Join the British American Business Council (BABC) & World Affairs Council of Orange County (WACOC)
for the
Enjoy the stunning ocean views, live music, Pimms, British tea sandwiches and petite desserts and British style from Clements & Church, India Hicks and Aston Martin.
VENUE: Montage Laguna Beach (30801 Coast Hwy, Laguna Beach, CA 92651)
TIME: 11:00 AM – 2:30 PM
Breakfast & Forum
Program:
Date: Thursday, May 17th, 2018
Time: 7:00 Am – 11:00 AM
Venue: Irvine Marriott
For more information: contact our office at (949) 253-5751 or e-mail us at orangecounty@worldaffairscouncil.org
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Russian President Vladimir Putin has been quite clear that he is willing to use force to protect what he believes to be Russian national interests. In short, to this day, President Putin continues to push Boris Yeltsin’s original agenda to keep the countries of the former Soviet Union under the Russian sphere of influence, highlighted, for example, by the annexation of Crimea, and multiple attacks on the power grid in Ukraine since.
On Thursday, May 24th, the World Affairs Council of Orange County will host two top experts to provide valuable insight on Putin’s agenda what it means for us now.
Former Ambassador Steven Pifer, and author of the book, The Eagle & the Trident, will discuss the history of US-Ukraine relations, what worked and did not work in America’s approach, and how Washington might more effectively promote its goal of helping Ukraine become a stable, independent, democratic state.
Dr. James Coyle, author of Russia’s Border Wars and Frozen Conflicts, argues that when the Kremlin believes that a border country is slipping in to Western orbit, it creates frozen conflicts to weaken, divide, and prevent these countries from moving away. Looking at the examples of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, he explores how President Putin has been quite clear that he’s willing to use force to protect what he believes still “belongs” to Russia.
Steven Pifer is currently a non-resident senior fellow at Brookings Institution, having most recently served there as the director of the Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Initiative. His more than 25 years with the State Department included assignments as deputy assistant secretary of state with responsibilities for Russia and Ukraine (2001-2004), ambassador to Ukraine (1998-2000), and special assistant to the president and senior director for Russia, Ukraine, and Eurasia on the National Security Council (1996-1997).
James J. Coyle is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, director of Global Education at Chapman University, and a visiting professor of public policy at Pepperdine University. Dr. Coyle previously held a variety of positions in the US government, including director of Middle East Studies, US Army War College.
VENUE:
Hotel Irvine
(17900 Jamboree Road, Irvine, CA 92614)
TIME:
Registration/Reception 5:30 PM
Lecture/ Q&A 6:45 PM
TICKET PRICES:
WACOC Member $30
Non-Member $40
Student $10
10 Student Tickets $95
PARKING PRICES:
Valet $10/Self-Parking $5
Dietary Restrictions: Please e-mail orangecounty@worldaffairscouncil.org or call our office (949) 253-5751 by Thursday, May 17, 2018. Accommodations cannot be made after this date.
Refund Policy: Refund requests will not be accepted after the registration deadline. Cancellations must be made no later than the registration deadline.
Paying by Check: If you prefer to pay by check, please bring your check to the door (YOU MUST call the office to reserve your spot, otherwise your registration will be incomplete)
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How can we best describe US-Russia relations? Michael McFaul, recent US Ambassador to Russia, says we have just transitioned from a “Cold War” to a “Hot Peace”. The nerve agent attacks on a former Russian spy and his daughter in England, the investigation into interference in the 2016 US election, and the ongoing war Russia is waging in the Ukraine four years after Russia originally invaded, among other things, . . . all raise serious questions.
On Tuesday, May 24, McFaul, who served as President Obama’s advisor on Russian Affairs before serving as Ambassador 2012-14, will talk with VIP members at an OC WAC luncheon about Russian leader Vladimir Putin and his character and goals, challenges, and impacts. McFaul, one of America’s top experts on post-Soviet Russia, will provide valuable perspective on the turbulent past relations, current news headlines, and the future of US-Russian relations.
Read a review of McFaul’s latest book From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin’s Russia.
Michael McFaul is Professor of Political Science, Director and Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and the Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. He joined the Stanford faculty in 1995. He is also an analyst for NBC News and a contributing columnist to The Washington Post. Dr. McFaul served for five years in the Obama administration, first as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs at the National Security Council at the White House (2009-2012), and then as U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation (2012-2014). He was also the Distinguished Mingde Faculty Fellow at the Stanford Center at Peking University from June to August of 2015.
He has authored several books, including “Advancing Democracy Abroad: Why We Should, How We Can“; with Kathryn Stoner, “Transitions To Democracy: A Comparative Perspective”; with James Goldgeier, “Power and Purpose: American Policy toward Russia after the Cold War”; and “Russia’s Unfinished Revolution: Political Change from Gorbachev to Putin”. His current research interests include American foreign policy, great power relations, and the relationship between democracy and development. Dr. McFaul’s latest book “From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin’s Russia” comes out Spring 2018.
Dr. McFaul was born and raised in Montana. He received his B.A. in International Relations and Slavic Languages and his M.A. in Soviet and East European Studies from Stanford University in 1986. As a Rhodes Scholar, he completed his D. Phil. in International Relations at Oxford University in 1991.
VENUE:
The Center Club
(650 Town Center Drive, Garden Level, Costa Mesa, CA 92626)
TIME:
VIP Reception 11:30 AM
General Reception 11:30 AM
Lunch & Speaker Program 12:15 PM
TICKET PRICES:
Premium Member Lunch + Program $55
Premium Member Guest Lunch + Program $55
VIP Reception + Lunch + Program $150
VIP Reception only (1 ticket) $100
Table Sponsor (10 seats – includes 2 VIP Reception tickets) $600
IF INTERESTED IN ATTENDING THE EVENT – PLEASE CALL OUR OFFICE AT (949)-253-5751 OR E-MAIL US AT ORANGECOUNTY@WORLDAFFAIRSCOUNCIL.ORG
*PLEASE USE COMPLIMENTARY VALET PARKING *
Dietary Restrictions: Please e-mail orangecounty@worldaffairscouncil.org or call our office (949) 253-5751 by Thursday, May 17, 2018. Accommodations cannot be made after this date.
Refund Policy: Refund requests will not be accepted after the registration deadline. Cancellations must be made no later than the registration deadline.
Paying by Check: If sending in a check, please call our office by Thursday, May 17, 2018
Invites you to participate in our
Academic WorldQuest is a team competition, held among Orange County high school students, testing students’ knowledge of global affairs. This year the local winning team from Orange County will have the opportunity to participate in the National Academic WorldQuest in Washington DC on April 28th, 2018! Recruit your team of trivia all-stars and join us for an afternoon of fun, food, and friendly competition!
Who: One team of 4 students per high school
Cost: There is no fee to participate
What: Academic WorldQuest competition is to be held on Saturday, March 3rd, 2018 in Orange County. Teams respond to a combination of multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, true/false, and open-ended questions in the following categories:
When: Saturday, March 3rd, 2018
Time: 12:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Location: Chapman University
Attire: Business casual
Registration: – A teacher registers the team by emailing us at orangecounty@worldaffairscouncil.org
How: Preparation – A study guide will be mailed to you when your team is confirmed.
Why it is Important: Academic WorldQuest is a great way for students to learn and engage in international affairs through fun and challenging activities along with being able to include their experience on their resume or college applications. This year the local winning team from Orange County will have the opportunity to participate in the National Academic WorldQuest in Washington.
OR
WINNING TEAM LODGING SPONSOR $900
1 Student Lodging Sponsor $180
2 Student Lodging Sponsors $360
3 Student Lodging Sponsors $540
4 Students Lodging Sponsor $720
WINNING TEAM FLIGHT SPONSOR $2500
1 Student Flight Sponsor $500
2 Students Flight Sponsor $1000
3 Students Flight Sponsor $1500
4 Students Flight Sponsor $2000
Please send your checks to World Affairs Council of Orange County, 2102 Business Center Dr., Irvine, CA 92612 or call our office at (949)-253-5751
Hon. Tully Seymour & Mrs. Janette Seymour
Mrs. Libby Pankey
Judge James Gray (ret.)
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Everyone knows there is state-sector filmmaking in China closely supervised closely by the government. Much of it falls into the propaganda or commercial light entertainment categories. What many people outside China do not know is that non-state-sector independent filmmaking also takes place in China (ever since about 1990).
Independent cinema has shown the unfiltered and at times undesirable aspects of a country keen on perfect displays, and the Chinese government has retaliated with intense regulation. Independent cinema has become a conflict over whom and what ultimately is presented as China. Unlike Western indie films, which seek independence from the dominance of Hollywood’s silver screen, non-state Chinese films have sought independence from the confines of censorship. You won’t see the work on TV, in theaters, or in other state-controlled venues, but it gets made and is circulated in various ways nonetheless. It tends to deal with real social issues and problems that the state sector neglects or avoids.
We are thrilled to have Dr. Paul Pickowicz, one of the country’s leading historians on modern China with 15 books (2 on this subject) to his credit address our Council on this subject. Professor Pickowicz currently serves as Distinguished Professor of History and Chinese Studies as well as Endowed Chair in Modern Chinese History at the University of California, San Diego. A true interdisciplinary scholar, his work has investigated the impact of the Cultural Revolution on Chinese peasants, the history of Chinese cinema, Cold War propaganda strategies, rural protest and Chinese soft-power initiatives. His book “Chinese Village, Socialist State,” was called “by far the best book on the impact of the Chinese Communist Party on peasant life” by The New York Review of Books.
Complete with sample clips from different films, Professor Pickowicz will be discussing what motivates these filmmakers (many of whom he knows), and how their work is received. Join us as we welcome Professor Paul Pickowicz on Thursday, April 26th!
(4110 MacArthur Blvd, Newport Beach, CA 92660)
(If you are interested in sponsoring a student or a table of students (10) which includes dinner, please contact our office at (949) 253-5751 or e-mail us at orangecounty@worldaffairscouncil.org)
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: THURSDAY, APRIL 19TH, 2018
Dietary Restrictions: Please e-mail orangecounty@worldaffairscouncil.org or call our office (949) 253-5751 by Thursday, April 19th, 2018. Accommodations cannot be made after this date.
Refund Policy: Refund requests will not be accepted after the registration deadline. Cancellations must be made no later than the registration deadline.
Paying by Check: Please bring your check to the event and call our office at (949) 253 – 5751 to confirm your reservation before the registration deadline.
What started as a Yemeni power struggle between competing domestic competitors, has morphed into a situation where Yeminis are the unfortunate pawns in a regional power-struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Even before war broke out between the Saudi backed government forces and Iranian backed Houthi rebels, Yemen was the poorest country in the Middle East. Now the United Nations calls this the world’s worst current humanitarian crisis, with three quarters of its population in need of humanitarian aid. With headlines being grabbed by Syria, Venezuela, and the threat of terrorist attacks, it is incredible to think that a country devastated by war, on the brink of famine, and experiencing the worst cholera outbreak in modern history would not get more attention. Instead, in the shadows of these other global crises, Yemenis continue to be a victim of a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
What are the causes? What are the solutions, if any? Why should the world be concerned not just of the humanitarian tragedy, but of another failed state, a new Afghanistan or Somalia, that could foster the deadly combination of a proliferation of both weapons and global terrorism.
Ambassador Seche is uniquely positioned as a former US Ambassador to Yemen and still deeply engaged as the Executive Vice President of the Arab Gulf State Institute, to shine a spotlight on this true tragedy with no end in sight.
Stephen A. Seche is the executive vice president of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.
He spent 35 years as a career U.S. Foreign Service officer. From 2011-13, Seche served as deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs at the Department of State, with responsibility for U.S. relations with the GCC states and Yemen. He served as the U.S. ambassador to Yemen from 2007-10.
During the 2006-07 academic year, Seche was a visiting fellow at the University of Southern California, where he taught public diplomacy in the master’s degree program. On his return from Yemen, he spent a year at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University, leading a graduate seminar in the School of Foreign Service.
From February 2005 to August 2006, Seche served as charge d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Damascus, Syria; he was deputy of chief of mission for the six months prior. This was his second tour in Damascus. From 1999 to 2002, Seche was the counselor for public affairs and the director of the American Cultural Center. He spent the two years between his Damascus assignments as director of the Office for Egypt and Levant Affairs at the Department of State in Washington, DC.
Seche spent the first seven years of his Foreign Service career in public diplomacy positions in Guatemala, Peru, and Bolivia. Other overseas assignments have included Ottawa, Canada and New Delhi, India. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, and spent four years as a journalist before entering the Foreign Service.
(4110 MacArthur Blvd, Newport Beach, CA 92660)
Dietary Restrictions: Please e-mail orangecounty@worldaffairscouncil.org or call our office (949)253-5751 by Wednesday, March 21st, 2018. Accommodations cannot be made after this date.
Refund Policy: Refund requests will not be accepted after the registration deadline. Cancellations must be made no later than the registration deadline.
Paying by Check: If sending in a check, please call our office by Monday, March 19th, 2018
In the 21st century, many problems defy simple state to state solutions. For example, what do we do about the ongoing refugee crisis, climate change, and cyber-security? Cyber-security for example, is the ultimate trans-national threat. It is a challenge that is understood by few, but impacts everyone. It’s something to be dealt with by business, finance, governments, and individuals. It’s something abused by terrorists, and something used by nation-states as a new means for weak nations to take on more powerful adversaries.
How do we get beyond the traditional diplomats in an embassy working in a 19th century fashion? Who are the people who should be involved in the new conversations that need to be taking place? Are they young people? Are they women? Are they people who have been disenfranchised in the past? The overriding question is, “Can we get the answers that we want?” Can we get beyond the simple question that defines country to country?
As someone who has worked both as a diplomat at our nation’s highest levels, and as a CEO and President of a nonprofit, addressing these new questions, Ambassador Cameron Munter is uniquely positioned to explain the challenges, and contribute to the conversation of how the world can work together to solve these new 21st century issues.
(650 TOWN CENTER DRIVE, GARDEN LEVEL, COSTA MESA, CA 92626)
Dietary Restrictions: Please e-mail orangecounty@worldaffairscouncil.org or call our office (949)253-5751 by Thursday, February 22nd, 2018. Accommodations cannot be made after this date.
Refund Policy: Refund requests will not be accepted after the registration deadline. Cancellations must be made no later than the registration deadline.
Paying by Check: If sending in a check, please call our office by Tuesday, February 20th, 2018
The World Affairs Council of Orange County will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary with one of the highest profile American diplomats of our generation, Ambassador Ryan Crocker. Dubbed, “America’s Lawrence of Arabia” by former US President, George W. Bush, Ambassador Crocker has held our nation’s highest diplomatic positions throughout the Middle East, having served as US Ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Lebanon, and Kuwait.
For decades, Ambassador Crocker has courageously and dutifully served our nation in leadership positions throughout the Middle East and South Asia. In August 1990, Crocker served as Director of the Iraq-Kuwait Task Force following the Iraq invasion of Kuwait. In 2002, he led a team that secretly worked with Iranian counterparts to capture Al Qaeda operatives in the days after 9/11. Prior to the invasion of Iraq, he co-authored a memo for Secretary of State Colin Powell warning that overthrowing Saddam Hussein could unleash long-repressed ethnic and sectarian tensions in Iraq, potentially pulling in Iran and Syria, and warning that the US would be left to rebuild the country’s economic and political systems. Most recently he was General David Petraeus’s civilian partner as US Ambassador to Iraq during the US troop surge in 2007.
Ambassador Crocker in his speech to our Council will address the causes and consequences of the current “meltdown” in the Middle East including the ongoing crisis in the various nations there.
(17900 JAMBOREE ROAD, IRVINE, CA 92614)
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The World Affairs Councils of America is an independent, nonpartisan organization dedicated to engaging the public and leading global voices to better understand the world, America’s international role, and the policy choices that impact our daily lives and our future.
