Wednesday, August 2, 2017 America First: Diplomacy Last; Deterring North Korea; Africa's Elections; Pakistan's Politics; Venezuela Crumbles; Russia Strikes Back Quote of the Week: "People are struggling with how to honor their oath. The basic question is: How do you serve this great institution [U.S. Department of State] in what is one of the most trying times for our Republic?"  -- Ambassador Barbara Stephenson, President of the Foreign Service Association in a New York Times article Sunday. America First: Diplomacy Last? "Tillerson Spurns $80 Million to Counter ISIS, Russian Propaganda" Nahal Toosi -- Politico, August 2, 2017 "State Department Considers Scrubbing Democracy from its Mission" Josh Rogin -- The Washington Post, August 1, 2017 "Morale Takes a Nosedive at State Department" Sharon Weinberger -- Foreign Policy, August 1, 2017 [Podcast] "Where to Go from Here: Rebooting American Foreign Policy" Richard N. Haas -- Foreign Affairs, July/August, 2017 Deterring North Korea "North Korea's ICBM Test Jeopardizes the Regional Power Balance" Deniele Ermito -- Foreign Policy Association, August 2, 2017 "The Surprise Location of North Korea's Latest Missile Test Is Making the U.S. and China Nervous" Steve Mollman -- Quartz, August 2 2017 "Lindsey Graham Reveals the Dark Calculus of Striking North Korea" Uri Friedman -- The Atlantic, August 1, 2017 "The Political Effects of the Missile Tests: Extended Deterrence Redux and the Squeeze on Moon Jae-in" Stephen Haggard -- Peterson Institute for International Economics, July 31, 2017 Africa's 'Big Five' Elections "Election Guide: What You Need to Know About the Rwandan Presidential Poll" Thomas Stubbs -- The Conversation, July 30, 2017 "Essential Guide to Kenya's High Stakes Election on 8 August" Murithi Mutiga -- International Crisis Group, August 1, 2017 "Senegal's Ruling Coalition Claims Landslide Victory" Aida Grovenstins -- Deutsche Welle, August 1, 2017 "Liberia's President Calls for Peace as Election Campaigns Begin" Jonathan Paye-Layleh-- Miami Herald, August 1, 2017 "Why Kabila's Bid to Remain in Power is Bad News for the Democratic Republic of the Congo" Nelson Alusala -- The Conversation, August 1, 2017 Pakistan's Political Turmoil "Pakistan: The Combustible Democracy" Emanuel Safraz -- The Interpreter, August 1, 2017 "Sharif Dismissal Proves Unelected Pakistan Generals Still Calling Shots" Sadanand Dhume -- Wall Street Journal via Australian Business Review, August 1, 2017 "Pakistan Lawmakers Elect New Prime Minister -- Who's Likely to Step Aside in 45 Days" Aoun Sahi -- Los Angeles Times, August 1, 2017 Venezuela Continues to Crumble "Venezuela Nears the Road's End Between Populism and Dictatorship" Jose Mauricio Gaona -- Washington Examiner, July 29, 2017 "How to Help Venezuela Out of Crisis - and How Not To" Jodi Hanson Bond -- U.S. Chamber of Commerce, July 31, 2017 "Venezuela's Postcrisis Recovery and Reform" Moises Rendon -- CSIS, July 31, 2017 Russia Fires Back "Russian Military Drills Near NATO Border Stoke Fears of Aggression" Michael R. Gordon and Eric Schmitt -- The Toronto Star, August 1, 2017 "The View from Moscow on U.S.-Russia Diplomatic Tensions" Steve Inskeep -- NPR, August 1, 2017 [Podcast] "President Trump Silent on Russia after Putin Announced Expulsion of U.S. Diplomats" Karen DeYoung -- The Washington Post, July 31, 2017

For previous Weekly World News Update, please visit our website  The World Affairs Councils of America 1200 18th St., NW, Suite 902, Washington, DC 20036 Phone (202) 833-4557   Fax (202) 833-4555 waca@worldaffairscouncils.org  worldaffairscouncils.org

Wednesday, July 26, 2017 Presidency in Peril; Another Round of Russia Sanctions; Illiberal Poland; Turkey's Authoritarianism; Cholera in Yemen; China Versus the World Quote of the Week: "Let me be very clear: I did not collude with Russia, nor do I know of anyone else who did so."  -- Jared Kushner, in remarks to press following his private meeting with members of the Senate Intelligence Committee on Monday, July 24. Presidency in Peril "I Beg My Pardon?" Gene Healy -- CATO Institute, July 24, 2017 "Trump and Congress Are Probably on a Collision Course over Russia" Nate Silver -- FiveThirtyEight, July 26, 2017 "Trump and Congressional Republicans: It's Complicated" Carle Hulse -- The New York Times, July 25, 2017 What to Do? Sanctions...Perhaps? "Have Sanctions Become the Swiss Army Knife of U.S. Foreign Policy?" Robert Kahn -- CFR, July 24, 2017 "To Punish Putin, Economic Sanctions Are Unlikely to Do the Trick" Eduardo Porter -- The New York Times, July 25, 2017 "EU Ready to Retaliate Against U.S. Sanctions on Russia" Jim Brunsden -- Financial Times, July 23, 2017 Law and Justice in Poland "Duda's Veto Presents Poland with an Opportunity" Ashish Kumar Sen -- The Atlantic Council, July 24, 2017 "Polish Leader Vetoes Justice Bills Amid EU and Public Outcry" Piotr Bujnicki; Dorota Bartyzel; Adrian Krajewski -- Bloomberg, July 24, 201 "What Just Happened in Poland?" Dalibor Rohac -- American Enterprise Institute, July 21, 2017 "How Poland's Government is Weakening Democracy" -- The Economist, July 25, 2017 Turkey's Democratic Death Throes "Erdogan's Anti-Westernism Picks Up Speed" Henri J. Barkey -- The Atlantic, July 25, 2017 "What a Day to Celebrate Press Freedom in Turkey" Murat Yetkin -- Hurriyet Daily News, July 24, 2017 "Journalism Is Under Seige in Turkey as Trial Begins for 17 Defendants from Leading Newspaper" Umar Farooq -- The Los Angeles Times, July 24, 2017 Yemen in the Time of Cholera "The Human Toll of Yemen's Unending War" Alexandre Faite -- Foreign Policy, July 20, 2017 "Cholera Is Slaughtering Yemen and We're Letting it Happen" Laurie Garrett -- Fortune, July 20, 2017 "Why Don't Internationalists Care About Yemen?" Juan Cole -- The Nation, July 25, 2017 "Pathways for Peace and Stability in Yemen" Shoqi Maktary and Katie Smith -- Search for Common Ground, July 2017 Pushing Boundaries: China Versus the World "South China Sea's Untapped Oil and Natural Gas Are Back in Focus" Steve Mollman -- Quartz, July 25, 2017 "AP Explains: India and China Face Off in Border Standoff'" Ashok Sharma and Christopher Bodeen -- The Washington Post, July 24, 2017 "Countering Hegemony: The U.S.-China Balance" Monish Tourangbam -- The Diplomat, July 24, 2017

For previous Weekly World News Update, please visit our website  The World Affairs Councils of America 1200 18th St., NW, Suite 902, Washington, DC 20036 Phone (202) 833-4557   Fax (202) 833-4555 waca@worldaffairscouncils.org  worldaffairscouncils.org

Wednesday, July 19, 2017 Liu Xiaobo's Legacy; Defusing North Korea; Trump-Putin Bromance; Peace in Colombia; Dire Straits in Venezuela; Sudan's Strategic Significance Quote of the Week: "Enemy mentality will poison the spirit of a nation, incite cruel mortal struggles, destroy a society's tolerance and humanity, and hinder a nation's progress toward freedom and democracy."  -- The late Lui Xiaobo, in his Nobel Lecture read in absentia by Liv Ulmann on December 10, 2010. 'Live On Well' "Liu Xiaobo's Death Holds a Message for China" -- The Economist, July 15, 2017 "What Lui Xiaobo's Life and Death Can Teach Us About China and Dissent" Brij Tankha -- The Wire, July 15, 2017 "Liu Xiaobo's Death Pushes China's Censors into Overdrive" Amy Qin -- The New York Times, July 17, 2017 "Why Liu Xiaobo Is the Role Model that a Modern China Sorely Needs" Cary Huang -- South China Morning Post, July 18, 2017 Chill Out, North Korea "South Korea Proposes Military Talks with North at Their Border" Choe Sang-Hun and Devid E. Sanger-- The New York Times, July 17, 2017 "Why Is South Korea Pushing for Talks with North Korea?" -- The Japan Times, July 18, 2017 "Forcing China's Hand on North Korea" Daniel Blumenthal and Derek Scissors -- The Wall Street Journal, July 17, 2017 "The North Korean Endgame" Liubomir K. Topaloff -- The Diplomat, July 13, 2017 Trump-Putin Affair Exposed "How the GOP Became the Party of Trump" James Kirchick -- Politico, July 18, 2017 "Time for Sober Realism on the U.S.-Russia Relationship" Katrina Vanden Heuvel -- The Washington Post, July 18, 2017 "Trump Confirms Authoritarian Bromance with Putin" Mark C. Eades -- Foreign Policy Association, July 13, 2017 "Trump, Putin Had Previously Undisclosed Visit at G20 Dinner" Steve Holland and Patricia Zengerle -- Reuters, July 18, 2017 Peace Outbreak in Colombia "Colombia's Exclusive Peace" Emilio Huertas -- U.S. News & World Report, July 17, 2017 "After Decades of War, Colombian Farmers Face a New Test: Peace'" Nicholas Casey -- The New York Times, July 18, 2017 "Will Colombia's Peace Accord Boost Its Democracy?" Andreas E. Feldman -- Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, July 13, 2017 "How Peace Broke Out in Colombia" Mark Leon Goldberg -- UN Global Dispatches, July 17, 2017 [Podcast] Dire Straits Worsen in Venezuela "Threat of U.S. Oil Sanctions on Venezuela Sparks Fear of Economic 'Collapse'" Jim Wyss; Patricia Mazzei; Alex Daugherty -- Miami Herald, July 18, 2017 "Venezuela Has Reached the 'Zero Hour': What's Next?" -- Al Jazeera, July 19, 2017 "Venezuela at a Crossroads: The Countdown to a Soviet-Style Constituent Assembly" Moises Rendon -- CSIS, July 17, 2017 Sudan's Strategic Significance "Sudan: A Strategy for Re-Engagement" Ambassador Mary Carlin Yates and Kelsey Lilley -- The Atlantic Council, July 14, 2017 "Sudan Sanctions Spur Intense Lobbying" Megan R. Wilson -- The Hill, July 19, 2017 For previous Weekly World News Update, please visit our website  The World Affairs Councils of America 1200 18th St., NW, Suite 902, Washington, DC 20036 Phone (202) 833-4557   Fax (202) 833-4555 waca@worldaffairscouncils.org  worldaffairscouncils.org FOLLOW US

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THIS MONTH: International diplomacy, annual meeting & an accidental activist   WORLD AFFAIRS DISPATCH JUNE 2017 E-NEWS CALENDAR- DONATE - MEMBERSHIP       GLOBAL FORUM GOES BEYOND THE HEADLINES ON RUSSIA   Thanks to the sponsors, members, and friends who took part in our annual Global Forum fundraiser and helped us raise more than $17,000 to support our education programs! More than 200 people came together on May 22 at SNHU to learn about Russia's past and present with speaker Masha Gessen and engaged in a spirited discussion about the country's political and economic future, as well as our own.    We also celebrated the 2017 Global Leadership Award recipients- Ambassador Richard Swett & Dr. Katrina Lantos Swett- and the Milford High School NH Academic WorldQuest champions. We are grateful for such an incredible community of friends who believe in the power of global education and understanding to create a more peaceful and prosperous world! See more photos on our Facebook page THANK YOU, SPONSORS & PATRONS!                St. Paul's School      Charles Bickford; Irja & Frank Cilluffo; Sarah Demers; Carolyn & Philip Hollman; Jim & Elise Hood; Karen Erickson; Ruth Kleinfeld; Judith May; Anne Milne; Kathryn & Jim Muirhead; Joan & Alan Reische; Jack & Carol Resch; Carolyn & Stewart Richmond; Pat Schlesinger; David & Missie Schroeder; Steve Solomon; Andrew Supplee; Virginia & Joe Szymanowski; Roberta & Rod Tenney MONDAY: CELEBRATE A BANNER YEAR AT OUR ANNUAL MEETING!      Join us for the Council's Annual Meeting & BBQ to celebrate another banner year for global education across the state, thanks to your support! We'll be approving new terms for board members Sarah Demers, Davis Farmer, Virginia Szymanowski, Roberta Tenney, and Dawn Wivell. We'll also be wishing a fond farewell to several board members including Irja Cilluffo, Karen Erickson, and Peter Schmidt. Academic Center, SNHU, 2500 N. River Road, Manchester 5 PM - Registration & Networking (Cash Bar) 5:30 PM- Annual Meeting- FREE *Only WACNH dues-paying members are eligible to vote but all are welcome!* 6 PM- BBQ & socializing on patio! (With dinner ticket) The Annual Meeting is free and open to the public; dinner tickets are $20 for members and $25 for non-yet-members. ADVANCE REGISTRATION REQUIRED Upcoming Programs - Event Calendar     Latest news         Accidental activist will tell her story of life in Saudi Arabia on June 15 MANAL AL-SHARIF: DARING TO DRIVE Presented by The Music Hall in partnership with the World Affairs Council of NH & NH Women's Foundation  Thursday, June 15 at 7 PM - The Music Hall Loft, Portsmouth Providing a rare glimpse into the day-to-day life of the typical Saudi woman, Manal Al-Sharif tells the remarkable story of how she became the accidental leader of the Women2Drive movement; and brought global attention to her country’s tyrannical male guardianship system and its oppression of women. She is the author of the new book, Daring to Drive. TICKETS/INFO An important update on the national budget       Tim Horgan, WACNH Associate Director (back row, far left), joined other members of the Alliance for International Exchange for a visit to the office of Senator Jeanne Shaheen last month to advocate for congressional support of international exchange opportunities. An important update from the Alliance for International Exchange: "The budget released last month by President Donald Trump proposes an unprecedented cut of 32 percent to the International Affairs budget, and a 55 percent cut to the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs specifically.  'If adopted, these cuts would greatly harm our nation’s public diplomacy efforts,' said Ilir Zherka, Executive Director of the Alliance for International Exchange. 'As Defense Secretary James Mattis has suggested, the way to reduce the possibility of war is to increase people-to-people diplomacy – which is at the heart of cultural and educational exchanges. 'Fortunately, Congress has consistently demonstrated a strong, bipartisan commitment to exchange programs, even as recently as last month. Gutting exchange programs isn’t a win for the taxpayer, because the investment in America’s national security is immense. Over 90 percent of ECA funding is spent in the United States or on Americans implementing these programs. Because of that investment, 1 in 3 world leaders today have been on a U.S. exchange program.' Exchange programs enhance U.S. national security and prosperity by building productive partnerships, mutual understanding, and personal connections that help us address critical global issues including strengthening the world economy and combating terrorism. They also create a welcoming environment for over a million international students to study in the U.S. In 2015, these students added more than $32 billion dollars to our economy and supported over 400,000 U.S. jobs." Here at the World Affairs Council of NH, we host 300 international visitors (from 88 different countries), and 90 interpreters, annually, leveraging about $83,000 of grant funding into $500,000 in economic activity stregthening the state. More than 400 people volunteered their time to exchange ideas with the visitors. We hope you'll join us in speaking up in support of international exchange programs! Seacoast Speaker Series Wraps up TOMORROW! There's just one speaker left in our spring World Affairs @ the Library series presented in partnership with the Portsmouth Public Library. The final program will take place on Wednesday, June 7 at 7 PM,featuring Mary Thompson-Jones speaking about international diplomacy. Thompson-Jones is a professor at Northeastern University and previously was a career diplomat and served in embassies and consulates in Madrid, Prague, Quebec, Guatemala, and Sarajevo. She is the author of To The Secretary: Leaked Embassy Cables and America's Foreign Policy Disconnect. Mission Moments: Bringing the World to NH! "The plight of journalists has never been more dangerous." - Diane Foley (right), President of the James Foley Legacy Foundation said at our screening of "Jim: the James Foley Story" on May 16 at Red River Theatres. The Concord Insider reported on the program here. International visitors Martha Mwangonde (Malawi), Sylvester Bayowo (Ghana), Bassey Udo (Nigeria) and Andrew Karamagi (Uganda) listen to Todd Selig explain his work to promote transparency and openness as town administrator of Durham, NH. The group also volunteered for the NH Food Bank (below). ARE YOU A MEMBER? JOIN WITH US TO STAND IN SUPPORT OF GLOBAL EDUCATION & UNDERSTANDING! World Affairs Council of New Hampshire               SNHU - 2500 North River Road -  Manchester - NH - 01306 www.wacnh.org - 603.314.7970 -  council@wacnh.org Copyright © 2017 WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL OF NH.  All rights reserved.

'Cover to Cover' Monthly Author Series

April's Cover to Cover will feature author Howard W. French for his book Everything Under the Heavens: How the Past Helps Shape China's Push for Global Power, on Tuesday, April 11, at 2-2:30 PM ET.

 

Register for the call

Howard. W. French, is Associate Professor of Journalism at Columbia University. He wrote from Africa for The Washington Post and at The New York Times was bureau chief in Central America and the Caribbean, West and Central Africa, Japan, and China. He is the recipient of two Overseas Press Club awards and a two-time Pulitzer Prize nominee.

Cover to Cover is a monthly program featuring the most influential authors on subjects of national and international importance.

Offered as a benefit to all current WACA Member Councils, Cover to Cover conference calls are opportunities for Council leaders, members, and supporters to engage with esteemed authors on critical issues. Cover to Cover authors often welcome invitations to speak at Councils. In short, the WACA National Office covers a topic with an expert so that Councils may discover a speaker and cover the topic in even greater depth in their own communities, spearheading a national conversation. 

The World Affairs Council of NH was honored to host Senator Jeanne Shaheen on Friday, March 24. Coverage of the program by the Associated Press is below. Video of her remarks, via WMUR, is here.

Shaheen: US needs strategy to counter Russian influence

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — A bolder, more aggressive strategy is needed to counter Russia’s efforts to undermine democracy in the United States and western Europe, New Hampshire U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen said Friday.

Shaheen, a member of Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services committees, addressed a foreign policy forum at the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire. The group met at Southern New Hampshire University.

Shaheen, a Democrat, said the U.S. must recognize that the architecture of alliances that’s been at the heart of America’s national security for more than seven decades is at risk due to Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

“Putin’s goal is to restore Russia as a dominant power and to recreate a Soviet-style sphere of influence along its border,” she said. “To that end, Putin’s strategy is to disrupt, divide, and weaken the Atlantic Alliance. We need to have a clear-eyed understanding of what Putin is doing. So we really need to work together with our allies to stop him.”

Shaheen noted that Russia has been expanding its military and deploying forces to intimidate Europe and has been “stoking populist nationalism” from Hungary to the Netherlands.

She said Putin dramatically raised the stakes by interfering in the 2016 U.S. election.

“We should all be outraged by Putin’s interference in our election,” she said. “Frankly, if you’re not outraged, you haven’t been paying attention.”

A declassified intelligence report released earlier this year said Putin ordered a hidden campaign to influence the election to favor Republican Donald Trump over Democrat Hillary Clinton. Trump and his supporters have staunchly resisted the findings.

Shaheen said an independent, nonpartisan investigation of Russia’s intervention in the presidential election is needed. She said the U.S. needs a commission similar to the national one that investigated 9/11 “to investigate Russia’s attack on our democracy and to prevent future attacks.”

“The American public needs to know what happened,” she added.

Shaheen is part of a bipartisan group of senators that introduced legislation imposing tougher sanctions on Russia. It also would create an initiative that would support objective, Russian-language, independent media and watchdog groups working to combat corruption.

Milford High Takes Top Honors in 3^rd Annual NH Academic WorldQuest competition; Team Will Represent State at National Academic WorldQuest Competition in Washington, D.C., on April 29

MANCHESTER- The World Affairs Council of New Hampshire held its third annual NH Academic WorldQuest competition on Sunday, March 12 at Southern New Hampshire University and the “blue team” from Milford High School (pictured above) took home the title after a close race. The team won new iPads, provided by SNHU, to use for their studies, and a trip to Washington, D.C., to compete in the national Academic WorldQuest competition on April 29, held by the World Affairs Councils of America. Rounding out the top finishers were: St. Thomas Aquinas (2^nd place- blue team); and Pinkerton Academy (grey team) and Oyster River High School (white team), which tied for third.

The winning Milford High team included students Shannon Drew, Maya Flores, Todd Bieschke, and Andrew McNeil, and were coached by social studies teacher Anna Parker. The Carlos and Malu Alvarez 2017 Academic WorldQuest National Competition will be held on Saturday, April 29 at the National Press Club in Washington and will also feature a welcome reception at the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Academic WorldQuest is a quiz-style team competition that tests high school students’ knowledge of international affairs.  This year, 15 teams from around the state competed. Participating schools were: The Derryfield School (Manchester), Milford High School, Oyster River High School (Durham), Pinkerton Academy (Derry), Portsmouth High School, Souhegan High School (Amherst), and St. Thomas Aquinas (Dover).

This year’s competition also featured a keynote speech from Dylan Mahalingam, a remarkable philanthropist and social entrepreneur who hails from New Hampshire. Currently a student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Dylan founded a global non-profit organization at 9 years old. Lil’ MDGs encouraged thousands of children from all over the world to support the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals. The organization raised more than $10 million for victims of natural disasters. Dylan currently serves as the Chief Strategist of Under the Acacia Foundation, a non-profit organization serving communities in Africa. Dylan is a recipient of numerous honors including a place on Youth Service America’s list of the 25 Most Powerful and Influential Young People in the World.

Scott Spradling, of the Spradling Group, hosted the competition. Scott is an Emmy award-winning former reporter, anchor and political director for WMUR-TV.

NH Academic WorldQuest is funded, in part, by the Saul O. Sidore Memorial Foundation and Billings Trust (FBO NH Charities, RSB Citizens, N.A. Trustee) . Presenting sponsors are Pax World and McLane Middleton and other supporters include Southern New Hampshire University and The Derryfield School.

The World Affairs Council of New Hampshire is a non-profit, non-partisan organization fostering learning, discussion and citizen involvement in world affairs.  The Council is preparing the Granite State for a global future by creating and sustaining international connections that enhance our state's cultural, economic and civic life; building global knowledge and understanding through educational programs for communities and schools on foreign policy; and furthering the development of international leaders in partnership with the U.S. State Department. Learn more at www.wacnh.org.

Wednesday, February 22, 2017 Munich Security Conference; U.S. Relations with the Middle East; Foreign Policy under Trump; Violence in Pakistan; Ecuador Presidential Elections; Politics of Military and Famine in Africa. Munich Security Conference "Muddling through European Defense" Judy Dempsey -- Carnegie Europe, February 18, 2017 "A Call for Continuity from America's Middle East Allies" Bruce Jones -- Brookings Institution, February 20, 2017 "Pence, Facing Skeptical Europe, Again Tries to Reassure EU and NATO" Gardiner Harris -- Boston Globe, February 21, 2017 U.S. Relations with the Middle East "Setting the Terms for U.S.-Egypt Relations" Daniel Benaim, Mokhtar Awad, and Brian Katulis -- Center for American Progress, February 21, 2017 "Has the U.S.-Saudi Relationship Outlived Its Usefulness?" Scott Monje -- Foreign Policy Association, February 20, 2017 "Trump's New Stance on Palestine and Israel Reverses Two Decades of U.S. Policy" Kevin Lamarque -- Quartz, February 15, 2017 "Lessons from a Regional Approach to Solving the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict" Richard Lebaron -- Atlantic Council, February 21, 2017 Foreign Policy under Trump "Trump Has No Foreign Policy" Jon Finer -- POLITICO Europe, February 19, 2017 "Logic, but No Guarantees for Trump's Foreign Policy" Michael Auslin -- National Review, February 21, 2017 "President Trump's Terrible One-Month Report Card" Derek Chollet, Colin Kahl, Julie Smith -- Foreign Policy, February 19, 2017 Violence in Pakistan "Let's Stop Being Manipulated by Pakistan" Christopher D. Kolenda -- THE HILL, February 21, 2017 "Pakistan: Stoking the Fire in Karachi" International Crisis Group, February 15, 2017 "What Lies Behind Uneasy Afghanistan-Pakistan Ties?" Video by Al Jazeera, February 18, 2017 Ecuador Presidential Elections "Ecuador Vote Count Delayed Until Wednesday as Protests Mount" Stephan Kueffner -- Bloomberg, February 20, 2017 "Leftist Candidate Lenin Moreno Leads Ecuador's Presidential Vote, but May Face a Runoff" Pablo Jaramillo and Chris Kraul -- Los Angeles Times, February 19, 2017 Politics of Military and Famine in Africa "A Rough Guide to Foreign Military Bases in Africa" Obi Anyadike -- IRIN News, February 15, 2017 "Famine Declared in South Sudan" Ben Quinn -- The Guardian, February 20, 2017 "The Business Climate in Nigeria" Editorial -- This Day Live, February 17, 2017 "Replacing South Africa's Finance Minister, or His Deputy, Would Carry a Heavy Cost" Co-Pierre Georg -- The Conversation, February 21, 2017 For previous Weekly World News Update, please visit our website  The World Affairs Councils of America 1200 18th St., NW, Suite 902, Washington, DC 20036 Phone (202) 833-4557   Fax (202) 833-4555 waca@worldaffairscouncils.org  worldaffairscouncils.org FOLLOW US      JOIN OUR MAILING LIST

Wednesday, February 15, 2017 Government, Military, and Economic Outlook on Asia; NAFTA; U.S. Relations with the Middle East; Economics in Venezuela; Politics and Military in Africa. Government, Military, and Economic Outlook on Asia "Southeast Asia - Guidelines for the New Administration" Amy Searight, Murray Hiebert, and Geoffrey Hartman -- CSIS, February 10, 2017 "By Testing a Missile, North Korea Was Probably Also Testing Trump, Experts Say" Matt Stiles -- Los Angeles Times, February 12, 2017 "Nuclear Weapon States and the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone" Tong Zhao -- Carnegie-Tsinghua, February 10, 2017 "Turkmenistan: Election Spectacle Hides Disturbing Economic Decline" Eurasianet.org, February 8, 2017 "Markets Hit New Highs over Trump's Change of Tone on Japan and China" Nick Fletcher and Dominic Rushe -- The Guardian, February 13, 2017 NAFTA "Canada's Trudeau Arrives in Washington to Meet with Trump" Catherine Lucey and Rob Gillies -- The Washington Post, February 13, 2017 "The Pitfalls of Renegotiating NAFTA" The Economist, February 11, 2017 "Is Trump's Plan to Revive U.S. Steel a Pipe Dream?" Annie Linskey -- The Boston Globe, February, 13, 2017 "Trump and Trudeau Talk Trade, Working Women" Andrew Soergel -- U.S. News, February 13, 2017 U.S. Relations with the Middle East "How America Could Stumble Into War With Iran" Karim Sadjadpour --  Carnegie Endowment, February 9, 2017 "Why are U.S. Forces in Yemen at All?" Andrew J. Bacevich -- Defense One, February 8, 2017 "Can Trump and Netanyahu Make Progress toward the "Ultimate Deal"?" Ofer Zalzberg -- International Crisis Group, February 13, 2017 "EU Seeks to Preserve Iran Nuclear Deal" Ashish Kumar Sen -- Atlantic Council, February 10, 2017 Economics in Venezuela "How to Solve the Riddle of Venezuela's Economy" Mac Margolis -- Bloomberg, February 13, 2017 "Donald Trump Administration Imposes Sanctions on Venezuela's Vice President for 'Significant Role' in Illegal Drug Trade " Ben Kentish -- Independent, February 14, 2017 Politics and Military in Africa "Can Barrow Deliver on the Promise of a 'New Gambia'?" Louise Hunt -- IRIN, February 8, 2017 "South Sudan General Quits over 'Ethnic Cleansing' Regime" Philipp Sandner -- Deutsche Welle, February 13, 2017 "'Blackwater Air' Is Back, and Flying for U.S. Special Forces" David Axe -- The Daily Beast, February 13, 2017

For previous Weekly World News Update, please visit our website  The World Affairs Councils of America 1200 18th St., NW, Suite 902, Washington, DC 20036 Phone (202) 833-4557   Fax (202) 833-4555 waca@worldaffairscouncils.org  worldaffairscouncils.org

Anna Marie DiPasquale (left) and Jodi Harper (center) talk with Estonian news reporter.

When the topic of refugee resettlement comes up, Estonia is not the first place that many people think of.  Indeed, since 1997 Estonia has only received 74 refugees prior to the crisis in Europe that started last year.  However, with the mass influx of refugees to the continent, Estonia, along with the EU, has agreed to accept these people into their country.  With this in mind, a group of 10 people from Estonia visited New Hampshire through the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to learn about integrating refugees into schools and communities.

Acting as their host, the World Affairs Council of New Hampshire created an International Visitor Leadership Program for the group to meet with various refugee and school officials here in the state. The intent of the program was to introduce them to the different organizations that are helping to integrate refugees, so that when Estonia sees new refugees they are better prepared to welcome them.  During their time in New Hampshire, the group found two of the meetings particularly useful and wanted to further the discussions on these programs back home, the BRING IT program and a Concord High School’s Social Worker who focuses on New Americans.

Anna-Marie DiPasquale, of Concord High School, and Jodi Harper of the Granite State United Way were invited by the group to Estonia this past October to speak at a conference on refugee resettlement.  While both were extremely busy with other obligations, they took this “opportunity of a lifetime” to visit another country and share their expertise in the field.  Their schedule, while there, was quite busy and provided several opportunities for them to engage with local people and explain how things are done in the state.  

Their presentations were quite successful, with participants coming up to them afterwards to continue conversations, something they found out later was quite unusual in Estonian culture.  Anna-Marie was able to set up an opportunity for some of her students to Skype into the conference and talk directly with those in attendance about the experiences of refugee youth in transitioning to a new culture.  This was a highlight for both the youth and participants, allowing for the voices of those who have experienced this journey to inform those looking to make that transition as smooth as possible.

A couple of concrete changes are already starting to occur in Estonia that will benefit the refugees as they begin to be settled there.  First off, Jodi and Anna-Marie both noticed there were some who were resistant to implementing changes, but that conversations started to bring people around to the idea.  Also, they helped the Estonian participants to think things through on issues the US just takes for granted.  An example of this is school lunches that need to accommodate new dietary restrictions.  In Estonia many schools serve one lunch to all students, in contrast to the multiple choices students have here.  This made the US more flexible in making the necessary changes, while Estonia is having more issues around that.  Also, what may seem small is actually indicative of a larger shift in mindset.  Many of the participants picked up on the idea of using the term New Americans, rather than refugees, dedicating themselves to using New Estonians instead.  Going into this work with the idea that refugees are now “one of us”, shifts the mental calculations made about who these people are, creating a more welcoming atmosphere.

In the end, both Jodi and Anna-Marie loved this experience and hope to encounter more opportunities to be Citizen Diplomats.  Not only did this trip benefit the people of Estonia, but both of them now have a wider world view, as well as many students at Concord High School who now feel more empowered than ever.  It truly is amazing that only two people were picked from an entire three week long, country wide visit, to engage in this opportunity and that both of them work here in NH.  Without a doubt, anyone anywhere can create change in the world; you just have to be open to the opportunity.