Our council will host the 2021 regional Academic WorldQuest competition on Saturday, March 6th. Due to limitations related to COVID-19, we will be holding our competition in a remote format. We expect 14 high schools, fielding over 20 teams to participate! We hope to once again host our competition in person in 2022 at our […]

Facilitator: Martin Charwat, World Affairs Council Great Decisions Program: The Korean Peninsula is facing a defining era. Attempts by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump to repair the rift between North and South have lost any momentum as Pyongyang continues to test long-range missiles for its nuclear weapons program. As the […]

Facilitator: Jean-Claude Fouere, World Affairs Council - MHV U.S. President Donald Trump left many scratching their heads when it was rumored that he was looking to purchase the large island nation of Greenland from Denmark. While any potential deal was highly unlikely, the event showed the changing opinion within the U.S. government toward engagement with […]

Facilitator: Dr. Matthew Murray, World Affairs Council Is using military force a viable foreign policy option for 2021 and beyond? The Persian Gulf remains tense as the rivalry between the regional powers of Saudi Arabia and Iran continues. Tensions escalated in early 2020 as the United States began to intervene in the Gulf, launching an […]

Facilitator: Malia Du Mont, Bard College; World Affairs Council The COVID-19 crisis has put a massive strain on a growing positive economic and political relationship between China and the continent of Africa. As Chinese President Xi Jinping's centerpiece "Belt and Road Initiative" continues to expand Chinese power, the response to the spread of COVID-19, as […]

Facilitator: Karen Nichols, World Affairs Council The shutdown of global supply chains due to the COVID-19 pandemic brought to the fore an issue with the high level of global economic interdependence: what happens when one country is the main source for an item, say face masks or vaccines, and then can no longer supply the […]

Facilitator: Michael O'Sullivan, Marist College With the “Brexit transition period” coming to an end this year, the United Kingdom will formally leave the European Union at the start of 2021. With negotiations between the two entities continuing to stall, what does the future of Europe and the UK look like? Will the UK survive a […]

Facilitator:  Jean-Claude Fouere The ideological divide in the United States on the subject of climate change has impeded progress in curbing greenhouse emissions. However extreme weather events at both ends of the thermometer have focused attention on the consequences of inaction. What role will the United States play in future negotiations on climate?

Facilitator: Juris Pupcenoks Russia and the United States have many areas of conflict and some possible areas of mutual interest. Arms control, Russian interference in U.S. elections support of cyberattacks, the status of Ukraine, and the fate of opposition politicians in Russia, all continue to be concerning. How will the new administration in Washington approach […]

Marc Polymeropoulos - Wednesday, 4/20, 7 pm, James and Betty Hall Theatre, Dutchess Community College With over 26 years of experience in the intelligence community, Marc Polymeropoulos has developed a unique leadership style. His talk addresses this topic and the Biden administration's key intelligence challenges, including the war in Ukraine, a return to hard target […]

Facilitator: Martin Charwat The situation in Myanmar, including the coup by the military in February 2021 and the ongoing human rights crises, coupled with civil resistance by those opposed to the regime, has led to chaos in the Southeast Asian country. How are neighboring countries reacting, and what role will ASEAN play?