Explore Our Previous Events

Discover the impactful events that have shaped our journey over the years. Explore thought-provoking discussions, engaging panels, and inspiring programs, all organized by year for easy navigation. Click on a year below to relive the moments and learn more about our past initiatives.

2024
  • Academic WorldQuest 2023

    The World Affairs Council of the Mid-Hudson Valley hosts a regional trivia competition for high school students that is based on international affairs...

    March 4, 2023 @ 9:30 am - 1:00 pm
  • Dr. Peter Jones, University of Ottawa “Track Two Diplomacy”

    Peter Jones holds a Ph.D. in War Studies from Kings’ College, London, and an MA in War Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada. Before...

    March 13, 2023 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
  • “A Tale of Two Churches” – Rwanda: Timothy P. Longman

    Lecture: “A Tale of Two Churches: The Catholic Church and Violence in Rwanda and the Congo.” by Timothy P. Longman, Associate Dean for Academic Af...

    March 29, 2023 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  • Great Decisions: China and the US

    Facilitated by Jean-Claude Fouere For the past ten years, the United States and China have been locked in a competition for who has the greatest globa...

    April 17, 2023 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  • Great Decisions: Economic Warfare

    Facilitated by Rick Levitt Waging economic warfare consists of a variety of measures from implementing sanctions to fomenting labor strikes. Such tool...

    May 15, 2023 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  • Great Decisions: Politics in Latin America

    Facilitated by Martin Charwat Electoral results in Latin America over the past four years have led many observers of the regional/political scene to d...

    May 15, 2023 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  • Great Decisions: Iran at the Crossroads

    Facilitated by Matt Murray By the fall of 2022, Iran was in a state of turmoil due to widespread protests against the government-enforced wearing of t...

    October 23, 2023 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  • Great Decisions: Energy Geopolitics

    Facilitated by Karen Nichols. Access to oil and gas has long influenced the politics of individual nations and their relations with others. But as mor...

    November 13, 2023 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  • Great Decisions: Climate Migration

    Facilitated by Dr. Charlotte Hulme, Assistant Professor of International Affairs and Deputy-Director of the Grand Strategy Program at West Point Milit...

    December 11, 2023 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
  • Great Decisions: Climate Change

    Facilitator:  Jean-Claude Fouere The ideological divide in the United States on the subject of climate change has impeded progress in curbing greenho...

    April 11, 2022 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  • Great Decisions: Russia

    Facilitator: Juris Pupcenoks Russia and the United States have many areas of conflict and some possible areas of mutual interest. Arms control, Russia...

    April 18, 2022 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  • Clarity in Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the CIA

    Marc Polymeropoulos – Wednesday, 4/20, 7 pm, James and Betty Hall Theatre, Dutchess Community College With over 26 years of experience in the in...

    April 20, 2022 @ 7:00 pm - 8:45 pm
  • Great Decisions: Myanmar and ASEAN

    Facilitator: Martin Charwat The situation in Myanmar, including the coup by the military in February 2021 and the ongoing human rights crises, coupled...

    May 9, 2022 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  • Author Talk: Reaching for the Heights: The Inside Story of a Secret Attempt to Reach a Syrian-Israeli Peace

    Join us at the Kingston Library in the Community Room on Tuesday, May 17th, 2022 at 6:30 pm for an author’s talk. This talk is offered by the Li...

    May 17, 2022 @ 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
  • Great Decisions: Changing Demographics

    Facilitator: Karen Nichols The world experienced remarkable demographic changes in the 20th century that continue today and have resulted in far-reach...

    September 12, 2022 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  • Great Decisions: The Quad Alliance

    Facilitator: Malia DuMont As part of the U.S. pivot to Asia, the United States has been in dialogue with Japan, Australia, and India to contain China....

    October 17, 2022 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  • Great Decisions: Industrial Policy

    Facilitator: Matthew Murray The current discussion of industrial policy in the United States is not simply about whether or not to support specific co...

    November 14, 2022 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  • Lecture: “This is a True Story”

    Dr. Robert. K. Brigham, Shirley Ecker Boskey Professor of History and International Relations at Vassar College will speak on Tuesday, February 11th a...

    February 11, 2020 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  • Great Decisions: China’s Road Into Latin America

    Facilitator: Malia Du Mont, Bard College As the Trump administration continues to withdraw from the world stage, China is looking to fill the void. Ho...

    February 27, 2020 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm
  • SWAC – Call for Paper Submissions / Conference

    Abstracts of no more than 300 words may be sent to http://mari.st/swac2020abstract  by January 31, 2020 The 7th annual Student World Affairs Conferen...

    February 28, 2020 @ 9:00 am - 10:00 am
  • Academic WorldQuest 2020

    Saturday, March 7th at the Henry A. Wallace Center / Franklin D. Roosevelt Historic Site. This international affairs quiz bowl will feature close to 2...

    March 7, 2020
  • Great Decisions: India and Pakistan

    Facilitators: Umar Ahmad and Mirza Ashraf, WACMHV How will the Kashmir situation affect the region, both economically and politically? India’s Prime...

    April 20, 2020 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
  • Great Decisions: Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking

    Facilitator: Malia Du Mont, Bard College Almost every nation has enacted laws criminalizing human trafficking, and international organizations, govern...

    May 11, 2020 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
  • Great Decisions: Climate Change and the Global Order

    Facilitator: Karen Nichols Climate change has become one of the defining issues of our time. As much of the world bands together to come up with a pla...

    September 21, 2020 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  • Great Decisions: Artificial Intelligence & Data

    Facilitator: Jean-Claude Fouere Policymakers in many countries are developing plans and funding research in artificial intelligence (AI). Global growt...

    October 19, 2020 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  • Ian Buruma: “The Future of Pax Americana”

    Join us on Tuesday, October 27, 2020, at 7 pm for a talk by Ian Buruma. Dr. Buruma is a Professor of Human Rights and Journalism at Bard College. He

    October 27, 2020 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  • Great Decisions: US Relations with Central America

    Facilitator: Antonio Flores Lobos To register to attend this program at the library, use this link. Combatting illegal immigration has become a priori...

    November 9, 2020 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm