Sarasota World Affairs Council
LECTURE SERIES 2024-25
The Sarasota World Affairs Council hosts high-profile foreign affairs lectures covering current international issues ranging from foreign intelligence to peace negotiations to immigration and trade.
These lectures are held in a public auditorium, and each lecture is followed by a wine and light-bites reception with the speaker for SWAC members. We hope that members will take advantage of such opportunities to speak face-to-face to with those working directly in the field of international affairs.
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​Oct. 17, 2024 - Safeguarding the Information Environment for the 2024 Elections
Dr. Valerie Wirtschafter, Foreign Policy and Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative, The Brookings Institution
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Nov. 19, 2024 - How U.S. Diplomacy Lost its Way and How to Fix It
Mr. Nicholas Kralev, Executive Director of the Washington International Diplomatic Academy
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Dec. 12, 2024 - U.S. Latin American Relations: A Strategic Omission in A Changing World
Dr. Tony Payan, Director, Center for the United States, Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University
Jan. 9, 2025 - The Art of Diplomacy: How American Negotiators Reached Historic Agreements that Changed the World
Ambassador Stuart E. Eizenstat, former U.S. Ambassador to the European Union and former U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Treasury
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Feb. 20, 2025 - Threat Multiplier: Climate Change, the Military and Global Security
Ms. Sherri Goodman, Senior Fellow, Woodrow Wilson International Center’s Polar Institute and Environmental Change and Security Program​
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March 25, 2025 - TBA
Dr. Jennifer Staats, Director, East Asia and Pacific Programs, U.S. Institute of Peace
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PAST LECTURES
2023-24 Series
​Oct. 16, 2023
"Russia's War against Ukraine"
Ambassador William B. Taylor, Vice President, Russia and Europe, U.S. Institute of Peace​
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Nov. 8, 2023
"Generative Artificial Intelligence and Propaganda"
Mr. Bret Schafer, Senior Fellow, Alliance for Securing Democracy, German Marshall Fund of the U.S.
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Dec. 6, 2023
"Don't Give Up on Haiti: There is a Way Forward"
Mr. Keith Mines, Director, Latin America Program, U.S. Institute of Peace
Jan. 8, 2024
"Three Lessons for Today from U.S. Military History"
Dr. Michael O'Hanlon, Senior Fellow and Director of Research in Foreign Policy, The Brookings Institute
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Feb. 7, 2024
"The International Criminal Court and the Indictment of Vladimir Putin"
Mr. Michael P. Scharf, Dean, Case Western Reserve University School of Law
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March 11, 2024
"Invisible Trillions: How Financial Secrecy Imperils Capitalism and Democracy"
Mr. Raymond Baker, Founder, Global Financial Integrity
2021-22 Series
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Oct. 14th, 2021
"The Rising Tide: Increasing Demand for Climate Action"
Mr. Ramon Cruz, National President, Sierra Club
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Nov. 18th, 2021
"Navigating Isolationist and Internationalist Traditions
in U.S. Statecraft"
Dr. Charles A. Kupchan, Council on Foreign Relations,
Professor Georgetown U.
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​Dec. 9th, 2021
"Immigration Reform: Fact, Fiction, and Future"
Theresa Cardinal Brown, Managing Director, Immigration and Cross-Border Policy, Bipartisan Policy Center
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Jan 20th, 2022
"International Understanding Through the Universal
Language of Music"
Mr. Brian Keane, Award-winning Musician and Composer
Omer Faruk Tekbilek, Award-winning Turkish Musician
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​February 15th, 2022
"Russia and Ukraine: Is There a Way Forward?"
Dr. Angela Stent, Brookings Institute, Professor Georgetown U.
and Ambassador William Taylor, U.S. Institute for Peace
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March 17th, 2022
"Afghanistan: Post-Conflict Reconstruction under the Taliban"
Mr. Scott Worden, Director for Afghanistan/Central Asia,
U.S. Institute for Peace
Ms. Khris Nedam, Executive Director, Afghan School Project
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April 5th, 2022
"LGBTQ+ Refugees: Securing Safe Passage from Iran"
Mr. Arsham Parsi, Founder and Executive Director,
International Railroad for Queer Refugees
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2022-23 Series
​​Oct. 10, 2022
"Collective Engagement for a Better World"
Mr. Michael Alandu, Senior Director for Program Quality and Partnerships, Care USA​
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Nov. 3, 2022
"No Escape: China's Transnational Repression on American Soil"
Mr. Nury Turkel, Senior Fellow, The Hudson Institute
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Dec. 6, 2022
"The Uncertain Future of Human Rights"
Ambassador Kelley Currie, Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N for Women's Rights,
Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for a New American Security
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Jan. 9, 2023
"Are We overdoing it on China?"
Dr. Michael O'Hanlon, Senior Fellow and Director of Research in Foreign Policy, Brookings Institution
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February 7, 2023
"Ukraine and Russia: A Discussion"
Dr. Angela Stent, Senior Advisor and Professor Emerita, Georgetown University
Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
March 30, 2023
"Old Conflict, New Dynamics"
Ms. Lucy Kurtzer-Ellenbogen, Director, The Israel, Palestinian Territories and Region Program, U.S. Institute of Peace
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2020-21 Series
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"U.S.-Russia Relations in the Countdown to November 3"
Dr. Angela Stent
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Nov. 17th, 2020 "
"The U.S. and China in an Era of Competition"
​Mr. Richard Fontaine
(video available under "VIDEOS" tab)
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​Dec. 7th, 2020
"Why You Should Now Care Even More about
Public Health"
Mr. Richard Skolnik
(video available under "VIDEOS" tab)
​Jan. 26th, 2021
"Endless Wars, Refugees, and the U.S. Role in a Turbulent World"
Ambassador Frederick Barton
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Feb. 23rd, 2021
"Rebuilding and Restructuring Security Alliances
for Future Challenges"
Dr. Michael Edward O'Hanlon
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​Mar. 23rd, 2021
"​The United Arab Emirates & the U.S.: Cooperation and Challenges"
Mrs. Shaima Haussain Gargash
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DUE TO COMMUNITY PRECAUTIONS AGAINST THE SPREAD
OF COVID-19, WE HOSTED ALL OF OUR TALKS ON ZOOM.
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2019-20 Series
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October 23rd, 2019
"Venezuela: A Real Threat in our Backyard"
Mr. Diego Arria
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November 11th, 2019
"Migration across a Common Border: A Challenge
for Mexico and the U.S."
Mr. Gustavo Mohar
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December 3rd, 2019
"Global Health: Why You Really Must Care"
Mr. Richard Skolnik
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January 14th, 2020
"The Politics of Hate Have Driven the U.S. and Iran
to the Brink"
Mr. Jamal Abdi
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February 11th, 2020
"Not with a Bang: Moving toward the Endgame
with a Nuclear North Korea"
Mr. Evans Revere
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DUE TO COMMUNITY PRECAUTIONS AGAINST THE SPREAD
OF COVID-19, THE MARCH AND APRIL EVENTS OF THIS
SERIES WERE RESCHEDULED TO THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
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2018-19 Series
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October 15th, 2018
"From PIGS to Hotspot: How Portugal is Engineering the Great Comeback Story of Post-Crisis Europe"
Dr. Michael Baum
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November 6th, 2018
"Kurdistan and Iraq After ISIS: What’s Next?"
Ms. Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman
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December 12th , 2018
"The Boiling River: Adventure and Discovery in the Amazon"
Andrés Ruzo
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January 10th, 2019
"Facing Nuclear Challenges-Russia, North Korea, and Iran"
Steven Pifer
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February 4th, 2019
"Can We Prevent the Next Attack?: Understanding the Opportunities and Challenges of Countering Violent Extremism"
Dr. Stevan Weine, M.D.
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March 5th, 2019
"Reconstructing U.S.-Russia Relations"
Dr. William Pomeranz | Co-sponsored with New Topics New College
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2017-18 Series
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October 5th, 2017
"The Future of Korea and U.S.-Korea Relations"
Jandi Kim, Tim Johnson, and Jenna Gibson | Co-sponsored by the Korean Economic Institute and the Ringling Museum of Art
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November 6th, 2017
"Sustainability in a Changing World"
Alize Carrere | Co-sponsored with New Topics New College
December 5th, 2017
"The Gulf States: Vive La Revolution or Vive La Counter-Revolution?"
Dr. Peter Bartu
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January 17th, 2018
"Is Capitalism Undermining Democracy"
Raymond Baker
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February 6th, 2018,
"Florida and Climate Change: Can We Survive Without Paris?"
Dr. Robert K. Musil
March 22nd, 2018
"The Future of Cybersecurity and Trends in Technological Risk: Impacts for U.S. Foreign Policy and Politics"
Jonathan Reiber
2016-17 Series
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October 12th, 2016
"The Panama Papers”
Rogelio Novey | Co-sponsored with the Northern Trust Company
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November 16th, 2016
"South Africa Update: Report from the Field"
Charlayne Hunter-Gault & Ron Gault
Lecture and wine-tasting featuring Passages wines produced by the Gaults in South Africa | Co-sponsored with Northern Trust Company
December 6th, 2016
"Children of Paradise: The Struggle for the Soul of Iran"
Laura Secor | Co-sponsored with Suplee Shea Cramer & Rocklein, PA
January 26th, 2017
"Ocean Exploration and Protection for a Bold, Blue, and Prosperous Future”
Alex Tait | Co-sponsored with Mote Marine Laboratory.
Special event at the Mote Banquet Center
February 15th, 2017
"Nuclear Weapons: They're Back"
Robert Gallucci | Co-sponsored with New Topics New College
March 21st, 2017
"Terror Financing and International Money Laundering" John Cassara
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2015-16 Series
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October 13th, 2015
"Is Israeli-Palestinian Peace Possible in the Near Future?” Ralph Nurmberger
November 10th, 2015
“An Arc of Instability in Foreign Policy: Reporting from the West Wing and Abroad” Carol Lee
November 30th, 2015
“Peace Negotiations Taking Place in Colombia with Guerrilla Movements” Frank Pearl.
Co-sponsored with New Topics New College.
January 26th, 2016
“Genocide and American Humanitarianism: Lessons from World War I and Its Aftermath” Susan Harper
February 8th, 2016
“Will Africa Feed China? Think Again” Deborah Brautigam
March 7th, 2016
“Arab Voices: What They Are Saying and Why It Matters” James Zogby
2014-15 Series
October 15th, 2014
"Building a Regional Coalition to Combat Human Trafficking” Nola Theiss
November 25th, 2014
“The New Global Order, China's Rise, and Our Shared Future” Ronnie C. Chan and Dr. Fan J. Zhang
[Presented in affiliation with The Ringling's Asian Initiative]
January 15th, 2015
“Beyond Crisis and Conflict: Toward a Deeper Understanding of the Middle East” Professor and Colonel (Ret.) Derek Harvey
March 17th, 2015
“Outpost: Life on the Front Lines of American Diplomacy” Ambassador Christopher Hill
[Presented in affiliation with Bookstore1Sarasota, New College of Florida, and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation]
May 12, 2015
“Winds of Change in Havana and Washington” Ambassador José Ramón Cabañas Rodríguez
Spring 2014
Inaugural Series
February 13th, 2014
"The Federal Courts Confront the War on Terror” Honorable Jon O. Newman
April 7th, 2014
“American and Afghanistan: Partners for Peace” Honorable Eklil Hakimi and Khris Nedam
[Note: Unforeseen circumstances prevented Honorable Eklil Hakimi from attending.]
May 1st, 2014
“Function and Dysfunction: How Mexican and U.S. Governments Interact over Immigration”
Ambassador Daniel Hernández Joseph