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.
Luncheon Meeting on November 16, 2018
Topic
Chemical Weapons and Their Horrible, But Also Hopeful, Past, Present, and Future
Speaker
Dr. Philipp C. Bleek
Associate Professor; Acting Program Chair, Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies;
Overview
Chemical weapons are back in the news, based on Syria’s repeated, indiscriminate use in the past few years, as well as targeted attacks by both North Korea (on Kim Jung-Un’s brother) and Russia (on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia). How worrisome are these developments? And what implications do they have
for the future use of chemical weapons?
Professor Bleek has a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Government from Georgetown University.
Please note that this program will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn, Monterey. Room capacity is limited. Reservations will be accepted in the order they are received until the program is full. Depending on demand, we may be unable to accommodate auditors at this event.
Agenda
Friday, November 16, 2018
11:30 am: Registration
Noon: Luncheon
12:50 pm: Program
Luncheon Menu
- Classic Green Salad
- Lemon and Garlic Herb Chicken with a White Bean Spinach Sauce
- Classic Rice Pilaf
- Sauteed Vegetables
- Rolls and Butter
- Coffee and Decaf
- Chocolate Mousse Cake with Seasonal Berries
- Vegetarian Option: Stuffed Peppers with a Harvest Apple Stuffing
Luncheon Cost
- $29 for members
- $35 for guests
Registration
Registration for the luncheon is now closed. Audience seating for the lecture only may be available, depending on room capacity, on a first-come-first-served basis.
Location
Hilton Garden Inn, Monterey
1000 Aguajito Road
Monterey, CA 93923
Property and Parking Map (click map for larger view)
Luncheon Meeting on December 6, 2018
Topic
Japan, America, and the New Nationalism
Speaker
Bill Clifford
President and CEO, World Affairs Councils of America
Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Institute, Johns Hopkins University
Overview
The alliance between the U.S. and Japan has long been the cornerstone of American security interests in Asia, and is fundamental to regional stability and prosperity. But while the partnership is based on shared vital interests and values, it now faces major challenges. How will the administrations of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Donald Trump chart the next phase of the relationship?
Bill Clifford, who was a Tokyo-based journalist for more than a decade, will discuss how recent political, economic, and social trends in our two countries are changing the dynamics of U.S.-Japan relations. He will highlight how North Korea’s nuclear and cyber threats and China’s growing military might have profoundly affected Japan’s foreign policy.
Bill Clifford is President and CEO of the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA) in Washington, D.C., where he leads our national office and represents its network of more than 90 World Affairs Councils across the United States. In March 2017, he was appointed a nonresident Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute of Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He also serves on the editorial board of the SAIS Review.
Before joining WACA five years ago, Clifford was president of WorldBoston, a WACA member council known for its innovative programming. Previously, he served as Asia Bureau Chief for the pioneering multimedia venture CBS MarketWatch, where he launched and directed news bureaus in Japan and Hong Kong. He holds an M.A. from Johns Hopkins SAIS, a B.A. summa cum laude in International Relations and French Literature from Tufts University, and a C.E.P. from Sciences Po in Paris.
Agenda
Thursday, December 6, 2018
11:30 am: Registration
11:50 am: Luncheon
1:00 pm: Program
Luncheon Menu
- Hearts of Romaine Salad
- Chicken Marsala
- Roasted Red Potatoes
- Vegetable Medley
- Rolls and Butter
- Coffee and Decaf
- Chef’s Choice Dessert
- Vegetarian Option: Tortellini in Pesto Cream Sauce
- Special Holiday Treat: Champagne or Sparkling Cider
Luncheon Cost
- $29 for members
- $35 for guests
- Lecture is open to the public at no charge, beginning at 12:50pm
Registration
Registration for the luncheon is now closed. Audience seating for the lecture only may be available, depending on room capacity, on a first-come-first-served basis.
Location
Palo Corona Regional Park Headquarters
(formerly Rancho Canada Golf Club)
4860 Carmel Valley Rd
Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923
Discussion Groups for November 2018
To see a list of recent Discussion Group events, click here.
MPC
Patriots for Profit? America’s Experience with Private Military Contractors
Is the practice of relying on the private sector to wage war a strategic liability or a trend toward efficiency and cost effectiveness? What is the impact of private contractors on U.S. troops and relations with host governments?
The MPC Discussion Group will meet on Monday, November 5 at 4:00 pm in the Social Science Building, Room 101, Monterey Peninsula College, 980 Fremont Street, Monterey. Parking is available in Lot D for $3.00. (Note: this meeting will be on the first Monday of the month to avoid a conflict with Veteran’s Day.)
Click the calendar icon to get an electronic event notice for your calendar.Interactive Map of MPC Location
OLLI
The Effect of the National Mid-Term Elections
The OLLI Discussion Group will meet on Monday, November 19 at 4:00 on the second floor of the CSUMB building at Ryan Ranch, 8 Upper Ragsdale Drive, Monterey. Free parking is available in front of the building.
For maps and more detailed directions, follow this link or see the map below.
Click the calendar icon to get an electronic event notice for your calendar.
Interactive Map of OLLI-CSUMB Location
Discussion Groups for December 2018
To see a list of recent Discussion Group events, click here.
MPC
America’s Role and Responsibility in the War in Yemen
The war in Yemen is shaping up to be one of the greatest humanitarian disasters since World War II. What is America’s responsibility in backing Saudi Arabia is in this war?
The MPC Discussion Group is free to the public and will meet on Monday, December 10 at 4:00 pm in the Social Science Building, Room 101, Monterey Peninsula College, 980 Fremont Street, Monterey. Parking is available in Lot D for $3.00.
Click the calendar icon to get an electronic event notice for your calendar.Interactive Map of MPC Location
OLLI
The OLLI Discussion Group will meet on Monday, December 17 at 4:00 on the second floor of the CSUMB building at Ryan Ranch, 8 Upper Ragsdale Drive, Monterey. Free parking is available in front of the building.
For maps and more detailed directions, follow this link or see the map below.
Click the calendar icon to get an electronic event notice for your calendar.
Interactive Map of OLLI-CSUMB Location
Board Meeting on November 1, 2018
Open to Members
Begins at 4:30 pm
Click the calendar icon to get an electronic event notice for your calendar.
Location
McCone Building Conference Room, MIIS
September Program Report
Summary of “From Cold War to Hot Peace” presentation by Dr. Michael McFaul of Stanford University on September 28, 2018
The World Affairs Council was honored to host Dr. Michael McFaul at our September luncheon. McFaul previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to Russia, and is currently a professor at Stanford University in Palo Alto. McFaul is also the author of the new book From Cold War to Hot Peace, which recounts his time as U.S. ambassador in Putin’s Russia.
In his presentation, McFaul struck a balance between analyzing U.S. – Russia relations and relating often-harrowing personal stories of incidents that occurred during his time as ambassador in Moscow. Those stories included how he became a proxy target of Putin’s enmity against the U.S., leading to public disinformation that was put out by the regime to undermine McFaul’s standing and threaten him personally.
2011 was a key year in Russia’s turn against the West under Putin, and McFaul pointed to two critical events. The first involved the events of the ‘Arab Spring’ that year and specifically what happened in Libya. Putin felt he had been duped by the West: that a humanitarian intervention to prevent a slaughter in the eastern city of Benghazi turned into full-on regime change, which Russia did not support. Second, later in 2011, Russia held parliamentary elections, which were widely seen as fraudulent. Secretary of State Clinton called out Putin over these rigged elections, an action that set in motion Putin’s later subterfuge to undermine her presidential bid in 2016.
McFaul painted a dire picture of Putin, and the thuggish and kleptocratic regime he has established in Moscow. Putin was, and is, very much the byproduct of the KGB, where he worked for many years.
Summary by Glenn E. Robinson
Scholarships!
At the October luncheon, Scholarship Committee Chair Naomi Terman announced the 2018-2019 recipients of the World Affairs Scholarships. They will each receive $1000 to use toward their studies.
- Marantha Croomes is a B.A. candidate at CSUMB, majoring in World Languages and Culture. She has studied abroad in Germany, Australia, and Japan.
- Nicholas De Golla is a Dean’s Fellow and a dual degree candidate at MIIS, working toward a Fisher M.B.A. in Global Impact Management and an M.A. in International Environmental Policy.
- Brianna V. Hartley is an M.A. candidate at MIIS, with a focus on Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies. She is also a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS).
- Sandy Her is a B.A. candidate at CSUMB, majoring in Global Studies and Human Communications, with a focus on Asian Studies. This spring, she studied abroad in South Korea.
- Paul S. Warnke is an M.A. candidate at MIIS, where he is studying Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies. He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese, and has competency in French.
Those in attendance at the October luncheon had the opportunity to meet some of these impressive young scholars. Many thanks to Naomi and the other members of the Scholarship Committee, Barbara Zellmer and Michelle Amirkhanian, for all their good work in selecting the winners!
