On Shifting Ground

In this age of globalization, it is clear that America's prosperity and security depends on that of our political and economic partners. Yet, today we see mounting evidence that our partners' stability is threatened by global environmental change. Increasing pressure on limited resources is disrupting global supply chains, causing social instability, destabilizing regional relations and expanding illegal trade. Join this group of top policy leaders, security experts and change makers who will discuss why environmental sustainability must become a central tenet of US foreign policy in order to protect our national security and promote global prosperity.

Speakers Richard L. Engel, Director, Environment and Natural Resources Program, Strategic Futures Group, National Intelligence Council, David Reed, Senior Vice President of Policy, World Wildlife Fund, and Amy Luers, Director of Climate Change, Skoll Global Threats Fund, are in conversation with Jane Wales, President and Chief Executive Officer, World Affairs Council.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/event/1360

Direct download: 10_29_14_Prosperity_Pursuit.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:55am PDT

To mark a century of The New Republic, editor Franklin Foer will join us for a discussion on the pivotal issues of modern America. Highlighting seminal contributions to the magazine, Foer’s Insurrections of the Mind is an exploration of such topics as America’s role in the world, the rise and fall of communism, the economy, terrorism, and technology, not to mention race, civil rights and the women’s movement. As political discussions increase in the lead up to the midterm elections, these issues remain just as important today as they were throughout the past century. Insurrections of the Mind, an anthology of the magazine's most seminal articles, celebrates a cultural, political and intellectual institution that has stood the test of time. Select contributors include Virginia Woolf, George Orwell, Philip Roth, Michael Lewis, Zadie Smith, William Faulkner, Ralph Ellison, Langston Hughes, John Updike and Margaret Talbot.

Speaker Franklin Foer is the Editor of The New Republic.

The discussion will be moderated by William Drummond, Professor, Graduate School of Journalism, University of California, Berkeley.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/event/1363

Direct download: 10_27_14_Franklin_Foer.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 7:48am PDT

The World Affairs Council and its Global Philanthropy Forum recognizes eBay and PayPal CEO John Donahoe and the company he leads for its commitment to creating economic opportunity and fostering an inclusive global economy, including its pioneering role in creating the peer-to-peer economy. The evening celebrates and gathers entrepreneurs and innovators who are further advancing this movement worldwide.

eBay and Paypal are global commerce platforms whose success is tied to their purpose – connecting more people with more opportunity while making a positive social impact. A Bay Area innovation with global reach, eBay and PayPal helped spark a movement. Today the continuously evolving peer-to-peer economy enables individuals to participate in local and global economies, without the requirements of start-up capital or proximity to physical markets. A new entrepreneurial class is being built. Where there was a will, there is now a way.

Speaker John Donahoe is the President and CEO of eBay, Inc.

The conversation is moderated by Jane Wales, President and CEO of the World Affairs Council.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1365

Direct download: 10_23_14_John_Donahoe.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:41am PDT

US Ambassador to Pakistan Richard Olson will discuss the US-Pakistan relationship as it is, and what it could become. Weathering setbacks over the years, the relationship has proven itself resilient. Ambassador Olson will explain why it is in our national interest to continue to engage with Pakistan and why this will require more than a transactional or single-issue relationship with Pakistan.

Speaker Richard Olson is the US Ambassador to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Embassy of the United States of America.

The conversation will be moderated by Anja Lucia Manuel, Partner, RiceHadleyGates LLC.

For more information please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/event/1358

Direct download: 10_15_14_Richard_Olson.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 12:44pm PDT

Even now, in the twenty-first century, intractable problems remain: poor early-childhood education, sex trafficking, inner-city violence, poverty and malnutrition, homelessness and many others. What can be done in the face of such enormous challenges? Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nicholas Kristof suggests that new, innovative approaches to philanthropy could offer answers, allowing individuals and organizations to make a difference in the world. At the end of the day what matters most is the impact on the ground.

Kristof has lived on four continents, reported on six and traveled to 150 countries, reporting on global health, poverty, education, gender inequality and much more. He will share stories from his experiences on the ground and discuss the art and science of giving.

Speaker Nicholas Kristof is a columnist at The New York Times.

The discussion will be moderated by Jane Wales, President and Chief Executive Officer, World Affairs Council.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/event/1351

Direct download: 10_7_14_Nicholas_Kristof.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:47am PDT

Access to online education has the potential to democratize education and skill advancement around the world. In what ways and for whom has online education been most successful so far? What are the platform's limitations and where are the gaps? Please join us for a discussion of online education’s potential role in preparing a global labor force for the knowledge economy of the 21st century.

The discussion features Nicholas B. Dirks, Chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley, and Sebastian Thrun, Co-Founder and CEO of Udacity.

Quentin Hardy, Deputy Technology Editor of The New York Times, moderates the conversation.

For more information please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1328

Direct download: 10_02_14_Online_Education.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 1:42pm PDT

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