Analysis and opinion concerning Hagel’s resignation, negotiations with Iran, Syria, Israel/Palestine, drones in Pakistan, China, Europe, and protests in Mexico. Plus, extra articles on U.S. foreign policy and the global energy market…

November 26, 2014 Defense Secretary Hagel Steps Down  “The Fall Guy,” David Rothkopf – Foreign Policy, November 24, 2014 Iran Talks to Continue  “The Silver Lining of an Extension of the P5+1 Nuclear Talks with Iran,” Gregory D. Koblentz – The National Interest, November 24, 2014 “Iran Nuclear Talks Extension Raises Risk of Cataclysmic Failure,” Simon Tisdall – The Guardian, November 24, 2014 “Will it Play in Persepolis?” Nancy Gallagher – Foreign Policy, November 21, 2014 ISIS/Radical Islam Well-Organized and Expanding “The Banality of Islamic State,” Cam Simpson – BloombergBusinessweek, November 20, 2014 “Islamic State and a South Asian Caliphate,” SK Chatterji – The Diplomat, November 23, 2014 “The Iran-Cuba-Venezuela Nexus,” Mary Anastasia O’Grady – The Wall Street Journal, November 23, 2014 Israel/Palestine Tensions Growing “Conspiracy Theories and Palestinian Terror,” Jonathan S. Tobin – Commentary, November 21, 2014 “Hate Thy Neighbor,” William Saletan – Slate, November 21, 2014 “The Age of the Lone Wolf Intifada,” Gregg Carlstrom – Politico Magazine, November 20, 2014 Pakistan “The Unblinking Stare – The Drone War in Pakistan,” Steve Coll – The New Yorker, November 24, 2014 China Rising “The New Nuance in Chinese Diplomacy,” Peter Drysdale – East Asia Forum, November 24, 2014 “China Scores,” Matthew Goodman and Ely Ratner – Foreign Affairs, November 23, 2014 “Massive Rail Deal Gives China’s Push Into Africa a Major Win,” Simon Engler – Foreign Policy, November 21, 2014 Europe Regrouping “The New European Disorder,” Ivan Krastev and Mark Leonard – European Council on Foreign Relations, November 2014 Mexico Protests Continue “White House Silence on Mexico Protests Speaks Volumes,” Christy Thornton – Al Jazeera America, November 20, 2014 “We’re Mad as Hell, and We’re Not Going to Take it Anymore,” Homero Aridjis – The Huffington Post, November 22, 2014 “Don’t Expect an Aztec Spring with Mexico Protests, Analysts Warn,” Karla Zabludovsky – Al Jazeera America, November 22, 2014 Extra! Extra! U.S. Foreign Policy “How the United States Can Counter the Ambitions of Russia and China,” Ely Ratner and Thomas Wright – The Washington Post, November 21, 2014 “Top Five Washington Assumptions on Mideast That Are Not True,” Andrew J. Bacevich – Informed Comment, November 24, 2014 “The Case for More Congress in American Foreign Policy,” Walter Russell Mead – The American Interest, November 23, 2014 The Global Energy Market “New Era of Cheap Oil Tilts Geopolitical Power Toward U.S.,” Rich Miller – Bloomberg, November 19, 2014 “Winners and Losers of Oil War,” Shabbir H. Kazmi – Eurasia Review, November 23, 2014 “Israel Pitches 'Massive' Natural Gas Pipeline Plan to Europe,” Staff Writers – The Times of Israel, November 20, 2014

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World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh  2640 BNY Mellon Center, 500 Grant St., Pittsburgh, PA 15219  Ph: 412-281-7970  welcome@worldpittsburgh.org | www.worldpittsburgh.org/

Analysis of U.S. foreign policy; opinion on Obama’s engagement in Iraq and overtures to Iran; and views on Israel, Libya, Asia, and Europe. Plus, reflections on Germany 25 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the potential for a new Cold War…

November 12, 2014 Foreign Policy and the New Congress “Let’s Get Together, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah: What Obama and a GOP Congress Can do on Foreign Policy,” James Carafano – The Daily Signal, November 9, 2014 “Election Losses Give Obama Weaker Hand Overseas,” Terry Atlas – Bloomberg, November 7, 2014 “Will Obama and Republicans Get Along on Iran, Syria and Russia?” Elise Labott – CNN, November 7, 2014 “What do the U.S. Midterms Mean for Foreign Policy Toward the Americas?” Carl Meacham – Center for Strategic and International Studies, November 6, 2014 Déjà vu as U.S. Troops Return to Iraq/ISIS “Barack Obama Doubles US Troop Levels for War Against ISIS in Iraq,” Spencer Ackerman and Tom McCarthy – The Guardian, November 8, 2014 “Double or Nothing on the Islamic State,” James Traub – Foreign Policy, November 7, 2014 “The Spy Who Told Me: Can We Handle the Truth About the Islamic State?,” John McLaughlin –OZY, November 10, 2014 “The Ultimate Fatal Attraction: 5 Reasons People Join ISIS,” Maha Yahya – The National Interest, November 7, 2014 Obama Reaches Out to Iran “Letters to the Ayatollah: Why Obama's Latest Outreach to Iran's Supreme Leader Was a Mistake,” Suzanne Maloney – Brookings, November 7, 2014 “Pen-Palling with the Ayatollah,” Trita Parsi – Foreign Policy, November 7, 2014 “A Troubling Letter to an Unbending Ayatollah,” Jeffrey Goldberg – The Atlantic, November 7, 2014 “Obama’s Bet on Iran,” Jackson Diehl – The Washington Post, November 9, 2014 Israel “Netanyahu is Losing Europe’s Goodwill, Even Germany’s,” David Gardner – Financial Times, November 10, 2014 Libya "The US Ruined Libya," Stephen Kinzer – The Boston Globe, November 7, 2014 China, the U.S. and Russia “China’s Russia Power Play,” Tom Risen – U.S. News & World Report, November 10, 2014 “A New Model for China-US Relations?,” Wei Zongyou – The Diplomat, November 10, 2014 North Korea “Why North Korea Released Two Americans,” Gordon G. Chang – The Daily Beast, November 8, 2014 Catalan Independence “Catalan Leader to Step up Independence Push as 80% Vote to Split From Spain,” Ashifa Kassam –The Guardian, November 10, 2014 “What Catalonia’s Independence Vote Means,” Matthew Moffett – The Wall Street Journal, November 10, 2014 France “The Lost Children: France Takes Stock of a Growing Jihadist Problem,” Julia Amalia Heyer – Spiegel Online International, November 6, 2014 Reflections on the Fall of the Wall – 25 Years Ago “The Day the Wall Came Down,” Fred Kaplan – Slate, November 7, 2014 “The Free Market Did Not Bring Down the Berlin Wall,” Melvyn P. Leffler – Foreign Policy, November 7, 2014 “Germany Then and Now,” Josef Janning – European Council on Foreign Relations, November 8, 2014 “8 Things That Were Better in East Germany*” Paul Hockenos – Foreign Policy, November 7, 2014 But, Amidst Celebrations, Warnings of a New Cold War “Gorbachev Warns World on the Brink of a New Cold War,” Stefan Wagstyl – Financial Times, November 8, 2014 “Close Military Encounters Between Russia and the West 'at Cold War Levels,'” Ewen MacAskill –The Guardian, November 9, 2014

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Wednesday, October 29, 2014    Updates on Ebola and the attack in Canada. Assessing the elections in Brazil and Ukraine. Plus, analysis of developments in Asia and the Middle East.

Ebola Update "Why Wasn't the WHO Ready for Ebola?" Joshua Keating - Slate, October 22, 2014    Canada after the Shooting "Keep Calm and Carry On, Stephen Harper," Stephen M. Walt - Foreign Policy, October 24, 2014   "Our Laws are up to the Homegrown Terror Threat," Benjamin Perrin - The Globe and Mail, October 25, 2014   Parsing Brazil's Election Results "Rousseff Must Fight the Second-Term Blues," Jewellord Nem Singh - Real Clear World, October 27, 2014   "Brazil Election Results: What to Expect From Dilma's Second Term," Kevin Lees - Suffragio, October 26, 2014   "Under Rousseff or Neves, Brazil's Left Will Remain Powerful," Daniel Lemaitre - Real Clear World, October 26, 2014    Ukraine after the Vote "Ukraine Votes, With More Strife to Come," Leonid Bershidsky - Bloomberg View, October 27, 2014   "Ukrainians Vote to Face West," Matt Schiavenza - The Atlantic, October 26, 2014   "Ukraine Election Exit Polls: The New Parliament Will Resist Putin and Defend Ukraine," Paul Roderick Gregory - Forbes, October 26, 2014   "And Now For Hybrid Politics," Elizabeth Pond - German Council on Foreign Relations, October 27, 2014    Russia "Russia's Empire State of Mind," Pyotr Romanov - The Moscow Times, October 26, 2014   "Wake Up, Europe," George Soros - The New York Review of Books, November 20, 2014, Volume 61, Number 18   Watching China "Can China Rise Peacefully?" John J. Mearsheimer - The National Interest, October 25, 2014   "Not Made in China," Nathan Siegel - Ozy, October 28, 2014   "New Rules for China's War on Terror?" Kendrick Kuo and Johns Hopkins - East Asia Forum, October 25, 2014   "China Pivots to Europe," Paul Ames - Global Post, October 23, 2014    The Koreas "North Korea Enlists the Help of Cuba and China in Shielding Kim Jong Un From ICC," Colum Lynch - Foreign Policy, October 24, 2014   "Korea's Branding Woes," Luke Stanhope - The Diplomat, October 26, 2014   Postcard from Vietnam "Vietnam's Tale of Two Cities," Elisabeth Rosen - The Diplomat, October 24, 2014    Tunisia and the Arab Spring "Tunisia Boldly Embraces Democracy," Jackson Diehl - The Washington Post, October 26, 2014   "The Tunisia Model," Brian Klaas and Marcel Dirsus - Foreign Affairs, October 23, 2014    ISIS Funding and the Next Generation of Fighters "Cutting off ISIS' Cash Flow," Charles Lister - Brookings, October 24, 2014   "The World's Wealthiest Terrorists," Russell Berman - The Atlantic, October 23, 2014   "Children of the Caliphate," Kate Brannen - Foreign Policy, October 27, 2014    Israel and its Neighbors "The Arab World Needs All the Help it Can Get," Jake Wallis Simons - The Jerusalem Post, October 26, 2014   "Israel's Baffling Policies Only Encourage a Third Intifada," Hussein Ibish - The National, October 25, 2014   _______________________________________________________________________     Councils, if you would like to distribute, please visit the WACA Leadership Network and go to Program Resources for an unformatted version of Weekly World News Update.    Please acknowledge that this product was produced by the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh and distributed nationwide by the World Affairs Councils of America.

 

 

 

 

Anna Berry, Executive Director of the World Affairs Council, was invited on an Intercultural Exchange trip to Turkey this summer on behalf of the Turkish Cultural Center of New Hampshire. The delegation also included academic leaders from Vermont and Maine. During the one-week tour, the group visited Istanbul, Izmir, Neveshir, Kayseri and Konya. In addition to seeing cultural sites, the group also met with local academic institutions and non-profits and enjoyed dinner in local homes (above).

"It was exciting to experience life in a country that has been at the crossroads of civilization for centuries," Anna Berry said. "I'm grateful to the Turkish Cultural Center for the incredible opportunity!"

See more photos of the trip below:

The group toured Mevlana University in Konya and learned about higher education in Turkey.

The group at a viewpoint overlooking Istanbul and the Bosphorus.

The group visits Ephesus.

The group enjoying traditional Turkish kebabs.

Find out what Google leader Ross LaJeunesse had to say about freedom and power in the digital age by watching video of the 4th annual Global Business Summit online.

http://avstream.snhu.edu:8134/videoplayer.html?source=rtmp:/publicvids/WorldAffairsForum9-14

Global Ties US is excited to announce a new program for international students studying in America. International students face countless competing desires to make the most of their experience in the United States, both personally and professionally. While international students want to travel and connect with American families at a more personal level, they are also concerned about securing an internship or job in their chosen fields of study.

Meet America offers both! It combines meaningful cultural experiences with substantial career preparation for the U.S. job market. APPLY HERE!

Richard Cary, a retired architect who is living in Boston, recently traveled to Iran as part of the World Affairs Councils of America “Travel the World” program. Cary, currently a member of the World Affairs Council of NH, worked and lived abroad on four continents and has learned 3 languages. Living and traveling abroad has been an important part of both his and his late wife’s life for nearly 60 years.

Cary’s life as an architect peaked his interest in how people design and construct their living environment, historically and contemporary. The most interesting things he found while he was in Iran was the Persepolis, which is the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire. He also found the citadel, and the traditional garden of Bagh-e Tarikhi very interesting.

Cary describes the openness and friendliness of the people as being surprising to him, and he believes that the present regime cannot suppress these people for long. He felt that the trip lacked a social and daily aspect of how the urban dwellers of Iran live. He wished he was able to see the daily life and experience school, home, worship, shopping, and community activity to see the way everyone on that side of the world is living in comparison to our everyday lives.

Cary has read extensively about Islam, and lived in the Arab part of the world, The many talks on the Persians and subsequent reading have certainly enriched his understanding and he is grateful for the experience to have been able to travel with the World Affairs Council on this trip to Iran.

His trip to Iran with the World Affairs Council was what he thought would be interesting as a member of the World Affairs Council of NH, but also to just be with the group of other members who would be going on the trip, of whom he thought would be interesting unto themselves. He wanted to “explore and ageless culture in a format I hoped I could tolerate. It worked. Consider this a bucket-list adventure.” 

ABOVE: One of the many travel groups that visited Iran, thanks to the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia. Your local Council partners with Philadelphia to bring these unique travel opportunities to YOU- check out all the trips offered here.

At the Council's annual meeting in June, members elected four new trustees for three-year terms. Welcome! Read more about our new Board Members below.

   Charles Davis Farmer, East Kingston

Davis Farmer is Founder and Chairman of MSM Protein Technologies based in Woburn, MA and Russia. MSM is the pre-eminent company for the discovery of antibodies to complex cell membrane proteins. He holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Vermont. Davis is past Chair of Squamscott Community Commons and founding member of the board of the New Hampshire BioMedical Council. He also serves as NH Commercial Consul to Australia and New Zealand.

   Thomas Hildreth, Hollis

Tom is Director and Chair of Immigration & Law Practice Group at McLane Law Firm. He has been counseling a diverse mix of closely-held business clients for nearly 20 years. In addition, Tom has substantial experience in  real estate development, telecommunications, and franchise law. He has served as President of the Nashua Association for the Elderly; Trustee of the Beaver Brook Association; Member of the Board of Advisors at First Colebrook Bank; Founding Member of the Hollis-Brookline Rotary Club; and Selectman, Treasurer and Member of the Strategic Planning and Budget committees for the Town of Hollis.

   Geoff Moody, Dunbarton

Geoff Moody is the Associate Vice President of International Programs at SNHU.  Geoff's work revolves around international education and he has extensive experience living and working abroad.  He spent over a decade in Europe, living for eight years in northern Italy with shorter stints in Barcelona, Paris, and Greece.  Prior to his position at SNHU, Geoff was the Director of International Recruitment at Green River College in Washington State and Director of the International Center at Hawaii Pacific University.  Geoff holds a Bachelor's degree in Biology from New Mexico State University and an MBA from the University of Washington.

   Virginia Szymanowski, Bedford

Ginny Szymanowski graduated magna cum laude from Boston University in 1974, earned an MBA with distinction from Babson College in 1980 and an MS in taxation from Bentley College in 1991.  Ginny is a certified public accountant and member of the American Institute of CPAs. After beginning her career with the audit staff at Peat, Marwick, Mitchell, & Co in Boston, she later entered the non-profit sector, serving as Director of Finance at the NH Historical Society and Families First of the Greater Seacoast Health Center; and Chief of Staff at US FIRST.  Ginny, along with her husband Joe, has hosted many groups of foreign visitors through WACNH.  Ginny and Joe are also supporters of the Currier Museum of Art, the NH Historical Society, US FIRST, Manchester Historic Association, the NH Institute of Art, the Manchester Community Music School and Canterbury Shaker Village.