“The fall of the Weimar Republic: What it means for us”
2018-10-02 18:30 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Marist College, 3399 North Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12601, United States
Tuesday, October 2 at 6:30 in Hancock 2023, Marist College. Lecture with Dr. Benjamin Carter Hett, Professor of History, Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center. This event is co-sponsored by the World Affairs Council of the Mid-Hudson Valley and Marist College’s History Department

“China Town Hall: Becoming Enemies? US-China Relations in Turmoil"
2018-10-09 17:30 - 18:30 | Vassar College, 124 Raymond Ave, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12604, United States
Tuesday, October 9th at 5:30 PM in the Villard Room, Vassar College. This event will be an interactive webcast with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with on-site facilitators and is co-sponsored by several academic departments of Vassar College and other community organizations.

Great Decisions: South Africa’s Fragile Democracy
2018-10-15 | Marist College, 3399 North Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12601, United States
The African National Congress (ANC) party has governed South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994. But the party today suffers from popular frustration over official corruption and economic stagnation. It faces growing threats from both left and right opposition parties, even as intraparty divisions surface. Given America’s history of opportunistic engagement with Africa, there are few prospects for a closer relationship between the two countries. Meanwhile, a weaker ANC could lead to political fragmentation in this relatively new democracy.

Great Decisions: Russia’s Foreign Policy
2018-11-19 | Dutchess Community College, 53 Pendell Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12601, United States
Facilitator: Matthew Murray, Dutchess Community College
Under President Vladimir Putin, Russia is projecting an autocratic model of governance abroad and working to undermine the influence of liberal democracies, namely along Russia’s historical borderlands. Russia caused an international uproar in 2016 when it interfered in the U.S. presidential contest. But Putin’s foreign policy toolkit includes other instruments, from alliances with autocrats to proxy wars with the U.S. in Georgia, Ukraine, and Syria. How does Putin conceive of national interests, and why do Russian citizens support him? How should the United States respond to Putin’s foreign policy ambitions?

Academic WorldQuest Regional Championship 2019/Nationals Results!
2019-03-02 09:30 - 10:30 | Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center, 4079 Albany Post Rd, Hyde Park, NY, 12538, United States
Eighteen area high school teams compete in this international affairs quiz bowl. The winner will travel to Washington DC in April 2019 to participate in the World Affairs Council of America national AWQ championship event. Thank you to our sponsors, including IBM.
UPDATE — Our 2019 regional winner – The Mount Academy team – traveled to Washington DC for the April 27th competition. Of 50 teams competing from all over the country, our Mid-Hudson Valley representing team took 3rd place (after a tie-breaker to determine 2nd/3rd place). This is an unprecedented placement for our council’s representing team and we are very proud and pleased to recognize the students who competed, including the team alternate: Lila Gneiting, Heidi Keiderling, Karilyn Domer, Kent Thomson, and Alec Koppschall. The team’s coach is Roanna Wiser.

6th Annual Student World Affairs Council (SWAC)
2019-04-13 09:00 - 15:30 | Dutchess Community College, 53 Pendell Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12601, United States
Sponsored by The World Affairs Council of the Mid-Hudson Valley and the Richard Reitano Endowed Chair in Social Sciences (DCC)
The Student World Affairs Conference (SWAC) is an annual academic event. It is an opportunity for undergraduate students to realize a research conference experience and meet student colleagues at colleges and universities across the Mid-Hudson region. For students with a deep interest in world politics, SWAC allows them to present their original research and engage others in intellectual dialogue.
The keynote address will be given by Dr. Ray Raymond, Former British Diplomat, Professor of Government and History, SUNY Ulster, Adjunct Professor of Comparative Politics and International Relations, United States Military Academy, Fellow, Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy. The conference is open to the public and community members are encouraged to attend, but registration is required. Registration to attend the conference is free and can be done through this link: https://goo.gl/forms/34ITWWVvohSkjHnr1
For further information, please contact: Matthew Murray, Department of History, Government, and Economics, Dutchess Community College: Matthew.Murray@sunydutchess.edu or SWAC2019WACMHV@gmail.com 845-431-8514

Great Decisions: The Rise of Populism
2019-05-13 19:00 - 20:30 | Woodstock Public Library District, 10 Dixon Ave, Woodstock, NY, 12498, United States
Facilitator: Martin Charwat.
Mass migration, and the problems associated with it, have directly abetted the rise of populist parties in Europe. Opposition to immigration was the prime driver of support for Brexit, it brought a far-right party to the German Bundestag for the first time since the 1950s and propelled Marine Le Pen to win a third of the vote in the French presidential election. In addition to calling for stronger borders, however, these parties are invariably illiberal, anti-American, anti-NATO, and pro-Kremlin, making their rise a matter of serious concern for the national security interests of the United States. Great Decisions programs derive from the annual publication put out by the Foreign Policy Association: https://www.fpa.org/great_decisions/

Great Decisions: Refugees and Global Migration
2019-06-03 19:00 - 20:30 | Woodstock Public Library District, 10 Dixon Ave, Woodstock, NY, 12498, United States
Facilitator: Michael O’Sullivan, Professor of History at Marist College
Today, no countries have open borders. Every state in today’s global system has its laws and policies about who is permitted to cross its borders, and how they will do so. Who determines whether someone is a refugee or a migrant? How have different countries, including the United States, reacted to migration? How effective are the international laws, policies, and organizations that have evolved to assist and protect refugees and migrants? The Great Decisions discussions derive from the Great Decisions annual publication put out by the Foreign Policy Association.

Great Decisions: State of the State Department
2019-09-09 19:00 - 20:30 | Woodstock Public Library District, 10 Dixon Ave, Woodstock, NY, 12498, United States
Facilitator: Malia Du Mont, Bard College.
During the Trump administration, the usual ways of conducting diplomacy have been upended. Many positions in the State Department have never been filled, and meetings with foreign leaders such as Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin have been undertaken with little planning. What effect are these changes having now, and how will they affect ongoing relationships between the United States and its allies and adversaries? Facilitator James Malia Du Mont, Bard College.

Great Decisions: Decoding U.S - China Trade
2019-10-21 19:00 - 20:30 | Woodstock Public Library District, 10 Dixon Ave, Woodstock, NY, 12498, United States
Facilitator: Jean-Claude Fouere.
Though arguably the most advanced economy in the world, the United States still uses centuries-old numbers to measure trade. These antique numbers mangle understanding of the U.S.-China trade relationship, shrinking America’s true economic size and competitiveness, while swelling China’s. Bad numbers give rise to bad policies that ultimately kill U.S. jobs and cede market share to China. What other tools can the United States employ to counter China’s unfair trade practices? There are several available, yet they remain mostly unused.

Regime Survival in the Middle East: Authoritarianism and the Politics of Migration in Egypt
2019-10-30 19:00 - 20:00 | Marist College, 3399 North Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12601, United States
October 30, 2019, at Marist College – HC2023 at 7 pm. Talk co-sponsored by Marist College and WAC-MHV. Dr. Gerasimos Tsourapas, Lecturer in Middle East Politics at the University of Birmingham in the Department of Political Science and International Studies will speak about Authoritarianism in the Middle East with a focus on the politics of migration in Egypt. Free and open to the public. Please join us.

Great Decisions: The Middle East Regional Disorder
2019-11-04 19:00 - 20:30 | Dutchess Community College, 53 Pendell Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12601, United States
Facilitator: Matt Murray, Dutchess Community College.
As the presidency of Donald J. Trump passes the halfway point, the Middle East remains a region in turmoil. The Trump administration has aligned itself with strongmen in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, which along with Israel have a common goal of frustrating Iranian expansion. What will be the fallout from policy reversals such as withdrawing from the Iranian nuclear accord and moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem? Does the United States see a path forward in troubled states such as Syria, Yemen, Libya, and Iraq? Is the United States headed toward war with Iran? Facilitator Matt Murray, Dutchess Community College.

Fall 2019 Members Only Dinner
2019-12-02 18:00 - 19:00 | Cosimo’s Trattoria & Bar, 120 Delafield St, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12601, United States
Dear WAC-MHV member:

The Fall 2019 Annual Meeting Members Dinner will be held on Monday, December 2nd at 6 pm at Cosimo’s Poughkeepsie (Delafield Street) in their second-floor Wine Room. You will be able to select from a menu on the night of the event. This is our Annual Meeting in which members vote for people to be on the board of WAC-MHV.

The dinner menu will be:

Appetizers Served Family Style
Salad
Dinner choice from a menu on the night of the event — entrees will include chicken, fish, or vegetarian
Dessert

Cosimo’s will be able to accommodate your dietary restrictions when you order on the night of the event.
Please consider bringing your spouse, perhaps even inviting your friends. We are limited to the first 52 paid reservations.

The price is $45 per person. Please send your check payable to “WAC-MHV” by Monday, November 25 to
Philip Van Itallie
17 Croft Road
Poughkeepsie, NY 12603.

We hope to see you there!

Lecture: "This is a True Story"
2020-02-11 19:00 - 20:00 | Dutchess Community College, 53 Pendell Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12601, United States
Dr. Robert. K. Brigham, Shirley Ecker Boskey Professor of History and International Relations at Vassar College will speak on Tuesday, February 11th at 7:00 pm. Location: James and Betty Hall Theater, Dutchess Community College. Dr. Brigham specializes in US foreign policy, particularly the Vietnam War. His recent research provides insights into the Battle of Hue in 1968 – an infamous and photographed urban conflict.

Great Decisions: China's Road Into Latin America
2020-02-27 18:00 - 19:00 | Kingston Library, 61 Crown St, Kingston, NY, 12401, United States
Facilitator: Malia Du Mont, Bard College
As the Trump administration continues to withdraw from the world stage, China is looking to fill the void. How does Latin America fit into China’s “One Belt, One Road” plan? How will the relationship with China affect the region? Should the U.S. be concerned about China’s growing “sphere of influence”?

SWAC - Call for Paper Submissions / Conference
2020-02-28 09:00 - 10:00 | Marist College, 3399 North Rd, Poughkeepsie, NY, 12601, United States
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 Conference will be held on February 28th, starting at 9:00 am at Marist College. University students present their work on an array of international affairs topics. There will be morning and afternoon student panels and Dr. Māris Anžāns will give the keynote talk: “East Europe After Communism: Post-Soviet Transformation in the Last 30 Years”

Academic WorldQuest 2020
2020-03-07 | Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center, 4079 Albany Post Rd, Hyde Park, NY, 12538, United States
Saturday, March 7th at the Henry A. Wallace Center / Franklin D. Roosevelt Historic Site. This international affairs quiz bowl will feature close to 20 high school teams from our region competing for the win. The winning team will travel to the national competition in Washington DC later in the spring.

Great Decisions: India and Pakistan
2020-04-20 19:00 - 20:30 | Woodstock Public Library District, 10 Dixon Ave, Woodstock, NY, 12498, United States
Facilitators: Umar Ahmad and Mirza Ashraf, WACMHV
How will the Kashmir situation affect the region, both economically and politically? India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi rode a wave of Hindu nationalism to a historic reelection in 2019. His first order of business was to revoke the special status granted to the Kashmir region, inflaming the rivalry between India and Pakistan. How will the Kashmir situation affect the region, both economically and politically?

Great Decisions: Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking
2020-05-11 19:00 - 20:30 | Woodstock Public Library District, 10 Dixon Ave, Woodstock, NY, 12498, United States
Facilitator: Malia Du Mont, Bard College
Almost every nation has enacted laws criminalizing human trafficking, and international organizations, governments, and NGOs sponsor a large variety of projects to curb trafficking and slavery. Billions of dollars have been allocated to these efforts. What is the international community doing to combat slavery and trafficking? What are the experiences like for those being trafficked?

Great Decisions: Climate Change and the Global Order
2020-09-21 19:00 - 20:00 | Woodstock Public Library District, 10 Dixon Ave, Woodstock, NY, 12498, United States
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 plan, the U.S. remains the notable holdout. What is the rest of the world doing to combat climate change? What impact will the effects of climate change have on global geopolitics?

Great Decisions: Artificial Intelligence & Data
2020-10-19 19:00 - 20:00 | Woodstock Public Library District, 10 Dixon Ave, Woodstock, NY, 12498, United States
Facilitator: Jean-Claude Fouere
Policymakers in many countries are developing plans and funding research in artificial intelligence (AI). Global growth is slowing, and not surprisingly, many policymakers hope that AI will provide a magic solution. The EU, Brazil, and other Western countries have adopted regulations that grant users greater control over their data and require that firms using AI be transparent about how they use it. Will the U.S. follow suit?

Ian Buruma: "The Future of Pax Americana"
2020-10-27 19:00 - 20:00 | NY
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 will offer his perspective on the positioning of the United States within the international arena.
Zoom link information:
https://bard.zoom.us/j/9620507477
Meeting ID: 962 050 7477
One tap mobile
+16465588656,,9620507477# US (New York)
Biography (Bard College Website)
Studies in Chinese literature and history at Leyden University; graduate studies in Japanese cinema at Nihon University, Tokyo. Documentary filmmaker and photographer in Tokyo (1977–80); cultural editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review, Hong Kong (1983–86); foreign editor of The Spectator, London (1990–91). Fellowships: Wissenschaftskolleg, Berlin (1991–92); Woodrow Wilson Center, Washington, D.C. (1998–99); Alistair Horne Visiting Fellow, St. Antony’s College, Oxford (1999–2000). Regular contributor to New York Review of Books, New York Times Magazine, New Republic, New Yorker, and The Guardian. Books include Behind the Mask (1983); God’s Dust (1988); Playing the Game (1990); The Wages of Guilt (1995); The Missionary and the Libertine (1997); Anglomania: A European Love Affair (1999); Bad Elements (2001); Inventing Japan: 1853–1964 (2003); Murder in Amsterdam: The Death of Theo van Gogh and the Limits of Tolerance (2006). Coauthor, Occidentalism: The West in the Eyes of Its Enemies (2004). At Bard since 2003.

Great Decisions: US Relations with Central America
2020-11-09 19:00 - 20:30 | Woodstock Public Library District, 10 Dixon Ave, Woodstock, NY, 12498, United States
Facilitator: Antonio Flores Lobos
To register to attend this program at the library, use this link.
Combatting illegal immigration has become a priority of the Trump administration. The Northern Triangle of Central America, made up of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala, is a special target of the administration, which holds the nations responsible for the large flow of migrants from Latin America to the U.S. With funds from the U.S. cut, how can the Northern Triangle countries curtail migration?

Academic WorldQuest 2021
2021-03-06 | Henry A. Wallace Visitor and Education Center, 4079 Albany Post Rd, Hyde Park, NY, 12538, United States
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 usual site — the Henry A. Wallace Center and FDR National Historic Site.

Great Decisions: The Two Koreas: Future U.S.- ROK Relations?
2021-04-12 19:00 - 20:00 | Woodstock Public Library District, 10 Dixon Ave, Woodstock, NY, 12498, United States
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 rift between the U.S. and China grows further, South Korea may end up in the middle of the two superpowers. What does the future hold for the U.S. relationship with the ROK?

Join us on Monday, April 12th for a facilitated discussion at the Boardman Road Library in Poughkeepsie. 7 pm start time. Free to the general public. Registration may be required if COVID restrictions are still in place.

Great Decisions: The Coldest War - Great Power Competition in the Arctic
2021-05-10 19:00 - 20:00 | Woodstock Public Library District, 10 Dixon Ave, Woodstock, NY, 12498, United States
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 the Arctic region. Because of climate change, large sheets of arctic ice are melting, exposing vast stores of natural gas and oil. With Russia and China already miles ahead with their Arctic strategies, can the U.S. catch up?

Great Decisions: The Future of Persian Gulf Security
2021-06-21 19:00 - 20:00 | Woodstock Public Library District, 10 Dixon Ave, Woodstock, NY, 12498, United States
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 airstrike that killed two Iranian military commanders. What are the historical influences that have led to these tensions? What role, if any, should the United States play?

China and Africa: Growing Issues in the Economic and Political Relationship
2021-09-13 19:00 - 20:00 | Woodstock Public Library District, 10 Dixon Ave, Woodstock, NY, 12498, United States
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 well as African country governments’ growing debt to China, has presented pushback. What are these growing issues and tensions?

Global Supply Chains and National Security: Lasting Pandemic Effects
2021-10-18 19:00 - 22:30 | Woodstock Public Library District, 10 Dixon Ave, Woodstock, NY, 12498, United States
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 item? Countries suddenly unable to meet the demand for certain supplies are faced with growing calls for economic nationalism. What are some of the lasting effects that the pandemic could have on global supply chains and trade? How would this affect national security?

Brexit & the EU
2021-11-08 19:00 - 20:00 | Woodstock Public Library District, 10 Dixon Ave, Woodstock, NY, 12498, United States
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 possible Scottish vote to leave? Who will step up and take command of Europe now that Angela Merkel is out of the spotlight?
