World Affairs Council Upstate Events
Every year, the nation-wide network of World Affairs Councils collectively conducts more than 1200 programs in communities and cities across the nation. Each council sets its own calendar and programs. The WACA offers a number of programs every year, including our annual National Conference, national program series, Leadership Missions, and special programs. It also acts as a distribution center for five national flagship programs: Academic World Quest, It’s Your World!,
Great Decisions, Travel the World, and World in Transition.
Rather than set ticket prices, WACU is instituting a new “Pay What You Wish” policy. A donation of $5-10 or an annual membership is suggested.
Donate here. or Become a Member here. Your support is greatly appreciated.
______________________________________________________________________
Upcoming 2020 WACU events:
The Dynamics of Today’s Supply Chain with Southeast Asia featuring Ambassador Robert Blake
Free Lunch & Learn – Live and Online
Tuesday, August 18, 2020 from 12:00 – 1:30 pm
Join the World Affairs Council Upstate for this first installment in a 3 part online series – International Supply Chain Updates: A Solutions Approach featuring retired Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr., Senior Director for McLarty Associates in Washington DC.
The dynamic of today’s supply chain with Southeast Asia will be discussed. What factors are accelerating shifts in manufacturing? Which SE Asian nations are at the forefront of attracting that supply chain investment and what do they have to offer? Will China remain at the forefront?
Ambassador Blake served for 31 years in the State Department in a wide range of leadership positions. From 2013-2016, he served as the US Ambassador to Indonesia, where he focused on building stronger business and educational ties between the US and Indonesia, while also developing cooperation to help Indonesia reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In 2009, he was nominated by President Obama to be Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, serving from 2009-2013, for which he was awarded the State Department’s Distinguished Service Award. From 2006-2009, he served concurrently as US Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
Prior to that, he served as Deputy Chief of Mission in India from 2003-06, where he was named the worldwide DCM of the Year by the State Department. Most recently, Ambassador Blake has held a wide variety of key State Department positions as well, including Executive Assistant to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs from 2001-2003, Deputy Executive Secretary for the Department of State from 2000-2001, and Senior Desk Officer responsible for economic and political relations with Turkey from 1998-2000. He has also served in Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, and Nigeria. He is currently Chairman of the Board of the US-Indonesia Society, and he is a member of the board of the Asia Foundation and the Bhutan Foundation.
Ambassador Blake holds a BA from Harvard College, and an MA from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington, DC.
Please join us, along with our co-hosts, Upstate SC Alliance and the European American Chamber of Commerce,
live online on Tuesday, August 18 from 12:00 -1:30 pm
All lectures include plenty of time to ask your specific questions of Ambassador Blake.
Free to register; Registration required
Once you register, you will receive a confirmation email containing the link you will need to join the webinar.
_______________________________________________
_____________________________________
Many thanks to our media sponsor:
___________________________________
Interested in sponsor opportunities? Email [email protected]
__________________________________________________________
There are other Upcoming WACU Events in the planning stage:
If you have an idea for an interesting international business topic or speaker please let us know.
—————————————————————————————————
You may have missed these, so here is a 2nd chance to access the series:
Beyond Health: How COVID-19 will Reshape International Development with Global Communities Experts David Weiss
and Carrie Hessler-Radelet
(Originally aired on July 22, 2020)
Brief summary: Countries that had been closing in on the elimination of poverty have been forced to change direction. The pandemic has exacerbated the precarious positioning of these already vulnerable populations. Join our experts as we discuss the devastating impact COVID-19 has had on the countries surviving with no safety net and what we can do to help. Both David Weiss and Carrie Hessler-Radelet are executives with Global Communities, a global development and humanitarian assistance organization committed to working in partnership with communities worldwide to bring about sustainable, impactful changes that improve the lives and livelihoods of the vulnerable. Working in 27 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Central and South America, Asia and Europe, Global Communities’ expertise includes innovation in rural sanitation, market-based workforce education, and strengthening civil society.
Leadership in These Turbulent Times with Four-Star General John Allen (ret.) and President of the Brookings Institution
(Originally aired on July 15, 2020)
Brief summary: World Affairs Council Upstate is thrilled to welcome 4 Star General (ret) and President of the Brookings Institution, General John Allen. It has been said that leaders are not born, they are made. In these turbulent times we need to make more opportunities to increase diversity among our leaders. Join us for this thoughtful and timely discussion.
Foreign Policy in the Crosshairs: a Conversation with Ambassador Herbst
(Originally aired on July 9, 2020)
Brief summary: Ambassador John Herbst shares over 30 years of experience as a foreign service officer to help us better understand the current state of our foreign policy, the good, the bad and the indifferent. What is impacting U.S. Foreign Policy and what, if anything, can we learn from former National Security Advisor, John Bolton’s, new book? Ambassador Herbst will help us to make sense of the world in which we live, how the U.S. fits in to that world, and how the world views us.
Doing Business with Belgium and The Netherlands Post COVID-19 with Consuls General William De Baets, of Belgium, and Ard vander Vorst, of the Netherlands, presented in partnership with World Affairs Council Upstate, the Upstate SC Alliance and the European American Chamber of Commerce.
(Originally aired on Tuesday, June 16, 2020.)
Brief summary: We’re not just talking beer & waffles and windmills & tulips, next-door neighbors Belgium and the Netherlands are major players in each other’s economies. In 2018, over $133 billion dollars in economic activity was directly related to trade between the two countries. The two countries are also making a big impact in the Upstate. Over 30 industries in the region can trace their roots back to Belgium and the Netherlands. How has COVID-19 impacted the economies of Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as trade with the U.S. and S.C.? Join us to hear from Consuls General William De Baets, of Belgium, and Ard vander Vorst, of the Netherlands, as they discuss trade between their countries and the U.S. and the impact of COVID-19.
If you could not attend, or you just want to view it again to refresh yourself on points that were discussed, you are in luck. We have posted PDF files of the slides, if any were used, in the presentation and a YouTube video recording of the talk. Each of these presentations are property of Upstate International and the speakers. They cannot be used or redistributed for commercial purposes without the express and written consent of both Upstate International and the speakers. If you download or view these presentations you are agreeing to the property statement written above. If you are caught in violation of this agreement, action can be taken by owners.
(Originally aired on May 20, 2020)
Brief summary:Our lives have been forever changed by COVID-19 in many ways, not the least of which in our comfort and options when traveling. “Should I cancel my trip?” “What is the risk of getting coronavirus on a plane and in the airport?” “How are airlines dealing with those risks?” “Can the airline industry survive if dramatically fewer people are willing to fly?” These and other issues of concern will be addressed by our expert, David Edwards, who has spent his entire career working in the aviation industry.
If you could not attend, or you just want to view it again to refresh yourself on points that were discussed, you are in luck. We have posted PDF files of the slides, if any were used, in the presentation and a YouTube video recording of the talk. Each of these presentations are property of Upstate International and the speakers. They cannot be used or redistributed for commercial purposes without the express and written consent of both Upstate International and the speakers. If you download or view these presentations you are agreeing to the property statement written above. If you are caught in violation of this agreement, action can be taken by owners.
Power Plays: Civil Liberties or Public Health? with Sahar Vardi and Dr. Katherine Barbieri, moderated by Nathan Stock.
(Originally aired live on May , 2020)
Brief summary:Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, while responding to the public health emergency, governments around the world have been using extreme measures severely restricting civic space. While much of this is justified and needed to contain the pandemic, many governments around the world have taken advantage of the situation and are implementing new surveillance mechanisms, silencing opposition, and targeting marginalizing populations as part of ongoing oppression. This presentation will look at some of these restrictions from different countries, how they manifest, and what are some global trends to be aware of, as well as possible alternatives. Listen to Sahar Vardi and Dr. Katherine Barbieri as they focus on human rights and civil liberties as it relates to the COVID-19 response by different governments internationally as well as the response by the U.S. government.
If you could not attend, or you just want to view it again to refresh yourself on points that were discussed, you are in luck. We have posted PDF files of the slides, if any were used, in the presentation and a You Tube video recording of the talk. Each of these presentations are property of Upstate International and the speakers. They cannot be used or redistributed for commercial purposes without the express and written consent of both Upstate International and the speakers. If you download or view these presentations you are agreeing to the property statement written above. If you are caught in violation of this agreement, action can be taken by owners.
Rebels vs. Rule Followers: In a Crisis Who Wins? with Michele Gelfand, moderated by Dr. Courtney Tollison
(Originally aired live on May 7, 2020)
Brief summary: How are individuals, organizations, communities, and nations shaped by their cultures? Our speaker, Dr. Michele Gelfand has looked at the coronavirus pandemic through the lens of tight and loose cultures. The U.S., she says, is a loose culture with ambivalence toward measures that erode our autonomy and liberty. “The [coronavirus] response so far echoes our loose cultural programming. It’s been conflicted. It’s been unstandardized, it’s been uncoordinated,” she says. “We really do need to change our cultural programming in this context. The problem is that … it’s hard for us to give up liberty for constraint. But it’s critical for our safety.” Join Gelfand and moderator Dr. Courtney Tollison, historian, for this timely discussion.
If you could not attend, or you just want to view it again to refresh yourself on points that were discussed, you are in luck. We have posted PDF files of the slides, if any were used, in the presentation and a You Tube video recording of the talk. Each of these presentations are property of Upstate International and the speakers. They cannot be used or redistributed for commercial purposes without the express and written consent of both Upstate International and the speakers. If you download or view these presentations you are agreeing to the property statement written above. If you are caught in violation of this agreement, action can be taken by owners.
Dirty Planet: What’s the Cost of a Clean Conscience? with John K. Glenn and Bill Marshall, moderated by Nathan Stock
(Originally aired live on April 29, 2020)
Brief summary: We all know that the burning of carbon based fuels releases CO2, the major cause of global climate change. But did you know that there has been a disproportionate impact of climate change on the developing world? Our distinguished speakers will focus on how businesses in both the US and around the world are responding to the challenges and what they are doing to effect change in industry standards and policy responses. Tune in with John Glenn, Policy Director for the USGLC and Bill Marshall who has over 25 years experience as a COO and CFO of international business units for Dun & Bradstreet.
If you could not attend, or you just want to view it again to refresh yourself on points that were discussed, you are in luck. We have posted PDF files of the slides, if any were used, in the presentation and a You Tube video recording of the talk. Each of these presentations are property of Upstate International and the speakers. They cannot be used or redistributed for commercial purposes without the express and written consent of both Upstate International and the speakers. If you download or view these presentations you are agreeing to the property statement written above. If you are caught in violation of this agreement, action can be taken by owners.
Celebrating 50 Years of Earth Day Amidst the COVID-19 Crisis with Weston Dripps,
moderated by Nathan Stock
(Originally aired live on April 22, 2020)
Brief summary: Join Weston Dripps, Furman University’s Executive Director of the Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities, for a virtual celebration of Earth Day’s 50th anniversary. He will share some of the highlights from the past 50 years of the environmental movement, some environmental observations from the impacts of the covid 19 crisis, and the exciting, emerging field of sustainability science as the path forward for the next 50 years.
If you could not attend, or you just want to view it again to refresh yourself on points that were discussed, you are in luck. We have posted PDF files of the slides used in the presentation and a You Tube video recording of the talk. Each of these presentations are property of Upstate International and the speaker, Weston Dripps. They cannot be used or redistributed for commercial purposes without the express and written consent of both Upstate International and Dr. Dripps. If you download or view these presentations you are agreeing to the property statement written above. If you are caught in violation of this agreement, action can be taken by owners.
Bracing for Impact: Coronavirus and the Global Economy with Dr. Brent Nelsen and Dr. Tom Smythe
(Originally aired live on April 15, 2020).
Brief summary: A pandemic runs rampant. Globalization facilitated the transmission of the coronavirus and will be transformed by it. We have not yet felt the full economic and political impact of COVID-19, but we can begin to see some early effects. Tune in as Professors Brent Nelsen (Politics and International Affairs, Furman University) and Thomas Smythe (Finance, Florida Gulf Coast University) examine the coming economic shock.
If you could not attend, or you just want to view it again to refresh yourself on points that were discussed, you are in luck. We have posted PDF files of the slides used in the presentation and a You Tube video recording of the talk. Each of these are property of Upstate International and the speakers, Dr. Nelsen and Dr. Smythe. They cannot be used or redistributed for commercial purposes without the express and written consent of both Upstate International and the speakers. If you download or view these presentations you are agreeing to the property statement written above. If you are caught in violation of this agreement, action can be taken by owners.
Spread the Word, Not the Virus: Communication in the Time of COVID-19 with Dr. Shaniece Criss, Furman University, and moderated by Nathan Stock.
(Originally aired live on April 7, 2020).
Brief summary: There has been so much information about COVID-19, but how do communication strategies make a difference in protecting our community. Dr. Shaniece Criss will discuss the benefits of health crisis communication, and ways you can make a difference. How do we transfer words into actions to keep our community safe? Join Dr. Criss, and our moderator, Nathan Stock, for a fascinating look at what to say, and not say, in times of crisis.
If you could not attend, or you just want to view it again to refresh yourself on points that were discussed, you are in luck. We have posted PDF files of the slides used in the presentation and a You Tube video recording of the talk. Each of these are property of Upstate International and Dr. Shaniece Criss. They cannot be used or redistributed for commercial purposes without the express and written consent of both Upstate International and Dr. Shaniece Criss. If you download or view these presentations you are agreeing to the property statement written above. If you are caught in violation of this agreement, action can be taken by owners.
“Spread the Word, Not the Virus” PDF Slides, click image below.
About WACA
