WACA President to Speak at Dayton's 70th

The Dayton Council on World Affairs celebrates its 70th anniversary today, January 29, at the Dayton Raquet Club. 

Ambassador Heather Hodges, Cleveland Council on World Affairs President and Ambassador-in-Residence, and Bill Clifford, WACA President and CEO, will be featured in a panel discussion on "Why Diplomacy Matters Today and to You."

Read the Dayton Daily News article on the Council's landmark year, and please join WACA in wishing them another 70 years of quality programming on world affairs! 

TOMORROW: KNOW NOW Control Risks Webinar

The year 2017 saw a host of new challenges for global organizations, and continued economic and political volatility, heightened by competing leadership styles on the world stage. What should citizens and decision-makers expect in 2018? 

WACA is pleased to present a special KNOW NOW webinar, featuring Charles Hecker, Senior Partner at Control Risks, to help us answer this salient question. 

Hecker will discuss the Top 5 Risks facing global organizations in the year ahead:

1. North Korea escalation
2. Large-scale cyber attacks targeting infrastructure
3. U.S. becoming protectionist
4. Big power rivalry in the Middle East
5. Personalized leadership

The webinar will showcase highlights from Control Risks' RiskMap, an annual forecast for political and security risk around the world.

Register for the webinar

Join us for next week's KNOW NOW on Tuesday, January 30, at 2:00-2:45 PM ET.

Control Risks is a specialist global risk consultancy that helps to create secure, compliant and resilient organizations in an age of ever-changing risk.

February KNOW NOW

Ambassador (Ret.) Mary Carlin Yates will be hosted by Derrick Olsen, President of WorldOregon, for a discussion about Sudan on Tuesday, February 20, at 2:00-2:30 PM ET. Register for the call.

Councils Are Hiring

World Affairs Council of Hampshire is conducting a search for its new executive director. See the job announcement.

Global Minnesota is also hiring. See the posting for their new Corporate and Foundation Giving Officer.

Cover to Cover: February

Somewhere in nature, a killer virus is boiling up in the bloodstream of a wild animal, preparing to jump to a human being. This not-yet-detected germ has the potential to wipe out millions of lives over a matter of weeks or months. That risk makes the threat posed by ISIS, a ground war, a massive climate event, or even the dropping of a nuclear bomb on a major city pale in comparison. 

In The End of Epidemics, Dr. Jonathan Quick, Harvard Medical School faculty member and Chair of the Global Heath Council, examines the eradication of smallpox and devastating effects of influenza, AIDS SARS, and Ebola. Analyzing efforts to contain these diseases and citing firsthand accounts of failure and success, Dr. Quick proposes a new set of actions which he has coined, "The Power of Seven," to end epidemics before they begin.  

Register for the call

Join us for February's Cover to Cover on Tuesday, February 13, at 2:00-2:30 PM ET.

*Special note: James Kirchick, August Cover to Cover author of The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues, and the Coming Dark Age, is on tour to promote the March release of his book in paperback. Please contact Chelsea at the WACA National Office if you are interested in inviting Mr. Kirchick for to speak at your Council.

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: March 1, 2018

Academic WorldQuest 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

Gov. Richardson to Speak at WAC Hilton Head

Governor Bill Richardson, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, former Governor of New Mexico, and Founder of the Richardson Center for Global Engagement, will speak at the World Affairs Council of Hilton Head this Friday, February 2. He will discuss "North Korea: A Strategy for Engagement." 

Governor Richardson was the Ambassadors Luncheon Keynote speaker at the WACA 2017 National Conference. 

World Affairs Councils Highlights

Did you know that WACA features Council events on its new website? Council leaders and staff: log in to your member account now and add your events for a chance for your Council to be highlighted on our main page!

Thursday, February 1

WorldBoston hosts Elin Suleymanov, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the U.S., for "Azerbaijan at the Strategic Crossroads of Eurasia." Details

Richmond World Affairs Council hosts Barbara Bodine, Director of Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, for "Analyzing Yemen." Details

WorldOregon hosts Losang Ragbey, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Machik, for "Engaging Tibet Through Social Innovation." Details

World Affairs Council of Central Illinois hosts Jerry Kruse, CEO of Southern Illinois University Healthcare, for "The U.S. Healthcare System(s): Time for International Comparative Policy Analysis." Details

Colorado Springs World Affairs Council hosts Raul Rodriguez-Barocio, Co-Chair of the International Committee of the Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University, for "Mexico: NAFTA, the Wall and Distant Neighbors." Details

Santa Fe Council on International Relations hosts Janet Steele, Director of the Institute for Public Diplomacy and Global Communication at The George Washington University, for "Journalism and Islam." Details

Friday, February 2

World Affairs Council of Inland Southern California hosts Sarah Schneewind, Associate Professor of History at the University of California San Diego, for "The Dark World in the Founding of the Ming Dynasty." Details

WorldOregon hosts Merrill McPeak, U.S. Air Force General (Ret.) for "Great Decisions: U.S. Global Engagement and Military." Details