Global Dialogue | The Power of Diplomacy | Marshall | Jun 1

U.S.-Russia Conflict: Post Biden-Putin Summit with Dr. Andrei Korobkov, Professor, Political Science and International Relations, Middle Tennessee State University and Dr. Mark Katz, Professor, Schar School of Policy and Government, George Mason University With Host LCDR Patrick Ryan, USN (Ret), Founding President, Tennessee World Affairs Council 
July 13, 2021 @ 7 pm

What’s Ahead in the U.S.-Russia Relationship After the Biden-Putin Summit

When United States President Joe Biden and Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin met in Geneva on June 16th there was an icy cast on prospects for positive results. Yet, Biden said he did what he came to do. That seemed to have been to put Putin on notice concerning: cyber-attacks on American systems; human rights and suppression of Russian opposition; provocative military moves against neighbors like Ukraine; and observance of international norms of behavior.

Going into the summit, the U.S. and Russia were deeply at odds over these and other sources of conflict. Beyond the leaders’ press conferences and officials’ talk show appearances there’s much more to dissect and understand on what the Washington-Moscow relationship is going to look like.

To better understand this important foreign policy challenge for the United States, the Tennessee World Affairs Council is convening a Global Dialogue Webinar on the topic, “U.S.-Russia Conflict: Post Biden-Putin Summit,” featuring Dr. Andrei Korobkov and Dr. Mark Katz on Tuesday, July 13, 2021 at 7pm CT.


Dr. Andrei Korobkov
Dr. Korobkov is Professor and Director of Russian Studies in the Department of Political Science and International Relations, Middle Tennessee State University. He focuses his scholarship on post-Soviet Russia and Eastern Europe. Dr. Katz is a Professor in the Schor School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. He has lectured and written extensively on Moscow’s foreign policy. Korobkov and Katz will drill down into the summit outcomes and discuss the path ahead for the conflict-ridden relationship. And they will welcome you into the conversation.

The Global Dialogue on U.S.-Russia relations will be moderated by LCDR Patrick Ryan, USN(Ret), founding President of the Tennessee World Affairs Council and a former intelligence officer.


Dr. Mark Katz
The TNWAC Global Dialogue is free and open to the public. Registration is available at the TNWAC.org web site and at the link here

The Tennessee World Affairs Council is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational association that promotes international awareness, understanding and connections to enhance the region’s global stature and to prepare Tennesseans to thrive in our increasingly complex and connected world. To join, make a gift or for more information visit www.TNWAC.org or call: (931)261-2353 or email: pat@tnwac.org

U.S.-Russia Conflict: Post Biden-Putin Summit

Consul General of Mexico Javier Díaz de León, based in Atlanta, talked with TNWAC's Patrick Ryan about the economic impact of US-Mexico trade and investment on Tennessee; the USMCA accord on its one-year anniversary and other aspects of commercial relations. They talked about other aspects of the relationship such as the US-Mexico border and migration issues and the shared values and interests of Mexicans and Americans.

Javier Díaz de León
Consul General of Mexico in Atlanta 

Consul General, Javier Díaz de León, holds a Bachelors degree in International Relations from the Universidad Iberoamericana. He has a Masters in International Conflict Analysis granted by the University of Kent, in England. 
Diaz has been a member of the Mexican Foreign Service since 1991 and has held the rank of Ambassador since April 28, 2017. During his diplomatic career he has held various positions, including: Deputy Consul General in San Diego; Deputy Consul General in New York, Head of the Office of Migratory and Hispanic Affairs in the Embassy of Mexico in the United States and Executive Director of the Institute of Mexicans Abroad of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Mexico City. 

From June 2013 to May 2016 he served as Consul General of Mexico in Raleigh, North Carolina. In May 2016, he was appointed Consul General of Mexico in Atlanta, which oversees affairs in the states of Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama.

Mexico-US Trade: Impact on Tennessee - Conversation with Consul General Javier Díaz de León

The Tennessee World Affairs Council

in association with

Belmont University Center for International Business and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce

Global Nashville

Guest Host Ralph Schulz in Conversation with Butch Spyridon

A conversation about Nashville's "global brand" and the importance of tourism in building international bridges.



Butch Spyridon, President/CEO, Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp.

"Global Nashville with Karl Dean" with guest host Ralph Schulz in Conversation with Butch Spyridon
A conversation about Nashville's "global brand" and the importance of tourism in building international bridges.
August 31, 2021

The metrics were clear before the pandemic crushed global hospitality. Nashville and Tennessee were experiencing a boom in the tourism sector. The #1 leisure destination in the United States, according to Global Traveler's Leisure Lifestyle Awards. Reader's Choice Award for Best Cities in the U.S., according to Conde Nast. A record-high $23 billion in visitor spending in the state in 2019 and trending higher, according to the U.S. Travel Association. Travel in Tennessee generated 195,000 jobs and $1.92 billion in state and local tax revenue -- saving Tennesseans in costs for public services.

Nashville's attraction to visitors is global. The daily attraction of world-class music venues, cultural activities, sporting events and more, not to mention the city's mega-events are magnets for foreign visitors. Among the main industries that drive the economy, tourism is emblematic of international outreach and bridge building among the tens of thousands of foreign visitors who come to Tennessee and Nashville.

The Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. web site says it all:

Music is the universal language. Nashville - where music is inspired, created, recorded and performed. Music City is ready to be explored. Experience more music, food, and fashion than ever before. All are welcome to Music City!

Watch this conversation as Nashville's Chamber President Ralph Schulz asks Nashville's visitor majordomo, Butch Spyridon, about the health of the region's hospitality industry and the contribution of tourism to Nashville's brand.

Nashville International Visitors | Global Nashville | Guest Host Ralph Schulz with Butch Spyridon

The Tennessee World Affairs Council in association with Belmont University Center for International Business, and the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce

Global Nashville with Karl Dean

A Conversation with Scott Hamilton

Recorded: January 26, 2022

As the world turns attention to the opening of the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing we're reminded of past American Olympic glory. We're pleased to share this conversation with Olympic Champion Figure Skater Scott Hamilton.

Among the many elements that make Nashville a global city is the athletes from around the world who have made Nashville their home. They include professional sports team members from hockey, soccer, and football. There is also a gem of an professional athlete who has made an impact on the community he has come to love -- Olympian, author, activist, youth and community leader, Scott Hamilton. In this episode of "Global Nashville" former Mayor Dean talks with the champion figure skater who broke onto the American consciousness at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics, winning the Gold Medal. He has gone on to be a leader in many other areas -- advocate in the battle against cancer, having been touched by its scourge; and proponent and trainer of youth figure skating. We know you'll enjoy Karl Dean's conversation with this unique Nashvillian, Scott Hamilton.

Scott Hamilton

The most recognized male figure skating star in the world, Scott Hamilton has won 70 titles, awards and honors including an Emmy Award nomination, induction into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame and a privileged member of the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame.

In 1984, Scott captured the attention of the world with his Olympic Gold medal performances in Saravejo and since has shared his love and enthusiasm for the sport as a analyst/commentator, performer, producer and best-selling author (Fritzy Finds a Hat, 2020, Finish First: Winning Changes Everything, 2018; The Great Eight, 2009; Landing It, 1999). He further inspires others as a speaker, humanitarian, and as a cancer and pituitary brain tumor survivor.

After losing his mother to cancer, then becoming survivor himself, Scott turned activist, launching the Scott Hamilton CARES Foundation (Cancer Alliance for Research, Education and Survivorship). He founded several education and survivorship programs including Chemocare.com and the 4th Angel Mentoring Program. Events such as Sk8 to Elimin8 Cancer and An Evening with Scott Hamilton & Friends galas fund research into treatments that treat the cancer and spare the patient harm.

He is also the founder of the Scott Hamilton Skating Academy at the Ford Ice Centers in Antioch, TN and Bellevue, TN, where he may frequently be found coaching Learn to Skate students and sharing his love of skating.

In what little free time remains, Scott can be found on the golf course and enjoys spending time with his wife Tracie and four children – at their home in Nashville, Tennessee.

Global Nashville with Karl Dean | Conversation with Scott Hamilton

ARCHIVE - Global Nashville with Karl Dean - Dr. Sarah Gardial - Dean Massey College of Business

This discussion will focus on Chinese engagements in Africa and Latin America, and the implications for US strategic relations and interests. Tugendhat will give opening remarks based on the view from Washington, the view from Beijing, and common views among many Global South capitals around these significant engagements. This will then lead into a series of questions and answers with the moderator and audience.

China engagements in Africa and Latin America and the implications for US strategic relations

Do you wonder what jobs and careers there are in international affairs?  There’s more than you think.  Every Fall and Spring the World Affairs Council assembles diplomats, business people, NGO officials, returned Peace Corps volunteers and more to talk about their experiences and insights and to answer your questions at this very popular panel. 

The ICP will feature four panelists from different professions sharing hard to come by information on working in multicultural societies. This is a special opportunity to listen to distinguished professionals’ experiences and insights and to discuss: preparation and transition from colleges to careers including the tools; skills and competencies needed to enter the profession; the upsides and downsides of working in those jobs and internship opportunities in their organizations. The panel is aimed for college students, high school students and young professionals but they're open to everyone including TNWAC members and partner institutions around Tennessee.

Archive | International Careers Panel 2024 Webinar

The Middle East is at a hinge moment. The old order is collapsing, and a new one has yet to emerge. While the region’s tectonic shifts predate Hamas’s terror attack on Oct. 7, the ensuing conflict in Gaza and its reverberations across the region are the crucible in which the new contours of the Middle East will take shape. USIP's Mona Yacoubian will provide insights on the regional flashpoints that have erupted in the wake of the Gaza conflict as well as the broader implications for a region in a state of enormous flux.

Gaza and its Regional Reverberations: A Crucible for the Emerging Order in the Middle East?

Moderated by Chinese journalism expert Jeremy Goldkorn, this in-depth discussion with James Siebens (Fellow, Stimson Center's Reimagining U.S. Grand Strategy program) explored how China leverages armed coercion to achieve its goals without direct conflict.
This session is essential for anyone interested in global security, international relations, and current geopolitical dynamics.

China's Use of Armed Coercion to Win Without Fighting

The dialog between the President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of America (WACA), Matthew Hughes, and Hon. Karl Dean, will verse around the importance of WACA and all 90 World Affairs Council in engaging the public and leaders in global affairs in an age of rapidly shifting international order. At the center of the discussion will be the impact of WACA in informing and educating students about global professional opportunities and the importance for them to understand different corporate cultures.

The Future of Global Engagement: Exploring WACA’s Influence on Education and Leadership

Mark Reese began his thirty-year career in Central Asia as the first Peace Corps volunteer to serve in Kokand, Uzbekistan, from 1994-1996. Through the University of Washington, he subsequently established and managed a Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs program centered around Islamic studies and curricula reform in Uzbekistan through the Department of State’s Uzbekistan Partnership Program in Islamic Studies. Mr. Reese managed translation and cultural advisement task orders for a broad spectrum of government and private industry clients.

Over seven years, he conducted groundbreaking work through dynamic educational program development as Founding Director for the Center for Regional Studies at the United States Naval Academy. His flagship work surrounds his translation of Abdullah Qodiriy’s O’tkan Kunlar, the first full-length novel in the Uzbek language. For his efforts, the Republic of Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev awarded Mr. Reese the Presidential Order of Do’stlik for furthering awareness of the Uzbek language and culture.

In 2023, he was awarded the Tourism Fo’ydasi for developing tourism content in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. As CEO of Suhbat LLC, Mark is currently engaged in strategic communications and cultural program development for a variety of clients in Central Asia.

10-30-2024

Reform in Central Asia: Shifting Frameworks and Dynamics

After an unprecedented year of elections, new leaders around the globe who have promised change will be expected to deliver in 2025. The world will also be coming to terms with the outcome of America’s elections in November and the implications for global security, trade, and climate policy. New alliances are forming, and old ones are fraying in an increasingly tense and dangerous world. But the adoption of green tech continues to outpace the most optimistic forecasts, even as concerns grow over artificial intelligence and its voracious appetite for chips, energy, water, and data. Tom Standage, Deputy Editor of The Economist and editor of The World Ahead 2025, will consider these and other trends and their implications for geopolitics, business, and culture in the coming year.

THE WORLD AHEAD 2025: TOP 10 TRENDS TO WATCH

Reshaping of the Middle East

Geopolitical Divergences on the Korean Peninsula

Global Tennessee brings you a special Podcast featuring renowned photographer Ronald Modra, 25 years with “Sports Illustrated” and a whopping 70 “SI” covers!

In our second segment we talk with Lisset Diaz, lead singer of the Sweet Lizzy Project, a band with its roots in Havana, Cuba that is now working hard to make it big in Music City in the process making some great sounds.

LEGENDARY LENSMAN

Mention any legendary athlete from the last four decades and there’s a likelihood that she or he has been at the other end of Ron Modra’s camera lens. Mickey Mantle, Muhammad Ali, Pete Rose, Brett Favre, Nolan Ryan, Martina Navratilova, Lawrence Taylor, Tom Brady, Cal Ripken, Joe Montana. World Series, Olympic Games. Portraits, action shots, coffee table books. Well you get it. Ron’s 25 years with SI put him front row with the world’s best.  Then there’s his love of the Blues and his portraits of some of America’s finest musicians.

But there’s more.

Travel photography.  We loved talking with Ron about the best of the best professional athletes and his great stories – like winding up in Gordie Howe’s home for Thanksgiving dinner – but our lane in the road is Ron’s international travel photography.  Galapagos, Argentina, Cuba, China, Italy, Scotland, and many more. Special images of people and places – bringing the world to you in the magic of still photography.

Join us in our conversation with photographer Ronald Modra, one of the people who make Nashville a special place, as we learn about capturing the world with a camera.

Also learn about how you can join Ron and his colleague, Don Smith, on an upcoming photo excursion.  “Fall in the Scottish Highland” next October can be your chance to experience the mystical landscapes and villages of the Isle of Skye, Isles of Harris and Lewis and the Glencoe area.  Check Don Smith’s web site for details on this fabulous opportunity.

http://www.ronaldcmodra.com
http://www.donsmithphotography.com

SWEET LIZZY PROJECT

“Turn up the radio.” Indeed. In our conversation with Cuban native Lisset Diaz (aka Lizzy of the Sweet Lizzy Project) we learned the value of being in the right places at the right times.  If making great music is only part of the formula for success in a tough business Sweet Lizzy Project is well on their way. Mix in their good fortune of being profiled in a PBS documentary “Havana Time Machine” along with the “Mavericks” from Nashville and lead singer Raul Malo.  That connection led to an invitation to Nashville, an opportunity that was almost lost to Washington’s change in visa policy under the current White House. Fortunately Sweet Lizzy Project had performed for American diplomats in Cuba and managed to get their paperwork through just under the wire.  

Listen to this Global Tennessee Podcast to hear the rest of Lisset’s and the band’s story of making great music in Nashville, inside a Tennessee mountain cavern and in their travels around America – “a distinctive sound imbued with overtones of classic American indie pop-rock suffused with an intoxicating Latino flair.”  We have several of Sweet Lizzy Project’s songs in our Podcast for your enjoyment.

The Sweet Lizzy Project – official web site
https://www.sweetlizzyproject.com

The Sweet Lizzy Project perform in “Bluegrass Underground” inside the Caverns of the Cumberland Mountains
https://youtu.be/IUsO-M7oEc8 

“Havana Time Machine”
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/havana-time-machine-full-episode/7326/  (Paywall for NPT members)
	
“Raul Malo explores music, Cuban heritage in 'Havana Time Machine'”
https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/2017/10/04/raul-malo-havana-time-machine-documentary-pbs/724224001/

Global Tennessee - Episode 009 - Legendary Photog Ron Modra | The Sweet Lizzy Project

Global Tennessee co-hosts Patrick Ryan and Jim Shepherd talked with Ralph Schulz about the Nashville Chamber's role in international business, why global companies are finding good homes in the region, how Nashville makes itself attractive to foreign trade and investment, the impact of the Japan-Tennessee relationship on the city's and state's economic well-being, the "Big Stories" of 2018 in Nashville and a glimpse into the year ahead for Nashville businesses.  Don't miss this episode.

Global Tennessee is the Podcast of the Tennessee World Affairs Council, a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational association. We rely on support of members and donors to sustain our global affairs awareness efforts. We ask you to become members and make a gift, and for businesses to contact us about sponsoring and participating in Global Tennessee and other community and education outreach programs that bring the world to Tennessee. Contact Patrick Ryan (931-261-2353 / patryan@tnwac.org)

Ralph Schulz was named president and CEO of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerceby the Chamber’s board of directors in November 2006, following a 30-year career in nonprofit management, marketing and fundraising. In taking the position, he accepted a leadership role at one of Middle Tennessee’s oldest and largest business federations, an organization dating back to its founding in 1847.

During his tenure, the Chamber has played a key role in helping the region emerge from the 2007 recession to a period of unprecedented growth with a business relocation and expansion strategy known as Partnership 2020. Additionally, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce was the lead organization in the creation of the nationally recognized Nashville Entrepreneur Center and the passage of a public referendum supporting construction of the Music City Center convention facility. Since Schulz has taken on the role of president and CEO, the Chamber has also led the movement to improve public school performance through the creation of the Academies of Nashville, established the Moving Forward initiative to ensure the creation of a regional transportation solution through a cohesive community effort and developed into a respected publisher of data on the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area with the annual publication of the Vital Signs report.

In 2009, the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce was named “Chamber of the Year” by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE), recognizing the Nashville Chamber’s organizational excellence, service to members, development of leaders and volunteers and its impact on key community priorities. The ACCE award referenced the Nashville Chamber’s role in the creation of Nashville for All of Us,a campaign made up of community leaders aligned to defeat a 2009 charter referendum which would have prohibited Nashville city government from conducting business in a language other than English. The Chamber was also praised for its creation of A Leading Edge, a broad range of programs aimed at helping Chamber members navigate the turbulent waters of the recession.

Global Tennessee - Episode 010 - Ralph Schulz from the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce

What's going on in Kurdistan in northern Iraq? Who are the Kurds? What is their status within Iraq? Michael McClellan, career American diplomat and current President of the American University of Kurdistan Foundation was at the Tennessee World Affairs Council for a standing room only Global Town Hall on March 20, 2019 to talk about these questions and about AUK and its exchange programs with Tennessee Universities.

This topic plays on a common Kurdish saying, but leaves open the possibility to talk about a wide range of topics and will allow a Q&A to go all over the place. One of the central points I want to make is that Kurds finally have the chance to run their OWN educational system and they are making choices that will benefit Kurds throughout the world. By establishing two American-style universities, Kurds are preparing for a future that can go either way and that is the vital thing now. Also, it is a chance to promote Kurdish culture and language globally, an opportunity that Iran, Turkey, and Syria do not afford the Kurds, but Iraq does.

Kurdistan is one of the very few bright lights in the Middle East – the cornerstone of stability and a model of tolerance and diversity for the entire region. McClellan’s brief  will be upbeat, but realistic, will address independence/autonomy, but focus on the positive role of education in advancing the cause of the Kurds.

About Michael McClellan

Michael McClellan became President of the American University of Kurdistan Foundation in August 2018. Prior to that, he was Diplomat-in-Residence at Western Kentucky University and a Recruitment and Outreach Officer with the U.S. Department of State, responsible for recruiting for the U.S. Foreign Service by increasing awareness of the many internship, fellowship, and career opportunities available with the Department.

During his three decades with the U.S. Information Agency and the U.S. Department of State, Michael served as a Public Diplomacy Officer in Yemen, Egypt, Russia, Serbia, Germany, Kosovo, Ireland, Iraq (twice), Ethiopia, and South Sudan, where he served as Deputy Chief of Mission. He was also Diplomat-in-Residence at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He retired in 2014 with the rank of Minister-Counselor.

Michael’s work in Public Diplomacy focused on press and media, often as the official Embassy Spokesman. He was Spokesman in Kosovo right after the NATO bombing campaign and then in Iraq when the U.S. military withdrew in 2011. However, Michael’s proudest accomplishment in the Foreign Service was founding the American University in Kosovo, which opened its doors in 2004 and continues educating Kosovo’s youth from all communities to this day. As a Public Affairs Counselor in several embassies, Michael oversaw the Public Diplomacy grants to local NGOs and was responsible for ensuring compliance of grantees with USG regulations.

Throughout his career, Michael maintained a lifelong interest in photography and religions, which culminated in a book on Egypt’s Coptic Church monasteries that was published by the American University in Cairo Press and extensive outreach on Muslim-Christian interfaith understanding during several overseas assignments. Later in his career, working mainly in Africa, he promoted organic and sustainable farming and Appalachian culture.

A Kentucky native, Michael has a B.A. in Journalism and Political Science from the University of Louisville, an M.A. in Photojournalism and International Relations from Syracuse University, and completed doctoral studies in International Communication at Indiana University in Bloomington.

As a diplomat, Michael spoke Russian, Arabic, and German, as well as some Serbian and Albanian. He lives in Dohuk, Kurdistan, as well as Bowling Green, Kentucky, where he has a small organic farm and keeps bees.

Michael McClellan | Kurdistan Today: No Friends But the Mountains | Ep-16

Recorded: June 13, 2019
Iranian scholar Dr. Neda Khodaverdi is completing a year as a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow at Vanderbilt University. Global Tennessee spoke with her about her year in Nashville as a fellow. The purpose of the fellowship, how she got involved, what was her experience with the fellows from around the world and what she has seen and done in Nashville and the United States.

Dr. Khodaverdi was joined in the Podcast with her husband Saed Sahebjamee, who runs the SAED Cultural and Educational Institute in Tehran and Terry Rustan, a TNWAC volunteer and a Humphrey Fellowship "Friendship Family." 

Dr. Khodaverdi thanked Nancy Dickson, Humphrey Fellowship Coordinator at Vanderbilt University and Dr. Eric Carter, Professor of Special Education at Vanderbilt University.

We also talked with Dr. Khodaverdi about her work in Iran teaching English as a second language to children on the autism spectrum.

About Dr. Neda Khodaverdi
Neda Khodaverdi, from Iran, is an adjunct university lecturer at Islamic Azad University and an Educational Supervisor and English teacher at SAED Educational and Cultural Institute in Tehran. Her professional focus includes training new teachers of English language, and teaching English as a foreign language to Persian-speakers, including children with special needs.  She has developed her own teaching methodology for students with high-functioning autism, and is currently in the process of developing professional development resources to train more instructors to work with special-needs populations. Her previous appointments include English teacher and supervisor at schools and private language centers, and lecturer at Allameh Tabataba’I University.
Ms. Khodaverdi holds a Doctorate of Philosophy in TEFL from the Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literature, Tehran, Iran,  a Master’s in TEFL from Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran, and a Bachelor’s in English Language Translation from Islamic Azad University, North Branch, Tehran, Iran. She also holds honors certificates in IELTS Teacher Preparation and Knowledge of English Language Teaching Test from TESOL Arabia Testing, Assessment, and Evaluation.

About Saed Sahebjamee
Saed Sahebjamee is a Petrochemical engineer who was born in Tehran, Iran in 1983. He got his BS from Islamic Azad University in 2006. Since then he has worked in his field study. Besides, he established his own language institute in Tehran in 2011 under the title of SAED Cultural and Educational Institute. His mission is teaching English to Persian speaking students and more importantly, help the Iranian students to get familiar with other countries and their cultures by registering students in summer camps of international schools around the world. He is so passionate about his job.

About Terry Rustan
Terry is a Humphrey Fellowship "Friendship Family" and a volunteer with the Tennessee World Affairs Council staff in addition to many other service activities in the community. She has worked in China at the Zhejiang Ocean University and at the University of Washington Program on the Environment. Terry holds a Master of Marine Affairs from the University of Washington. 

About the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship
The program brings accomplished educational leaders from developing nations and emerging democracies to the United States for an academic year to study, gain related professional experience, build their leadership capacity and foster mutual understanding. The program provides a basis for lasting ties between US citizens and the Fellows while strengthening the global exchange of knowledge and expertise. Humphrey Fellows are selected based on their potential for leadership and their commitment to public service in either the public or the private sector.

Dr. Neda Khodaverdi and the H.H. Humphrey Fellowship in Nashville | EP-24

Ambassador Christopher R. Hill:
*Chief Advisor to the Chancellor for Global Engagement, University of Denver
*Dean, Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver
*Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs
*Ambassador to the Republic of Korea
*Head, U.S. Delegation to Six Party Talks on North Korean Nuclear Weapons
*U.S. Ambassador to Poland
*U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Macedonia
*Special Envoy to Kosovo

Ambassador Christopher Hill is one of America’s most distinguished ambassadors who—in his career of service to his country—was sent to some of the most dangerous outposts of American diplomacy. From the wars in the Balkans to the brutality of North Korea to the endless war in Iraq, he will offer insight about the real life of an American diplomat negotiating with difficult partners. Based on his experiences, Ambassador Hill lays out a vision for the role of diplomacy in addressing national crises, and America’s role in global politics.

Biography:
ABOUT AMBASSADOR HILL

Christopher R. Hill served as the Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs and as Ambassador to the Republic of Korea among other significant diplomatic posts as a career member of the Foreign Service.

Ambassador Hill is currently the chief advisor to the chancellor for global engagement and professor of the practice in diplomacy at the University of Denver.

Prior to this position, he was the dean of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University, a position he held from September 2010 to December 2017.

On February 14, 2005, he was named as the head of the U.S. delegation to the Six-Party Talks on the North Korean nuclear issue. Previously he has served as U.S. ambassador to Poland (2000-04), ambassador to the Republic of Macedonia (1996-99) and special envoy to Kosovo (1998-99). He also served as special assistant to the president and senior director for southeast European affairs in the National Security Council.

Earlier in his Foreign Service career, Ambassador Hill served tours in Belgrade, Warsaw, Seoul, and Tirana, and on the Department of State’s Policy Planning staff and in the department’s Operation Center. While on a fellowship with the American Political Science Association he served as staff member for Congressman Stephen Solarz working on Eastern European issues. He also served as the Department of State’s senior country officer for Poland. Ambassador Hill received the State Department’s Distinguished Service Award for his contributions as a member of the U.S. negotiating team in the Bosnia peace settlement, and was a recipient of the Robert S. Frasure Award for Peace Negotiations for his work on the Kosovo crisis. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Ambassador Hill served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon.

Ambassador Hill graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, with a BA in economics. He received a master’s degree from the Naval War College in 1994. He speaks Polish, Serbo-Croatian and Macedonian.

Ambassador Hill is author of Outpost: Life on the Frontlines of American Diplomacy: A Memoir, a monthly columnist for Project Syndicate, and a highly sought public speaker and voice in the media on international affairs.

Ambassador Christopher Hill: U.S. Foreign Policy, China, North Korea EP29

In this episode host Patrick Ryan talked with Tomas Baert, Head of Trade and Agriculture of the European Union Delegation to the United States based in Washington, DC.

They talked about US-EU trade, Brexit, multilateral relations and issues of the day. 

If you want to know insights about Brexit -- the separation of the UK and the EU -- you won't get elsewhere take a listen to this interesting Podcast that will bring you up to date on the hot topics in European Union developments.

Check out these important references:
Delegation of the EU to the US
https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/united-states-america_en
EU-US Trade
https://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/countries/united-states/ 
Biography

Tomas Baert is the head of the Trade and Agriculture section at the Delegation of the European Union to the United States. Between 2016 and 2018, Tomas was the Head of Unit for Trade Strategy at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade (DG Trade). He led the team responsible for the development and implementation of the 2015 Trade for All strategy and the 2017 Communication on A balanced and progressive trade policy to harness globalisation. In this capacity, he also coordinated DG Trade's work on questions relating to the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, including the preparatory discussions on the future EU-UK trade relationship. Prior to becoming a Head of Unit, from 2014 to 2016, Tomas was an assistant to Director-General for Trade Jean-Luc Demarty, advising on a number of trade priorities such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations in the run-up to the tenth Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, Kenya. Tomas holds an MSc from the London School of Economics (LSE) and an MA from the Catholic University of Leuven (KUL), Belgium. He spent a term at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland and completed the Mastering Trade Policy program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

European Union Head of Trade Tomas Baert on US-EU relations - Ep 36

Special Episode - Coronavirus - Medical and Commercial Implications

In this episode arranged in response to the rapid spread of Coronavirus into a global and U.S. health emergency we talk with Medical Epidemiologist Dr. Mary-Margaret Fill of the Tennessee Department of Health's Communicable and Environmental Diseases and Emergency Preparedness (CEDEP) Division about the medial implications of the Coronavirus outbreak. John Scannapieco, Chief of the Global Business Team at Nashville's Baker Donelson law firm and a long-time specialist on China commercial relations will talk about the impact on trade and investment in China and with U.S. businesses.

Listen to this important special Podcast episode to be up to date on the Coronavirus implications on health and commerce. 

References: 
John Scannapieco and his colleagues at Baker Donelson authored an article with must know insights, "Novel Coronavirus Outbreak in China - What You Need to Know Right Now." Find it here:
Baker Donelson Paper
https://www.bakerdonelson.com/novel-coronavirus-outbreak-in-china-what-you-need-to-know-right-now
An excerpt:
 A new coronavirus is causing an outbreak of respiratory illness that began in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The outbreak began in early December 2019 and continues to spread in China and beyond. As of January 28, 2020, Chinese health officials have confirmed 4,565 cases and 106 deaths related to the virus. In addition, there are more than 70 confirmed cases globally, including five confirmed cases in the United States. In an effort to slow the spread of the virus, Chinese authorities are imposing quarantines and restricting travel throughout the country. Hong Kong has closed some of its borders with mainland China and has stopped issuing travel permits to mainland Chinese tourists. Mongolia and Russia (Far East border) have closed their respective borders with China. Mainland Chinese authorities are trying to keep citizens at home by extending the Chinese New Year holiday through February 3, 2020, with some areas (Shanghai, Suzhou, Guangdong Province and Zhejiang Province) extending the holiday through February 9, 2020. While Chinese health officials claim that the virus can spread by a person before symptoms appear by what is known as asymptomatic transmission, the Center for Disease Control in the United States (CDC) and state health officials believe it is unlikely that the virus can be transmitted until an individual appears symptomatic.

Biography - Dr. Mary-Margaret Fill
Dr. Mary-Margaret Fill is a Medical Epidemiologist with the Tennessee Department of Health, where she oversees waterborne and zoonotic disease surveillance and outbreak response, and directs overarching strategy for communicable disease surveillance systems and informatics initiatives. 

She received her undergraduate degree (BS) in Microbiology and a minor in Security and Intelligence from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. She then earned her Doctor of Medicine from the Mercer University School of Medicine in 2011, where she was inducted into both the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and the Gold Humanism Society. She completed dual-residency training in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and is board certified in both specialties. Following residency, Dr. Fill served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, assigned to the Tennessee Department of Health, and she was a member of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Initiative Class of 2017. Dr. Fill has worked on food-borne, waterborne, vaccine-preventable and healthcare-associated disease outbreaks, emerging pathogens, and analysis of surveillance systems and novel datasets.

John Scannapieco Bio
https://www.bakerdonelson.com/john-m-scannapieco

Special Episode - Coronavirus: Health and Commercial Implications | Ep 37

April 7, 2020


A conversation on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in Nashville and around the world and the TNWAC pivot to digital global awareness programs

With
Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean
Amb Charles Bowers, USFS(Ret)
Jim Shepherd, Chairman, TNWAC Board
John Scannapieco, Chair Baker Donelson Global Business Team
LCDR Patrick Ryan, USN(Ret)

Check TNWAC.org for program schedule

Karl Dean | Welcome to the new Global Nashville. 

Today, we’re going to tell you about the World Affairs Council, about the programs we’re building to keep you connected to global issues, and we’ll have a discussion of the events that are shaping developments in Nashville and the elements that will make up the “new normal.” 

With me today are several members of the World Affairs Council board in addition to President Pat Ryan, a former Navy intelligence officer. Here today are Jim Shepherd, Chairman of the Council board and former president of a company with international reach; Ambassador Dick Bowers, a career diplomat and former US Ambassador to Bolivia; and John Scannapieco, an attorney at Baker Donelson and chair of the firm’s global business team. John is an expert on international commercial relationships, especially with the Far East.

TIMELINE
00:00  Introduction / welcome
01:35  Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean provides an overview
02:39  Jim Shepherd, TNWAC Chair, on the role, mission and programs of the World Affairs Council
09:05 Ambassador Charles Bowers talks about TNWAC’s pivot from in-person programs to Webinars for speakers programs and global affairs awareness programs.
12:45 John Scannapieco, Baker Donelson Global Business Team Chair and Community Resource Center board member, talks about Nashville’s tornado relief and pandemic response. CRCNashville.org
17:04 John Scannapieco, what should we know about what’s happening in America’s relationships with East Asia?
18:30 Significant issues in China. Supply chain impact. Freight capacity reductions.
20:14 Countries cutting off export of medical supplies. Lack of multilateralism affecting ability to fight the pandemic.
21:15 Do we have the global institutions needed to fight the pandemic? What do we need to build? Dean.
22:29 Building higher walls is not a solution. Ryan
23:30 Most existential crisis faced since WWII. U.S. became a global leader in response. Current paucity of leadership. World becoming more fractured and fragmented. Amb Bowers not optimistic about global outlook.
25:30 Are we seeing a reordering of the global institutions? Shepherd
26:02 Wrong thing when we’re competing with our allies for scarce resources instead of mobilizing America’s industrial might. Bowers
26:50 We’re in for a long troubled time. Strongmen. Food shortages. Bowers.
27:20 We’ll be seeing changes in global commerce, supply chains, global stocks. Change in who people look to for leadership. Unless things change it’s not going to be the United States. Scannapieco.
28:32 Possibly the final piece in nations deciding who to follow.
29:09 Signs of higher inclination to pull up the drawbridge in the international scene. Rough road ahead for globalization and America’s place in the world. Ryan
30:21 American leadership, at federal level, needed for internal purposes too. Bowers
31:02 Can’t imagine this retreat from leadership is what most Americans want. “Lord of the Flies” scenario. We used to see marshaling of effort. Scannapieco
32:57 Summing up. Implications are enormous. Need better international system.
Issues will be discussed constantly. World Affairs Council has strong role to play. Dean
34:17 Last points?  People need to be knowledgeable about these issues.
35:06 World Affairs Council programs ahead. “Zoom world.” Global Nashville with Karl Dean, Global Dialogue, Global Engagement. Bowers
36:29 Reach out to friends and family to participate in the conversations. Shepherd
37:01 Be optimistic, take care of yourself. Dean

Global Nashville with Karl Dean | Covid-19 in Nashville and Beyond | Ep 40

“Global Engagement”
A Review of News and Issues in World Affairs

Presented by the “Global Tennessee” project of the Tennessee World Affairs Council [www.TNWAC.org]
April 7, 2020
With
Amb Charles Bowers, USFS(Ret)
LCDR Patrick Ryan, USN(Ret)

This week in the news:

1 -  Covid-19 Update
2 –  United Kingdom
3 -  US-Iran Developments
4 -  Global Governance and Democracy
5 -  Afghanistan and America’s Longest War
 
Welcome to Global Engagement.  This is a World Affairs Council global affairs awareness project that connects you with current events. We’re starting this during the “stay at home” period of the pandemic response especially as students are working from home and can find this conversation useful in knowing the world.

Each week we’ll share five important topics from the news and provide background, context and analysis. And we’ll get you involved through the Webinar’s interactive features.

Global Engagement will be broadcast live every Tuesday at 2pm Central Time as a Webinar on Zoom where you can participate with your questions and comments. The series will be archived by video on the Tennessee World Affairs Council’s Youtube Channel and by audio on our “Global Tennessee” Podcast.  You can find links to all of the episodes on our web site, TNWAC.org.

Timeline
00:30 Introduction. Ryan
02:01 Discussing TNWAC pivot to Webinars. “Going Zoom.” Bowers
04:50 Discussing TNWAC Educational Outreach Program: WorldQuest, Tennessee Global Scholar Certificate Program, “What in the World?” Weekly Quiz. Ryan
07:52
On to the news
Japan – Olympics/Paralympics postponed
Emergency conditions in some cities
What are you doing in response to Covid?
15:45
Italy – European epicenter
Infections “plateau”
European Union not much of a union
Universal healthcare responds to pandemic
20:15
What’s going on in Russia?
What about China? POTUS dropped “China Virus” talk
Which countries are doing well against Covid?
22:39
Stay Calm and Carry On – What about the UK?
Queen Elizabeth talks to her nation
PM Boris Johnson, an early Covid-denier, infected, in ICU
Who’s going to pick the crops? Migrant issues.
25:40
New leader of the UK Labor Party
“Competence vs Charisma”
Who’s in charge?
28:20
Iran and the pandemic
Distinguished leaders sign statement favoring easing limitations on medical supplies to Iran during pandemic
Holy city of Qom epicenter of Covid infections
33:40
Reliability of data. How many actual infections?
35:46
Iran-backed militias in Iraq
Trump will “go up the food chain” if more attacks on US forces
Time for a humanitarian gesture to lessen tension?
Tough sell
38:27
Global Governance and Democracy
“You are living in historic times”
Now in a fight to save our democracy… and how our way of life will be.
Side note: take a look at think-tank newsletters and reports, good content in their studies and reports. e.g. CFR, CSIS, Carnegie Endowment
Carnegie Report: “How will the Coronavirus Reshape Democracy and Governance Globally”
Concern about breakdowns, civil wars, riots as people become desperate
Bottom up pressure, top down pressure
Pandemic as cover to seize power
Viktor Orban in Hungary – indefinite rule by decree. End of checks/balances.
46:50
Brazil – Bolsonaro another Covid-denier
Any countries remain without Covid?
48:40
Afghanistan Endgame
Who are the Taliban?
9/11 terrorist safe haven
America’s longest war
Afghan government – two heads?
US-Taliban agreement. Government not onboard.
53:05
Dick’s Book Picks
“Prisoners of Geography” by Tim Marshall
Pat’s Book Pick
“A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide“ by Samantha Power
55:40
Calendar of TNWAC video broadcasts
Sign Off

Global Engagement: News Review | Apr 7, 2020 | Episode 041

Global Engagement

World News: Review and Commentary
With Ambassador Dick Bowers and LCDR Pat Ryan
Video: https://youtu.be/3pv6r5YV3iU

April 14, 2020

In this episode Dick and Pat review these topics in the news: 
1 - Covid-19 – What’s going on around the world? 
2 – U.S. Role in International Organizations
3 - Iraq – What’s going on in the politics of this pivotal Middle East country
4 - USS Theodore Roosevelt and Covid, what are the national security implications
5 - Global Economy and Environment – can we have both economic recovery and compliance with the Paris Accord?

We invite you to listen to this Webinar and join us for future editions of "Global Engagement" and other TNWAC video and Podcast programs -- check TNWAC.org for Webinar schedules. 

We invite our community business friends to sponsor this and other TNWAC video programs. Contact pat@tnwac.org for details.

Runtime: 56:31

LINKS

1 – COVID UPDATE

Religious Bigotry in India
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/12/world/asia/india-coronavirus-muslims-bigotry.html

China Medical Supply Chains and Broader Trade Issues - Congressional Research Service
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R46304?fbclid=IwAR0VK6CPcJ6GzFuUL7Yw-Szjrlmt4psS4YAsOkds9WrLFbJXDq1s_yO3iJM

2 – U.S. ROLE IN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

The U.S. Role in International Organizations’ Response to COVID-19 – US State Department
https://www.state.gov/the-u-s-role-in-international-organizations-response-to-covid-19/

3 -- IRAQ – WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE POLITICS

Intel: US signals support for Iraq’s latest prime minister-designate
https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/04/intel-us-signal-support-iraq-prime-minister-kadhimi.html#ixzz6JbGL604y

4 -- USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT AND COVID, WHAT ARE THE NATIONAL SECURITY IMPLICATIONS

Michael O’Hanlon – “Why Crozier was Correct” Brookings
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2020/04/07/why-crozier-was-correct/

5 -- GLOBAL ECONOMY AND ENVIRONMENT – CAN WE HAVE BOTH ECONOMIC RECOVERY AND COMPLIANCE WITH THE PARIS ACCORD?

Japan Minister: Paris Accord under threat if coronavirus trumps climate change
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climate-change-japan/japan-minister-paris-accord-under-threat-if-coronavirus-trumps-climate-change-idUSKCN21V13T

Global Engagement Apr 14 News Review, Amb Bowers, LCDR Ryan - Ep42

In this episode Karl Dean, former Nashville Mayor, talks with Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce CEO Ralph Schulz about the business environment in Nashville during this time of pandemic. 

We invite you to listen to this Webinar and join us for future editions of "Global Nashville with Karl Dean" -- check TNWAC.org for Webinar schedules.

April 14, 2020

Runtime: 31:58

00:01 Welcome / Introduction -- Invitation to friends in the business community to sponsor “Global Nashville with Karl Dean.” Contact pat@tnwac.org
02:30 Prior to pandemic how was business in Nashville?
03:36 How has the business community been affected by the pandemic?
05:35 What role has the Nashville Chamber had dealing with these circumstances?
07:04 Is hospitality the hardest hit sector in the pandemic?
08:10 Healthcare sector impact.
08:46 Tell us about business expansions and relocations.
09:18 Interest on the part of global tech in Nashville.
09:30 How is the Federal response, money flow from Washington?
09:59 PPP and other programs have been life preservers for some businesses.
10:33 What connections have you had with other chambers? Best practices?
11:02 Today’s chambers’ call – interesting range of cities, where they are in the pandemic.
11:55 People are working toward the ‘things’ that will help companies come back.
12:13 Businesses most interested in their plan going forward, adaptation to the current situation is done. How fast can we get back to being fully productive?
12:48 Hot topic is reopening, getting back to “normal.” How will that play out?
13:29 Some sort of “phasing” will be necessary to return to “normal.”
14:30 Education is a major focus of the Chamber; how do you see school situation?
16:09 Global economy and Nashville: what has the Chamber’s approach been?
18:15 How has the pandemic impacted the global economic sector?
18:42 Nashville’s “calling card” is how it responds to adversity.
19:18 Alliance Bernstein an example of business approach to Nashville culture.
19:48 Like coming out of the flood and recession Nashville will demonstrate how to bounce back.
20:15 Optimism makes Nashville a special place.
20:40 Is the pandemic the biggest challenge you’ve faced at the Chamber?
21:08 The recovery from the flood was “no small task” either. 
21:50 Hopefully we can be helpful and supportive of businesses and the public sector.
22:20 More “unknowns” and “uncertainty” in the pandemic recovery – vast array of problems.
23:10 Unknowns are compounded by progression of the virus. Scary in some ways, energizing in some other ways. Confronting issue out of necessity.
23:59 Entrepreneurship. Nashville has benefited greatly. How do you keep that spirit of optimism in entrepreneurship going?
24:46 Entrepreneurs in Nashville are drawn to the next big challenge.
25:00 24% of economy in the region is driven by entrepreneurship.
25:33 Key for Nashville is to be a community to attract and retain creative people.
25:55 New enterprises will come out of the crisis because entrepreneurs are here.
26:20 Do you see a role for the Chamber in support to small businesses.
26:42 Small businesses are the largest and most fragile part of the economy under these circumstances.
27:22 Nashville has the ability to adapt, but small businesses have a tough outlook, but Nashville small business owners usually find a way when others don’t
27:49 What about Metro’s response?
28:53 City has a lot to proud of.
29:13 Proud of Chamber’s staff. Adjusting to new circumstances. Delivering value. 
29:57 Last thoughts? Nashville is “well positioned to exceed expectations” coming out of this crisis. You, Mayor Dean, were personally a big part of establishing that personality for Nashville that has led to our momentum. A lot of faith in Nashville and its people.
30:50 Nashville’s best days are ahead.
31:07 Invitation to friends in the business community to sponsor “Global Nashville with Karl Dean.” Contact pat@tnwac.org

Global Nashville with Karl Dean talks to Ralph Schulz, Chamber CEO | EP-43

Consul General Staunton provides an update on the UK response to Covid-19, Brexit and the U.S.-UK Trade Agreement negotiations that are just beginning. Moderating the event was British Honorary Consul and IBC advisory board member John Scannapieco.

Americans and the British are jointly battling the new stormy seas of global pandemic and economic disaster that pose unimagined complications to the already challenging questions of commercial ties as the UK enters the era of Brexit and national security questions as Washington backtracks on international obligations. Yet, the generations old special relationship between Americans and British allies remains as the glue that forms the mutual interest of the relationship. Watch this Webinar with UK Consul General Staunton talking about the paramount strategic consequences of U.S.-UK trade and investment and security challenges that impact our nation and states.  

Supporting partners for the event included Baker Donelson, the Center for International Business at Belmont University and the Tennessee World Affairs Council.

UK Consul General Andrew Staunton - Global Update - EP 55

There couldn’t be a more timely program.

Admiral Bill Owens fostered bilateral conversations at the highest levels between American and Chinese military officers for the purpose of building trust and confidence and developing initiatives to resolve conflict.

This is a must see episode of Global Dialogue with host Patrick Ryan and guest co-host John Scannapieco as they talk with Admiral Owens about his insights and perspectives on the deterioration of relations with China and the necessity to find ways to cooperate for the good of both nations and the planet.  

Washington and Beijing are doubling down on conflicts in an already troublesome relationship. Consulates in Houston and Chengdu have been ordered shut. Secretary Pompeo traveled to the Nixon library to deliver an address on America’s future approach, “Today China is increasingly authoritarian at home, and more aggressive in its hostility to freedom everywhere else.” With the backdrop of increased hostility between the two dominant global powers we present four-star Admiral Bill Owens at this week’s Tuesday evening Global Dialogue Webinar. In addition to serving as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Owens is author of “China-US 2039: The Endgame?,” and supported over ten years of dialogues between the most senior retired officers in the United States and Chinese militaries.

China-US 2039: The Endgame? Conversation with Admiral Bill Owens | EP74

In this episode former Nashville Mayor Dean will talk with Consul-General Kayoko Fukushima of Japan. Nashville is home to the Consulate.  Japan and the Nashville region have a long history of friendship and collaboration. Our economic connections go back decades with Japanese-owned companies like Nissan, Bridgestone and Mitsubishi making Nashville their North American headquarters. Over 19,000 Middle Tennesseans go to work each day in Japanese-owned companies.

Japan is the state’s and the region’s largest foreign direct investor nation both by job creation and capital investment. To put some context around exactly what that means, we would have to add up the jobs created by the next 4 countries to get close to Japan’s 19,000 jobs. The roots of our relationship may have been built on business connections but it is the people who have made this relationship flourish.

Consul-General Fukushima assumed her role as Consul-General of Japan in Nashville in December 2019. The Consulate of Japan in Nashville services the states of Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. This is Consul-General Fukushima’s  third diplomatic posting in the United States. She has held a variety of posts at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Tokyo and has extensive experience working with the United Nations having served as the founding director of the UN Women Japan Liaison office based in Tokyo.

Among the topics that may be discussed:

* The role of the Consul-General and the Japanese Consulate
* Japan-US and Japan-Tennessee relations — commercial, cultural and friendships
* JET (Japan Education and Teaching) Program
* Impact of Japanese economic and cultural influences on Nashville
*The new social media work at the Consulate
*The Tokyo Olympic Games set for July 23, 2021
* Consul General Fukushima’s goals for the time she will be posted in Nashville

Consul-General of Japan Fukushima talks to "Global Nashville with Karl Dean" - EP76

This episode features Amb Dick Bowers, Dr. Breck Walker and LCDR Pat Ryan as they do a deep dive into top global news items. Here's where you can keep up with the news you won't see on your TV.
Topics for Aug 26, 2020
1 – The Race for a COVID-19 Global Vaccine
2 – Belarus Post-Election Revolt
3 – UAE-Israel Normalize Relations

Global News Review - August 24, 2020 | Ep 78

Part One - September 2, 2020

Examining Critical Issues in the Global Pandemic

COVID-19 has touched every part of the world but its effects and the reaction of different countries has been uneven. In an interconnected world we need to understand the pandemic’s impact beyond our borders. Importantly, the progress toward a COVID-19 vaccine and therapeutic treatments is a global pursuit. There are, as well, already no shortage of changes made and those to come in reaction to the global catastrophe – in our communities, technology, health and science, government performance, elections, the global economy and our lifestyles.

A group of World Affairs Councils – nationwide, independent, nonpartisan educational organizations – is joining together with an international network of journalists and specialists to organize conversations over the course of two evenings in early September. The goal is to help Americans understand the impact of the pandemic in an interactive program open to all.

We invite you to join this unique partnership to inform and inspire Americans to know more about COVID-19’s impact around the world, the race for a vaccine and how the vaccine has changed the world. 

On September 2nd and 3rd journalists, physicians, researchers, NGO officials and others will come together to discuss the global impact of COVID-19 and the pursuit of a vaccine. 

The program is brought to the public in partnership with many of the nationwide networks of World Affairs Councils and an international network of journalists.

The World Affairs Councils of Kansas City, Denver, Colorado Springs, Western Massachusetts, Harrisburg and Tennessee have joined together to organize “COVID Complexities: A Global Town Hall,” an international virtual event set for September 2nd and  3rd. 

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2020 
@ 7-8p ET/6-7p CT/5-6 MT

Panel One -- COVID-19: Impact in the Developing World

The opening night of the two-night program will begin with a scene-setting keynote from Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, MD, PhD, U Penn Vice Provost for Global Initiatives and a former advisor for health policy in the Obama White House. That will kick off a deep dive into COVID-19 beyond America’s borders. 

Through the eyes and reporters’ notebooks of journalists based around the world we’ll learn from: Yu Fen Tsao, Radio Free Asia’s Executive Director about “China, WHO and the Origins of the Pandemic”; Henry Flores, Regional Reporter Director for Unbound, an NGO that focuses on vulnerable communities on the situation in Latin America; Linord Moudou, VOA’s senior health reporter for Africa on COVID-19 in Africa; and Niusha Boghrati, Radio Farda RFE/RL Iranian Service Executive Editor on the situation in Iran. 

The conversations will be aided by questions from our worldwide audience, consisting of nationwide World Affairs Council viewers, the general public, student groups and a virtual group tied in through our global network of partners.

COVID-19: Global Town Hall | Part One | Impact on the Developing World | EP80

Foreign Policy Challenges: Russia, North Korea, and Afghanistan – Panel Chair: Dr. Breck Walker, PhD

Panel Chair: Dr. Breck Walker, PhD
DAS Annie Pforzheimer [Afghanistan] U.S. Foreign Service (Ret) Rank of Minister Counselor, former Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Afghanistan; former Deputy Chief of Mission, Kabul, Afghanistan (Confirmed)
Svetlana Savranskaya, PhD., [Russia] Senior Analyst, National Security Archive (Confirmed)
Ambassador Christopher Hill [North Korea] U.S. Foreign Service (Ret); Chief Advisor to the Chancellor for Global Engagement; former Asst Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs; former Ambassador to four countries including South Korea (Confirmed)

Election 2020: Russia, North Korea, Afghanistan | Challenges | EP88

Topics for October 21, 2020
1 – Mexico: Dam Water
2 – The Uighurs and Global Human Rights
3 – President Debates and International Affairs

Give Dick, Breck and Pat 45 minutes and they'll give you the world. Analysis and entertaining commentary on the top events and issues leading global news reports.  Hard to find insights and perspectives from diplomacy, academia and intelligence.
THIS WEEK we're joined by David Plazas of The Tennessean as our guest host to talk about media issues.

David Plazas

David Plazas is the Opinion and Engagement Director for the USA TODAY Network newsrooms in Tennessee and The Tennessean where he serves an editorial writer, opinion columnist, op-ed editor and an editorial board member. He has written award-winning columns on affordable housing, government accountability and civic engagement. He leads the acclaimed Civility Tennessee campaign.

Charles Richard (Dick) Bowers served as the US Ambassador to Bolivia from 1991 through 1994. During that time, the American Embassy in Bolivia’s capital, La Paz, was the largest and most complex U.S. embassy in South America. Ambassador Bowers grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, attended the University of California, Berkeley. He entered the U.S. Foreign Service in 1967. From 1961 to 1964 he served in the U.S. Army as a Russian linguist in West Berlin at the height of the Cold War. As a career member of the U.S. diplomatic corps, Ambassador Bowers served in the U.S. Embassies in Panama, Poland, Singapore, Germany and Bolivia. He retired from the Foreign Service in 1995. Amb Bowers has been a Board Member of the Tennessee World Affairs Council since 2012.

Patrick Ryan is a native of New York City. He enlisted in the Navy at age 17 and volunteered for submarine duty. He served aboard nuclear fast attack and ballistic missile boats during the Cold War, rising to the rank of Chief Petty Officer. In 1982 he was commissioned and served aboard a cruiser in the Western Pacific before becoming a Navy Intelligence Officer. Ryan served aboard the carrier Constellation in the Pacific, the Joint Staff Intelligence Directorate in the Pentagon, the Center for Naval Analysis, and the Intelligence Directorate of U.S. Central Command. Ryan retired from the Navy in 1998 and worked as a consultant on Intelligence Community projects and as the VP/COO of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. Ryan ran a newsletter publishing business on international affairs from 1999-2016. He founded the Tennessee World Affairs Council in 2007.

Breck Walker received his PhD in Diplomatic History from Vanderbilt in 2007. His dissertation was on the foreign policy of the Carter administration.  He taught at Sewanee, the University of the South, 2007-2012, and on the University of Virginia’s Semester at Sea Program in Spring 2013 and Fall 2015. He worked as a historian in the Historical Office of the Office of Secretary of Defense 2013-2016, researching and writing a book on early Pentagon cyber policy. Prior to becoming a history professor, Breck worked for twenty years as an investment banker, the last ten as co-head of the Corporate Finance Group at J.C. Bradford & Co in Nashville. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas, and J.D. and M.B.A. degrees from Stanford University.  Breck serves as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee World Affairs Council.

Global News Review - October 21, 2020 | EPISODE 100 !!!

Give Dick, Breck and Pat 45 minutes and they'll give you the world. Analysis and entertaining commentary on the top events and issues leading global news reports.  Hard to find insights and perspectives from diplomacy, academia and intelligence.

Today we are going to check into the global response to the U.S. election.

Charles Richard (Dick) Bowers served as the US Ambassador to Bolivia from 1991 through 1994. During that time, the American Embassy in Bolivia’s capital, La Paz, was the largest and most complex U.S. embassy in South America. Ambassador Bowers grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, attended the University of California, Berkeley. He entered the U.S. Foreign Service in 1967. From 1961 to 1964 he served in the U.S. Army as a Russian linguist in West Berlin at the height of the Cold War. As a career member of the U.S. diplomatic corps, Ambassador Bowers served in the U.S. Embassies in Panama, Poland, Singapore, Germany and Bolivia. He retired from the Foreign Service in 1995. Amb Bowers has been a Board Member of the Tennessee World Affairs Council since 2012.

Patrick Ryan is a native of New York City. He enlisted in the Navy at age 17 and volunteered for submarine duty. He served aboard nuclear fast attack and ballistic missile boats during the Cold War, rising to the rank of Chief Petty Officer. In 1982 he was commissioned and served aboard a cruiser in the Western Pacific before becoming a Navy Intelligence Officer. Ryan served aboard the carrier Constellation in the Pacific, the Joint Staff Intelligence Directorate in the Pentagon, the Center for Naval Analysis, and the Intelligence Directorate of U.S. Central Command. Ryan retired from the Navy in 1998 and worked as a consultant on Intelligence Community projects and as the VP/COO of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations. Ryan ran a newsletter publishing business on international affairs from 1999-2016. He founded the Tennessee World Affairs Council in 2007.

Breck Walker received his PhD in Diplomatic History from Vanderbilt in 2007. His dissertation was on the foreign policy of the Carter administration.  He taught at Sewanee, the University of the South, 2007-2012, and on the University of Virginia’s Semester at Sea Program in Spring 2013 and Fall 2015. He worked as a historian in the Historical Office of the Office of Secretary of Defense 2013-2016, researching and writing a book on early Pentagon cyber policy. Prior to becoming a history professor, Breck worked for twenty years as an investment banker, the last ten as co-head of the Corporate Finance Group at J.C. Bradford & Co in Nashville. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Texas, and J.D. and M.B.A. degrees from Stanford University.  Breck serves as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee World Affairs Council.

Global News Review - November 4, 2020

There's no shortage of issues impacting Nashville's and Middle Tennessee's well-being. On Tuesday evening, January 19th former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean talked with Ralph Schulz, community leader and head of the Nashville Chamber. Join us for this review of important issues affecting you and your neighbors: the impact of the pandemic on business and the economy; the 2nd Avenue bombing aftermath and effects on the hospitality industry and the downtown; effects of new policies in the Biden Administration on immigration, trade and more; the situation for small businesses shuttered or in hibernation as a result of COVID; and much more.

Global Nashville with Karl Dean - Ralph Schulz

Give Dick, Breck and Pat 45 minutes and they'll give you the world. Analysis and entertaining commentary on the top events and issues leading global news reports. Hard to find insights and perspectives from diplomacy, academia and intelligence.

TOPICS FOR JANUARY 20, 2021

We'll focus on Inauguration Day and the start of the President Joe Biden Administration.

Biden and the World
The Biden Team
Global Challenges

Tennessee World Affairs Council

Pinned to spotlight

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