Issue 1 – November 30, 2020
Dear WACMB Members and Friends –
Please see the below several Global Affairs informative articles and events for your reading and listening interest.
These are selected from numerous subjects on multiple sites and platforms; hope these add to your regular information sources.
-World Affairs Council of the Monterey Bay Board of Directors
The World Affairs Council of the Americas (WACA), the parent Organization for over 90 Nationwide Councils, conducts numerous events highlighting current global topics. They have recently completed the WACA 2020 National Conference in Washington D.C from November 16-20, titled New Frontiers in Diplomacy and National Security.
The following three Youtube videos are representative of the issues covered :
The Big Think / Reinventing America’s Role in the World
Great Decisions / The Global Economy in Turmoil; Outlook for 2021
Quincy Institute / Prospects for ending Americas Endless Wars;
The following additional events are selected for your review :
The Hoover Institution at Stanford has the following event: a 3-part “Great Decisions: America in the World” webinar through zoom. Two of the three webinars have already taken place, and the third will take place on Dec.10 at 10:00am Pacific Time. Folks can watch the two past sessions and register online for the 3rd one at https://www.hoover.org/events/great-decisions-america-world. Here is a description of the event:
“In a world still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, what are the critical foreign policy challenges facing the next U.S. president? Drawing from a joint election-year project with the Foreign Policy Association, three sessions with eminent Hoover experts on international affairs will explore the critical countries and geopolitical issues that will shape global affairs over the next decade.”
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace will host a live event online on Dec. 1 at 9:00am-10:00am EST on “U.S.-China Relations Under Biden: a Lookahead” at the following website: https://carnegieendowment.org/2020/12/01/u.s.-china-relations-under-biden-lookahead-event-7491. There is no need to register. The panel will consist of American and Chinese experts who will discuss on how Biden’s administration will approach China and vice-versa. Here is a short description:
“While the recent election of Joe Biden likely signals a raft of domestic political changes, its impact on U.S.-China relations remains unclear. The Trump administration has remolded the relationship, which is now defined by confrontations over economic practices, emerging technologies, and security. There is also growing bipartisan support for pursuing a tougher approach to China, and the Justice, State, and Defense departments are increasingly prioritizing new initiatives to push back on Beijing. Will Biden maintain the confrontational tone and policies of his predecessor? Or will he devise an entirely different posture toward Beijing? The answers to these questions will not only have critical consequences for the two countries in question, but for the broader international community as well.”
To all recipients, please remember that the next WACMB ‘Quick Take’ Youtube video of issues during the age of Covid-19 is available from today, 30 November; please access this presentation by Professor Jonathan Lipman on ‘Muslims and Islam in China, Focus on the Uyghurs’, via our website : www.wacmb.org