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Starts: 05/12/2023 @ 12:00 pm
Ends: 05/12/2023 @ 1:00 pm

1350 Main Street, 9th Floor, Springfield, MA

The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present an Instant Issues event featuring Isidre Sala Queralt, the Head of the Delegation of the Government of Catalonia to the United States and Canada, on Massachusetts & Catalonia, strengthening a partnership on Friday, May 12, 2023 at Noon, in the 9th Floor Gallery at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield. Isidre Sala Queralt was the Director General for Global Affairs from April to September 2019 at the Secretariat for Foreign Affairs and European Union of the Government of Catalonia, where he previously was Director General for Multilateral and European Affairs . From these posts, he worked to foster cooperation between the Government of Catalonia and the multilateral organizations in order to maximize Catalonia’s potential contribution to the main global challenges. From 2014 to 2017, he promoted Catalonia’s policy in international finance institutions and other international organizations with an economic mandate.

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Starts: 04/27/2023 @ 12:00 pm
Ends: 04/27/2023 @ 1:00 pm

1350 Main Street, 9th Floor, Springfield, MA

The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present Director of the Boston Office of the U.S. Commercial Service James Paul on U.S. Department of Commerce and Assisting Western MA Exporters Go Global on Thursday, April 27, 2023, at Noon, in the 9th Floor Community Room at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield. Jim Paul is Director of the Boston Office for the U.S. Commercial Service, a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. Jim will discuss his agency’s Rural Export Center and many other resources that help Western Massachusetts organizations compete and win in the global marketplace. He will also brief on available assistance to enhance foreign direct investment, travel and tourism from abroad, and international student recruitment to the area’s local high schools and universities.

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Starts: 03/21/2023 @ 12:00 pm
Ends: 03/21/2023 @ 1:30 pm

The Student Prince, 8 Fort Street, Springfield, MA

Veteran journalist Mike Chinoy will speak at a luncheon on his new book, Assignment China: An Oral History of American Journalists in the People's Republic. The book tells the story of how American journalists have covered China—from the civil war of the 1940s through the COVID-19 pandemic—in their own words. They share behind-the-scenes stories of reporting on historic moments such as Richard Nixon’s groundbreaking visit in 1972, China’s opening up to the outside world and its emergence as a global superpower, and the crackdowns in Tiananmen Square and Xinjiang.

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Starts: 02/09/2023 @ 5:00 pm
Ends: 02/09/2023 @ 6:00 pm

1350 Main Street, 9th Floor, Springfield, MA

The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present US Representative of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic in Washington in conversation with Nina Nedrebø, on The Rights of the People of Western Sahara: The Human Face of the Conflict on Thursday, February 9 at 5:00 PM EDT, in the 9th Floor Gallery at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield. The event is free and open to the public, but advanced registration is required. Light refreshments will be provided.

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Starts: 01/13/2023 @ 12:00 pm
Ends: 01/13/2023 @ 1:00 pm

1350 Main Street, 9th Floor, Springfield, MA

The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present longtime friend of the Council Attorney Mahsa Khanbabai, Khanbabai Immigration Law, on Women and Youth Movements in Iran on Friday, January 13 at Noon EDT, in the 9th Floor Gallery at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield. Attorney Khanbabai was born in Iran and raised in Western Massachusetts. She is regularly interviewed by news agencies such as NPR, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, MSNBC, and others. Her legal advocacy and strategic use of the media spotlight has led to numerous high impact immigration changes including the reinstatement of Deferred Action.

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Starts: 11/30/2022 @ 12:00 pm
Ends: 11/30/2022 @ 1:00 pm

1350 Main Street, 3rd Floor Community Room, Springfield, MA

The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present John Feffer, director of Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies, on "Right Across the World: Italy, Sweden & Brazil" on Wednesday, November 30, 2022 at Noon EDT, in the Community Room at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield. John Feffer is the author of several books and numerous articles. His latest non-fiction book is "Right Across the World: The Global Networking of the Far-Right and the Left Response ". He is a senior associate at the Asia Institute in Seoul and has been both a Writing Fellow at Provisions Library in Washington, DC and a PanTech fellow in Korean Studies at Stanford University. He is a former associate editor of World Policy Journal. He has worked as an international affairs representative in Eastern Europe and East Asia for the American Friends Service Committee. The Instant Issues series is generously sponsored by Wilbraham & Monson Academy, Glenmeadow, & Sir Speedy. Special thanks to NAI Plotkin

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Starts: 10/25/2022 @ 6:00 pm
Ends: 10/25/2022 @ 8:30 pm

Springfield Sheraton Hotel at Monarch Place

The Board of Directors of the World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts cordially invite you to attend the 96th Annual Meeting and Dinner with featured speaker Farah Pandith on How We Win: Soft power and Fighting Hate. Farah Pandith is an author, foreign policy strategist, and former diplomat. A world-leading expert and pioneer in countering violent extremism, she is a frequent media commentator and public speaker. Her book is How We Win: How Cutting-Edge Entrepreneurs, Political Visionaries, Enlightened Business Leaders, and Social Media Mavens Can Defeat the Extremist Threat. She served as a political appointee under Presidents George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama, and most recently she was the first-ever Special Representative to Muslim Communities, serving both Secretaries Hillary Clinton and John Kerry. She has served on the National Security Council, at the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in various senior roles. She is a senior fellow with the Future of Diplomacy Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School as well as an adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. In fall 2020, the Muhammad Ali Center named Pandith the first-ever Muhammad Ali Global Peace Laureate for her proven track record of and commitment to promoting diversity, cohesion and respect. Special thanks to NAI Plotkin This event is generously sponsored by M & T Bank.

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Starts: 09/28/2022 @ 12:00 pm
Ends: 09/28/2022 @ 1:00 pm

1350 Main Street, Springfield, MA

Our first Instant Issues brown bag lunchtime discussion of the 2022-2023 program year will take place at noon on Wednesday, September 28, 2022 at 1350 Main Street in downtown Springfield. Dr. Dennis T. Yasutomo, Esther Cloudman Dunn Professor Emeritus of Government at Smith College, will speak on Ukraine and the Indo-Pacific: Evolution of a Eurasian Century? Dennis Yasutomo will look at the impact of the crisis in Ukraine on the emerging Euro-Asian geopolitical dynamics involving China, the US, Japan, Australia and Europe's enhanced involvement in the Indo-Pacific region. Advanced registration is required. No walk ins. Audience size will be limited to allow social distancing so be sure to register early!