In this pilot episode of the World Affairs podcast we are looking at diseases: how they are spread, how they are contained, how they are cured. We reached out to learn more about how recent disease outbreaks have affected those in our community and what health professionals are doing to prevent the next deadly pandemic on local and global scales. In this episode you'll hear from Alex Karolyi, a Bay Area dad who had a trip planned to Disneyland that coincided with a recent measles outbreak; Adam Crawley, an epidemiologist and research associate at the Skoll Global Threats Fund; Peter Robertson, former Vice Chairman at Chevron, and now an Independent Energy Advisor with Deloitte; and Larry Brilliant, who took part in the World Health Organization's smallpox eradication program, and is now Senior Advisor for the Skoll Global Threats Fund.

Drones have become a regular, if controversial, part of US military operations. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, in Libya and against ISIS, these unmanned crafts are frequently put to use against specific targets, while keeping US soldiers out of the line of fire.

However, the strikes that hit the headlines are only one part of the story. According to investigative journalist Chris Woods, a secret war has been underway for years, with drones in the air over Somalia, Pakistan, Yemen and others, searching for militant and terrorist targets. How have armed drones changed the face of modern warfare? What are the implications for US foreign policy decisions? And how does the drone program affect America’s reputation abroad?

Speaker Chris Woods is an investigative journalist. He will be in conversation with Andrew Becker, reporter at The Center for Investigative Reporting.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/event/1456

The war in Syria, now in its fifth year, has created a refugee crisis. Almost 4 million Syrians have fled the country, and another 7.6 million have been displaced within Syria. In total, this conflict has forced half of the country’s population from their homes.

In this episode of WorldAffairs, we’re sharing two perspectives—the analytic and the personal—on this complex issue. First, we’ll hear from three experts who either observe or make policy: Filippo Grandi of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees, David Miliband, president of the International Rescue Committee, and Vali Nasr, Dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. In the second half of the program, we’ll hear stories from those who see and feel the human dimension of this crisis: among them are Anisa Abeytia, from the NorCal Syrian American Council, Feras Alhlou, a volunteer and advocate and Christine Lemonda, from the International Rescue Committee.

For more information about our new podcast programs please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/podcast

How can we understand the intricate web of agendas and interests between the US, Israel and Iran? Nuclear negotiations between Iran and the US are ongoing, as Israel continues to voice its concerns over the possibility of a nuclear armed neighbor. In Israel’s March 17 election, Prime Minister Netanyahu was re-elected to a fourth term in office, and his party now faces the delicate task of forming a coalition government. Add to the mix Netanyahu’s controversial appearance before US Congress and Republican senators’ recent letter to Tehran, and the questions are only magnified.

How might Netanyahu’s re-election, and the composition of the new government, impact Israel’s domestic and foreign policy decisions? Can the US come to an agreement with Iran without harming its longstanding friendship with Israel? What might an agreement mean for Iran politically and economically? In light of the overall instability in the Middle East, how do Israel on the one hand, and Iran on the other, think about their regional positions? Finally, what does the future look like for the complex ties between these three nations?

Speakers Abbas M. Milani, Research Fellow and Co-Director, Iran Democracy Project, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and Janine Zacharia, Carlos Kelly McClatchy Visiting Lecturer, Department of Communications, Stanford University, will be in discussion.

Jane Wales, President and CEO of the World Affairs Council, will moderate the conversation.

For more information please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/event/1450

Poverty is often thought of as an economic issue, to be addressed through loans and other financial services. However, this is only one piece of the larger puzzle. Poor health can keep an individual from work or a natural disaster may destroy homes, crops and other resources. Lack of education limits opportunities for employment and higher wages. In order for the poor to escape poverty, they require the tools to fight it across all fronts. BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee), a development organization focused on alleviating poverty, therefore works with communities on a wide range of initiatives, from agriculture and food security to education and gender equality, in order to provide all the necessary tools for growth.

How does promoting gender equality, education and human rights aid in the fight to end poverty? BRAC’s founder, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, will share his insights on poverty alleviation and the power of education, as well as BRAC’s growth and evolution over the past 40 years.

Sir Fazle has received several national and international awards for his achievements in leading BRAC, including the David Rockefeller Bridging Leadership Award (2008), Inaugural Clinton Global Citizen Award (2007) and Gates Award for Global Health (2004). The British crown knighted him in recognition of his services to reducing poverty in Bangladesh and internationally.

Speaker Fazle Hasan Abed is the Founder and Chairperson of BRAC.

Catherine Muther, President of the Three Guineas Fund, moderates the discussion.

For more information please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1438

Digital currency platforms have the potential to disrupt the global financial infrastructure and change the way that people and institutions exchange value. With the ability to transfer funds instantly to anywhere in the world by anyone, digital currencies hold the promise of providing financial inclusion to those underserved or unserved by the traditional financial institutions, and transforming the global financial ecosystem. Please join us for a discussion of the future of digital currencies, and the opportunities and challenges ahead.

Speakers Brian Armstrong, Founder and CEO, Coinbase, Joyce Kim, Executive Director, Stellar.org, and Elizabeth Stark, Founder, StartBitcoin.org, participate in the panel discussion.

Cory Johnson, Anchor and Editor-At-Large, Bloomberg Television, moderates the conversation.

For more information please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1442

Throughout Africa, Latin America and the Middle East, the United States employs private military contractors to carry out its objectives. While US firms dominate the market, warlords and militias have restyled themselves as private security companies in places like Afghanistan and Somalia. These private entities have become an integral part of the United States' defense strategy — the US can no longer go to war without contractors.

How does military contracting actually operate? What does the proliferation of private forces suggest about the future of war and international relations? Sean McFate, a former paratrooper in the US Army and previous employee of a military contractor, will discuss these questions and share his unique perspective on this growing industry.

This event is presented in partnership with the Marines' Memorial Association.

Speaker Sean McFate is Assistant Professor at the National Defense University, and Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council.

The conversation will be moderated by Christopher Starling, Director of Military and Veteran Affairs, Marines’ Memorial Club.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/event/1425

Climate change has long been a topic that inspires concern, but little action. While signs of its impact have slowly increased, it seems not to pose an imminent enough threat to initiate a global attempt to slow its progress. However, if we wait for the threat to become imminent, it may be too late to respond.

According to Gernot Wagner, lead senior economist at the Environmental Defense Fund, we should begin thinking about responding to climate change in the same way we think about our health or car insurance - as a way of managing potential risk. Wagner will share his insights on the political and economic barriers to preemptive action, the economic consequences of a hotter planet and the extreme responses, such as geoengineering, that will likely come from waiting too long to act.

Speaker Gernot Wagner is a Lead Senior Economist at the Environmental Defense Fund.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/event/1424

The Middle East faces many and diverse challenges. Nuclear talks with Iran move slowly, with deadlines repeatedly pushed back. The Islamic State retains its hold on large swaths of Iraq and Syria and the rise of extremism threatens regional and international stability. Oil prices have fallen, impacting economies across the region and the world. The recent succession in Saudi Arabia raises questions about the outlook for this key US ally. With all of these factors in play, the outlook for 2015 is indeed uncertain.

Vali Nasr, Middle East expert and former senior advisor to the US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, will discuss these challenges and how they could impact international stability and security.

This event is presented in partnership with the Marines' Memorial Association.

Speaker Vali R. Nasr is the Dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.

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

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/event/1427

Around the world, nearly 800 million people are illiterate. That means one out of every 10 people would have a hard time reading this sentence. While global literacy rates improved over the last 25 years, progress has since stalled, especially for women and girls. And this isn’t only a developing world problem – 32 million Americans can’t read and write.

Today, literacy is as complex as it is powerful. What it means to be literate in different contexts is changing rapidly as digital skills become increasingly important and technology grows more sophisticated and more available. These advances create new and exciting opportunities to tackle basic literacy challenges, and produce new literacy challenges in their own right.

Educators and organizations all over the world are working hard in their communities to understand and address these issues. Literacy organizations such as Room to Read and Reading Partners are facing these challenges head-on whether in India, South Africa or right here in San Francisco. And Project Literacy, a major new campaign convened by Pearson in partnership with GOOD Magazine and others, seeks to make significant and sustainable advances in literacy over the next five years so that by 2030, no child will be born at risk of poor literacy.

Join us for this panel discussion to learn more about the scale of global illiteracy, the dimensions of the crisis as it breaks down along gender and class lines and the opportunities for intervention.

Speakers Erin Ganju, CEO and Co-Founder, Room to Read, Kate James, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Pearson, and Michael Lombardo, CEO, Reading Partners, will be in discussion.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1433