Mid-Hudson Valley World Affairs Council

Annual WAC-MHV Members Dinner
2025-12-03 18:30 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Vassar College, 124 Raymond Ave, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12604, United States
Date: Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Time: 6:30 – 9:00 pm
Location: The lovely Vassar College Alumnae House. This year’s evening will be a real treat especially for music lovers. James Ketterer will be sharing a fascinating presentation on Jazz & Diplomacy that you won’t want to miss.
As always, this special event is just for our members, so please make sure your 2025 membership is up to date. You may register or renew your membership conveniently through our website at https://wacmhv.org/membership/.

SWAC - Student World Affairs Conference
2025-11-21 | NY
Student World Affairs Conference 2025
MARIST COLLEGE FLYER
Marist University Student Center, Poughkeepsie, NY
Date: Friday, November 21, 2025
Start Time: 9 am; Keynote speaker scheduled to start at 3:30 pm
Undergraduate students from across the Hudson Valley will present papers on wide-ranging topics in world affairs.
Keynote Speaker:
Omar G. Encarnación, Charles Flint Kellogg Professor of Politics at Bard College
He will discuss LGBTQ Rights in Latin America, drawing from his books Framing Equality: The Politics of Gay Marriage Wars and Out in the Periphery: Latin America’s Gay Rights Revolution, in conversation with Marist faculty.
Sponsored by:
The Global Studies Program at Marist, the World Affairs Council of the Mid-Hudson Valley, and the World Film Program at Marist.
For further information, please contact Michael O’Sullivan at Michael.osullivan@marist.edu

Panel Discussion: Soft Power in a Post-Liberal World: The Future of Values and Ethics in International Relations
2025-11-18 18:30 - 19:30 | Woodstock Public Library District, 10 Dixon Ave, Woodstock, NY, 12498, United States
Date: November 18, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Panelists: Kevin Maloney & James Ketterer
In an era of shifting global narratives, the U.S. is rethinking its approach to diplomacy. What happens when foreign aid is slashed, soft power institutions are defunded, and values-driven engagement gives way to transactional diplomacy?
Kevin Maloney and James Ketterer, co-chairs of a Carnegie Council initiative on ethics in international affairs, will discuss the evolving role of ethics and values in shaping the global order.

[Great Decisions] International Climate Cooperation in an Era of Geopolitical Turmoil
2025-11-17 18:30 - 19:30 | Boardman Library, 141 Boardman Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12603, United States
Location: Boardman Road Library, Poughkeepsie
Facilitated by Karen Nichols for World Affairs Council of the Mid-Hudson Valley.

Over the past 30 years, climate change has become one of the central global challenges of the modern era, one that has important consequences for the livability of the planet.

Panel Discussion: Climate Action and Collaboration - An International Perspective
2025-10-24 18:30 - 19:30 | Woodstock Public Library District, 10 Dixon Ave, Woodstock, NY, 12498, United States
UPDATED LOCATION!: Woodstock Town Hall, 76 Tinker Street, Woodstock
Date: October 24, 2025
Time: 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Panelists: Nina Chen & Xixi Chen
Explore how global and regional tensions affect energy security, energy access and the transition to net zero. The panelists will also examine new opportunities, financial and risk management strategies, and pathways toward a more sustainable future.
Yue (Nina) Chen is a Senior Climate Finance Officer in the Office of the New York City Comptroller. She is also a Senior Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). Her research focuses on climate and nature-related financial risks with a focus on emerging economies. She advocates prudent policy and practices.
Xixi Chen is a Senior Resources Manager at the World Resources Institute. She is an energy system enthusiast; certified energy manager and energy professional in the nexus of technology, policy, and market; she is committed to strong research and data and making impacts through advocating for environmentally and financially sound practices.

[Great Decisions] Competition, Cold War, or Conflict? Navigating U.S.-China Relations in Tense Times
2025-09-29 18:30 - 19:30 | Boardman Library, 141 Boardman Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12603, United States
Facilitated by Martin Charwat for the World Affairs Council of the Mid-Hudson Valley.

There is one thing that people can agree on across the aisle in Washington, DC: The United States is in a strategic competition with a rising China that poses a range of economic, political, and military security challenges.

[Great Decisions] India: Between China, the West, and the Global South
2025-09-15 18:30 - 19:30 | Boardman Library, 141 Boardman Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12603, United States
CANCELLED — TO BE RESCHEDULED
Facilitated by Shantha Thangiah from the World Affairs Council of the Mid-Hudson Valley

As the Republic of India celebrates its 75th anniversary as of January 2025, the world’s most populous nation and largest democracy continues to defy simple categorization.

[Great Decisions] AI and American National Security
2025-06-23 18:30 - 19:30 | Boardman Library, 141 Boardman Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12603, United States
Facilitated by Jean-Claude Fouere (AIEducation4All@gmail.com)

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a powerful emerging technology that is already affecting many facets of our society from producing content (texts, images, videos, audio, music) to generate “deep-fakes” of such content. The unchecked progress in generative AI facilitates serious misuse through misinformation and discrimination.

The presentation will present some of the potential risks from AI to national security and discuss the opportunities and limits of global AI “rules of the road”. It will also review the current approach to AI and related security in the USA, and the global perspective on AI.

[Great Decisions] America at a Global Crossroads
2025-06-09 18:30 - 19:30 | Boardman Library, 141 Boardman Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12603, United States
Facilitated by Richard Levitt

The U.S., polarized and divided, faces a world of challenges, dangers, and uncertainties. Conflict and disorder have become the defining features of world politics.

[Great Decisions] Future of NATO and European Security
2025-04-14 18:30 - 19:30 | Boardman Library, 141 Boardman Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12603, United States
Facilitated by Richard Levitt

Europe is frightened and frightened for the first time really since the 1980s, when nuclear sabers were rattling as the Soviet Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) both deployed contending intermediate-range missiles along the dividing line of the military alliances. With Russia’s continued barbarity in Ukraine, there is no escaping that Vladimir Putin intends not to be “European”

Artificial Intelligence Presentation and Discussion
2025-04-07 18:30 - 19:30 | Boardman Library, 141 Boardman Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12603, United States
Facilitated by Jean-Claude Fouere (AIEducation4All@gmail.com)

Artificial Intelligence – An Introduction

AI represents a remarkable leap forward in human innovation, allowing machines to mimic human intelligence and perform tasks that were once the sole domain of our brains. AI is increasingly becoming part of our daily lives, from voice assistants to chatbots to creating artwork and producing videos. It is also transforming how businesses and industries operate. We benefit from it while also being at its mercy.

This presentation will present a short history of AI development and review the most common current AI applications, with a special focus on how AI affects us individually and impacts our society. We will consider moral and ethical issues associated with AI, including the reshaping of many jobs, the spread of fake information, the loss of privacy, and the need for wise regulation of AI.

[Great Decisions] American Policy in the Middle East: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead
2025-03-31 18:30 - 19:30 | Woodstock Public Library District, 10 Dixon Ave, Woodstock, NY, 12498, United States
Facilitated by Ambassador Fred Hof

Even in the weeks before his second inauguration Donald Trump was having a big influence on America’s Middle East policy. Where do things stand now, 60 days into the second Trump presidency? Where might be headed? Come armed with questions for what should be a stimulating discussion.
