Linking Western Massachusetts to the world since 1926
Photo Credit: Michael S. Gordon
We are a nonpartisan organization dedicated to promoting citizen diplomacy and civil, informed discourse on international affairs.
Upcoming Events
September 19
Instant Issues: John Feffer on What Do Voters Want & Will They Get it?
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present John Feffer, Director of Foreign Policy in Focus and Global Just Transition at the Institute for Policy Studies, on What Do Voters Want and Will They Get it?, a round-up of recent national elections in France, the United Kingdom, Iran, and elsewhere, on Thursday, September 19, 2024 at noon in the 9th Floor Gallery, 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield.
Oct 10
Annual Meeting & Dinner:
Category
Featured
Dates & Times
Starts:
10/10/2024 @ 6:00 pm
Location
Ludlow Country Club, 1 Tony Lema Drive, Ludlow, MA
Summary
The Board of Directors of the World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts cordially invite you to attend the 98th Annual Meeting and Dinner with featured speaker Dr. Martha Hodes on her book My Hijacking: A Personal History of Forgetting and Remembering.
Martha Hodes is professor of history at New York University. On September 6, 1970, she--then 12 years old--and her 13-year-old sister were flying unaccompanied back to New York City from Israel when their plane was hijacked by members of the secular Marxist group, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and forced to land in the Jordan desert. Nearly a half-century later, her memories of those six days and nights as a hostage were hazy and scattered. Drawing on deep archival research, childhood memories, and conversations with relatives, friends, and fellow hostages, Hodes set out to re-create what happened to her. As the hostages forged friendships and provoked conflicts, the sisters learned about the lives and causes of their captors, pondering a deadly divide that continues today. As a personal history, My Hijacking ultimately brings the author to a deeper understanding of what happened in the Jordan desert, prompting a complex confrontation with trauma and empathy.
Sep 19
Instant Issues: John Feffer on What Do Voters Want & Will They Get it?
Category
Featured
Dates & Times
Starts:
09/19/2024 @ 12:00 pm
Ends: 09/19/2024 @ 1:00 pm
Ends: 09/19/2024 @ 1:00 pm
Location
1350 Main Street, 9th Floor, Springfield, MA
Summary
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present John Feffer, Director of Foreign Policy in Focus and Global Just Transition at the Institute for Policy Studies, on What Do Voters Want and Will They Get it?, a round-up of recent national elections in France, the United Kingdom, Iran, and elsewhere, on Thursday, September 19, 2024 at noon in the 9th Floor Gallery, 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield.
Jun 27
Mara Kardas- Nelson on The Seductive Promise of Microfinance
Category
Featured
Dates & Times
Starts:
06/27/2024 @ 5:30 pm
Location
Elegant Affairs, 1380 Main Street, Springfield MA
Summary
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present journalist Mara Kardas-Nelson on her new book, We Are Not Able To Live In The Sky: The Seductive Promise of Microfinance on Thursday, June 27, 2024 at 5:30 pm, at Elegant Affairs, 1380 Main Street in downtown Springfield. A light supper buffet will be provided. The cost is $30 for World Affairs Council members and $40 for nonmembers.
We will also present our Sue C. Root Citizen Diplomacy Award, recognizing outstanding contributions to the US Department of State's International Visitor Leadership Program.
May 29
Ousmane Power-Greene on American Abolitionists' Impact on Modern Day Black Power Movements in Europe
Category
Featured
Dates & Times
Starts:
05/29/2024 @ 5:45 am
Location
1350 Main Street, 9th Floor, Springfield, MA
Summary
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present an Instant Issues After Hours discussion event featuring Dr. Ousmane Power-Greene, the E. Franklin Frazier Chair of Africana Studies and Professor of history at Clark University, on American Abolitionists' Impact on Modern Day Black Power Movements in Europe Wednesday, May 29, 2024 at 5:45 pm, in the 9th Floor Gallery at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield. The cost is $25 for World Affairs Council members and $30 for non-members. A light supper will be provided. (Please contact our office at 413-733-0110 if you need a vegan or gluten-free meal or if you are high school or undergraduate student.) Registration required by Monday, May 21.
Apr 29
Instant Issues: MOITI Executive Director Jeevan Ramapriya
Category
Featured
Dates & Times
Starts:
04/29/2024 @ 12:00 pm
Ends: 04/29/2024 @ 1:00 pm
Ends: 04/29/2024 @ 1:00 pm
Location
1350 Main Street, 9th Floor, Springfield, MA
Summary
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present an Instant Issues Lunchtime discussion event featuring Jeevan Ramapriya, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Office of International Trade and Investment, on Monday, April 29, 2024 at Noon, in the 9th Floor Gallery at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield.
Mar 11
Instant Issues: Arthur House on "Foreign Influence on US Elections"
Category
Featured
Dates & Times
Starts:
03/11/2024 @ 12:00 pm
Ends: 03/11/2024 @ 1:00 pm
Ends: 03/11/2024 @ 1:00 pm
Location
1350 Main Street, 9th Floor, Springfield, MA
Summary
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present an Instant Issues Lunchtime discussion event featuring Arthur House, former Chief Cybersecurity Risk Officer for the State of Connecticut, on Foreign Influnce on US Elections on Monday, March 11, 2024 at Noon, in the 9th Floor Gallery at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield.
Nov 30 2023
Instant Issues on Putin's Waiting Game with Dr. Constantine Pleshakov November 30
Category
Featured
Dates & Times
Starts:
11/30/2023 @ 12:00 pm
Ends: 11/30/2023 @ 1:00 pm
Ends: 11/30/2023 @ 1:00 pm
Location
1350 Main Street, 9th Floor, Springfield, MA
Summary
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present an Instant Issues Lunchtime discussion event featuring Dr. Constantine Pleshakov, author and Visiting Assistant Professor of Political Science at Amherst College, on Putin's Waiting Game on Thursday, November 30, 2023 at Noon, in the 9th Floor Gallery at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield.
Sep 18 2023
Instant Issues with Greg White: Refugees of the Apocalypse?: A Critique of the Concept of “Climate Refugees"
Category
Featured
Dates & Times
Starts:
09/18/2023 @ 12:00 pm
Ends: 09/18/2023 @ 1:00 pm
Ends: 09/18/2023 @ 1:00 pm
Summary
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present an Instant Issues event featuring Dr. Gregory White, Mary Huggins Gamble Professor of Government; Chair of Environmental Science and Policy at Smith College, on Refugees of the Apocalypse?: A Critique of the Concept of “Climate Refugees" on Monday, September18, 2023 at Noon, in the 9th Floor Gallery at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield.
Attachment
WACWM News & Notables
Sep
18
September, 18th 2023
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts presented an Instant Issues event featuring Dr. Gregory White, Mary Huggins Gamble Professor of Government; Chair of Environmental Science and Policy at Smith College.
Date: September18, 2023 - Springfield, MA.
Mar
24
March, 24th 2022
Protocols for return to in-person events
May
28
May, 28th 2020
Journalist Lisa Napoli will speak at an Instant Issues Online event Thursday, May 28 from 1:00-1:30 PM on her new book Up All Night: Ted Turner, CNN, and the Birth of 24-Hour News. This event is free.
In over three decades as a journalist, Lisa Napoli covered…
Benefactors
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