On Shifting Ground

The adoption of the Paris climate agreement in December 2015 sent a powerful signal about the global consensus over the urgent need to address climate change. Although the agreement was more ambitious than expected, it is still not enough. Now the world must continue to embrace the spirit of Paris and race towards not only implementation of the agreement, but also increasingly bold ideas for the future. One country whose very existence depends on this is the low-lying Marshall Islands, a tiny atoll nation located in the middle of the Pacific. The Marshall Islands spearheaded the 'High Ambition Coalition' of countries that has been credited with securing the most ambitious elements of the Paris agreement.

Former British diplomat Carne Ross is the Founder and Executive Director of Independent Diplomat - the world's first non-profit diplomatic advisory group - which has worked closely with the Republic of the Marshall Islands in the years leading up to Paris and now on its role with the High Ambition Coalition. Independent Diplomat helps to level the diplomatic playing field between the world's richest countries, which are often the most egregious polluters, and states like the Marshall Islands, which are both the world's most vulnerable states to the devastating effects of climate change and among the least likely to be heard at international negotiations.

How did a country of only 60,000 people become one of the most influential states at the UN climate talks? What's next for climate diplomacy and the High Ambition Coalition? What lessons can the success of the Paris Agreement teach us about global diplomacy more broadly? How can private and non-profit organizations like Independent Diplomat influence international relations, peace and world security? Join World Affairs and Carne Ross for a conversation that will answer these and other pressing questions about the global solutions to climate change.

Speaker Carne Ross is Executive Director of Independent Diplomat.

Aimee Barnes, Partner, Allotrope Partners, moderates the conversation.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/event/1617

Direct download: 06_29_16_Carne_Ross.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:00pm PDT

How are international war criminals brought to justice? Since the Nuremberg trials following World War II, international bodies like the International Criminal Court (ICC) have fought to prosecute war criminals for egregious abuses of human rights. From South America to Russia and from Rwanda to Kosovo, scores of war criminals have been prosecuted for their misdeeds. But how can war criminals be held accountable if they can't be found? What happens when alleged war criminals or terrorists are being shielded from prosecution by states? How has human rights prosecution evolved since the early days of the ICC? Join us for a discussion with human rights experts Eric Stover, Alexa Koenig and Victor Peskin about the evolution of war crimes prosecution and what still needs to be done to protect victims of human rights abuses.

Speakers include: Alexa Koenig, Executive Director, Human Rights Center, Berkeley Law, University of California, Victor Peskin, Associate Professor, School of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University, and Eric Stover, Faculty Director, Human Rights Center, University of California Berkeley.

Rebecca Westerfield, Founding Member and Former Director, Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Services (JAMS), moderates the discussion.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1598

Direct download: 05_26_16_Justice_Unjust_World.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:00pm PDT

China and India have proven themselves indispensable in the first decade of the twenty-first century, which has been a remarkable period of economic growth and increased connectivity for both countries. Policy initiatives like the US Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) that promote trade in these emerging markets provide exciting new opportunities for entrepreneurs around the globe to expand and develop their businesses and connect with potential consumers. However, in an increasingly competitive global marketplace, can the US continue to lead in both the political and economic spheres? How should the US engage with India and China in the future? Join World Affairs for a conversation with Anja Manuel, co-founder and principal of RiceHadleyGates, LLC, who will offer insights into how the US should work with China and India to face the twenty-first century's global challenges.

Speaker Anja Manuel is Co-Founder and Principal at RiceHadleyGates LLC.

Jane Wales, CEO, World Affairs Council and Global Philanthropy Forum and Vice President, The Aspen Institute, moderates the discussion.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1615

Direct download: 06_15_16_Anja_Manuel.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:00pm PDT

With no end in sight to the conflict in Syria, CARE USA is one of the leading international nonprofit organizations spearheading relief efforts in overflowing refugee camps across the Middle East. As an organization that recognizes the importance of empowering women and girls as a way to end poverty and gender inequality around the world, CARE USA focuses on ensuring women and girls live with dignity and security. As violence continues in war-torn Syria, and millions more girls and women are disenfranchised and displaced, how can organizations such as CARE USA provide these refugees the resources to build a brighter future?

Join World Affairs and Michelle Nunn, President and CEO of CARE USA, for a discussion about the organization's involvement in relief efforts across the Middle East and the fight for women's empowerment taking place even in such dire circumstances as overcrowded, under-resourced refugee camps.

Speaker Michelle Nunn is President and CEO of CARE USA.

Linda J. Calhoun, Executive Producer, Career Girls, moderates the discussion.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/event/1618

Direct download: 06_21_16_Michelle_Nunn.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 9:57am PDT

Five years after the Arab Spring, the Middle East is faced with a civil war in Syria, the rise of the self-proclaimed Islamic State, violent insurgencies and a refugee crisis. Egypt, hailed in the West as an ally in the fight against terrorism, is far from where many hoped it would be when Egyptians took to the streets on January 25, 2011. Since the Arab Spring, international policymakers have prioritized security and stability over personal freedom and democracy which has led to a regression in rights and freedoms, growing public disengagement and increased radicalization in the region.

Join us for a discussion with Dr. Nancy Okail, Executive Director of the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy, who will offer insights into Egypt’s tenuous approach to stability, the renewed crackdown on rights and freedoms and the role US and EU policymakers can play in restoring democracy and the rule of law in Egypt.

Speaker Nancy Okail is the Executive Director of The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy

David D. Arnold, President of The Asia Foundation, moderates the discussion.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1596

Direct download: 05_05_16_Nancy_Okail.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:00pm PDT

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