Season's Greetings from the WACA Team!

Happy Holidays!  

The World Affairs Councils of America wishes all of you and your families a merry holiday season and a happy, peaceful new year. We look forward to working with you again in 2018! 

Please note that the national office will be closed from December 22

through January 1. 

KNOW NOW on Yemen: TOMORROW, Dec. 19

The assassination on December 4 of Yemen's former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, has intensified international focus on the war-torn Gulf country. "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, the deteriorating humanitarian crisis amid the country's civil war, and the prospects for an internationally brokered ceasefire.

Register for the call

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

A World in Disarray - January Cover to Cover

"These are no ordinary times. It will not be business as usual in a world of disarray; as a result, it cannot be foreign policy as usual," writes Richard N. Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations, in his book, A World in Disarray: American Foreign Policy and the Crisis of the Old Order. 

Haass argues for "World Order 2.0" - an updated global operating system that reflects the reality that power is widely distributed and that borders count for less. Dial in to next month's Cover to Cover to hear Haass's take on the need for an updated definition of sovereignty and how the U.S. should interact with the rest of the world.  

Register for the call

Join us for January's Cover to Cover on Wednesday, January 10, at 2:00-2:30 PM ET.

Scholarship to Study Arabic through SQCC

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. 

FPA Student Essay/Video Competition

What is America's biggest challenge in the world? 

If you're a high school student, you're invited to submit either an essay or a video on this question.

Maximum essay length: 750 words; maximum video length: 5 minutes

Winners in each medium will be judged by an expert panel of educators and designers of student outreach programs. See more details here.

Criteria for judging:

• Creative engagement with the Centennial Challenge topic
• Compelling demonstration of the position you take
• Breadth and depth of the vision you present

Prizes:

• 1st prize: $1500 and expenses paid for a trip to attend the 2018 Foreign Policy Centennial Spring Dinner in New York City
• 2nd prize: $500
• 3rd prize: $500

Deadline for submissions: January 31, 2018

Travel with WAC Greater Houston

Join WAC Greater Houston's Executive Director, Maryanne Maldonado, on an exciting 18-day journey to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos. Visit Ho Chi Minh City, Luang Prabang, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and more!

Travel dates: February 28 - March 17, 2018

See details here.

Listen to WACA Podcasts!

On Thursday, December 14, Haroon K. Ullah joined Jim Falk, President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth, for a Cover to Cover call on Ullah's new book, Digital World War: Islamists, Extremists, and the Fight for Cyber Supremacy. Listen to the podcast.

Academic WorldQuest 2017-2018

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 the United 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

World Affairs Councils Highlights

Tuesday, December 19

World Affairs Council of Delaware hosts General (Ret.) Michael Hayden, former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, for a distinguished event. Details

World Affairs Council of Kentucky and Southern Indiana hosts a panel of religious leaders for "The Meaning of Jerusalem." Details

World Affairs Council of Palm Beach hosts Stephen Moore, Distinguished Visiting Fellow for the Project for Economic Growth at The Heritage Foundation, for "The U.S. Economy and the Trump Agenda." Details

Juneau World Affairs Council hosts Dr. Quratul Ain Bakhteari, Founding Director of the Institute for Development Studies and Practices, for "Young Rural Women Lead Social Transformation in Traditional, Tribal Baluchistan." Details

World Affairs Council of Orange County hosts Dr. Nubar Hovsepian, Political Science Chair at Chapman University, for "Global Challenges for the U.S. and the World in the Coming Year." Details

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

World Affairs Council of Greater Houston hosts Elliott Abrams, former Deputy National Security Advisor, for "Realism and Democracy: American Foreign Policy After the Arab Spring." Details

Thursday, December 14

World Affairs Council of Monterey Bay hosts Dr. Jim Hansen, SES Superintendent at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, for "Meteorology, Oceanography, and National Security." Details

Travel the World from WAC Philadelphia

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.