News and Events

SPEAKER Mark Ward InstructorOregon State University Thursday, April 24th, 2025 Dinner Lecture Overview In the belief that our foreign aid program has not served our national interest, the new Administration has dismantled the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and froze nearly all the contracts and grants that it funded. Our guest, Mark Ward, … Continue reading “Do We Need Foreign Aid?”

SPEAKER Captain John Tully Navy Foreign Area Officer ChairNaval Postgraduate School – Monterey, CA Wednesday, March 26th, 2025 Lecture Luncheon Overview Captain John Tully is the Navy Foreign Area Officer (FAO) Chair at the Naval Postgraduate School. Prior to assuming this position, he was Director, Africa Campaign Integration at Commander U.S. Naval Forces Europe and … Continue reading “Into Africa: Why the Most Ignored Continent Matters”

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How Monterey County’s single largest civilian employer provides trained and educated linguists essential to the Department of Defense and the National Security Agency. SPEAKER Colonel Christy Whitfield Commandant, DLI Thursday, February 20th, 2025 Lecture Luncheon Overview The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) is the largest foreign language school in the world. With 1,000 … Continue reading “The State of the Defense Language Institute (DLI) Foreign Language Center”

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The WACMB Discussion Group will consider eight critical topics during February-March 2025 as part of the Foreign Policy Association’s Great Decisions series. We will meet by Zoom for eight consecutive Wednesdays starting February 5th at 3:30 PM (video lecture) with discussion at 4:00 PM. The Great Decisions 2025 topics, set out in the Briefing Book, include: American … Continue reading “Discussion Group February-March 2025: Great Decisions Series”

SPEAKER Dr. Larry Diamond Mosbacher Senior Fellow of Global Democracy at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University & Senior Fellow – Hoover Institution Monday, January 27, 2025 Overview More people voted in competitive elections in 2024 than in any year in human history. From big countries like India, Indonesia, and the … Continue reading “2024 – The Historic Year of Elections Worldwide: How Well Did Democracy Do?”

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SPEAKER Dr. Thomas Fingar Former Deputy Director of National IntelligenceNow a Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institutefor International Studies at Stanford University Tuesday, December 17, 2024 Overview Foreign policy was not a major focus of the 2024 presidential campaign but developments beyond our borders do not take time out while the new American administration appoints … Continue reading “U.S. Foreign Policy in Transition: Persistent Problems & Pop-Up Challenges”

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WACMB is thrilled to be selected again for the annual MC – Gives campaign supporting local nonprofits in Monterey County. Our BIG IDEA this year continues our Youth Education Initiative, the Academic world Quest (AWQ) Program, a National contest with a fun, fast-paced team competition for high school students that tests participant knowledge of current … Continue reading “Donate to MCGives! for AWQ”

How the Global Positioning System transformed life on earth for 8 billion people and 195 nation states. SPEAKER Dr. Bradford Parkinson Edward C. Wells Professor of Aeronautics & Astronautics (Recalled), Stanford University Co-Director, Stanford Center for Position, Navigation, and Time Tuesday, November 19, 2024 Overview GPS, originally Navstar GPS, is a satellite-based radio navigation system … Continue reading ““The Story of GPS””

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The WACMB + OLLI World Affairs Discussion Group will meet on Tuesday November 12th at 4:00 pm. The discussion topic will be Foreign Policy Implications of the U.S. Elections Outcome. The meeting will be held on Zoom, and all WACMB members are invited to participate. If you are interested and have never attended this Discussion … Continue reading “Discussion Group November 12, 2024: Foreign Policy Implications of the U.S. Elections Outcome”

SPEAKER Brooks Hurd Sirius UHPFounder and Managing Director Wednesday, October 16, 2024 Overview Today, military, economic and geopolitical power are built on a foundation of computer chips. Semiconductors have been described as the most critical technology in the world. Our guest, Brooks Hurd, has over 35 years experience in the international semiconductor industry in more … Continue reading “The Global Transition of the Semiconductor Industry: From Silicon Valley to East Asia”

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The WACMB + OLLI World Affairs Discussion Group will meet on Tuesday October 1st at 4:00 pm by Zoom. The discussion topic will be The Rapidly Changing Arctic and Its Global Impact based on the WACMB luncheon lecture of September 30 by Dr. Brendan Kelly. “Polar ice caps are melting as global warming causes climate … Continue reading “Discussion Group October 1, 2024: The Rapidly Changing Artic and Its Global Impact”

SPEAKER Dr. Brendan Kelly Middlebury Institute of International Studies andInt’l. Artic Research Center, Univ. of Alaska, Fairbanks Monday, September 30, 2024 Overview “Polar ice caps are melting as global warming causes climate change. We lose Arctic Sea ice at a rate of almost 13% per decade, and over the past 30 years the oldest and … Continue reading “The Rapidly Changing Artic and Its Global Impact”

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The WACMB + OLLI World Affairs Discussion Group will meet on Tuesday September 3rd at 4:00 pm by Zoom. The discussion topic will be Russia and the United States in Space: Conflict or Cooperation? based on the WACMB dinner lecture of August 27 by Colonel William McArthur. Some believe that space exploration over the next … Continue reading “Discussion Group September 3, 2024: Russia and the United States in Space”

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SPEAKER Colonel William McArthur U.S. Army Aviator & NASA Astronaut (retired) Tuesday, August 27, 2024 Overview Some believe that space exploration over the next few decades will change the face of global politics. Already competition between the United States, China, and Russia in space is having consequences for us here on Earth. In March of … Continue reading “Russia and the United States in Space: Conflict or Cooperation?”

The WACMB World Affairs Discussion Group will meet on Tuesday August 6th at 4:00 pm by Zoom. The discussion topic will be Navigating the Geopolitical Impact of Artificial Intelligence, based on the WACMB dinner lecture of August 1 by Russell Wald. The rapid advancements in artificial intelligence have brought forth innumerable benefits, possibilities, and challenges. … Continue reading “Discussion Group August 6, 2024: Geopolitical Impact of Artificial Intelligence”

SPEAKER Russell Wald Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI) Thursday, August 1st, 2024 Overview The rapid advancements in artificial intelligence have brought forth innumerable benefits, possibilities, and challenges. Our guest, Russell Wald, will discuss how AI will affect governments and governance across the world and what it will mean for the geopolitical environment. Wald will take … Continue reading “Navigating the Geopolitical Impact of Artificial Intelligence”

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The WACMB World Affairs Discussion Group will meet on Tuesday July 2nd at 4:00 pm by Zoom. The discussion topic will be Thailand’s Polarized Politics: Entrenched Elite & Implications for U.S. Policy, based on the WACMB luncheon lecture of June 28 by James Stent. Over recent decades, the popular aspirations in Thailand for a fully … Continue reading “Discussion Group July 2, 2024: Thailand’s Polarized Politics”

SPEAKER James Stent Bank of Asia (Retired) Friday, June 28th, 2024 Overview Over recent decades, the popular aspirations in Thailand for a fully democratic and more just society have run up against entrenched resistance and repression from an elite determined to defend its political control and economic privileges. Polarization between the contending forces has steadily … Continue reading “Thailand’s Polarized Politics: Entrenched Elite & Implications for U.S. Policy”

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The WACMB World Affairs Discussion Group will meet on Friday June 7th at 4:00 pm by Zoom. The discussion topic will be Mexico’s Elections, which take place this coming Sunday, June 2nd. Mexico’s elections on June 2nd will choose a new president and an entirely new national Congress. Much attention will be focused on the … Continue reading “Discussion Group June 7, 2024: Mexico’s Elections”

This article in the May 24, 2024 edition of the Monterey County Weekly tells how a team from Greenfield High School won the local competition for Academic WorldQuest and traveled to Washington DC to compete in the national event. https://flipbook.montereycountyweekly.com/archive/2024/05-09-24/6/#zoom=true

Honoring the Greenfield AWQ Team who competed at the World Affairs Council of America AWQ contest on April 20th in Washington D.C. Tuesday, May 14th, 2024 Overview The Greenfield AWQ student team arrived home on Sunday, April 21st from their whirlwind trip representing Monterey County in the National Academic World Quest. When asked what their … Continue reading “WACMB Academic World Quest Dinner”

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The WACMB World Affairs Discussion Group will resume our monthly meetings on Tuesday, May 7th at 4:00 PM via Zoom (note the earlier start time). The discussion topic is Understanding Military Coups in Africa: A Question Concerning Democracy following on the April 26th WACMB luncheon presentation by Dr. Jeremias Zunguze, Associate Professor of Ethnic & Gender Studies at CSUMB. Since … Continue reading “Discussion Group May 7, 2024: Military Coups in Africa – A Question Concerning Democracy”

Speaker Jeremias Zunguze, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Ethnic & Gender Studies – California State University, Monterey Bay Friday, April 26, 2024 Overview Since independence in the 1950s, the beginning of African independence, the continent has witnessed more than two hundred military coups, dictators and democratically-elected leaders overthrown, and democracy brought to a halt. Since 2020 … Continue reading “Understanding Military Coups in Africa: A Question Concerning Democracy”

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Speaker The Honorable Leon E. Panetta
 Former United States Secretary of Defense Thursday, March 28, 2024 Overview “Abroad there is Putin’s war against Ukraine, turmoil in the Middle East, and looming threats in Asia. Put succinctly, the fate of the West is being decided by what happens in the East. At home, American democracy is … Continue reading “The Challenge of World Leadership in the 21st Century”

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Speaker Professor Rodrigo Nieto-Gomez Department of National Security Affairs & Center for Homeland DefenseNaval Postgraduate School Tuesday, February 27, 2024 Overview The coming year will see numerous elections throughout the world. For the United States, Mexico’s June election to choose a new president and an entirely new national Congress could be one of the most … Continue reading “Why Mexico’s Forthcoming Elections Are Important”

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Speaker Ambassador John Ordway U.S. Department of State, retired Friday January 26, 2024 Overview Kazakhstan is a historically, culturally, and resource-rich country in Central Asia; the largest of the five former Soviet Republics in Central Asia. Now independent, it finds itself between two giant neighbors: Russia and China. Our guest, Ambassador John Ordway, served as … Continue reading “Kazakhstan in the Soviet and Post-Soviet World”

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The WACMB offers these moderated discussions which for decades have generated insightful exchanges. Eight critical topics in the Foreign Policy Association’s Great Decisions 2024 briefing book will be discussed in a moderated group setting. After viewing an online master class for each topic, which complements the week’s reading, participants are invited to share their knowledge … Continue reading “Great Decisions 2024 – February and March”

Speaker Professor James Russell Department of National Security AffairsNaval Postgraduate School Overview The Israel-Hamas War has polarized political constituencies across the globe, not the least of which is here in the United States. The area is now a key arena for global power politics. James Russell, a specialist on the Middle East and popular guest … Continue reading “Politics of the War in Gaza?”

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Our fourth and final combined WACMB + OLLI world affairs discussion group meeting of the fall season will be held on Monday, December 4th at 5:00 PM PST via Zoom. The discussion topic is Whither the Dollar: How shall we be affected if the greenback is no longer the reserve currency? following on the November 20th WACMB luncheon presentation on this subject … Continue reading “Discussion Group December 4, 2023: Whither the dollar?”

WACMB is thrilled to be selected again for the annual MC – Gives campaign supporting local nonprofits in Monterey County. Our BIG IDEA this year continues our Youth Education Initiative, the Academic world Quest (AWQ) Program, a National contest with a fun, fast-paced team competition for high school students that tests participant knowledge of current … Continue reading “Donate to MCGives! for AWQ”

Speaker Professor Barry Eichengreen University of California, Berkeley Cosponsored with the Cal Alumni Association Overview For a very long time, the US. dollar has been the world’s primary reserve currency, providing an almost endless windfall of riches to the United States. Our good fortune hasn’t gone unnoticed. Early on and perhaps most famously, Valery Giscard … Continue reading “Whither the Dollar: Exorbitant Privilege No More?”

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Our third combined WACMB + OLLI world affairs discussion group meeting of the fall season will be held on Monday, November 6th at 5:00 PM PST via Zoom. The discussion topic is U.S.-China Relations: Handle with Care, following on the October 25th WACMB luncheon presentation on this subject by Dr. David Michael Lampton of the Johns … Continue reading “Discussion Group November 6, 2023: U.S.-China Relations: Handle with Care”

Speaker Dr. David Michael Lampton Johns Hopkins UniversitySchool of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)Foreign Policy Institute Overview For the past ten years, the United States and China have been locked in competition for who has the greatest global influence. As they enter what looks like a new Cold War of sorts, Dr. Lampton will discuss how … Continue reading “U.S.-China Relations: Handle with Care”