World Affairs Council of Orange County

“A well informed electorate is a prerequisite to democracy.”
Thomas Jefferson

Meet and learn from the people who shape our world

As a World Affairs Council member, you join a diverse group of individuals who are passionate about expanding international awareness. Members participate in world class events featuring speakers who provide the stories behind the headlines as well as special receptions and gatherings.

As a member you will have the opportunity to build relationships with other liked minded individuals and professionals that are in the local international affairs community. Your membership is valuable in supporting World Affairs Council programming and student outreach in the community.

Events

From Earth to Orbit: Space Law in the 21st Century

Date:

Tue Jul 22, 2025 - 6:30 pm

Location:

Rivian South Coast Theater, 162 S Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA 92651, USA

Sponsored in part by The Portia Project SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES AVAILABLE About Our Speakers: David Goodwin is General Counsel of VAST. Founded in 2021 by Jed McCaleb, Vast is developing humanity’s next-generation space stations and pioneering the path to long-term living ...

Sports & Subnational Diplomacy: The World Cup 2026, LA Olympics 2028, and the Impact of Sports on Foreign Policy

Date:

Tue Jul 29, 2025 - 9:00 am

Please join the Women’s Foreign Policy Group and the World Affairs Council of Orange County for a conversation on sports diplomacy, the ramifications of the World Cup and the 2028 Olympics on the United States, and the role of cities ...

SAVE THE DATE: Compassion as Strategy: The Soft Power of Humanitarian Assistance w/ Ambassador Gaddi Vasquez

Date:

Thu Sep 18, 2025 - 6:30 pm

Location:

OASIS Senior Citizen Center, Narcissus Avenue, Corona Del Mar, CA, USA

About Our Speaker: Ambassador Gaddi H. Vasquez is a distinguished public servant and humanitarian leader whose career spans law enforcement, diplomacy, and global development. Born to Mexican-American migrant farmworkers in Texas and raised in California, he became the first in ...

SAVE THE DATE: Never Again Starts Here: Confronting Genocide, Honoring Truth (Time is TBD)

Date:

Thu Oct 30, 2025 - 12:00 pm

...

SAVE THE DATE: Angels of War: Honoring the Nurses of the Vietnam War (Time is TBD)

Date:

Wed Nov 5, 2025 - 12:00 pm

Location:

American Legion Post 291, 215 15th St, Newport Beach, CA 92663, USA

...

Global South Perspectives: Paths to Peace in an New World Order (Time is TBD)

Date:

Sat Nov 15, 2025 - 12:00 pm

...

Thank you to our Supporting Partners

Join the WAC of Orange County

The World Affairs Councils of America was founded in 1918.

It is the largest nonprofit international affairs organization in the United States.

Get to know us

Impacting American Foreign Policy

Engaging thought leaders, change-makers, and citizens to share ideas, learn from each other, and effect change.
The World Affairs Councils of America is the largest non-profit grassroots organization in the United States dedicated to educating and engaging Americans on global issues with 94 councils across 40 states reaching more than half a million people a year.

Welcome to Orange County’s Premier Forum
on World Affairs

Cultivating Political Discussion

We are part of the World Affairs Councils of America, a nonprofit and nonpartisan national organization based in Washington, DC. See what’s happening around America.