Sept. 11-25
• Mimi Gregory, Vice President of Programs, Naples Council on World Affairs, Inside Botswana: Oct. 4-16
• Joyce Davis, President, World Affairs Council of Harrisburg, Town & Country Life in Languedoc: Oct. 6-14

Contact www.wacphila.org/travel  or call 1-800-942-5004 , ext.  209  or 217 .