Past Programs

Martha Hodes, Professor of History at New York University. Her talk at the 2024 Annual Meeting and Dinner of the Western Massachusetts World Affairs Council. Date: October 10, 2024. Location; Ludlow, MA. Subject of her talk is her book: My Hijacking: A Personal History of Forgetting and Remembering. 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.

The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts presented 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

World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts Event. A talk by Journalist Mara Kardas-Nelson: We Are Not Able To Live In The Sky: The Seductive Promise of Microfinance. Location: Springfield MA.

The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts Instant Issues Lunchtime discussion event featuring Arthur House, former Chief Cybersecurity Risk Officer for the State of Connecticut, on Foreign Influence on US Elections.

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.

Arthur House is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Connecticut and former Cybersecurity Policy Advisor to Connecticut’s Secretary of the State. He spoke at the 2023 Virtual Annual Meeting of the World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts on October 19th, 2023.

Instant Issues: 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. 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.

The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts presented 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 April 27, 2023 in Springfield, MA.

The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts presented the US Representative of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic in Washington, Mouloud Said, in conversation with Nina Nedrebø, on The Rights of the People of Western Sahara: The Human Face of the Conflict. This event took place on February 9, 2023 in Springfield, MA USA.

The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts Instant Issues Program: John Feffer, director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies, on "Right Across the World: Italy, Sweden & Brazil".

96th Annual Meeting of the World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts featuring an interview with Farah Pandith on How to Win: Soft Power & Fighting Hate. She was interviewed by the President of the World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts, Steve Spelman.

Dr. Laura Reed’s talk to the World Affairs Council of Western MA on Avoiding World War III: Nuclear Threats in Europe. First live event in over two years. Great talk and interesting questions. Talk took place on April 20th. 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. Link to the video: https://youtu.be/dflhueOFKOA

A former foreign policy analyst at the Institute of U.S. and Canada Studies in Moscow, Dr. 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. A native of Yalta in Crimea, he is currently a visiting professor at Amherst College. The program was moderated by longtime member and friend of the Council, Dr. Stephen Jones, Professor of Russian Studies at Mount Holyoke and co-author of Georgia: From Autocracy to Democracy.

World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts Instant Issues Online event: Bill Scher talks about the almost-completely forgotten Secretary of State for Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, Edward R. Stettinius, Jr. who 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.

This virtual event took place on January 27, 2022 and was hosted by the the World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts as part of their Instant Issues Online series. Dr. Omar S. Dahi is an Associate Professor of Economics at Hampshire College and a research associate at the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Omar Dahi is the founding director of Security in Context, a research network on peace, conflict, and international affairs. Their website: https://www.securityincontext.com. Moderating the talk is Dr. Kavita Khory, Ruth Lawson Professor of Politics and Carol Hoffman Collins Director of the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives at Mount Holyoke College.

The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts presented an Instant Issues Online event featuring Mr. Gedeon Werner, Novak Family Endowed Polish Chair at the School of Business at Quinnipiac University, on Poland’s Quarrel With the EU: A Prelude to Polexit?

The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts and Springfield College present Ryan Murphy, program Officer of the US Department of State Sports Diplomacy Division in conversation with Springfield College's Irene Rotondo, class of 2022 and Editor-in-Chief of "The Springfield Student".

Dr. Katherine Brown, President and CEO of Global Ties US and author of "Your Country, Our War: The Press and Diplomacy in Afghanistan", talked at a World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts virtual event on September 9th, 2021 about "Afghanistan: How to Keep Supporting Our Allies".

Dr. Peter Abbott, OBE, British Consul General to New England spoke to us on Tuesday, May 4 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 also took part in this presentation.

She is speaking with Mount Holyoke Professor of Politics Kavita Khory who is the Ruth Lawson Professor of Politics and the Carol Hoffmann Collins Director of the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives.

Former CNN Asia Correspondent--and Northampton native--Mike Chinoy spoke at a World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts virtual event on his new book, "Are You With Me?: Kevin Boyle and the Rise of the Human Rights Movement" on March 24, 2021. Mr. Chinoy was in conversation with Matthew H. Charity, Professor of Law at the Western New England University School of Law. This event was presented in cooperation with the Western New England University School of Law. Generously sponsored by Glenmeadow and Wilbraham & Monson Academy.

February 10, 20121: A World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts 'Instant Issues Online' event: 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. 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.

January 26, 2021: A Special presentation between the World Affairs Council or Western Massachusetts and Baypath University. 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.

KRG US Rep Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman speaking to us at a virtual event on Thursday, November 12th. 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. This program was generously sponsored by Bacon\Wilson PC.

BBC Correspondent Andrew Harding will speak at a World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts virtual event 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.

We welcomed back Dr. Javier Corrales, Dwight W. Morrow 1895 professor and chair of Political Science at Amherst College, for an Instant Issues Online event on June 30, 2020. Javier Corrales' 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.

Attorney Mahsa Khanbabai speaking at an Instant Issues Online event, Thursday, June 24th, 2020.

May 28, 2020: 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

Financial advisor Charlie Epstein on 'The Coronavirus Playbook - Where Do We Go From Here'. 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 was generously sponsored by Glenmeadow, Greenfield Savings Bank, Wilbraham & Monson Academy & Sir Speedy. Special thanks to John Perez, Principal Consilium Opis for hosting this event

Date: February 20, 2020. Dr. Vincent Ferraro, Professor of Politics, Emeritus at Mount Holyoke College, speaking on "America and the Middle East: Will the Wars Ever End?" A longtime member and friend of the Council and frequent speaker, he taught at Mount Holyoke for 40 years before retiring in 2016. His studies specialized in International Relations and American Foreign Policy; focusing in the areas of global poverty, third world and global development. Dr. Ferraro spoke at an Instant Issues brown bag lunchtime discussion series event

Date: February 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, speaking at an Instant Issues brown bag lunchtime discussion series event on on his new book.

Date: January 30, 2020. Dr. Sara Newland, Assistant Professor of Government at Smith College speaking on The 2019 Hong Kong Protests: Causes and Consequences at an Instant Issues brown bag lunchtime discussion series event.

Date: November 4, 2019. Length: 1 hour and 3 minutes. Dr. Kavita Khory, Ruth Lawson Professor of Politics and Carol Hoffmann Collins Director of the Mount Holyoke College McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives, spoke on security challenges and ethnic conflicts in South Asia at an Instant Issues talk in Springfield, MA.

Date: October 23, 2019. Length: 1 hour and 22 minutes. Mr. Jacobson is a John J. McCloy '16 Professor of American Institutions, Amherst College and a former Army propagandist (1993-2001).

October 2, 2019. Length: 1 hour and 29 minutes. 2019 Annual Meeting with speaker, Dr. Katherine Brown, President & CEO, Global Ties US and the presentation of our second Sue C. Root Citizen Diplomacy Award to a local organization that has done outstanding work with the Council for the State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program and other exchange programs.

Date: April 9, 2019. Length: 1 hour and 16 minutes. John Young, Board member of the World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts speaking at an Instant Issues Brown Bag lunchtime discussion series event.

Date: February 15, 2019. Length: 1 hour and 15 minutes. Dr. Alejandro Velasco, Associate Professor at New York University’s Gallatin School speaking at a World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts Instant Issues Brown Bag lunchtime discussion series event.

Date: January 29, 2019. Length: 1 hour and 4 minutes. State Senator Eric Lesser in conversation with Dr. Joshua Weiss, Program Director for Bay Path University’s Master of Science in Leadership and Negotiation at an Instant Issues After Hours event hosted by the World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts.

Date: September 17, 2018. Length: 1 hour and 14 minutes. A talk given by Harry Krejsa of the Center for a New American Security in conversation with Politico Magazine’s Bill Scher at The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts’s 92nd Annual Meeting and Dinner.

Date: April 29, 2018. Length: 1 hour and 30 minutes. A talk given by Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic Magazine and a leading journalist on international relations at the Bill & Lynn Foggle Great Issues Lecture Series. This event was co-sponsored by The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts.

Date: April 12, 2018. Length: 51 minutes. A talk given by Dr. Harry Dumay, President of Our Lady of the Elms College at an Instant Issues luncheon.

Date: March 20, 2018. Length: 1 hour and 13 minutes. A talk given by Ambassador Mark G. Hambley (Ret.), and William Morris, Secretary General of the U.K. based Next Century Foundation at an Instant Issues luncheon.

Date: February 21, 2018. Length: 54 minutes. A talk given by Dr. Haroon K. Ullah, Chief Strategy Officer at the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

Date: January 24, 2018. Length: 54 minutes. A talk given by Dr. Laura Reed of the University of Massachusetts–Amherst Department of Political Science and Legal Studies.

Date: October 30, 2017. Length: 61 minutes. A talk given by Congressman Richard E. Neal at the 91st Annual World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts Meeting & Dinner.

Date: October 19, 2017. Length: 51 minutes. A talk given by Consul General of Israel to New England Yehuda Yaakov.

Date: September 27, 2017. Length: 55 minutes. A talk given by Gregory White, Mary Huggins Gamble Professor of Government at Smith College at a World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts Instant Issues Brown Bag Lunch event.

Date: 5/10/17. Running Time: 55 minutes. A talk given by Professor Sudha Setty, Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Faculty Development & Intellectual Life at Western New England University School of Law.

Date: 12/9/16. Running Time: 1 Hour. Andrew Harding spoke about his new book, 'The Mayor of Mogadishu: A Story of Chaos and Redemption in the Ruins of Somalia' (St. Martin’s Press, 2016).

Date: 10/13/16. Running Time: 1 hour and 14 minutes. 2016 Annual Meeting with speaker, Bill Scher, Contributing Editor to POLITICO Magazine.

Date: 5/16/16. Running Time: 1 hour and 2 minutes. Greg Fay, Project Manager of the Washington, DC-based Uyghur Human Rights Project.

Date: 2/23/16. Running Time: 1 hour and 18 minutes. Longtime Council member and friend, Ambassador Mark Hambley with his colleague, Mr. William Morris, Secretary General of the UK-based Next Century Foundation speaking on Syria, Asad and Da'ish: Groping for Answers.

Date: 10/18/15. Length: 1 hour and 12 minutes. She discussed homeland security and the intersection of democracy and counter-terrorism measures in a conversation with political consultant and Council member Anthony Cignoli at the 89th Annual Meeting and Dinner.

Date: 3/7/15. Running Time: 1 hour and 2 minutes. Talk by Dr. Laura Reed, Visiting Professor of Political Science, The University of Massachusetts—Amherst, MA.

Date: 12/11/14. Length: 1 hour and 12 minutes. Ms. Nelson appears in conversation with Dr. William Taubman, Bertrand Snell Professor of Political Science Emeritus at Amherst College and author of the Pulitzer-Prize winning biography Khrushchev: The Man and His Era.

Date: 10/8/14. Length: 1 Hour and 28 Minutes. Annual Meeting Speaker, Dr. Okey Ndibe. Dr. Ndibe is a novelist, political columnist, and essayist.

Date: 8/23/14. Length: 1 hour and 58 minutes. Ambassador Mark G. Hambley (retired) Talk was given as a part of the Glenmeadow Learning Series and took place on Tuesday, September 23, 2014 at the Longmeadow Country Club.

Date: 5/28/14. Running Time: 58 minutes. Haroon K. Ullah, an international scholar, US diplomat, and field researcher specializing in South Asia and the Middle East.[

Date: 3/26/14. Running Time: One hour. A talk by Retired Professor Candida Johnson, Professor of Business Administration at Holyoke Community College.

Date: 2/25/14. Length: 59 minutes. Speakers: Mr. William Morris, Secretary General of the Next Century Foundation and Ambassador Mark G. Hambley.

Date: 1/27/14. Running Time: 1 hour and 2 minutes. Senator Gale D. Candaras on Human Trafficking in Massachusetts .

Date: 5/29/13. Length: 1 hour and 13 minutes. The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts is delighted to partner with the to present Hugo Restall, Editorial Page Editor of The Wall Street Journal's opinion pages in Asia, who will speak on Why Chinese Are Unhappy.

Date: 10/22/12. Running Time: 1 hour and 24 minutes. Dr. U Ba Win, Vice President of Early College Policies and Programs at Bard College at Simon's Rock, and Photographer, Jonathan Doster.

Date: 10/4/12. Running Time: 1 hour and 34 minutes. Lessons from a Long War: The US and the Strategic Challenges of the Broader Middle East.