Instant Issues on Taiwan with Dr. Sara Newland of Smith College
02/11/2025
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present Dr. Sara Newland, Assistant Professor of Government at Smith College, on Democracy in the Shadow of Great-power Competition: The Politics of Taiwan on Tuesday, February 11 at noon at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield.
Instant Issues: Challenges for the US/Mexico Bilateral Relationship with the Two New Administrations
12/11/2024
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present Mexican Consul General Alberto Fierro Garza at an Instant Issues lunchtime discussion event on Challenges for the US/Mexico bilateral relationship with the two new administrations on Tuesday, December 11 at noon at 1350 Main Street 9th Floor Gallery in downtown Springfield.
Instant Issues: Journalist Charu Gupta on Hindutva & its Rise to Political Prominence in India
10/29/2024
The World Affairs Council will present journalist Charu Gupta at an Instant Issues lunchtime discussion event on The Multiple Mythologies Behind Hindutva and its Rise to Political Prominence in India Tuesday, October 29, 2024 at noon in the 1350 Main Street 9th Floor Gallery in downtown Springfield. This event will not be recorded so please make every effort to attend if you are interested.
Annual Meeting & Dinner:
10/10/2024
The Board of Directors of the World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts cordially invite you to attend the 98th Annual Meeting and Dinner with featured speaker Dr. Martha Hodes on her book My Hijacking: A Personal History of Forgetting and Remembering. Martha Hodes is professor of history at New York University. On September 6, 1970, she--then 12 years old--and her 13-year-old sister were flying unaccompanied back to New York City from Israel when their plane was hijacked by members of the secular Marxist group, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and forced to land in the Jordan desert. Nearly a half-century later, her memories of those six days and nights as a hostage were hazy and scattered. Drawing on deep archival research, childhood memories, and conversations with relatives, friends, and fellow hostages, Hodes set out to re-create what happened to her. As the hostages forged friendships and provoked conflicts, the sisters learned about the lives and causes of their captors, pondering a deadly divide that continues today. As a personal history, My Hijacking ultimately brings the author to a deeper understanding of what happened in the Jordan desert, prompting a complex confrontation with trauma and empathy.
Instant Issues: John Feffer on What Do Voters Want & Will They Get it?
09/19/2024
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present John Feffer, Director of Foreign Policy in Focus and Global Just Transition at the Institute for Policy Studies, on What Do Voters Want and Will They Get it?, a round-up of recent national elections in France, the United Kingdom, Iran, and elsewhere, on Thursday, September 19, 2024 at noon in the 9th Floor Gallery, 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield.
Mara Kardas- Nelson on The Seductive Promise of Microfinance
06/27/2024
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present journalist Mara Kardas-Nelson on her new book, We Are Not Able To Live In The Sky: The Seductive Promise of Microfinance on Thursday, June 27, 2024 at 5:30 pm, at Elegant Affairs, 1380 Main Street in downtown Springfield. A light supper buffet will be provided. The cost is $30 for World Affairs Council members and $40 for nonmembers. We will also present our Sue C. Root Citizen Diplomacy Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to the US Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program.
Ousmane Power-Greene on American Abolitionists' Impact on Modern Day Black Power Movements in Europe
05/29/2024
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present an Instant Issues After Hours discussion event featuring Dr. Ousmane Power-Greene, the E. Franklin Frazier Chair of Africana Studies and Professor of history at Clark University, on American Abolitionists' Impact on Modern Day Black Power Movements in Europe Wednesday, May 29, 2024 at 5:45 pm, in the 9th Floor Gallery at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield. The cost is $25 for World Affairs Council members and $30 for non-members. A light supper will be provided. (Please contact our office at 413-733-0110 if you need a vegan or gluten-free meal or if you are high school or undergraduate student.) Registration required by Monday, May 21.
Instant Issues: MOITI Executive Director Jeevan Ramapriya
04/29/2024
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present an Instant Issues Lunchtime discussion event featuring Jeevan Ramapriya, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment, on Monday, April 29, 2024 at Noon, in the 9th Floor Gallery at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield.
Instant Issues: Arthur House on "Foreign Influence on US Elections"
03/11/2024
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present an Instant Issues Lunchtime discussion event featuring Arthur House, former Chief Cybersecurity Risk Officer for the State of Connecticut, on Foreign Influnce on US Elections on Monday, March 11, 2024 at Noon, in the 9th Floor Gallery at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield.
Instant Issues on Putin's Waiting Game with Dr. Constantine Pleshakov November 30
11/30/2023
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present an Instant Issues Lunchtime discussion event featuring Dr. Constantine Pleshakov, author and Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science at Amherst College, on Putin's Waiting Game on Thursday, November 30, 2023 at Noon, in the 9th Floor Gallery at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield.
Instant Issues with Greg White: Refugees of the Apocalypse?: A Critique of the Concept of “Climate Refugees"
09/18/2023
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present an Instant Issues event featuring Dr. Gregory White, Mary Huggins Gamble Professor of Government; Chair of Environmental Science and Policy at Smith College, on Refugees of the Apocalypse?: A Critique of the Concept of “Climate Refugees" on Monday, September18, 2023 at Noon, in the 9th Floor Gallery at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield.
Instant Issues: Massachusetts & Catalonia, strengthening a partnership
05/12/2023
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present an Instant Issues event featuring Isidre Sala Queralt, the Head of the Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to the United States and Canada, on Massachusetts & Catalonia, strengthening a partnership on Friday, May 12, 2023 at Noon, in the 9th Floor Gallery at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield. Isidre Sala Queralt was the Director General for Global Affairs from April to September 2019 at the Secretariat for Foreign Affairs and European Union of the Government of Catalonia, where he previously was Director General for Multilateral and European Affairs . From these posts, he worked to foster cooperation between the Government of Catalonia and the multilateral organizations in order to maximize Catalonia’s potential contribution to the main global challenges. From 2014 to 2017, he promoted Catalonia’s policy in international finance institutions and other international organizations with an economic mandate.
Instant Issues: U.S. Department of Commerce and Assisting Western MA Exporters Go Global
04/27/2023
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present Director of the Boston Office of the U.S. Commercial Service James Paul on U.S. Department of Commerce and Assisting Western MA Exporters Go Global on Thursday, April 27, 2023, at Noon, in the 9th Floor Community Room at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield. Jim Paul is Director of the Boston Office for the U.S. Commercial Service, a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. Jim will discuss his agency’s Rural Export Center and many other resources that help Western Massachusetts organizations compete and win in the global marketplace. He will also brief on available assistance to enhance foreign direct investment, travel and tourism from abroad, and international student recruitment to the area’s local high schools and universities.
Mike Chinoy on American Journalists Covering China
03/21/2023
Veteran journalist Mike Chinoy will speak at a luncheon on his new book, Assignment China: An Oral History of American Journalists in the People's Republic. The book tells the story of how American journalists have covered China—from the civil war of the 1940s through the COVID-19 pandemic—in their own words. They share behind-the-scenes stories of reporting on historic moments such as Richard Nixon’s groundbreaking visit in 1972, China’s opening up to the outside world and its emergence as a global superpower, and the crackdowns in Tiananmen Square and Xinjiang.
Mouloud Said on The Human Face of the Western Sahara Conflict
02/09/2023
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present US Representative of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic in Washington in conversation with Nina Nedrebø, on The Rights of the People of Western Sahara: The Human Face of the Conflict on Thursday, February 9 at 5:00 PM EDT, in the 9th Floor Gallery at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield. The event is free and open to the public, but advanced registration is required. Light refreshments will be provided.
Instant Issues: Women & Youth Movements in Iran
01/13/2023
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present longtime friend of the Council Attorney Mahsa Khanbabai, Khanbabai Immigration Law, on Women and Youth Movements in Iran on Friday, January 13 at Noon EDT, in the 9th Floor Gallery at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield. Attorney Khanbabai was born in Iran and raised in Western Massachusetts. She is regularly interviewed by news agencies such as NPR, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, MSNBC, and others. Her legal advocacy and strategic use of the media spotlight has led to numerous high impact immigration changes including the reinstatement of Deferred Action.
Instant Issues: Right Across the World - Italy, Sweden & Brazil
11/30/2022
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present John Feffer, director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies, on "Right Across the World: Italy, Sweden & Brazil" on Wednesday, November 30, 2022 at Noon EDT, in the Community Room at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield. John Feffer is the author of several books and numerous articles. His latest non-fiction book is "Right Across the World: The Global Networking of the Far-Right and the Left Response ". He is a senior associate at the Asia Institute in Seoul and has been both a Writing Fellow at Provisions Library in Washington, DC and a PanTech fellow in Korean Studies at Stanford University. He is a former associate editor of World Policy Journal. He has worked as an international affairs representative in Eastern Europe and East Asia for the American Friends Service Committee. The Instant Issues series is generously sponsored by Wilbraham & Monson Academy, Glenmeadow, & Sir Speedy. Special thanks to NAI Plotkin
96th Annual Meeting Featuring Farah Pandith on How to Win: Soft Power & Fighting Hate
10/25/2022
The Board of Directors of the World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts cordially invite you to attend the 96th Annual Meeting and Dinner with featured speaker Farah Pandith on How We Win: Soft power and Fighting Hate. Farah Pandith is an author, foreign policy strategist, and former diplomat. A world-leading expert and pioneer in countering violent extremism, she is a frequent media commentator and public speaker. Her book is How We Win: How Cutting-Edge Entrepreneurs, Political Visionaries, Enlightened Business Leaders, and Social Media Mavens Can Defeat the Extremist Threat. She served as a political appointee under Presidents George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, and most recently she was the first-ever Special Representative to Muslim Communities, serving both Secretaries Hillary Clinton and John Kerry. She has served on the National Security Council, at the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in various senior roles. She is a senior fellow with the Future of Diplomacy Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School as well as an adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. In fall 2020, the Muhammad Ali Center named Pandith the first-ever Muhammad Ali Global Peace Laureate for her proven track record of and commitment to promoting diversity, cohesion and respect. Special thanks to NAI Plotkin This event is generously sponsored by M & T Bank.
Instant Issues: Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific: Evolution of a Eurasian Century?
09/28/2022
Our first Instant Issues brown bag lunchtime discussion of the 2022-2023 program year will take place at noon on Wednesday, September 28, 2022 at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield. Dr. Dennis T. Yasutomo, Esther Cloudman Dunn Professor Emeritus of Government at Smith College, will speak on Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific: Evolution of a Eurasian Century? Dennis Yasutomo will look at the impact of the crisis in Ukraine on the emerging Euro-Asian geopolitical dynamics involving China, the US, Japan, Australia and Europe's enhanced involvement in the Indo-Pacific region. Advanced registration is required. No walk ins. Audience size will be limited to allow social distancing so be sure to register early!
Panel: Friends from Afghanistan: The Refugee Experience in Western Massachusetts
05/18/2022
We are pleased to present Friends from Afghanistan: The Refugee Experience in Western Massachusetts a panel discussion featuring Nazifa Hassan Safie, Safieullah Safie, and Amran Faith, all of whom came to Western Massachusetts in the fall of 2021 after evacuating Afghanistan. Dianne Fuller Doherty will moderate. The event will begin with a light halal supper followed by the program. This program is generously sponsored by Incredible Toys and the Zonta Club of Quaboag Valley. Special thanks to NAI Plotkin.
Instant Issues IN PERSON: Dr. Laura Reed on "Avoiding World War III"
04/20/2022
We are very excited that our return to in-person events will be an Instant Issues brown bag lunch discussion on Wednesday, April 20, 2022 at Noon EDT, featuring Council favorite Dr. Laura Reed on "Avoiding World War III: Nuclear Threats in Europe", in the 3rd Floor Community Room at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield. Instant Issues is generously sponsored by Wilbraham & Monson Academy, Glenmeadow, and Sir Speedy. Audience size will be limited to allow for social distancing so please register early! Dr. Reed is a lecturer at the Commonwealth Honors College at the University of Massachusetts--Amherst. She served as Assistant Director of the Five College Program in Peace and World Security Studies, a Fellow in the Managing the Atom Program at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and as a Research Scientist in MIT’s Security Studies Program. You must register and pay in advance. No walk-ins. Laura Reed’s talk will also be available virtually. Council board member Jeremy Cole and his company, Jdcole-TV, will be providing the equipment and personnel to stream her talk on YouTube Live. A link will be sent out to everyone on our mailing list closer to the date of the event. This will be free and you will not need to register. If you are not currently on our mailing list, please go to the home page of this website to subscribe.
Instant Issues Online: Constantine Pleshakov on "Russia's Foreign Policy in the 21st Century"
03/09/2022
On Wednesday, March 9, 2022 at Noon EST, The World Affairs Council will present author Dr. Constantine Pleshakov at an Instant Issues event on Russia's Foreign Policy in the 21st Century. A former foreign policy analyst at the Institute of U.S. and Canada Studies in Moscow, Constantine Pleshakov emigrated to America in 1998. He has published six books on geopolitics, war, and revolution, translated into twelve languages. His most recent book is The Crimean Nexus: Putin's War and the Clash of Civilizations. Other titles include The Tsar's Last Armada: The Epic Voyage to the Battle of Tsushima, Stalin's Folly: The Tragic First Ten Days of World War II on the Eastern Front, and There Is No Freedom Without Bread! 1989 and the Civil War That Brought Down Communism. A native of Yalta in Crimea, he is currently a visiting professor at Amherst College. This event is free and open to the public.
Instant Issues Online: Bill Scher on Edward Stettinius and the Creation of the U.N.
02/17/2022
Freelance writer and podcaster Bill Scher will speak at an Instant Issues Online event on He Saved the World: Edward Stettinius and the Creation of the U.N. on Thursday, February 17 at noon ET. The almost-completely forgotten Secretary of State for Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, Edward R. Stettinius, Jr. did more than anyone to create the United Nations, navigating a thicket of international disputes to maintain consensus between FDR, Churchill, Stalin and a litany of smaller nations to forge the final U.N. Charter. Bill Scher is a Contributing Editor to Politico Magazine and a Contributor to Real Clear Politics. He is the host of the history podcast "When America Worked: True Tales of America's Pragmatist Heroes," as well as co-host of "The DMZ" online show and podcast with conservative writer Matt Lewis produced by Bloggingheads.tv.
Instant Issues Online: Dr. Omar Dahi on Climate Change and Global Insecurity
01/27/2022
The World Affairs Council will present Dr. Omar Dahi, Associate Professor of economics at Hampshire College and a research associate at the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, at an Instant Issues event on "Global Insecurity: Climate Change, Inequality, and War in the 21st Century".
Poland’s Quarrel with the EU: A Prelude to Polexit?
12/13/2021
Mr. Gedeon Werner, Novak Family Endowed Polish Chair at Quinnipiac University, will shed a light on the most recent dispute between Poland and European Union. This event is generously sponsored by Glenmeadow, Sir Speedy, and Wilbraham and Monson Academy.
Instant Issues Online The State Department & Racial Equity
12/01/2021
On Wednesday, December 1 at 1:00 PM EST, The World Affairs Council will present an Instant Issues Online event on The State Department & Racial Equity featuring Desiree Cormier Smith, Senior Advisor in the Bureau of International Organizational Affairs, and Maryum Saifee, Senior Advisor in the Secretary of State's Office of Diversity and Inclusion. The program will be moderated by longtime member and friend of the Council, Western New England School of Law Professor Matthew Charity. This event is generously sponsored by Glenmeadow, Sir Speedy, and Wilbraham and Monson Academy.
95th Annual Meeting: Esam Boraey on "Lessons for Activists From the Arab Spring"
11/22/2021
Join us in celebrating our virtual 95th Annual Meeting with featured speaker Esam Boraey, Visiting Professor of Public Policy at Wesleyan University, on "From Egypt to the US: Lessons for Activists From the Arab Spring". Esam Boraey is a human rights activist working for freedom and democracy in the Middle East. He began his career as an activist over 10 ago when he and a group of 6 other youth leaders gathered on the steps of Egypt’s Supreme Court, calling for justice, freedom, and democracy, in the first direct protest against the president in over six decades. He played a key role in the Egyptian revolution of 2011, which helped overthrow Hosni Mubarak.
CHINA Town Hall | Local & National Perspectives
10/19/2021
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts and the Five College Center for East Asian Studies are pleased to present National Committee on U.S. China Relations (NCUSCR) CHINA Town Hall virtually on Tuesday, October 19. The local program will start at 6:00 PM EDT with Smith College Associate Professor of Government and NCUSCR Public Intellectuals Program Fellow Sara Newland on Taiwan and the future of US-China relations. At 7:00 PM EDT we will join the NCUSCR 's broadcast, featuring CNN host and best-selling author Fareed Zakaria on how the U.S.-China relationship affects our cities, towns, and communities. From supply chains to national security, new technologies to climate change, the future of both countries will be determined by their relations with one another and the global community. Zakaria will examine the challenges and opportunities for both countries as they confront the most critical issues of the 21st century.
Global Security Forum 2021
10/02/2021
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts is pleased and proud to join the World Affairs Council of Connecticut in presenting Global Security Forum 2021 on October 1 & 2. The Global Security Forum brings the world's top leadership directly to the citizenry. Generals, experts, policymakers, and foreign leaders convene in Connecticut, a center for national defense, to address the most critical global security issues of today and the opportunities of tomorrow. Previous Global Security Forums have featured speakers including current Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, General Daniel Hokanson, 29 th Chief, National Guard Bureau, General David Petraeus, U.S. Army (Ret.), Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, nominee, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, Dr. Richard Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations, and more. GSF 2021 will be hosted virtually and in person to address the central theme: Competing for the future. GSF2021 will explore emerging technologies, evolving battlefronts, and shifting global power centers to address why nations must innovate to day in order to compete for tomorrow.
State Department's Ryan Murphy on Sports Diplomacy in Western Massachusetts & Beyond
09/22/2021
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts and Springfield will co-present a virtual event titled "Sports Diplomacy in Western Massachusetts and Beyond," scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 22, starting at 7 p.m. The evening will feature Ryan Murphy, Program Officer in the Sports Diplomacy Division of the State Department. Since 2009, Murphy has been directly overseeing the International Sports Programming Initiative (ISPI) for the Sports Diplomacy Division of the State Department, the division’s annual sports grant competition portfolio. In addition, he also serves as a liaison with the United States Olympic Committee and National Governing Bodies of Sport. Mr. Murphy will be in in conversation with Ms. Irene Rotondo ’22, Editor-in-Chief of The Springfield Student and a Communications/Sports Journalism major.
Dr. Katherine Brown on Afghanistan: How to Keep Supporting Our Allies
09/09/2021
Dr. Katherine Brown, President and CEO of Global Ties US and author of "Your Country, Our War: The Press and Diplomacy in Afghanistan", will on Thursday, September 9 at 2:00 PM EDT on "Afghanistan: How to Keep Supporting Our Allies" via Zoom. The event is free and open to the public. Before joining Global Ties US--the largest and oldest citizen diplomacy network in the United States--in 2018, Dr. Brown was a Public Policy Manager at Facebook, Inc., where she was also in residence as a Council on Foreign Relations’ (CFR) International Affairs Fellow. From 2013-2016, she served as the Executive Director of the United States Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State, an office authorized by Congress to appraise and strengthen U.S. engagement activities with foreign citizens. Dr. Brown previously served in the U.S. government as an assistant to the National Security Advisor at the White House; as a communications advisor at the American Embassy in Kabul; and as a Professional Staff Member at the Committee on Foreign Affairs at the U.S. House of Representatives.
Instant Issues Online: Mexico/US Today: Neighbors, Partners and Friends
06/09/2021
Consul General of Mexico Alberto Fierro Garza will speak at an Instant Issues Online event on Mexico/US Today: Neighbors, Partners and Friends on Wednesday, June 9 at Noon (EDT). Consul General Fierro was previously the Minister for Culture and Education at the Mexican Embassy to the United States and Executive Director of the Mexican Cultural Institute. He has been a member of Mexico's Diplomatic Corps since 1993. At the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he has served as Director General for Educational and Cultural Cooperation and Deputy Director General for North America. He was the Consul of Mexico in Orlando, FL and in St. Paul, MN. Early in his career he served as Deputy Cultural Attaché at the Mexican Embassy in Washington and as Cultural Attaché at the Mexican Embassy in Canada. If you have difficulty registering, try using a browser such as Chrome or a different device. If you do not have a PayPal account, you can click through when paying and check out with a regular credit card as a guest. Contact us if you continue to have trouble and we will get you registered. This event is generously sponsored by Glenmeadow, Sir Speedy, and Wilbraham and Monson Academy.
Instant Issues Online: UK CG Peter Abbott on Global Britain and the UK-US Special Relationship
05/04/2021
Dr. Peter Abbott, OBE, British Consul General to New England will speak to us on Tuesday, May 4 at 2:00 PM EDT on Global Britain and the UK-US Special Relationship. Dr Abbott has been a member of Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service for 15 years. Before becoming British Consul General to New England in 2020, he served as Counsellor at the British High Commission in Islamabad, Pakistan, with operational oversight of the largest mission in the UK’s overseas diplomatic network. Deputy Consul Tom Nickalls will also take part in this presentation. This event is free.
Instant Issues Online: Dean Sudha Setty on National Security Priorities in Biden's First 100 Days
04/15/2021
Western New England University School of Law Dean Sudha Setty will speak at a virtual event on National Security Priorities in Biden’s First 100 Days on Thursday, April 15, 2021 at Noon (EDT). Sudha Setty became Dean of the School of Law in 2018, and has served on the faculty since 2006. Dean Setty has taught courses in Constitutional Law, Law & Terrorism, National Security & Government Accountability, Contracts, and Business Organizations. She was a visiting scholar at the University of Cape Town Faculty of Law in 2018, a Fulbright Senior Specialist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law in 2014, and a Visiting Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2011. She was awarded Western New England Law School's Catherine J. Jones Professor of Year Award in 2009, 2016, and 2018, was recognized in 2015 as Trailblazer by the South Asian Bar Association of Connecticut, and received the 2017 Tapping Reeve Legal Educator Award from the Connecticut Bar Association. In July 2018, she was elected to membership in the American Law Institute.
Former CNN Asia Correspondent Mike Chinoy on the Rise of the Human Rights Movement
03/24/2021
Former CNN Asia Correspondent--and Northampton native--Mike Chinoy will speak to us at a virtual event on his new book Are You With Me?: Kevin Boyle and the Rise of the Human Rights Movement on Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at 7:30 PM. This event is presented in cooperation with the Western New England University School of Law. As a foreign correspondent for CNN for 24 years, Mike Chinoy won Emmy, Peabody and Dupont awards for his journalism. While he worked primarily in China and North Korea, he also reported on the Troubles in Northern Ireland in the 1970s and 80s. It was during this time that he met Kevin Boyle. Chinoy is currently a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the University of Southern California’s US-China Institute and is based in Hong Kong. His books include China Live: People, Power, and Television Revolution (1999), Meltdown: The Inside Story of the North Korean Nuclear Crisis (2008), and The Last POW (2014). Are You With Me? is currently available in Kindle format in the US with the paperback due to be released here on March 1. Generously sponsored by Glenmeadow and Wilbraham & Monson Academy.
Instant Issues Online: Photojournalist Winslow Martin on Nagorno Karabakh Conflict
02/10/2021
Documentary photographer Winslow Martin will speak at an Instant Issues Online event on Wednesday, February 10, 2021 at noon ET on Behind the Soldier: A Journal of the War over Nagorno Karabakh. In Behind the Soldier Martin chronicles with words and pictures what he witnessed in Armenia, during its war against Azerbaijan. The war was fought over the long-disputed territories of Nagorno Karabakh. Martin stayed in the capital of Yerevan, realizing that everyone, everywhere was in the war. Armenia is a small country, so the battle front was always close to home. His photos of volunteers helping the cause, soldiers going and coming from war, refugees, street demonstrations, funerals, etc. combined with this commentary tell a compelling story about Armenia and life during war. (Pictured here: Volunteers prepare Yerevan’s Yerablur Cemetery for multiple burials a day.) Martin will be in conversation with longtime friend of the Council, Elizabeth Winship, former Senior Assistant Director of Admissions at Elms College and current Head Librarian at Wroclaw International School in Poland. The cost for this event is $10, free for students. Generously sponsored by Glenmeadow and Wilbraham & Monson Academy.
Dr. Dan Shapiro on Negotiating the Non Negotiables in the Arab-Israeli Conflict and Beyond January 26
01/26/2021
We're pleased to partner with the MS in Leadership and Negotiation at Bay Path University in presenting Dr. Daniel Shapiro at virtual presentation on Negotiating the Non Negotiables in the Arab-Israeli Conflict and Beyond on Tuesday, January 26, 2021 7:00 PM EST. Our world is awash in conflict–from the on-going Arab-Israeli conflict to the combusting mix of the pandemic, economic turmoil, and political divisiveness. Why are modern conflicts so difficult to resolve, and what can we do about it? Drawing on his work in the Middle East and elsewhere, Dr. Shapiro will present a framework he has developed to illuminate underlying psychological complexities fueling present-day conflict—and will offer insight on how to move forward. Dr. Daniel Shapiro is the founder and director of the Harvard International Negotiation Program. Dr. Shapiro teaches a highly evaluated course on negotiation at Harvard College; instructs psychology interns at Harvard Medical School/McLean Hospital; and leads executive education sessions at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, Harvard Kennedy School, and Harvard Medical School/McLean Hospital. He has served on the faculty at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, and at the Sloan School of Management at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is author of Negotiating the Nonnegotiable, which Matthew Bishop of the Economist Group called, “Quite simply, the best book I have ever read on negotiating in situations of extreme conflict,” and is coauthor with Roger Fisher of Beyond Reason: Using Emotions as You Negotiate. Dr. Shapiro has launched successful conflict resolution initiatives in the Middle East, Europe, and East Asia and for three years chaired the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Conflict Resolution. He developed a conflict management curriculum that has reached one million youth across more than 20 countries. He is recipient of numerous awards, including the American Psychological Association’s Early Career Award and the Cloke-Millen Peacemaker of the Year Award.
The State Department's Deputy Director for Venezuelan Affairs Marlaina R. Casey on Venezuela & US Foreign Policy in the Region
12/09/2020
The US Department of State Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs Deputy Director for Venezuelan Affairs Marlaina R. Casey, will address community members of the World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts on December 9 at 4:00 PM EST. Ms. Casey will provide insight into the ongoing situation in Venezuela and US foreign policy in the region. Marlaina Casey has worked for the State Department since 2007 in various capacities including as Director of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Migration and Security Advisor for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs; Strategic Communications Officer for Mexico and Canada; Deputy Political Chief and Deputy Consular Chief in Amman, Jordan; Desk Officer for Rwanda and Burundi; and Special Assistant to the U.S. Special Envoy to Africa’s Great Lakes Region. Ms. Casey obtained her MPA and BA from the University of Delaware and studied Spanish at the University of Modern Languages in Granada, Spain. The cost for this event is $5, free for students. Generously sponsored by Glenmeadow and Wilbraham & Monson Academy
KRG US Rep Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman on US and Kurdistan Region, Iraq: A Growing Partnership
11/12/2020
Members of the Council who attended the World Affairs Councils of America National Conference in 2018 may remember we hosted Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, US Representative of the Kurdistan Regional Government, at our table during the Ambassadors Luncheon. (She is pictured here with board member John Perez, Sr.) We are pleased to welcome her to speak to us on "US and Kurdistan Region, Iraq: A Growing Partnership" at a virtual event on Thursday, November 12 at 6:30 PM. Key to her role are strengthening ties between Kurdistan and the United States, advocating her government’s position on a wide array of political, security, humanitarian, economic, and cultural matters and promoting coordination and partnership. Prior to her US appointment in 2015, Ms. Abdul Rahman was the High Representative to the United Kingdom. She was elected to the Leadership Council of the Kurdistan Democratic Party in 2010. The event is free, but we hope you will consider making a donation to support the work of the Council. (The program can also be viewed on Facebook Live and a video will be available afterwards.) This program is generously sponsored by Bacon\Wilson PC
BBC Correspondent Andrew Harding on the US-China Rivalry for Influence in Africa
10/27/2020
BBC Correspondent Andrew Harding will speak about the rivalry between the United States and China for influence in Africa as well as his new book, These Are Not Gentle People: Two murders. Forty suspects. The trial that broke a small South African town to be published in audio and ebook formats in the US October 1. Andrew Harding is a British journalist and author. He has been living and working abroad as a foreign correspondent for the past 30 years. Since 1994 he has been working for BBC News. He began his career in Moscow in 1991 as a freelancer, working for IRN, NBC Radio, Monitor Radio, FSN, The Evening Standard and later for The Guardian and The Economist. Since then he has lived in Tbilisi, Nairobi, Singapore, Bangkok, and for the past 12 years in Johannesburg. Andrew has covered many International events, from the end of the Soviet Union and Russia's parliamentary rebellion to the Asian tsunami and west Africa's Ebola outbreak. By accident, rather than design, much of his work has been in conflict zones - in Chechnya, Azerbaijan, Abkhazia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Burma, Darfur, DR Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Mali, South Sudan, Cote D'Ivoire, CAR, Burundi, Uganda, Libya and elsewhere. Andrew has been living in South Africa since 2009. He reported on the Oscar Pistorius trial in Pretoria. It was partly that experience that prompted him to search for another murder case, that might dig deeper under the skin of modern South Africa. Early in 2016 he read about an incident in the Free State and decided to investigate. The result, four years later, was his new book, These Are Not Gentle People. A BBC Radio 4 series and podcast is in the works.
Global Security Forum 2021
10/02/2020
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts is pleased and proud to join the World Affairs Council of Connecticut in presenting Global Security Forum 2021 on October 2nd & 3rd. The Global Security Forum brings the world's top leadership directly to the citizenry. Generals, experts, policymakers, and foreign leaders convene in Connecticut, a center for national defense, to address the most critical global security issues of today and the opportunities of tomorrow. Previous Global Security Forums have featured speakers including current Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, General Daniel Hokanson, 29 th Chief, National Guard Bureau, General David Petraeus, U.S. Army (Ret.), Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, nominee, Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, Dr. Richard Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations, and more. GSF 2021 will be hosted virtually and in person to address the central theme: Competing for the future. GSF2021 will explore emerging technologies, evolving battlefronts, and shifting global power centers to address why nations must innovate to day in order to compete for tomorrow.
Instant Issues Online: Javier Corrales on Why Populism is the Sugar Salt Fat in Our Politics
06/30/2020
We’re pleased to welcome back Dr. Javier Corrales, Dwight W. Morrow 1895 professor and chair of Political Science at Amherst College, for an Instant Issues Online event on Why Populism is the Sugar Salt Fat in Our Politics: Examples from the US, Europe, and Latin America on Tuesday, June 30, 2020 at 12:15 PM. The event is free, but you must register online. Javier Corrales's research focuses on democratization, presidential powers, democratic backsliding, political economy of development, ruling parties, the incumbent's advantage, foreign policies, and sexuality. He has published extensively on Latin America and the Caribbean. His latest book, Fixing Democracy: Why Constitutional Change Often Fails to Enhance Democracy in Latin America, was published by Oxford University Press in 2018. He is the co-author with Michael Penfold of Dragon in the Tropics: Venezuela and the Legacy of Hugo Chávez (Brookings Institution Press, 2015), now in its second edition; with Daniel Altschuler, The Promise of Participation: Experiments in Participatory Governance in Honduras and Guatemala (Palgrave/Macmillan 2013), and with Carlos A. Romero, U.S.-Venezuela Relations since the 1990s: Coping with Midlevel Security Threats (Routledge, 2013). He is also the co-editor with Mario Pecheny of The Politics of Sexuality in Latin America: A Reader on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Rights (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2010), and author of Presidents Without Parties: the Politics of Economic Reform in Argentina and Venezuela in the 1990s (Penn State University Press, 2002). He is a frequent and popular speaker at the World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts as well as other Councils throughout the WACA network. The Instant Issues series is generously sponsored by Glenmeadow Greenfield Savings Bank Wilbraham & Monson Academy & Sir Speedy Special thanks to Consilium Opis.
Instant Issues Online: Mahsa Khababai on "Can the Coronavirus Cure a Broken Immigration System?"
06/24/2020
Attorney Mahsa Khanbabai will return for an Instant Issues Online event Thursday, June 24 from 12:15-1:00 PM on "Can the Coronavirus Cure a Broken Immigration System?" This event is free but you must register online. Attorney Mahsa Khanbabai has dedicated her legal career to immigration and naturalization issues, representing individual, nonprofit, educational and business clients. She assists clients with employment visas, family petitions, and citizenship applications, as well as other immigration related matters. A significant part of her practice is devoted to assisting foreign dental students, international medical graduates with J-1 Waiver issues, as well as other employment related work visa matters. She has been an active member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association for over 20 years and currently serves as the Chair of the New England Chapter and is a member of the AILA Department of State liaison Committee. In her capacity as member of the Congressional Liaison committee she has worked closely with congressional offices to advise on legislative policy and as a CBP Liaison worked with CBP officials on issues related to visa entry at airport and border posts. Attorney Khanbabai is an active member of the International Medical Graduate Taskforce, an association of immigration attorneys specializing in physician related immigration. The Instant Issues series is generously sponsored by Glenmeadow Greenfield Savings Bank Wilbraham & Monson Academy & Sir Speedy Special thanks to Consilium Opis.
Instant Issues Online: Lisa Napoli on CNN & the Impact of the 24-Hour News Cycle on Global Events
05/28/2020
Journalist Lisa Napoli will speak at an Instant Issues Online event Thursday, May 28 from 1:00-1:30 PM on her new book Up All Night: Ted Turner, CNN, and the Birth of 24-Hour News. This event is free. Registration and instructions on how to connect to the Zoom call will come soon, but please get this on your calendar. In over three decades as a journalist, Lisa Napoli covered presidential campaigns, a hostage standoff, an outdoor hacker convention and the culture of technology, all at a wide variety of news outlets (some which no longer exist) including the New York Times CyberTimes , MSNBC , and the public radio show Marketplace . For five years, she also covered arts and culture at KCRW . Her first book, Radio Shangri-La , is about the impact of media culture on the Kingdom of Bhutan, where she was invited to help start a radio station at the dawn of democratic rule. Ray & Joan is about the late philanthropist Joan Kroc and her husband, the founding chairman of the McDonald’s corporation. Lisa is the founding board president of the Bhutan Media Service, an all-volunteer news outlet created by Bhutanese refugees in diaspora . The Instant Issues series is generously sponsored by Glenmeadow Greenfield Savings Bank Wilbraham & Monson Academy Sir Speedy
Instant Issues Online: Charlie Epstein on the Impact of COVID-19 on Global Markets
05/11/2020
We will be presenting our first Instant Issues Online event this Monday, May 11, 2020 from 12:30 to 1:00 PM. Our speaker will be financial advisor Charlie Epstein on The Coronavirus Playbook - Where Do We Go From Here. This is event is free, but you must register online to participate. Charlie Epstein founded Epstein Financial Services in 1981. As The 401k Coach he has been recognized nationally as one of the industry’s most influential individuals. Charlie established the Family Business Center in Amherst. He has appeared on Fox Business and many local media outlets. The Instant Issues series is generously sponsored by Glenmeadow Greenfield Savings Bank Wilbraham & Monson Academy & Sir Speedy Special thanks to John Perez, Principal Consilium Opis for hosting this event
Instant Issues Lunch: Dr. Vinnie Ferraro on America & The Middle East
03/03/2020
Dr.Vincent Ferraro, Professor of Politics, Emeritus at Mount Holyoke College, will speak at an Instant Issues brown bag lunchtime discussion series event on America and the Middle East: Will the Wars Ever End? on Tuesday, March 3, 2020 in the 3rd Floor Community Room of the MassLive Building at 1350 Main Street, in downtown Springfield. The RSVP deadline is Friday, February 28. For more information and to register online with a credit card, please click the button below. A longtime member and friend of the Council and frequent speaker, Vinnie Ferraro taught at Mount Holyoke for 40 years before retiring in 2016. His studies specializes in International Relations and American Foreign Policy; focusing in the areas of global poverty, third world development, and global development. The Instant Issues series is generously sponsored by Glenmeadow, Greenfield Savings Bank, Wilbraham & Monson Academy & Sir Speedy. Special thanks to NAI Plotkin and 1350 Main Street, LLC.
Adventures in International Dining: Oriental Flavor in Amherst
02/25/2020
Enjoy sampling Chinese cuisine with members and friends of the World Affairs Council. Socializing at 6:00 pm Cash bar. Dinner at 6:00 pm Menu coming soon Parking in munuicipal lot across from restaurant Seating is limited. Please register quickly.
Michael Klare Returns to Instant Issues with New Book on the Pentagon's Perspective on Climate Change
02/20/2020
Dr. Michael T. Klare, Five College professor emeritus of peace and world security studies, and director of the Five College Program in Peace and World Security Studies, will speak at an Instant Issues brown bag lunchtime discussion series event on on his new book, "All Hell Breaking Loose: The Pentagon's Perspective on Climate Change".
Instant Issues Lunch on Hong Kong in January with Dr. Sara Newland
01/30/2020
Dr. Sara Newland, Assistant Professor of Government at Smith College , will speak at an Instant Issues brown bag lunchtime discussion series event about ongoing protests in Hong Kong.
Instant Issues brown bag lunchtime discussion series
11/04/2019
Dr. Kavita Khory, Ruth Lawson Professor of Politics and Carol Hoffmann Collins Director of the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives at Mount Holyoke College, will speak at an Instant Issues brown bag lunchtime discussion series event on security challenges and ethnic conflicts in South Asia.
93rd Annual Meeting with Katherine Brown on the Press & Diplomacy in Afghanistan
10/02/2019
The World Affairs Council’s 93rd Annual Meeting and Dinner will take place on Wednesday, October 2, 2019 at the Springfield Sheraton at Monarch Place at 6:00 PM. Dr. Katherine Brown, President & CEO of Global Ties US, will speak on her new book, Your Country, Our War: The Press and Diplomacy in Afghanistan.
World Affairs Council of Western MA Strategic Planning Community Forum
09/25/2019
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts is holding a series of community forums to help us develop our five-year Strategic Plan. Please join us and help us shape our vision for the future of the organization. Light refreshments will be provided. Special thanks to NAI Plotkin
World Affairs Council of Western MA Strategic Planning Community Forum
09/24/2019
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts is holding a series of community forums to help us develop our five-year Strategic Plan. Please join us and help us shape our vision for the future of the organization. Light refreshments will be provided. Special thanks to NAI Plotkin