The Spring 2017 Member’s Only Dinner is scheduled for Wednesday, May 30, at 6 pm at Vassar College's Alumni House. The food will be catered by Twisted Soul restaurant. There will be an opportunity to socialize before the dinner meeting. This is a social meeting at which World Affairs Members will learn about the 2018 […]
Boardman Road Library: The global power balance is rapidly evolving, leaving the United States at a turning point concerning its level of engagement and the role of its military. Some argue for an “America First” paradigm, with a large military to ensure security, while others call for a more assertive posture overseas. Some advocate for […]
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
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.
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]