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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210715T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210715T200000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20210617T224634Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210617T224803Z
UID:6841-1626375600-1626379200@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:WAC Trivia Live
DESCRIPTION:Join us again on July 15th for WAC Trivia Live! \nConnection details at wacreading.com/trivia.
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/wac-trivia-live/
LOCATION:McGlinn Conference Center\, 460 Saint Bernardine Street\, Reading\, PA\, 19607\, United States
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/WAC-Video-Title-Cards.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210714T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210714T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20210508T193522Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210601T135715Z
UID:6792-1626264000-1626269400@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Emerging Great Power Competition in the Arctic with Rebecca Pincus
DESCRIPTION:Rebecca Pincus is Assistant Professor in the Strategic and Operational Research Department (SORD) in the Center for Naval Warfare Studies at the US Naval War College\, and a member of the Institute for Future Warfare Studies within SORD. She previously served as primary investigator (PI) at the US Coast Guard’s Center for Arctic Study and Policy\, located at the US Coast Guard Academy. \nThis event starts at 12:00 noon on Wednesday\, July 14th \nClick here to register for this event now.
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/great-power-competition-in-the-arctic-sea-lanes-with-rebecca-pincus/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/PincusRebecca-e1624993587619.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210622T083000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210622T093000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20200120T204023Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210628T114926Z
UID:5887-1624350600-1624354200@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Ukraine:  A Personal Perspective with Dr. Timothy Medianick
DESCRIPTION:Dr. Timothy Medianick\, Boulevard Dental Associates\, Kenhorst\, is a native of Ukraine. One of 10 children\, his family immigrated to the United States when he was 13. A naturalized U.S. citizen\, Dr. Medianick is a graduate of Messiah College and the Temple University of School of Dentistry. \nDr. Medianick has returned to Ukraine twice in recent years to perform much needed dental services. A planned trip in May 2020 was cancelled due to the pandemic. He has treated soldiers in a dangerous area of conflict in the eastern border of Ukraine. In May 2019\, he provided dental services to 80 children at the Mykhaylivka Orphanage in the Cherkasy region of central Ukraine. \nDr. Medianick will share his perspective on the current political\, social and economic conditions in Ukraine today. He will relate compelling\, human stories about treating the soldiers and the children in the orphanage. \nDr. Medianick and his wife Ann (a native of Berks County) are the proud parents of three children. They devote much of their personal time to their church and he enjoys road biking\, exercise\, and travel. \nThis event starts at 8:30 A.M. on Tuesday\, June 22nd \nClick here to register for this event now.
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/ukraine-a-personal-perspective-with-dr-timothy-medianick/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Breakfast Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Blvd-Dental-HiRes-19-scaled-e1579553725814.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210609T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210609T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20210426T212420Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210426T235304Z
UID:6783-1623240000-1623245400@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Dollars for Scholars
DESCRIPTION:Since the inception of the Alan Miller Scholarship Program\, nine Berks County High School graduates have been awarded scholarships to help them pursue further studies in International Relations\, Political Science\, Public Administration\, or related global studies.  The broadcast discussion will provide an update on the scholarship program\, feature interviews with previous student recipients\, and introduce 2021 grant recipients.   In addition\, members of the Scholarship Committee who have been instrumental in planning\, guiding\, and directing the awards program\, will join in. \nThe Alan Miller Scholarship program was established in his memory.  Alan was a longtime\, active member of the World Affairs Council of Greater Reading and a former solicitor for Berks County.  The scholarship fund financial support is provided by generous donations and the popular Pub Global Trivia program. \nA comment from one of the recipients\, provides a meaningful reflection of her experience.  “I am honored to have been awarded the World Affairs Council Scholarship to pursue my studies of International Affairs.  Thank you to the World Affairs Council for providing me with the support to achieve my goals.” \nPlan on joining us on June 9 to hear more about “Dollars for Scholars.” \nClick here to join live at Noon on May 9th \nNo registration required.
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/dollars-for-scholars/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210519T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210519T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20210317T143715Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210320T123953Z
UID:6736-1621425600-1621431000@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:From Trump to Biden: Navigating Isolationist and Internationalist Traditions in U.S. Statecraft with Dr. Charles Kupchan
DESCRIPTION:Dr. Kupchan will discuss the potential course of U.S. foreign policy after four years of the Trump Administration’s America First approach. Drawing on both U.S. history and an assessment of the emerging geopolitical landscape\, he will discuss what aspects of Trump’s statecraft President Biden should reject\, what aspects he should retain\, and how the Biden Administration can best go about meeting the many strategic challenges now facing the United States. \nCharles Kupchan is Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and Professor of International Affairs at Georgetown University. From 2014 to 2017\, he served as Special Assistant to the President on the National Security Council in the Obama White House. He also served on the NSC during the Clinton Administration. Dr. Kupchan’s most recent book\, Isolationism: A History of America’s Efforts to Shield Itself from the World\, was published in 2020. He received his BA from Harvard University and MPhil and DPhil from Oxford University. \nThis event starts at 12:00 P.M. on Wednesday May 19th \nClick here to register for this event now. \nThe public is invited to watch the meeting via Facebook Live. The link will be posted one week prior to the event.
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/from-trump-to-biden-navigating-isolationist-and-internationalist-traditions-in-u-s-statecraft-with-dr-charles-kupchan/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Unknown.jpeg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210512T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210512T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20200616T213400Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210411T150239Z
UID:6296-1620820800-1620826200@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Arab/Israel Relations with Joseph Braude
DESCRIPTION:Joseph Braude\, founder and president of the Center for Peace Communications\, studied Near Eastern Languages at Yale and Arabic and Islamic history at Princeton. He is fluent in Arabic\, Hebrew\, and Persian. Over the past 20 years\, he has lived and worked in North Africa\, the Levant\, the Gulf states\, and Iran. His most recent book is Reclamation: A Cultural Policy for Arab-Israeli Partnership (Washington Institute for Near East Policy\, 2019). \nIn the United States\, his articles have appeared in The New York Times\, The Wall Street Journal\, The Los Angeles Times Sunday Magazine\, The Atlantic\, The American Interest\, Foreign Policy\, Glamour\, Tablet\, BookForum\, The Fix\, and Men’s Health\, among other publications. In the Arab world\, his articles have appeared in Al-Ittihad\, Al-Majalla\, Asharq Alawsat\, Al-Arabiya\, and Al-Ahdath al-Maghrebiya\, among other publications. Joseph Braude also writes a weekly column in the pan-Arab magazine Majalla. \nOn the airwaves\, Joseph Braude has contributed to Public Radio International’s America Abroad. He is a periodic commentator on NPR and PRI news programs\, and the host of Eye on Arabia\, a podcast in English. Since July 2010\, his weekly commentary in Arabic\, “Risalat New York” (“Letter from New York”)\, has aired nationally in Morocco on MED Radio. It is now available as a podcast. He makes guest appearances on leading pan-Arab TV networks\, including Al-Arabiya and Rusya al-Yawm. \nAs Advisor to the Al-Mesbar Studies and Research Center in Dubai\, Braude contributes research to its Arabic-language publications\, and participates in a variety of strategic initiatives. As Strategic Advisor to America Abroad Media in Washington\, he assists in content development and special projects in the Middle East and North Africa. He is Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute\, and a contributing editor at Tablet magazine. \nHe has served as a consulting advisor to non-profit organizations\, the U.S. government\, and the private sector in the realms of Arab civil society engagement\, strategic communications\, and counterterrorism. \nBraude’s most recent book\, Reclamation\, is the latest among four. \nThis event is co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Reading. \nThis event starts at 12:00 PM on Wednesday\, May 12th. \nClick here to register for this event now.
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/arab-israel-relations-with-joseph-braude-2/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Braude.jpeg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210428T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210428T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20210128T180142Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210130T171248Z
UID:6695-1619611200-1619616600@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:The Importance of Advancing Women\, Peace and Security in Qatar with Melissa Deehring
DESCRIPTION:Melissa Deehring is a licensed attorney in the State of California and works as a Clinical Assistant Professor and the founding director/creator of the Externship Program at Qatar University College of Law in Doha\, Qatar. Since 2011\, Melissa has negotiated agreements with more than 115 legal employers in Doha\, developed clinical curricula\, and taught legal skills\, ethics and advocacy classes to more than 1000 QU law students. \nDuring her years as Director of the College of Law’s Externship Program\, student participation per semester increased by 850%\, the number of jobs offered per semester increased by more than 800% and employer participation per semester increased by almost 400%. In addition\, her class became the “Capstone” graduation requirement for all graduating senior law students. \nSince stepping down as Director\, Melissa has focused on developing new clinical courses and advocacy efforts advancing SDGs 5 & 16 and the global Women\, Peace and Security agenda (WPS) in Qatar. One of Melissa’s newest courses\, “Justice\, Equality & Leadership in Law”\, was QU Law’s first full-semester course dedicated to teaching concepts from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) Education 4 Justice (E4J) Integrity & Ethics Modules to address core integrity issues such as ethical leadership\, strategies for ethical actions\, corruption and human rights\, and gender diversity. \nMelissa’s research focuses on how culture affects local legal professions\, legal education\, professional responsibility notions\, and women’s ability to join the bar and bench. Her most recent paper\, The Emerging Legal Profession in Qatar: Diversity Realities and Challenges\, published with the International Journal of the Legal Profession\, focuses on gender diversity in the Qatari legal community. Her forthcoming paper\, The News Media: A Catalyst for Women\, Peace and Security in Qatar\, an extension of her presentation at Qatar University’s Law and Media Conference\, argues that a Qatari National Action Plan and framework for WPS\, that significantly incorporates and utilizes local media\, is needed. As for research funding\, to date\, Melissa has been a joint author and key member of research teams that have won three significant research grants from the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) and secured almost $3\,000\,000 in external research funding. \nPersonally\, Melissa is an active community volunteer and advocate for WPS. As one of her College’s first female faculty members\, Melissa has been a prominent voice encouraging women to join and lead in Qatar’s legal profession. She organized and hosted Qatar’s first Women in Law Conference on March 22\, 2018 and won her College’s Excellence in Community Service Award in August 2018. Melissa was awarded a NIFTEP (National Institute for Teaching Ethics & Professionalism) fellowship during December 2018 and has volunteered with the UNODC\, THIMUN Qatar\, and researchers at the University of Oxford. In 2019\, Melissa was awarded two consultancies with the UNODC and named an ‘Education for Justice (E4J) Champion’. She has presented conference papers and taught seminars to advance SDGs 5\, 16 & WPS in Qatar\, the United States\, the UK\, Russia\, Indonesia\, and China. \nThis event starts at 12:00 PM on Wednesday\, April 28th. \nClick here to register for this event now.
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/the-importance-of-advancing-women-peace-and-security-in-qatar-with-melissa-deehring/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Unknown.jpeg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210421T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210421T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20200616T213037Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210415T154915Z
UID:6294-1619006400-1619011800@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Did the Cold War Ever End?: The Current State of U.S.-Russian Relations with William Pomeranz
DESCRIPTION:William Pomeranz is the Deputy Director of the Kennan Institute\, a part of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars located in Washington\, D.C.  He also has taught Russian law at the Center for Eurasian\, Russian\, and East European Studies (CERES)\, Georgetown University.  He hold a B.A. from Haverford College\, a M.Sc. from the University of Edinburgh\, a J.D. cum laude from American University\, and a Ph.D. in Russian History from the School of Slavonic and East European Studies\, University of London. \nPrior to joining the Kennan Institute\, Dr. Pomeranz practiced international law in the United States and Moscow\, Russia.  He advised clients on investment in the Russian Federation as well as on U.S. anti-money laundering requirements\, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)\, and various U.S. sanctions programs.  His research interests include Russian legal history as well current Russian commercial and constitutional law. His academic articles have been published in the Russian Review\, Slavonic and East European Review\, Kritika\, Review of Central and East European Law\, Demokratizatsiya\, and Problems of Post-Communism. He also has provided commentary and conducted numerous press interviews with CNN\, NPR\, C-SPAN\, Reuters\, VOA\, Bloomberg\, and other media outlets. \nThis event is made possible by the Kennan Conversation series from the Wilson Center’s Kennan Institute. The Kennan Conversations take the Institute’s experts on Russia and the region to meet with and engage local audiences across the United States who are fascinated by what they read and hear in the news\, but often do not have the opportunity to hear directly from leading experts. \nThis event starts at 12:00 PM on Wednesday\, April 21st. \nClick here to register for this event now.
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/russia-with-william-pomeranz-2/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/william_pomeranz-e1600347235687.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210331T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210331T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20210117T165836Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210324T191409Z
UID:6667-1617192000-1617197400@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Does Africa Matter to the United States with Ambassador Charles Ray
DESCRIPTION:Ambassador Ray is member of the Board of Trustees at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. He served as U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Republic of Zimbabwe. In addition\, he was the first U.S. Consul General to Ho Chi Minh City\, Vietnam\, opening the Consulate General there in 1998. \nPrior to this\, Ray joined the United States Army. in 1962 and retired 20 years later with the rank of major. During his time with the Army\, he served in Vietnam (1968–1969\, 1972–1973)\, Germany\, Okinawa\, and South Korea. In the course of his 20-year Army career\, he earned two Bronze Stars and an Armed Forces Humanitarian Service Metal. \nHe has written over 100 books of fiction and nonfiction. \nThis event starts at 12:00 PM on Wednesday\, March 31st. \nClick here to register for this event now. \nThe public is invited to watch the meeting via Facebook Live.
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/does-afria-matter-to-the-united-states-with-ambassador-charles-ray/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/7cb08800-7f45-4cf8-84cc-b6411735b313.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210317T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210317T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20200522T003328Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210128T203942Z
UID:6235-1615982400-1615987800@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Role of U.S. Diplomats with Nick Kralev
DESCRIPTION:Nicholas Kralev is an author\, journalist and entrepreneur specializing in diplomacy and international affairs\, whose work of more than 20 years has taken him to almost 100 countries. \nHe is the executive director of the Washington International Diplomatic Academy\, an independent organization that provides practical professional training in diplomacy and international affairs. \nA former Financial Times and Washington Times correspondent\, he witnessed firsthand the conduct of American diplomacy while accompanying U.S. Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton\, Condoleezza Rice\, Colin Powell and Madeleine Albright on their travels around the world. He is also the host and executive producer of the TV series on diplomacy Conversations with Nicholas Kralev. \nHe is the author of America’s Other Army\, Diplomats in the Trenches and Decoding Air Travel. His work has been published in The New York Times\, The Atlantic\, Foreign Policy Magazine and The Huffington Post\, and has appeared on NPR\, CNN\, BBC\, Fox News\, C-SPAN and local stations across the United States and around the world. \nHe holds a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and speaks five languages. \nThis event starts at 12:00 PM on Wednesday\, March 17th. \nClick here to register for this event now.
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/role-of-u-s-diplomates-with-nick-kralev/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Screen-Shot-2020-05-21-at-8.47.09-PM-e1600347250936.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210224T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210224T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20210114T173146Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210118T155339Z
UID:6660-1614168000-1614173400@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Trade Issues Confronting the Biden Administration with Adam Wilczewski
DESCRIPTION:Adam S. Wilczewski brings two decades of experience in business\, government\, politics\,fundraising\, and law\, with a special focus on assisting clients in their domestic andinternational business development and fund-raising needs. He is known for his ability to turn around and grow organizations\, build and motivate high-performing teams\,  increase organizational capacity\, and enhance accountability. Adam serves various clients with strategic global positioning\, sales\, marketing\, and non-profit management. \nCurrently Adam works with Lennar International\, a division of Lennar Corp (NYSE: LEN)\,America’s largest homebuilder. As their Head of International Affairs and Director of International Business Development\, he builds global sales platforms and manages their international affairs efforts among global trade organizations and foreign governments. He also serves as the President for Fiducia Consulting\, LLC\, a boutique fundraising firm with a special focus on conducting capital campaigns for a wide range of not-for-profits. \nIn addition to global business and not-for-profit management\, Adam has worked in leadership and volunteer roles in four presidential campaigns: Lieberman for President (’03-’04); Kerry for President (DNC ’04); Biden for President (’06-’07); Obama for President (’08 and ’12). His work in politics and international affairs led him to a political appointment in the International Trade Administration in Washington\, DC. He rose to Chief of Staff there and was a leader for the President’s National Export Initiative to double exports and increase job growth during the Great Recession. He also helped lead trade missions to countries across the globe and elevated critical trade promotion programming. \nAdam earned a law degree from American University’s Washington College of Law in Washington\, DC\, as well as a degree in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Florida. He holds a Certificate in International Mediation from Erasmus University in Rotterdam\, The Netherlands. He currently resides in Northern Virginia. \nThis event starts at 12:00 PM on Wednesday\, February 24th. \nClick here to register for this event now.
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/trade-issues-confronting-the-biden-administration-with-adam-wilczewski/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Screen-Shot-2021-01-14-at-12.15.41-PM.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210210T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210210T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20200629T144358Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210205T154758Z
UID:6339-1612958400-1612963800@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:The Future of Energy with John Walsh
DESCRIPTION:John Walsh\, director\, president and chief executive officer of UGI Corporation\, will speak about the “Future of Energy” at the Wednesday\, Feb. 10 program of the Word Affairs Council of Greater Reading. The virtual program begins at noon and will end around 1:30 p.m. Walsh has been president and a director of UGI since 2005 and CEO since 2013. He also serves as a director (since 2005) and chairman of the board (since 2016) of AmeriGas Propane\, Inc. He serves as a director and vice chairman of UGI Utilities\, Inc. (since 2005). AmeriGas Propane\, Inc. and UGI Utilities\, Inc. are subsidiaries of UGI Corporation. Walsh served as chief operating officer of UGI Corporation (2005 to 2013) and as president and chief executive officer of UGI Utilities\, Inc. (2009 to 2011). Previously\, Walsh was the chief executive of the Industrial and Special Products division of the BOC Group plc (an industrial gases company)\, a position he assumed in 2001. He was an executive director of BOC (2001 to 2005)\, having joined BOC in 1986 as vice president – Special Gases and having held various senior management positions in BOC\, including president of Process GasSolutions\, North America (2000 to 2001) and president of BOC Process Plants (1996 to 11 2000). He also serves as director at Main Line Health\, Inc.\, the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey\, the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia\, the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce\, the Satell Institute\, and the Philadelphia Zoo\, and as trustee at the Saint Columbkille Partnership School. \nThis event starts at 12:00 PM on Wednesday\, February 10th. \nClick here to register for this event now. \n 
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/the-future-of-energy-with-john-walsh/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Walsh.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210128T160000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210128T173000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20201201T015906Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210122T142338Z
UID:6587-1611849600-1611855000@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Israeli Politics\, the State of U.S. - Israeli Relations and the Recent Peace Accords with Dr. Lee Lukoff
DESCRIPTION:This event is co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Reading \nIn 2019\, Lee Lukoff graduated from the University of Georgia with a Ph.D. in Political Science and International Affairs. He holds Master’s degrees from Boston College (Political Science) and George Mason University (Public Policy). In 2008\, his research interests include subjects in the areas of American Foreign Policy\, Intelligence Studies\, US-Israel Relations\, Middle East Politics\,  and Political Psychology. \nHe has taught fifteen courses as an Instructor of Record on topics such as International Conflict\, Global Issues\, US-Israel Relations\, and American Public Policy.  He currently teaches at the University of Georgia’s Washington Semester Program and in the Department of Government at American University. \nIn 2017\, He was awarded a university grant that allowed him to serve as a Visiting Research Fellow at the Harry S. Truman Institute for the Advancement of Peace at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. During his time at Hebrew University\, he interviewed former government officials for his dissertation on US-Israel Relations in the 1980s.  He is also a founding member of the Early Career Scholars Group of Intelligence Studies in the International Studies Association and has published in the Journal of Intelligence History\, American Intelligence Journal\, Journal of European and American Intelligence Studies\, and The Encyclopedia of U.S. Intelligence. His book reviews have been published in the Journal of Cold War Studies and the International Journal of Intelligence\, Security\, and Public Affairs. \nClick here to register for this event now. \nOr join us on Facebook Live.
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/israeli-politics-the-state-of-u-s-israeli-relations-and-the-recent-peace-accords-with-dr-lee-lukoff/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Community Events
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/lee.lukoff.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20210113T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20210113T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20200522T002537Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20210110T223829Z
UID:6232-1610539200-1610544600@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:China's Economic Espionage and U.S. Security with Nicholas Eftimiades
DESCRIPTION:Nicholas Eftimiades recently retired from the US Department of Defense. His 34 year government career included working at CIA\, US Department of State/Diplomatic Security Service and Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). His career included overseas postings to Moscow\, Frankfurt\, London\, and Tokyo. Nick’s more notable assignments include Chief of DIA’s Counterterrorism Operations\, Senior Technical Officer of the Future Technology Division\, and Chief of DIA’s Space Division. He served as DIA’s lead for national space policy and strategy development. Mr. Eftimiades authored books and number of scholarly articles on national security threats\, emerging technologies\, and space security issues. His book Chinese Intelligence Operations is an examination of the structure\, operations\, and methodology of the intelligence services of the People’s Republic of China. The book received worldwide recognition with the Chinese government declaring Eftimiades “an enemy of the people”. To date\, it remains the only scholarly analysis of China’s intelligence services and operational methodology. Nick Eftimiades is now an Assistant Teaching Professor at Penn State University\, Harrisburg\, School of Public Affairs/Homeland Security. He is a frequent public speaker on future technology and societal changes\, and national security issues. He has appeared on CBS Evening News\, Dateline NBC\, ABC’s Day One\, BBC\, BBC America\, National Public Radio\, and dozens of other television and radio broadcasts. He has been quoted in hundreds of newspapers and magazines across the world. Eftimiades testified before several US Congressional and Presidential Commissions concerning Chinese Espionage\, National Security issues\, emerging technologies\, and the future of the US space program. \nThis event starts at 12:00 PM on Wednesday\, January 13th. \nClick here to register now!\nMembers are invited to join by Zoom and participate in the live Q&A. Zoom details will be emailed in our weekly email newsletter. If you are a member and have not received this email\, please send a message to contactus@wacreading.org. \nClick here to register via Zoom\nThe event will begin at Noon on January 13th \nOr join us on Facebook Live.
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/international-security-with-nick-eftimiades/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Eftimiades.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20201216T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20201216T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20201009T135451Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20201214T195654Z
UID:6523-1608120000-1608125400@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:My Friend the Spy. The Notorious Case of FBI Special Agent Robert Hanssen with James Ohlson
DESCRIPTION:In February 2001\, Robert Philip Hanssen was arrested and charged with committing espionage on behalf of the intelligence services of the former Soviet Union and its successors. He pled guilty to 15 counts of espionage on July 6\, 2001 and was sentenced to prison without the possibility of parole.  The Hanssen case is described by the Department of Justice as “possibly the worst disaster in U.S. intelligence history.” \nDuring his FBI career\, James Ohlson was a close FBI colleague and friend of Hanssen; the two had even attended the same Chicago high school.  Jim Ohlson is a retired FBI special agent having served nearly 30 years\, primarily in New York City and Washington\, DC.  Subsequent to the FBI\, Jim worked in the Directorate of Security and Counterintelligence at National Security Agency (NSA)\, Fort Meade\, MD.   He currently lives with his wife in New Jersey. \nThis event starts at 12:00 PM on Wednesday\, December 16th. \nMembers are invited to join by Zoom and participate in the live Q&A. Zoom details will be emailed in our weekly email newsletter. If you are a member and have not received this email\, please send a message to contactus@wacreading.org. \nClick here to join via Zoom at Noon on December 16th.\nOr dial in to listen by phone\n(646) 558-8656\nMeeting ID: 899 8652 9065\nPasscode: 554831
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/my-friend-the-spy-the-notorious-case-of-fbi-special-agent-robert-hanssen-with-james-ohlson/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Jim-Ohlson-2020-e1602450757625.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20201209T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20201209T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20200206T172117Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20201202T184324Z
UID:5916-1607515200-1607520600@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Climate Change  with John Dernbach
DESCRIPTION:John Dernbach is a nationally and internationally recognized authority on sustainable development\, climate change\, and environmental law. He is the director of the Environmental Law and Sustainability Center\, and brings his expertise into the classroom in courses on property\, environmental law\, international law\, and sustainability. \nProfessor Dernbach writes and lectures widely on climate change\, sustainable development\, and environmental law. He has written more than 50 articles for law reviews and peer-reviewed journals\, and has authored\, coauthored\, or contributed chapters to more than 20 books. Most recently\, he and Professor Michael Gerrard edited Legal Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in the United States (Environmental Law Institute Press 2019)\, a comprehensive assessment and description of more than 1\,000 legal tools that could be used to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by at least 80% by 2050.  He is also the editor or principal author of three comprehensive assessments of U.S. sustainability efforts that made recommendations for future action. They are Acting as if Tomorrow Matters: Accelerating the Transition to Sustainability (2012)\, Agenda for a Sustainable America (2009) and Stumbling Toward Sustainability (2002). In addition\, he was a member of the National Research Council Committee that\, in Sustainability and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (2011)\, made recommendations on how to institutionalize sustainability at EPA. \nThis event starts at 12:00 PM on Wednesday\, December 9th. \nMembers are invited to join by Zoom and participate in the live Q&A. Zoom details will be emailed in our weekly email newsletter. If you are a member and have not received this email\, please send a message to contactus@wacreading.org. \nThe public is invited to watch the meeting via Facebook Live. \nWatch live on Facebook \nClick here to join via Zoom at 10am on November 19th.\nOr dial in to listen by phone\n(646) 558-8656\nMeeting ID: 817 9259 3831\nPasscode: 99022967
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/climate-change-with-john-dernbach/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Unknown-1.jpeg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20201119T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20201119T113000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20200917T170854Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20201112T160029Z
UID:6490-1605780000-1605785400@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:NATO from the European Perspective with Michal Baranowski
DESCRIPTION:Michał Baranowski is the director of GMF’s Warsaw office\, where he provides overall strategic direction and leadership for the organization’s work in Poland\, the Baltic states\, and the V4 countries. He writes and speaks extensively on NATO\, transatlantic relations\, and U.S. foreign policy\, and is frequently quoted in outlets such as Associated Press\, Financial Times\, New York Times\, Wall Street Journal\, Die Welt\, Rzeczpospolita\, Reuters\, Axios\, Le Soir\, Washington Post and Foreign Affairs. He publishes in Polish\, American\, and European media and policy journals. He is a member of the Polish-German reflection group established by presidents of Poland and Germany. He holds a master’s of European public affairs from Maastricht University\, and has studied at Mercer University in the United States and the University of Oxford. \nWatch Live on Facebook \nClick here to join via Zoom at 10am on November 19th.\nOr dial in to listen by phone\n(646) 558-8656\nMeeting ID: 861 3815 3178\nPasscode: 584059
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/nato-from-the-european-perspective-with-michal-baranowski/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Baranowski_Michal-cropped.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20201110T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20201110T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20200206T171721Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20201103T195259Z
UID:5913-1605009600-1605015000@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:The Long March of Virtue: China's Views of its Development\, Power and U.S.-China Relations with Robert Daly
DESCRIPTION:Robert Daly was named as the second director of the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States at the Woodrow Wilson Center in August 2013.  He came to the Wilson Center from the Maryland China Initiative at the University of Maryland.  Prior to that\, he was American Director of the Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies in Nanjing.  Robert Daly began work in U.S.-China relations as a diplomat\, serving as Cultural Exchanges Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing in the late 80s and early 90s.  After leaving the Foreign Service\, he taught Chinese at Cornell University\, worked on television (北京人在纽约) and theater projects in China as a host\, actor\, and writer\, and helped produce Chinese-language versions of Sesame Street and other Children’s Television Workshop programs.  During the same period\, he directed the Syracuse University China Seminar and served as a commentator on Chinese affairs for CNN\, the Voice of America\, and Chinese television and radio stations.  From 2000 to 2001\, he was American Director of the U.S.-China Housing Initiative at the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  Mr. Daly has testified before Congress on U.S.-China relations and has lectured at scores of Chinese and American institutions\, including the Smithsonian Institution\, the East-West Center\, the Asia Society\, and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.  He has lived in China for 11 years and has interpreted for Chinese leaders\, including Jiang Zemin and Li Yuanchao\, and American leaders\, including Jimmy Carter and Henry Kissinger. \nThis event starts at 12:00 PM on Tuesday\, November 10th. \nMembers are invited to join by Zoom and participate in the live Q&A. Zoom details will be emailed in our weekly email newsletter. If you are a member and have not received this email\, please send a message to contactus@wacreading.org. \nThe public is invited to watch the meeting via Facebook Live. \nClick here to join via Zoom at Noon on November 10th.\nOr dial in to listen by phone\n(646) 558-8656\nMeeting ID: 815 9977 6732\nPasscode: 298964
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/china-with-robert-daly/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Robert-Daly-scaled-e1585061096619.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20201022T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20201022T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20200206T171257Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200818T204925Z
UID:5910-1603368000-1603373400@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Inspired: Stories of triumph and tragedy from the Congo with Sasha Lezhnev
DESCRIPTION:Sasha Lezhnev is Deputy Director of Policy at The Sentry\, where he focuses on conflict\, governance\, corruption\, and corporate accountability issues in central Africa. He is also Founding Director of the Grassroots Reconciliation Group\, an organization that works to reintegrate former child soldiers and refugees in northern Uganda. Sasha is a founding member of the Public-Private Alliance on Responsible Minerals Trade (PPA). He previously worked at Global Witness\, the International Crisis Group\, and the U.S. Institute of Peace on U.S. policy and conflict resources\, extractive industries transparency\, and peace processes in Africa. He was based in Uganda for 2 1/2 years as Senior Program Officer with the Northern Uganda Peace Initiative and advisor to the chief mediator of the peace process with the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). \nHe is the author of the book Crafting Peace: Strategies to Deal with Warlords in Collapsing States. He holds a Master’s Degree in International Relations from Cambridge University and a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. \nThis event starts at 12:00 PM on Thursday\, October 22th. \nMembers are invited to join by Zoom and participate in the live Q&A. Zoom details will be emailed in our weekly email newsletter. If you are a member and have not received this email\, please send a message to contactus@wacreading.org. \nThe public is invited to watch the meeting via Facebook Live. The link will be posted one week prior to the event.
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/democratic-republic-of-the-congo-with-sasha-lezhnev/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Sasha_Lezhnev_UNSC_headshot-e1585061495420.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20201014T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20201014T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20200409T181835Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20201009T122927Z
UID:6021-1602676800-1602682200@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Foreign Interference in Democracies: What to Watch in 2020 with Jessica Brandt
DESCRIPTION:Jessica Brandt is the Head of Research and Policy at the Alliance for Securing Democracy and a Fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Her research interests include international security\, multilateral institutions\, and the geopolitical consequences of state fragility. Jessica previously served as special adviser to the president in the Executive Office and as an associate fellow in Foreign Policy at Brookings\, an International and Global Affairs fellow at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University\, and as the director of Foreign Relations for the Geneva Accord in Tel Aviv. She earned a BA in international relations with a concentration in conflict and security studies from Johns Hopkins University and an MPP from the Harvard Kennedy School. She is a member of the Advisory Council of the American Ditchley Foundation\, a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations\, and a David Rockefeller Fellow of the Trilateral Commission. \nThis event starts at 12:00 PM on Wednesday\, October 14th. \nMembers are invited to join by Zoom and participate in the live Q&A. Zoom details will be emailed in our weekly email newsletter. If you are a member and have not received this email\, please send a message to contactus@wacreading.org. \nClick here to join via Zoom at Noon on October 14th.\nOr dial in to listen by phone\n(646) 558-8656\nMeeting ID: 862 3251 5478\nPasscode: 446113 \nhttps://www.facebook.com/wacreading/posts/4569411023100478 \n 
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/foreign-interference-in-democracies-what-to-watch-in-2020-with-jessica-brandt/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Brandt-Jessica-thumbnail-min-min-e1574342844905.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200930T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200930T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20200916T175923Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200923T173002Z
UID:6484-1601467200-1601472600@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:NATO from the American Perspective with Ron Granieri
DESCRIPTION:Ron Granieri is an FPRI Templeton Fellow\, the Executive Director of FPRI’s Center for the Study of America and the West\, Editor of the Center’s E-publication The American Review of Books\, Blogs\, and Bull\, and Host of Geopolitics with Granieri\, a monthly series of events for FPRI Members.  He is a specialist in Contemporary German and International History with degrees from both Harvard and the University of Chicago. He is the recipient of a Federal Chancellor Scholarship from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and is a member in the American Council on Germany’s Young Leader Program. He has taught at the University of Pennsylvania\, Temple University\, Syracuse University\, Furman University\, and the University of Tubingen. He is the author of The Ambivalent Alliance: Konrad Adenauer\, the CDU/CSU\, and the West\, 1949-1966 (Oxford and New York: Berghahn Books\, 2003)\, and is currently completing a book entitled: The Fall and Rise of German Christian Democracy\, From Detente to Reunification\, for Oxford University Press. \nClick here to join via Zoom at Noon on September 30th\nOr dial in to listen by phone\n(646) 558-8656\nMeeting ID: 862 3251 5478\nPasscode: 446113\n\nhttps://www.facebook.com/wacreading/posts/4485492901492291
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/nato-the-american-prospective-with-ron-granieri/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/ronald_granieri-1.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200910T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200910T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20200206T170642Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200909T122318Z
UID:5907-1599739200-1599744600@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:India in the COVID-19 Era - Can Modi Turn the Tide with Milan Vaishnav
DESCRIPTION:Milan Vaishnav is a senior fellow and director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. His primary research focus is the political economy of India\, and he examines issues such as corruption and governance\, state capacity\, distributive politics\, and electoral behavior. \nHe is the author of When Crime Pays: Money and Muscle in Indian Politics (Yale University Press and HarperCollins India\, 2017)\, which was awarded the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay New India Foundation book prize for the best non-fiction book on contemporary India published in 2017. He is also co-editor (with Devesh Kapur) of Costs of Democracy: Political Finance in India (Oxford University Press\, 2018) and (with Pratap Bhanu Mehta and Devesh Kapur) of Rethinking Public Institutions in India (Oxford University Press\, 2017). His work has been published in scholarly journals such as Asian Survey\, Governance\, India Review\, India Policy Forum\, Studies in Indian Politics\, and PS: Political Science and Politics. He is a regular contributor to several Indian publications. \nPreviously\, he worked at the Center for Global Development\, where he served as a postdoctoral research fellow\, the Center for Strategic and International Studies\, and the Council on Foreign Relations. He is an adjunct professor in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and has previously taught at Columbia and George Washington Universities. He holds a Ph.D. in political science from Columbia University. \nThis event starts at 12:00 PM on Thursday\, September 10th. \nMembers are invited to join by Zoom and participate in the live Q&A. Zoom details will be emailed in our weekly email newsletter. If you are a member and have not received this email\, please send a message to contactus@wacreading.org. \nhttps://www.facebook.com/wacreading/posts/4381915085183407
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/india-with-milan-vaishnev/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/1505458844_milan.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200819T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200819T110000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20200620T175041Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200813T150347Z
UID:6316-1597831200-1597834800@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Clash of Cultures: China's Expansion and the Steppe  People of Central Asia with Nicholas Millward
DESCRIPTION:Nick Millward is the president of the Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies. In his talk\, Nick will draw on his research\, his travel experiences in the area and his work to improve the conditions for the people living there. \nNick graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies. While living in Japan\, Nick joined the executive committee of Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies (YCAPS)\, a non-governmental organization that promotes the study of strategic\, diplomatic and legal issues affecting the Asia-Pacific region. Nick has conducted extensive research on the subversion of ethnic minority groups in Central Asia and looks forward to authoring works in this field of study. \nWhen discussing Central Asian cultural subversion\, Nick is speaking in his private capacity only\, not as a representative of the United States Marine Corps. \nThis event starts at 10:00 AM on Wednesday\, August 19th. \nhttps://www.facebook.com/wacreading/posts/4277410692300514 \nMembers are invited to join by Zoom and participate in the live Q&A. Zoom details will be emailed in our weekly email newsletter. If you are a member and have not received this email\, please send a message to contactus@wacreading.org.
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/the-asia-pacific-with-nick-millard/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Special Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/image001-e1600347276802.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200805T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200805T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20200617T144640Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200804T144711Z
UID:6304-1596628800-1596634200@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Ukraine/Russia with Amb. John Herbst
DESCRIPTION:Ambassador Herbst joined the United States Foreign Service in 1979. He has worked as a political counselor at the U.S. embassies in Tel Aviv\, Israel\, Moscow\, Russia\, and Riyadh\, Saudi Arabia. He has also worked as the Director of Regional Affairs in the Near East Bureau of the United States State Department\, as Director of the Office of Independent States and Commonwealth Affairs\, as Principal Deputy to the Ambassador-at-large for the Newly Independent States\, and as U.S. Consul General in Jerusalem. He was appointed Ambassador to Uzbekistan in 2000\, and to Ukraine in 2003. In 2006\, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice appointed Ambassador Herbst as Coordinator for the Office of Reconstruction and Stabilization. He assumed the new position in the summer of that year. \nAmbassador Herbst assumed the position of Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization in the summer of 2006. During his tenure\, Ambassador Herbst launched the Civilian Response Corps\, grew its ranks to over 1\,000\, and oversaw their missions in countries that include Sudan\, Chad\, Haiti\, Lebanon\, Kosovo\, Iraq and Afghanistan. Under Ambassador Herbst’s direction the Civilian Response Corps and the Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization supported over 20 U.S. Embassies. His responsibilities included planning and coordinating to prevent conflict and deliver sustainable stabilization solutions to countries in danger of\, emerging from or in conflict. \nAmbassador Herbst was particularly successful in building interagency support and using the concept of smart power through policy committees and coordination teams that include persons from the United States Agency for International Development and the departments of Justice\, Commerce\, Agriculture\, Homeland Security\, Health and Human Services and Treasury. \nDuring the period that became known as the Orange Revolution in Ukraine\, Ambassador Herbst was involved in the events which led up to and defined Viktor Yushchenko‘s presidency. Ambassador Herbst was described by Pakistan’s Daily Times as “an erudite\, charming and linguistically gifted diplomat” whose accomplishments “conveyed Bush policy that Ukraine should not join the Common Economic Space with Russia\, Belarus and Kazakhstan because ‘it is not in [its] interests to have this integration complicated’.” \nIn 2005\, Ambassador Herbst\, serving as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine\, called the reputation of Mykola Bilokin\, Minister of the Internal Affairs of Ukraine from 2003 to 2005\, “unacceptable.” Later in the month Ambassador Herbst worked with newly appointed Minister of the Internal Affairs of Ukraine\, Yuri Lutsenko\, to reform the ministry. The new ministry was restructured to meet the changing political and socio-economic environment in Ukraine. During the meeting Ambassador Herbst offered the support of American law enforcement officers and noted that the U.S. is willing to provide aid to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. \nFollowing the Orange Revolution\, Ambassador Herbst facilitated funding of objective sources of news in Ukraine. His efforts led to the United States Agency of International Development funding $2.4 million to be spent towards the development of mass media in the country. Ambassador Herbst implemented his strategy by focusing on readying trainers and educators in the communications discipline\, including Ukraine‘s Center for Ukrainian Reform Education and Kiev non-governmental organization Telekritika. Ambassador Herbst oversaw tertiary funding including the Open Media Fund\, sponsored by the International Renaissance Foundation and worked with his associates at the U.S. Embassy\, including press attaché Brent Byers\, to allocate $750\,000 in 2005. Ambassador Herbst oversaw funding in support of independent media in Ukraine. Ambassador Herbst coordinated with the European Commission to Ukraine and effectively secured an additional 3.5 million Euros between 2003 and 2005. \nThis event starts at 12:00 PM on Wednesday\, August 5th. \nhttps://www.facebook.com/wacreading/posts/4231811840193733 \nMembers are invited to join by Zoom and participate in the live Q&A. Zoom details will be emailed in our weekly email newsletter. If you are a member and have not received this email\, please send a message to contactus@wacreading.org.
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/ukraine-russia-with-amb-john-herbst/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AmbassadorHerbstBioPicture.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200729T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200729T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20200628T235454Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200727T142148Z
UID:6332-1596024000-1596029400@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:The State of the State Department with Lawrence Cohen
DESCRIPTION:Lawrence Cohen is a retired diplomat with the U.S. Department of State. During his Foreign Service career\, Mr. Cohen served in Mexico\, Honduras\, India\, Hungary\, Nigeria\, Brazil\, and Afghanistan. His Washington\, D.C.\, assignments included stints in the Office of Environmental Policy working on bilateral U.S.-Mexico and NAFTA issues\, and as State Department Desk Officer to the Inter-American Development Bank. Mr. Cohen has also served on short-term Foreign Service assignments in Erbil\, Iraqi Kurdistan Region; Tunis; Jeddah; and Kuwait. \nMr. Cohen created the Foreign Service Institute’s Afghanistan pre-deployment training program\, facilitated Afghan training for USAID personnel\, and developed diplomatic tradecraft training for the South Sudanese Foreign Ministry in Juba. Mr. Cohen served as the Retiree Vice President on the Governing Board of the American Foreign Service Association (2013-15). He delivered a presentation on Afghanistan to the Reading World Affairs Council in September 2008. \nMr. Cohen earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in history and Mideast Studies from Dickinson College and his Masters of Arts degree in International Relations\, specializing in Middle East Affairs from the University of Chicago. He resides in Schwenksville\, Montgomery County. \nThis event starts at 12:00 PM on Wednesday\, July 29th. \nMembers are invited to join by Zoom and participate in the live Q&A. Zoom details will be emailed in our weekly email newsletter. If you are a member and have not received this email\, please send a message to contactus@wacreading.org. \nThe public is invited to watch the meeting via Facebook Live. The link will be posted one week prior to the event. \nhttps://www.facebook.com/wacreading/posts/4196727813702136
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/the-state-of-the-state-department-with-lawrence-cohen/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Cohen-e1600347292446.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200708T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200708T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20200603T175602Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200703T125856Z
UID:6265-1594209600-1594215000@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Recent Developments in the China/Hong Kong Relationship with Dr. Victoria Tin-bor Hui
DESCRIPTION:Faculty Fellow\, Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies\nFaculty Fellow\, The Kellogg Institute for International Studies\nFaculty Fellow\, The Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies\nFaculty Affiliate\, Center for Civil and Human Rights \nVictoria Tin-bor Hui received her Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University and her B.SSc. in Journalism from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. \nHui’s core research examines the centrality of war in the formation and transformation of “China” in the long span of history. She is the author of War and State Formation in Ancient China and Early Modern Europe (Cambridge University Press\, 2005). She has also published “Toward a Dynamic Theory of International Politics” in International Organization\, “Testing Balance of Power Theory in World History” in the European Journal of International Relations\, “The Emergence and Demise of Nascent Constitutional Rights” in The Journal of Political Philosophy\, “Building Castles in the Sand” in the Chinese Journal of International Politics\, “History and Thought in China’s Traditions” in the Journal of Chinese Political Science\, and book chapters “How Tilly’s Warfare Paradigm Is Revolutionizing the Study of Chinese State-Making\,” “Cultural Diversity and Coercive Cultural Homogenization in Chinese History\,” “The China Dream: Revival of What Historical Greatness?”\, “Confucian Pacifism or Confucian Confusion?”\, “The Triumph of Domination in the Ancient Chinese System” and “Problematizing Sovereignty.” \nHui also studies contentious politics. As a native from Hong Kong\, she has written “Will China Crush the Protests in Hong Kong? Why Beijing Doesn’t Need to Send in the Troops” in Foreign Affairs and “Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement: The Protest and Beyond” in the Journal of Democracy. She also maintains a blog on Hong Kong https://victoriatbhui.wordpress.com. She has extensively commented on Hong Kong politics in the media including the Washington Post’s Monkey Cage\, ChinaFile\, ABC\, the BBC\, the New York Times\, the Guardian\, Bloomberg\, Sky News\, NPR\, Vox\, and the Christian Science Monitor. \nThis event starts at 12:00 PM on Wednesday\, July 8th. \nhttps://www.facebook.com/wacreading/posts/4089635131078072 \nMembers are invited to join by Zoom and participate in the live Q&A. Zoom details will be emailed in our weekly email newsletter. If you are a member and have not received this email\, please send a message to contactus@wacreading.org.
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/recent-developments-in-the-china-hong-kong-relationship-with-dr-victoria-tin-bor-hui/
LOCATION:Virtual Event\, PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Special Event
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200624T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200624T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20200527T191509Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200618T132229Z
UID:6254-1593000000-1593005400@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Russia and the 2020 Elections-what is Putin's game plan? with Christopher Miller
DESCRIPTION:Chris Miller is assistant professor of international history at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and co-director of the school’s Russia and Eurasia Program. He is author of  Putinomics: Power and Money in Resurgent Russia (2018) and The Struggle to Save the Soviet Economy (2016).  \nHe has previously served as the associate director of the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy at Yale\, a lecturer at the New Economic School in Moscow\, a visiting researcher at the Carnegie Moscow Center\, a research associate at the Brookings Institution\, and as a fellow at the German Marshall Fund’s Transatlantic Academy. He received his Ph.D. and M.A. from Yale University and his B.A. in history from Harvard University. \nARTICLES\n“The Bureaucratic Bourgeoisie: How the Soviet Union Lost Faith in State-led Economic Development\,” History of Political Economy (2019)\n“Georgii Mirskii and Soviet Theories of Authoritarian Modernization\,” International History Review (2017)\n“Economic Take-Off or Great Leap Forward: Soviet Assessments of Chinese Economic Reforms during Perestroika\,” Soviet and Post-Soviet Review (2016)\n“Gorbachev’s Agricultural Reforms and the Politics of Perestroika\,” Kritika: Explorations in Russian and Eurasian History (2016) \nBOOKS\n“Putinomics: Power and Money in Resurgent Russia\,” The University of North Carolina Press\, 2018.\n“The Struggle to Save the Soviet Economy: Mikhail Gorbachev and the Collapse of the USSR\,” The University of North Carolina Press\, 2016 \n\nThis event starts at 12:00 PM on Wednesday\, June 24th. \nMembers are invited to join by Zoom and participate in the live Q&A. Zoom details will be emailed in our weekly email newsletter. If you are a member and have not received this email\, please send a message to contactus@wacreading.org. \nJoin via www.wacreading.org/live \nhttps://www.facebook.com/wacreading/posts/4025445150830404 \nPlease join a few minutes early so you don’t miss anything
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/putins-russia-with-christopher-miller/
LOCATION:PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Special Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/chris_miller_0.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200617T120000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200617T133000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20200501T152026Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200611T190853Z
UID:6155-1592395200-1592400600@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Artificial Intelligence and Data with Abdullah Konak
DESCRIPTION:Abdullah Konak is a Professor of Information Sciences and Technology at the Pennsylvania State University\, Berks.  Dr. Konak received his degrees in Industrial Engineering\, B.S. from Yildiz Technical University\, Turkey\, M.S. from Bradley University\, and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to his current position\, he taught at Auburn University.  Dr. Konak also held visiting positions at Lehigh University\, Cornell University\, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. \n  \nDr. Konak’s primary research interest is in the modeling\, analysis\, and optimization of complex systems using computational intelligence combined with techniques from probability and statistics and from Operations Research.  He has studied a broad range of topics including network design\, reliable system design\, cybersecurity\, facilities design\, green logistics\, production management\, and data sciences.  Dr. Konak has published papers in leading journals such as Operations Research Letters\, Informs Journal on Computing\, Europan Journal of Operations Research\, Computers and Operations Research\, IIE Transactions\, IEEE Transactions on Reliability\, International Journal of Production Research\, and Production Economics.  He has been a principal investigator in sponsored projects from the National Science Foundation\, the National Security Agency\, the US Department of Labor\, and Venture Well. \nDr. Konak currently teaches courses on Database Management Systems\, Cybersecurity\, Agent Based Modelling\, and Entrepreneurship. He is a member of INFORMS and IEEE. \nThis event starts at 12:00 PM on Wednesday\, June 17th. \nMembers are invited to join by Zoom and participate in the live Q&A. Zoom details will be emailed in our weekly email newsletter. If you are a member and have not received this email\, please send a message to contactus@wacreading.org. \nJoin via www.wacreading.org/live \nhttps://www.facebook.com/wacreading/posts/3997391866969066 \nPlease join a few minutes early so you don’t miss anything!
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/artificial-intelligence-and-data-with-abdullah-konak/
LOCATION:PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Special Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/citations.jpeg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200610T113000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200610T140000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20200228T164006Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200607T180037Z
UID:5972-1591788600-1591797600@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Infectious Disease Including COVID-19 (Coronavirus) with Marie Keim
DESCRIPTION:Marie Keim\, BS\, MT\, CIC:Director Epidemiology\, Infection Control and Prevention Reading Hospital \nMs. Keim has more than 30 years of healthcare experience\, with over 20 years in infection prevention and includes clinical microbiology. She is currently the director of the epidemiology\, infection control and prevention department at Reading Health System. Ms. Keim has expertise in all scopes of healthcare encompassing hospitals\, clinics\, ambulatory centers and physician offices. She assists clients in all aspects of project design and construction through occupancy to proactively minimize risks for patients and a staff from both the microbiology and infection prevention perspective. She has successful incorporated work flow\, instrument/equipment and product selection to improve patient outcomes.\n\n\nThis event starts at 12:00 PM on Wednesday\, June 10th. \nMembers are invited to join by Zoom and participate in the live Q&A. Zoom details will be emailed in our weekly email newsletter. If you are a member and have not received this email\, please send a message to contactus@wacreading.org. \nJoin via www.wacreading.org/live\nPlease join a few minutes early so you don’t miss anything! \nhttps://www.facebook.com/wacreading/posts/3980766611964925
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/infectious-disease-including-covid-19-coronavirus-with-marie-keim/
LOCATION:PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Luncheon Meeting
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/MarieKeim_80w.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20200603T190000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20200603T203000
DTSTAMP:20260424T010205
CREATED:20200501T163005Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200531T155053Z
UID:6169-1591210800-1591216200@wacreading.org
SUMMARY:Red Sea Security with Dr. Randall Fegley
DESCRIPTION:A political historian at Penn State Berks College\, Randall Fegley teaches courses in African\, European and Middle Eastern history\, ethnic conflict in Africa and international law. Joining the Penn State system in 1988\, he specializes in the study of mass trauma\, especially long-term conflicts\, gross human rights violations and prolonged disasters in Rwanda\, Equatorial Guinea\, Uganda\, South Sudan and Sudan. He lived\, taught and completed Ph.D. research in Sudan from 1980 to 1984 and has returned to work there and in other African countries numerous times. In November 2003\, he received Penn State Berks’ Beaver Community Service Award for restoring schools in war-torn Kajo Keji County as part of a program of the Episcopal Diocese of Bethlehem. He has been particularly active in the Sudan Studies Association\, the leading scholarly organization on Sudan. Host of the SSA’s 22nd annual conference in May 2002 and a member of the association’s board from 2003 to 2007\, he has also served as the organization’s president and executive director. As the coordinator of Penn State’s four-year degree program in Global Studies\, he set up internship programs in Rwanda and India. His published works have examined Rwandan\, Sudanese\, Belgian and Equatorial Guinean political history\, genocide\, the mythologies that perpetuate conflicts\, elections and governance in post-trauma societies; and the rehabilitation of former slaves and child soldiers. \n  \nThis event starts at 7:00 PM on Wednesday\, June 3rd. \nMembers are invited to join by Zoom and participate in the live Q&A. Zoom details will be emailed in our weekly email newsletter. If you are a member and have not received this email\, please send a message to contactus@wacreading.org. \nPlease join a few minutes early so you don’t miss anything! \nhttps://www.facebook.com/wacreading/posts/3951727394868847 \n 
URL:https://wacreading.org/event/red-sea-security-with-dr-randall-fegley/
LOCATION:PA\, United States
CATEGORIES:Special Event
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://wacreading.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Fegleu.jpeg
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