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WorldBoston

WorldBoston was founded in 1961 as the Boston Center for International Visitors, a nonprofit organization with a mission to connect hundreds of emerging leaders from around the globe each year with their counterparts in Greater Boston's business, government, academic, cultural and scientific communities. In 2002, the organization merged with the World Affairs Council of Boston, a nonpartisan forum founded in 1949 to engage the public in discussions about critical international issues. WorldBoston today is an active independent member of both the National Council for International Visitors and the World Affairs Councils of America, and a dynamic and respected community leader in Boston.s global network. With its expertise in fostering international exchanges and unique mix of educational programs, WorldBoston continues to build on its distinguished tradition of promoting dialogue among leaders, cross-cultural connections and public learning.

http://www.worldboston.org/

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Great Decisions | India: Between China, the West, and the Global South

6:00pm Wed, May 7, 2025

India is an emerging major power in world affairs, occupying a pivotal position between China, the United States, and the Global South. Its population size, economy, and geopolitical location ensure that it will be an influential voice in debates and political struggles over global order. What are India’s choices and opportunities for regional and global leadership? How will it maneuver between China and the United States, and what is its role as a voice of the Global South? What opportunities exist for Washington to work with India?

Join WorldBoston for a timely discussion of this topic with Sugata Bose, Former Member of Parliament in India and Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs at Harvard University.

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Great Decisions | U.S. Changing Leadership in World Economy

6:00pm Wed, Mar 19, 2025

Under President Biden, the U.S. has advanced new ideas about trade, technology, industrial policy, competition with China, and the organization of the world economy. For most of the postwar era, the U.S. has tied its global leadership to cooperative agendas aimed at creating a more open-world trading system, but that has apparently come to an end.

What are America’s options and opportunities as a leader of the world economy? How will America’s “foreign policy for the middle class” and strategic competition with China impact its leadership role? How can the postwar rules and institutions of the world economy be made safe for economic nationalism and great power competition?

Join WorldBoston for a timely discussion of this topic with Dr. Daniel Drezner, Distinguished Professor of International Politics and Associate Dean of Research at the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

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Great Decisions with Thomas Kenney | AI and American National Security

Tue, Feb 25, 2025

Artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative AI, is often claimed as an emerging technology that will disrupt all facets of society.

Join us for a timely discussion of this topic with Lt. Col. Thomas Kenney, outgoing commander of the 416th Civil Affairs Battalion (Airborne) on Camp Pendleton North, San Diego, CA and Fellow at the Belfer Center.

This program will feature an expert presentation, live audience Q&A, and time for networking and discussion with other globally-oriented participants.

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Great Decisions | Science Across Borders

Tue, Jan 28, 2025

Scientific advances benefit from collaboration between researchers, but what happens when material, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) is controversial and important to a nation’s national security? Is there a middle ground between sharing information and denying access? How can we regulate cooperation?

Join WorldBoston for a timely discussion of this topic with Tim Ritchie, President of the Museum of Science. This program will feature an expert presentation, live audience Q&A, and time for networking and discussion with other globally-oriented participants.

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Great Decisions with Dr. Emily Reichert | Climate Technology

Wed, Dec 11, 2024

Will the United States and other powerful countries approach current and future climate initiatives with an increased commitment to nationalism? Or could a growing spirit of international accord develop to confront the “common enemy” of climate change?

Join WorldBoston for a timely discussion of this topic with Dr. Emily Reichert, CEO of MassCEC and former CEO of Greentown Labs.

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Great Decisions | Mideast Realignment

Wed, Nov 6, 2024

The United States and Middle East are at a crossroads. In spite of a reduced presence in the Middle East, the U.S. still has significant national interests there and the area is a key arena for global power politics. Can the U.S. continue to defend its interests in the Middle East and globally with a lower level of military and political involvement, or should it recommit to a leading role in the region?

Join WorldBoston for a timely discussion of this topic with Dr. Ali Banuazizi, Research Professor of Political Science at Boston College.

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Great Decisions | Understanding Indonesia

Wed, Sep 11, 2024

Despite its large size, Indonesia remains virtually invisible to most Americans. But as one of the world’s largest democracies, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, and as an economic driver of ASEAN, why does it fly below the radar? What are current issues in U.S.-Indonesian relations, and what role can the country play in Asia?

Join WorldBoston for a timely discussion of this topic with former Ambassador Robert Blake Jr. This program will feature an expert presentation, live audience Q&A, and time for networking and discussion with other globally-oriented participants in the Newsfeed Café.

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Great Decisions | NATO's Future

Mon, Jun 3, 2024

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, attention on NATO has increased throughout the world. As its members prepare for the 75th NATO summit in early July, focus will intensify even more. In the U.S. we hear a lot of opinions about NATO, but how do Europeans feel about their security? The world will get key indicators of European political trends next month as 400 million people vote in European Parliamentary elections. Join us on the eve of these elections as the Consuls General of France and Germany discuss the future of NATO and the future of Europe.

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The State of the State Department and National Security

Tue, Jun 25, 2024

President Biden has often said, “The world is at an inflection point.” Indeed, the United States faces urgent international and transnational challenges. In these dangerous times, how important can diplomacy be? Military intervention has always remained an alternative, and its use has grown in frequency since the nation’s founding.

If the State Department is, “at the end of the day, a national security agency” as Deputy Secretary Verma has said, how well is the department handling our current global inflection point? What are the State Department’s priorities, and how well is it equipped to address them?

Join us for WorldBoston’s annual State of the State Department special event, an opportunity to consider the U.S. State Department and American diplomacy within the context of U.S. national interests. This year’s program will focus on “The State of the State Department & National Security.”

For this discussion, we are honored to host Deputy Secretary Richard Verma, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources. Deputy Secretary Verma will be joined in conversation by Dr. Monica Duffy Toft, Academic Dean and Director of the Center for Strategic Studies at the Fletcher School and Co-Author of Dying by the Sword: The Militarization of US Foreign Policy

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Great Decisions with Wendy Cutler | US-China Trade Rivalry

Mon, Apr 29, 2024

China’s economic rise and its current policies of increasing the role of the state in the economy have led some U.S. policymakers to seek to deny China access to U.S. technology and investment. This is seen as a necessary corrective to decades of predatory Chinese economic policies. Is this a wise strategy, and how effective can it be?

Join WorldBoston for a timely discussion of this topic with Wendy Cutler, Vice President and Managing Director of the Asia Society Policy Institute, Washington D.C. office.

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WorldBoston Great Decisions Series

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