Past Council Events
Pacific Conflicts: China, Japan and the U.S.
The China-Japan territorial dispute is becoming increasingly dangerous and the prospects rise for a confrontation. U.S. security ties to Japan put it in the middle of the situation. A panel of experts on East Asian geopolitics looks at trends in the region and offers a broader context for understanding the big picture and impending flashpoints. Read More ››
Young Professionals: Face to Face with Julia Cooke
Join us for a night of informal conversation with journalist Julia Cooke, author of The Other Side of Paradise: Life in the New Cuba, on cultural changes in Cuba, how the next generation is faring, and the challenges and opportunities for writers and journalists in a rapidly changing digital, dematerialized landscape. Read More ››
The Other Side of Paradise: Life in the New Cuba
Havana is a city electric with uncertainty, yet cloaked in cliche and plagued by political stagnation. Over five years, journalist Julia Cooke witnessed the social evolution on a very human scale. How will the last generation of Cubans raised under Fidel Castro fare as the rest of the world beckons? Read More ››
Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham to keynote the 2014 International Speakers Series
Secretary Clinton served as the 67th U.S. Secretary of State from 2009 to 2013, after nearly four decades in public service. Earlier, as First Lady and Senator from New York, she traveled to more than 80 countries as a champion of human rights, democracy, and opportunities for women and girls. Read More ››
Theater in Uganda and Rwanda: Commemoration, Complexity and Collaboration
How can theater across cultures and borders function as a powerful tool for mutual understanding and reconciliation? Hear from U.S.-based director Emily Mendelsohn and her collaborator of seven years, acclaimed Ugandan playwright Deborah Asiimwe, as they discuss their five-year, binational creation process. Read More ››
Great Decisions: Energy Independence
John Kauffman, a fellow at the Post-Carbon Institute, discusses whether, in a government with fixed resources, should the U.S. encourage more traditional fuel production or invest in the young technology of renewable resources. Read More ››
Warrior State: Pakistan in the Contemporary World
T.V. Paul, Professor of International Relations at McGill University, looks at why in an era when countries across the developing world are experiencing impressive economic growth and building democratic institutions, has Pakistan been such a conspicuous failure. Read More ››
National Security, Civil Liberties and the Surveillance State
How do we ensure that both liberty and security are protected in this age of enhanced surveillance? U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, discusses how the surveillance policies of the National Security Agency have sparked new debates around the tension between civil liberties and national security. Read More ››