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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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Diplomacy Now | The U.S., China, and the Great Powers

6:00pm Thu, Sep 11, 2025

Join WorldBoston for their signature Diplomacy Now program, an opportunity to consider American diplomacy within the context of U.S. national interests. This year’s program will focus on “The U.S., China, and the Great Powers.”
For this discussion, we are honored to host Nicholas Burns (ret.) Ambassador to China, and the Roy and Barbara Goodman Family Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Politics at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

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American Foreign Policy in the Middle East: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead

6:00pm Tue, Sep 16, 2025

Analysts of American policy in 2025 have the unusual advantage of being able to assess the new president’s likely policies regarding the Middle East against the backdrop of what he did in his first term, four years earlier.

Join WorldBoston for a timely Great Decisions discussion of this topic with Mona Yacoubian, senior adviser and director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

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 | The Future of NATO and European Security

Tue, Jun 17, 2025

Europe is frightened and frightening for the first time really since the 1980s, when nuclear sabers were rattling as the Soviet Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) both deployed contending intermediate range missiles along the dividing line of the military alliances. With Russia’s continued barbarity in Ukraine there is no escaping that Vladimir Putin intends not to be “European”.

Join WorldBoston for this timely discussion with Dr. Kori Schake, leader of the foreign and defense policy team at the American Enterprise Institute.

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

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?

With WorldBoston and 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

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.

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 shares his view and work with artificial intelligence and what is at stake for the United States national security.

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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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