By Nicole Brzozowski On November 18, 2015, the Australian Embassy hosted the World Affairs Council-DC and a number of distinguished guests to honor His Excellency Kim Beazley on his commitment to global education and international affairs. The event began with a general reception in the main ballroom of the Australian Embassy, where guests were viewed a special showing of works by the Japanese-Australian artist, Hiromi Ashlin. Opening remarks were made by WAC-DC President and CEO, Tony Culley-Foster. He highlighted the recent closeness of US-Australia relations, citing Australia’s work on the TPP as well as Australia’s joint work with the United States in combating global terrorism.
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By Daniel Siegeltuch The World Affairs Council-Washington, DC hosted its inaugural Corporation of the Year Award on November 12, 2015 in The Fourth Estate dining room at the National Press Club. At noon, the WAC-DC welcomed distinguished guests, business leaders and diplomats to the ceremony honoring Cigna, with CEO David Cordani accepting the award on behalf of his company’s long-standing commitment to corporate social responsibility. Also among the esteemed guests were Health and Human S ervices Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, who spoke in a fireside chat with The Honorable Nick Rahall, and WAC-DC Vice-Chair Rich Merski, who each received an award recognizing their exemplary public service and leadership. As the reception ended and guests took their seats, Tony Culley-Foster, WAC-DC President and CEO, ascended to the podium to begin the ceremony. The mission of the World Affairs Council-Washington, DC, he commenced, is closely aligned with that of Secretary Burwell’s office and Cigna under Mr. Cordani’s direction: the promotion of “knowledge transfer, community empowerment and global social responsibility.” The WAC-DC, he continued, understands the need to connect with people with “the power and ability to make positive change” in order to advance its mission. Mr. Culley-Foster emphasized that Cigna under Mr. Cordani’s leadership, with its consistent drive to serve as a positive change-maker, has earned the Council’s inaugural Corporation of the Year Award. By Julia Schoonover On Tuesday, November 10, 2015 the World Affairs Council- Washington, DC hosted Dr. Christopher S. Chivvis as part of an Author Series event. Dr. Chivvis discussed his most recent book, The French War on Al Qa’ida in Africa. Dr. Chivvis is currently the Associate Director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center and a senior Political Scientist at the RAND Corporation. He is also an adjunct professor at the Johns Hopkins, Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Foreign Policy, The National Interest, Survival, The Washington Quarterly, The Christian Science Monitor, CNN.com, and other publications. By Laurie Browne “We don’t have to be a scientist to know that human impact is changing the global climate”, said Ambassador Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado last night at the World Affairs Council – Washington, DC event at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center Building. Formerly Brazils’ Foreign Affairs Minister, Ambassador Machado spoke favorably about his expectations of the upcoming Paris Summit on climate change in 2015. He highlighted recent agreements between Brazilian President Dilmah Rousseff and President Obama on sustainable land use, adaptation, and clean energy. By reducing emmisions of agricultural lands, making use of sustainable and renewable resources and establishing North- South collaboration the United States and Brazil can lead by example. By Daniel Siegeltuch On Thursday, October 29, 2015, the Ambassador of Costa Rica to the United States, His Excellency Roman Macaya Hayes, hosted a reception for the participants of the World Affairs Council-Washington DC’s Young Ambassadors program at the Embassy of Costa Rica. The five participants- high school students from DC metro area schools- gave a presentation detailing their three weeks of language exchange, research and cultural immersion in Costa Rica to the Ambassador, Program Chaperone Mary Shoukat , WAC-DC’s Global Education leadership team and WAC-DC supporters as well as families and friends. By Daniel Siegeltuch On Saturday, October 17, 2015, the World Affairs Council –Washington, DC sponsored a Professional Development Workshop titled “Teach-In on Gaza,” organized and hosted by Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies in conjunction with the Jerusalem Fund. The workshop, attended by DC metropolitan area high school teachers, provided the educators with the tools to deepen their students’ understanding of the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Foreign Policy Panel: TPP: What Does it Mean for the United States and International Trade?12/22/2015 By Julia Schoonover On Tuesday, October 13, 2015 the World Affairs Council- Washington, DC hosted a Foreign Policy Panel Series event, “TPP: What it means for the United States and International Trade.” The TPP agreement, or Trans- Pacific Partnership was signed on October 6, 2015. This agreement will be the biggest free trade agreement in the world, involving 12 countries and encompassing 40% of the worlds economy.
The WAC-DC event was moderated by Nicole Bivens Collinson, President of International Trade & Government Relations at Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, P.A. Ms. Collinson opened the discussion by explaining the timeline of the TPP agreement and the agenda for the night. Foreign Policy Panel: What Does Russian Military Involvement Mean for the Conflict in Syria?12/22/2015 By Laurie Browne
On October 7, 2015, Tara McKelvey, White House reporter of the BBC, moderated a World Affairs Council-Washington, DC panel of experts to discuss “What does Russia’s Military Involvement Mean for the Conflict in Syria?” Dr. Donald Jenson, Resident Fellow at the Center for Transatlantic Relations, and Mr. David Schenker, Aufzien Fellow and Director of the Program of Arab Politics at the Washington Institute of Near East Studies, illuminated the audience on the regional implications of Russia’s actions in the Middle East. The program was the first the Council hosted at its new venue location, the Horizon Ballroom at the Ronald Regan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC. By Julia Schoonover On Wednesday, September 30, 2015 the World Affairs Council-Washington, DC hosted Mr. Herman Jay Cohen, Ambassador of Gambia and Senegal as part of an Author Series event. Ambassador Cohen not only discussed his most recent book, The Mind of the African Strongman: Conversations with Dictators, Statesmen, and Father Figures, but also took the audience along on a journey of Africa’s history and more recent events.
By Daniel Siegeltuch Dr. Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, and the president of Just Foreign Policy, joined the World Affairs Council-Washington, DC on September 24, 2015 for an Author Series event. His new book, Failed: What Experts Got Wrong About the Global Economy, examines the factors that have contributed to financial crises throughout the world, and investigates how developing regions once mired in financial crisis have forged pathways toward sustainable growth. |
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