On Shifting Ground

China has undergone profound economic change in recent years. Through international trade and development of new energy resources, the country has increased its involvement abroad, and at home economic growth has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty. However, progress has not been made across the board -- political and social advances have been slower to emerge. The Communist Party still seeks to maintain control over its citizens, limiting freedom of expression and restricting access to information.

As China continues to progress, change will need to come to these areas as well and the country will need to solve the underlying conflict between communism and capitalism. Individuals are finding ways around restrictions and exploring the potential of newfound prosperity and global connectivity. Evan Osnos, China correspondent for The New Yorker, will share stories of ordinary citizens remaking their lives in this shifting landscape.

Speaker Evan Osnos is Correspondent for The New Yorker.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/event/1257

Direct download: 5_29_14_New_China.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:54am PDT

In the coming years, the United States will experience drastic social, racial and economic shifts. By 2050, the US population will be majority non-white and the median age will rise above 40. A significant generational gap is emerging in social and political values as well as religious, racial and ethnic identities. There is also a disparity in economic well-being. For the first time in American history, a new generation may have a lower standard of living than their parents. What do these changes mean for America's social, political and economic future? How will they affect our national identity and perceptions of our role in the world? Paul Taylor will draw on Pew Research Center's polls and data to discuss the implications of America's rapidly changing demographics.

Speaker Paul Taylor is Executive Vice President of Special Projects at the Pew Research Center.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/events/event/1289

Direct download: 5_12_14_America_2050.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 8:55am PDT

More than nine billion devices around the world are currently connected to the Internet, including computers and smartphones. That number is expected to increase dramatically within the next decade, with estimates ranging from quintupling to 50 billion devices to reaching one trillion. Please join us for a discussion of how the Internet of Things will impact the way we live, the way business is done and how resources are consumed. Important to the discussion will be the challenges ahead when merging the physical and digital worlds and the implications for privacy and security around the world.

Speakers include:

Katherine Butler, General Counsel, GE Software | @GEsoftware

Guido Jouret, VP and General Manager, Internet of Things Group, Cisco | @gjouret @Cisco_IoT

Stephen Pattison, VP of Public Affairs, ARM | @SPattison_ARM @ARMCommunity

Steve Yankovich, VP of Innovation and New Ventures, eBay, Inc. | @SteveYankovich @ebayinc

The panel discussion is moderated by Aleecia McDonald, Director of Privacy, Center for Internet and Society, Stanford Law School | @StanfordCIS

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/internet-of-things

Direct download: 5_7_14_Internet_Things.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 2:29pm PDT

North Korea is once again in the headlines, thanks to a sequence of aggressive, yet carefully calculated actions: another missile test; a nuclear weapons test in January of last year followed by a declaration that Pyongyang was exiting the 60-year-old Korean armistice; the sudden execution of the leader's uncle; and a constant, continuing stream of vituperative denunciations of South Korea and the United States. What does the North hope to accomplish with these acts? And how should the United States and its allies respond? Also, as North Korea's lifeline, how should China respond? Philip Yun, executive director and COO of the Ploughshares Fund, is well-equipped to answer these questions. Yun is a former high-level diplomat who has worked extensively in academia, business, nonprofits and government. Prior to joining Ploughshares Fund, he was a Pantech Scholar in Korean Studies at Stanford University. He met Kim Jong Il in October, 2000 as a part of the delegation that travelled to North Korea with Secretary of State Madeline Albright and was a member of a working group that managed US policy toward North Korea under President Clinton. Yun was as a senior advisor to the first US Coordinator for North Korea Policy, former Secretary of Defense William J. Perry.

Speaker Philip W. Yun is Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of Ploughshares Fund.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1262

Direct download: 3_26_14_SAC_North_Korea.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 1:38pm PDT

For more than 50 years, CARE has been serving individuals and families in the world's poorest communities. Today, they work in 84 countries around the world, empowering women in Peru, promoting democratic governance in Mali and fostering education and healthcare projects in Cambodia, among hundreds of other projects. Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE USA, will discuss her experiences in the fields of public health and international development.

Speaker Helene Gayle is President and CEO of CARE.

For more information about this event please visit: http://www.worldaffairs.org/event-calendar/event/1267

Direct download: 4_30_14_Helene_Gayle.mp3
Category:News & Politics -- posted at: 10:56pm PDT

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