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
November 30
Instant Issues on Putin's Waiting Game with Dr. Constantine Pleshakov November 30
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.
Nov 30
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
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
May 12
Instant Issues: Massachusetts & Catalonia, strengthening a partnership
Category
Featured
Dates & Times
Starts:
05/12/2023 @ 12:00 pm
Ends: 05/12/2023 @ 1:00 pm
Ends: 05/12/2023 @ 1:00 pm
Location
1350 Main Street, 9th Floor, Springfield, MA
Summary
The World Affairs Council of Western Massachusetts will present an Instant Issues 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.
Apr 27
Instant Issues: U.S. Department of Commerce and Assisting Western MA Exporters Go Global
Category
Featured
Dates & Times
Starts:
04/27/2023 @ 12:00 pm
Ends: 04/27/2023 @ 1:00 pm
Ends: 04/27/2023 @ 1:00 pm
Location
1350 Main Street, 9th Floor, Springfield, MA
Summary
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.
Mar 21
Mike Chinoy on American Journalists Covering China
Category
Featured
Dates & Times
Starts:
03/21/2023 @ 12:00 pm
Ends: 03/21/2023 @ 1:30 pm
Ends: 03/21/2023 @ 1:30 pm
Location
The Student Prince, 8 Fort Street, Springfield, MA
Summary
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.
Feb 9
Mouloud Said on The Human Face of the Western Sahara Conflict
Category
Featured
Dates & Times
Starts:
02/09/2023 @ 5:00 pm
Ends: 02/09/2023 @ 6:00 pm
Ends: 02/09/2023 @ 6:00 pm
Location
1350 Main Street, 9th Floor, Springfield, MA
Summary
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.
Jan 13
Instant Issues: Women & Youth Movements in Iran
Category
Featured
Dates & Times
Starts:
01/13/2023 @ 12:00 pm
Ends: 01/13/2023 @ 1:00 pm
Ends: 01/13/2023 @ 1:00 pm
Location
1350 Main Street, 9th Floor, Springfield, MA
Summary
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.
Nov 30 2022
Instant Issues: Right Across the World - Italy, Sweden & Brazil
Category
Featured
Dates & Times
Starts:
11/30/2022 @ 12:00 pm
Ends: 11/30/2022 @ 1:00 pm
Ends: 11/30/2022 @ 1:00 pm
Location
1350 Main Street, 3rd Floor Community Room, Springfield, MA
Summary
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
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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