This is an online version of the monthly newsletter of the World Affairs Council of the Monterey Bay Area (WACMB). You may click here to see other online issues or click here to reach the archive of recent issues in PDF format.
Afghanistan: Political Order and the Prospects for Peace
In recent months there has been a flurry of movement in the Afghan peace process after years of frustrated efforts to negotiate an end to the war in Afghanistan. Is peace at hand and is it sustainable?
Our guest, Dr. Naazneen Barma, will assess the prospects for a peaceful settlement to the Afghanistan conflict, the current draft peace framework, and the complex governance challenges that would follow if such a deal were struck with the Taliban.
Click the headline to read more.
The Great Decisions discussion program for 2019 concluded on March 25. However, the conversation continues through WACMB’s two ongoing discussion groups. Both programs are free for WACMB members. Each month, the group will select the topic for the following month’s discussion.
Click the headline to read more.
Click the headline to read more.
WACMB In Profile:
Board President Larry Johnson
Welcome to WACMB In Profile, the first in an occasional series of profiles of members of our organization. The World Affairs Council of the Monterey Bay Area is full of interesting people who have done and are doing interesting things. WACMB In Profile will let you get to know some of them better. For this inaugural column, we begin at the head of the organization.
WACMB Board President Larry Johnson is a lifelong Californian and a proud graduate of UC Santa Cruz (you may have noticed that he bleeds Banana Slug Yellow), where he studied Politics with an emphasis on Public Opinion and Social Psychology. He put his degree to work during a long and distinguished career in radio. Larry was a co-founder of the UCSC radio station (KRUZ, now KZSC); Founder, Program Director, and DJ at KTYD in Santa Barbara; DJ at KNDE in Sacramento; DJ and Public Affairs Programmer at KSJO in San Jose; and Public Affairs Programmer both at KOME in San Jose and at Double 99 in San Francisco and Santa Cruz.
In addition to his wide-ranging work with radio stations, Larry has taught Radio Programming and Production at CSU Los Angeles, Humboldt State University, and San Jose State University. Some of the best parts of his career were playing a role in the birth of the Progressive Rock radio format, and founding and participating in radio stations. Now Larry gets to indulge his lifelong interest in current events and world affairs by serving as WACMB Board president and moderator of the WAC/MPC Discussion Group.
Larry’s wife, Kathleen Baker, is an active volunteer who has done some wonderful work in our community. She is a co-founder of Gathering For Women – Monterey, a resource center and community for homeless women on the Monterey Peninsula. She is also involved in the Master Gardeners Program and Monterey’s Neighborhood Improvement Program. Larry’s daughter, Erin, lives in the Seattle area, where she works in Human Resources in the technology sector when she’s not out traveling around the world.
Want to Get Involved?
WACMB is always looking for volunteers to help keep the organization running smoothly. If you’d like to get more involved with your organization, whether on a committee or on the board, we welcome you! Please let us know by sending an email to wacmb@redshift.com.
New Refund Policy
If you look closely at the Reservation Form for our monthly luncheon, you’ll notice a new line:
No refunds or credit will be given for cancellations received after the due date.
You can make and cancel luncheon reservations at any time up until the end of the day on the due date, which is always listed on the reservation form. We agree to pay the luncheon venue for the number of reservations we have at that point. If you cancel a reservation after the due date, your WACMB is still contractually obligated to pay for that unused lunch. Therefore, in order to be fiscally responsible, we will no longer be able to issue refunds or credit for any cancellations that are made after the due date.
Thank you for understanding why we have implemented this change. As always, members’ comments are welcome. Send your thoughts to wacmb@redshift.com.
This is the monthly newsletter of the World Affairs Council of the Monterey Bay Area (WACMB). Founded in 1951, the council is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization established to promote the presentation, discussion, and study of international affairs. WACMB is a tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) organization, EIN-770301206. Contributions are tax deductible as permitted by law. WACMB sponsors monthly luncheons, discussion groups, and student scholarships.
Corporate and institutional support for the World Affairs Council of the Monterey Bay Area is provided by:
- California State University Monterey Bay
- Defense Language Institute
- Monterey Peninsula College
- Naval Postgraduate School
- Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey
- Rancho Canada
- Horan & Lloyd Law Firm
