Dear Council Leaders, Members, and Friends:

I am pleased to announce that Elizabeth Brailsford has joined the WACA National Office staff as Chief Operating Officer. Liz brings a wealth of management experience in the nonprofit, public, and private sectors.

Most recently, Liz served as a full-time consultant for Panagora, a DC-based implementing partner of USAID, and the USDA’s Food for Progress Program, responsible for communications at the former and research and analysis at the latter. Previously, she led the international department at Relocation Today in Minneapolis, where she headed operations, management, business development, and client relations of the department. She has also served on the boards of multiple Japan-related nonprofits, such as the Japan America Society of Minnesota and the Saint Paul-Nagasaki Sister City Committee. Liz began her career working several years in Japan for the JET Program. She holds an M.P.A. in global policy from the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey School (and serves on the School’s alumni association board), and a B.A. in media arts from the University of South Carolina.

Our COO search was highly competitive, as WACA’s job announcement in early January drew 140+ applications. This pool was narrowed twice and six candidates were invited to interviews. Liz is already getting settled in, and you may reach her by email at lbrailsford@worldaffairscouncils.org.

Liz will attend the Spring Leadership Meeting in San Antonio on May 17-18, which is followed by our semiannual Board meeting on May 19. I'm sure that you will enjoy meeting her in person.

Best regards,

President's Letter

Bill Clifford, President and CEO

Announcing WACA 2018 National Conference Closing Luncheon Keynote: Dambisa Moyo

WACA is pleased to announce that Dambisa Moyo will keynote the closing luncheon of the WACA 2018 National Conference, November 7-9, at The Mayflower Hotel.

Dambisa Moyo is a preeminent thinker who influences key decision makers in strategic investment and public policy. She is respected for her unique perspectives, her balance of contrarian thinking with measured judgment, and her ability to turn economic insight into investible ideas.

Moyo has earned a reputation as a top-tier opinion former and trusted advisor on macroeconomics, geopolitics, technology, and millennial themes. She is a Board member of Barclays Bank, Barrick Gold, and Chevron. Moyo holds a Doctorate in Economics from Oxford and master's from Harvard. She is recognized for fresh and innovative ideas as the author of three New York Times Bestselling Books and was named to the 2009 list of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World.

Watch Moyo's 2016 TED Talk on economic growth, and book your room at The Mayflower Hotel today!

April Cover to Cover: Pakistan Under Siege

Over the last fifteen years, Pakistan has come to be defined exclusively in terms of its struggle with terror. But are ordinary Pakistanis extremists? And what explains how Pakistanis think?

In Pakistan Under Siege, using rigorous analysis of survey data, in-depth interviews in schools and universities in Pakistan, historical narrative reporting, and her own intuitive understanding of the country, Madiha Afzal gives the full picture of Pakistan’s relationship with extremism. 

Join the April Cover to Cover conference call to discuss Afzal's new book, Pakistan Under Siege: Extremism, Society, and the State, on Wednesday, April 18, at 2:00-2:30 PM ET.

May 15

Ambassador Michael McFaul will discuss From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin's Russia.

June 12

Rick Barton will discuss Peace Works: America's Unifying Role in a Turbulent World.

Spring Leadership Meeting Hotel Block Open!

WACA and the World Affairs Council of San Antonio have arranged a special group rate at the Hotel Valencia for the May 17-18 Council Leadership and May 19 Board Meetings.  

To take advantage of our hotel block at $169/night (plus tax), please book your room by April 25. Reservations can be made by following this link: WACA or by calling 855-596-3387 and referring to the World Affairs Councils of America group.

Thank you to our generous sponsors!

Last Call to Book Your AWQ Hotel Rooms!

Hotel Reservations:

To take advantage of our special hotel rate of $169/night plus tax, book your room now at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel (2660 Woodley Road, NW, Washington, DC 20008). These discounted rates will expire April 5!

The Carlos and Malú Alvarez 2018 Academic WorldQuest National Competition weekend program will be held in Washington, DC on April 27-28.

This year's program will once again feature a welcome reception at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) on Friday, April 27, at 4:00-6:00 PM.

For topics, study guide, and other information about this year's competition, please click here.

Please stay tuned for the competition venue and agenda!

Call for Applications:

SQCC Intensive Summer Language Program

The word Sabla in Omani Arabic dialect refers to places in communities where people gather to receive hospitality. Sabla also serves as a meeting place to discuss important public issues. 

The Sultan Qaboos Cultural Center's Sabla Program is an intensive summer language program designed to benefit current university-level students and recent graduates. The program emphasizes the instruction of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA). The program runs for five weeks, offering highly intensive coursework in Arabic.

Scholarships are available. Apply by May 6, 2018.

Global I.Q. Minute

In this episode of World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth's Global I.Q. Minute, Adam Segal, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and Director of its Digital and Cyberspace Policy Program, considers how the rise of digital technology - particularly the proliferation of the internet and social media - are not only transforming the way we get news, but rewiring our political system, national security, diplomatic relations, and much more.