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WorldBoston

WorldBoston was founded in 1961 as the Boston Center for International Visitors, a nonprofit organization with a mission to connect hundreds of emerging leaders from around the globe each year with their counterparts in Greater Boston's business, government, academic, cultural and scientific communities. In 2002, the organization merged with the World Affairs Council of Boston, a nonpartisan forum founded in 1949 to engage the public in discussions about critical international issues. WorldBoston today is an active independent member of both the National Council for International Visitors and the World Affairs Councils of America, and a dynamic and respected community leader in Boston.s global network. With its expertise in fostering international exchanges and unique mix of educational programs, WorldBoston continues to build on its distinguished tradition of promoting dialogue among leaders, cross-cultural connections and public learning.

http://www.worldboston.org/

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Virtual

Great Decisions| Mideast Realignment

6:00pm Wed, Nov 6, 2024

The United States and Middle East are at a crossroads. In spite of a reduced presence in the Middle East, the U.S. still has significant national interests there and the area is a key arena for global power politics. Can the U.S. continue to defend its interests in the Middle East and globally with a lower level of military and political involvement, or should it recommit to a leading role in the region?

Join WorldBoston for a timely discussion of this topic with Dr. Ali Banuazizi, Research Professor of Political Science at Boston College.
This program will feature an expert presentation, live audience Q&A.

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Great Decisions | Understanding Indonesia

Wed, Sep 11, 2024

Despite its large size, Indonesia remains virtually invisible to most Americans. But as one of the world’s largest democracies, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, and as an economic driver of ASEAN, why does it fly below the radar? What are current issues in U.S.-Indonesian relations, and what role can the country play in Asia?

Join WorldBoston for a timely discussion of this topic with former Ambassador Robert Blake Jr. This program will feature an expert presentation, live audience Q&A, and time for networking and discussion with other globally-oriented participants in the Newsfeed Café.

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Great Decisions | NATO's Future

Mon, Jun 3, 2024

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, attention on NATO has increased throughout the world. As its members prepare for the 75th NATO summit in early July, focus will intensify even more. In the U.S. we hear a lot of opinions about NATO, but how do Europeans feel about their security? The world will get key indicators of European political trends next month as 400 million people vote in European Parliamentary elections. Join us on the eve of these elections as the Consuls General of France and Germany discuss the future of NATO and the future of Europe.

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The State of the State Department and National Security

Tue, Jun 25, 2024

President Biden has often said, “The world is at an inflection point.” Indeed, the United States faces urgent international and transnational challenges. In these dangerous times, how important can diplomacy be? Military intervention has always remained an alternative, and its use has grown in frequency since the nation’s founding.

If the State Department is, “at the end of the day, a national security agency” as Deputy Secretary Verma has said, how well is the department handling our current global inflection point? What are the State Department’s priorities, and how well is it equipped to address them?

Join us for WorldBoston’s annual State of the State Department special event, an opportunity to consider the U.S. State Department and American diplomacy within the context of U.S. national interests. This year’s program will focus on “The State of the State Department & National Security.”

For this discussion, we are honored to host Deputy Secretary Richard Verma, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources. Deputy Secretary Verma will be joined in conversation by Dr. Monica Duffy Toft, Academic Dean and Director of the Center for Strategic Studies at the Fletcher School and Co-Author of Dying by the Sword: The Militarization of US Foreign Policy

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Great Decisions with Wendy Cutler | US-China Trade Rivalry

Mon, Apr 29, 2024

China’s economic rise and its current policies of increasing the role of the state in the economy have led some U.S. policymakers to seek to deny China access to U.S. technology and investment. This is seen as a necessary corrective to decades of predatory Chinese economic policies. Is this a wise strategy, and how effective can it be?

Join WorldBoston for a timely discussion of this topic with Wendy Cutler, Vice President and Managing Director of the Asia Society Policy Institute, Washington D.C. office.

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Great Decisions | Pandemic Preparedness

Tue, Mar 19, 2024

Research has shown that the question is not “if,” but “when” the next pandemic will occur. Although the previous pandemic seems to have waned, there are many lessons to learn about what’s needed for a new, global biosecurity infrastructure, so that we can mitigate the risks from the next pandemic. We need technology that can support rapid identification and understanding of emerging threats, such as collecting samples, analyzing data, and generating meaningful insights for public health officials and policymakers.

Join WorldBoston for a timely discussion of this topic with Ashish Jha, former White House Covid-19 Response Coordinator, and Matthew McKnight, General Manager for Biosecurity at Ginkgo Bioworks. The program features expert remarks from Mr. McKnight and Dr. Jha, and live audience Q&A.

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Great Decisions with Steven Wills | High Seas Treaties

Thu, Feb 29, 2024

From shipping lanes to marine conservation, the high seas are at the center of geopolitical and strategic interests for countries around the world. How are maritime territories governed, and how are political disputes resolved? What can be done to improve cooperation on the high seas?

Join us for a timely discussion of these questions and more with Dr. Steven Wills, Navalist at the Center for Maritime Strategy. The program features expert remarks from Dr. Wills and live audience Q&A.

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Great Decisions | Energy Geopolitics

Wed, Dec 13, 2023

Access to oil and gas has long held an influence over the politics of individual nations and their relations with others. But as more countries move toward sustainable energy, and supply chain shortages affect the availability of oil and gas, how will these changes in energy industries impact relations geopolitics?

Join WorldBoston for a timely discussion of this topic with Sarah Emerson, founder and president of Energy Security Analysis, Inc (ESAI).

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Great Decisions | Iran at a Crossroads

Thu, Sep 28, 2023

By the fall of 2022, Iran was in a state of turmoil due to widespread protests against government-enforced wearing of the hijab, a failing economy, an ineffective new president, and the looming succession of the country’s leader, Ayatollah Khamenei. Abroad, renewal of the Iran nuclear deal seemed doubtful and tensions remain high between Iran, Israel, and Arab states. Many Iranians have lost hope of a better future, and the country seems at a crossroads. How should the United States deal with it?

Join WorldBoston for a timely discussion of this topic with Tara Kangarlou, Global Affairs Journalist, Award-Winning Author, Professor at Georgetown University, and Founder of Art of Hope.

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Great Decisions | Economic Warfare

Thu, Oct 12, 2023

Waging economic warfare consists of a variety of measures from implementing sanctions to fomenting labor strikes. Such tools are utilized by states to hinder their enemies, and in the case of the United States have been used as far back as the early 19th century. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, economic warfare has been the main means for the west to challenge Russia. How effective will these sanctions be at convincing Russia to cease its war?

Join WorldBoston for a timely discussion of this topic with Jason Blazakis, Professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies and Director of MIIS’s Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism.

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WorldBoston Great Decisions Series

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