Dr. Dale Meyerrose: “AI: Neither Artificial nor Intelligent”

Dr. Dale W. Meyerrose, Major General (Retired) was the first President-appointed, Senate-confirmed Associate Director of National Intelligence/Intelligence Community Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Information Sharing Executive for the Director of National Intelligence (DNI).

Dr. Meyerrose is president of the MeyerRose Group, LLC, a company that consults with a wide range of business, government, and academic organizations on strategy, business planning, technology, education, and executive development issues.

He is a visiting associate professor at the School of Information Studies, Syracuse University. He is an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University's School of Computer Science with the Institute for Software Research and director for the Cybersecurity Leadership (CSL) certificate
program] Additionally, Dr. Meyerrose is a Trustee and Treasurer for the U.S. Air Force Academy Falcon Foundation. He was formerly the president and chairman of the board for the Air Force Historical Foundation, and advisor to the U.S. Air Force Heritage Program.

Dr. Meyerrose was recently a vice president and general manager for Harris Corporation, a Global Fortune 500 company. He was responsible for leading all aspects of strategy, business development and program execution for cyber growth initiatives across the corporation—and participated in multiple merger and acquisition activities.

In 2018, Dr. Meyerrose became president and chairman of the board for Imcon International, Inc. and joined the Board of Directors of ThinkRF.

DR. MICHELINE ISHAY: Israel’s Longest War: Envisioning the Day After

Micheline Ishay is Professor of International Studies and Human Rights and Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies and University of Denver. She was awarded the 2022 Human Rights in Education Award.

Ishay received a Ph.D. in Political Science and International Studies from Rutgers University. She was a fellow at the Center for Critical Culture and Contemporary Analysis, Rutgers University; Assistant Professor at Hobart and William Smith College; Senior Fellow at the Center for Democracy Collaborative, University of Maryland (2004); Lady Davis Visiting Professor, Hebrew University (2006); and Visiting Professor, Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (2010-2013). She was Resident Fellow at the Bellagio Center, Rockefeller Foundation, Italy, Fall 2015. She was Visiting Fellow at the Institute of (IWM), Vienna, Fall 2021; Visiting Professor at the University of Tel Aviv (Spring 2022); Visiting Professor and Fellow at the Wissenschaft Zentrum Berlin (WZB) (Spring 2023); and Visiting Professor and Fellow at Le centre de recherches internationales (CERI), Sciences Po, Paris (Summer 2023). Often interviewed in the international press, Ishay frequently contributes to international forums in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and lectures on international issues in the U.S.

Her books, The History of Human Rights and The Human Rights Reader have been translated into multiple languages and are widely adopted in human rights courses throughout the world. The Third Edition of the Human Rights Reader that was published in 2022. The Philadelphia Inquirer ranked her History of Human Rights among the top ten non-fiction books of 2004. Her book, The Levant Express in 2019 by Yale University Press. Earlier books included the topics of internationalism and Arab uprisings, human rights, and the future of the Middle East. She is also the author of numerous articles and book chapters in theory, human rights, foreign policy and the Middle East.

Under her direction, Korbel's International Human Rights Program became one the most recognized human rights programs in the country. In 2019, she was recruited as a Vice-Director of the International Council for Diplomacy and Dialogue, an NGO under the auspices of the UN in Geneva. She is currently writing on Reconstructing Internationalism: Nationalist Challenges and New Human Rights.

Ambassador Earl Anthony Wayne: Managing US-Mexico relations in a dual election year: Migration, Crime, Prosperity and the relationship that touches more Americans daily than any other

Did you know that Mexico...

...Is now our number 1 trading partner?

...Will have its next election on June 2 ,2024?  The leading candidate to replace AMLO for a six year term is a woman scientist and politician from the ruling party?  The second place candidate is also a woman?

...Is our largest source of immigrants (both authorized and unauthorized)

U.S. businesses are moving supply chains from China to Mexico?

Ambassador Earl Anthony Wayne, former US Ambassador to Argentina, Afghanistan and most recently, Mexico has a long and storied career in the US Foreign Service. Originally appointed by presidents Bush and Obama. Following his retirement he received the State Department’s highest designation, “Career Ambassador”. Amb. Wayne is currently Distinguished Diplomat-in-Residence at American University’s School of International Service and teaches courses in US foreign policy and diplomacy. He is also affiliated with The Woodrow Wilson Center for Scholars and The Atlantic Council and The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and is also chair of The Mexico Advisory Board for the Wilson Center.

Dr. Angel Abbud-Madrid Beyond Earth: Enabling Future Resources Exploration and the New Space Economy

Dr. Angel Abbud-Madrid is the Director of the Center Space Resources and the Space Resources interdisciplinary graduate program at the Colorado School of Mines, where he leads a research and academic program focused on the human and robotic exploration of space and the utilization of its resources.  He has more than 30 years of experience in space projects on NASA’s facilities, including the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station.  He received the NASA Astronauts' Personal Achievement Award given by NASA's astronaut corps for his contributions to the success of human space flight missions.  He holds a B.S.E. degree in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering from ITESM, México and Master's and Ph.D. degrees in Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering from Princeton University and the University of Colorado at Boulder.  He is the President of the Space Resources Roundtable and is a member of the Committee on Planetary Protection of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Throughout human history, resources have been the driving force for exploration and the engine of economic expansion.  However, as we continue our exploration of space, our efforts will eventually become limited by the materials that we can carry from Earth.  In recent years, space agencies around the world and the private sector have increasingly realized that further exploration and growth of commercial opportunities in space will require extraction of materials, production of propellants, and power generation from extraterrestrial resources for more affordable and flexible transportation, construction, manufacturing, energy production, and life support systems.  This rising interest for the search, extraction, and use of resources in space and planetary bodies is about to radically influence not just future space missions, but also the expansion of economic activity beyond our planet.

The Colorado Foothills World Affairs Council programs are free and open to the public and meets at the Mount Vernon Canyon Club at 24933 Club House Circle, Golden, Colorado 80401.

Tanvi Madan: Fateful Triangle: How China Shapes U.S.-India Relations

Dr. Tanvi Madan, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, will discuss the geopolitical, economic, and technological relationships between India, China and the United States. Joining us right as India will be having their elections, she will give us a very current picture of Indian politics and the implications. She will also help us understand the ripple effects and other key players involved, including the influence on the Middle East, Indo-Pacific, Ukraine, and Russia.

India’s relationship with its neighbor China has balanced between economic cooperation, economic competition, and border disputes. As India seeks to attract more markets, especially in the tech sector, their competition with China has become increasingly complex, especially in the context of both India and China’s relationships with the United States and Russia. As U.S. and Chinese tech has begun to diverge, India plays an important role both as a consumer and as a producer, banning Chinese social media, apps and restricting Chinese investment in Indian tech sectors while also seeking to become tech innovators and developing US tech strategic agreements.

A SPECIAL EVENING DISCUSSION ON DIPLOMACY, FOREIGN SERVICE, AND AMERICAS NATIONAL CHALLENGES: Richard Mueller and Stanley Harsha

he Colorado Foothills World Affairs Council is privileged to have two very distinguished and widely experienced former diplomats on its Board. They will share with us some of the most interesting challenges they faced around the world. The audience is encouraged to participate in a two-way discussion.

Richard W. Mueller was a 32-year career Foreign Service Officer, Class of Minister-Counselor. As a capstone to his career, he served as American Consul General (Chief of Mission) in Hong Kong, 1993-96, in the formative years leading up to Hong Kong's return to the PRC. Previously he was Deputy Executive Secretary of the Department of State under Secretary George Schultz and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs under Secretary James Baker.

Earlier in his career he worked in the office of Secretary Kissinger where he met his wife, Claire. Working for Kissinger, they traveled with him on his five-week successful Israeli-Syrian disengagement shuttle mission in 1974. He specialized in Asian and Chinese affairs, serving in Canberra, the American Embassy in Saigon for two tours during the war, Taiwan for Chinese language training, Beijing in the 1970's at the tail end of China's Cultural Revolution and the death of Mao Zedong, Hong Kong in the 1980's as China began its reform and opening, and assignments in Washington relating to China and Asia. He retired in 1998 and subsequently was Director of the Asia Society Hong Kong Center and then for fifteen years served as Head of School of three schools, Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts, Hong Kong International School, and Shanghai American School. Richard served for twelve years on the board of trustees of the Chinese American International School in San Francisco and serves as an affiliate of the Denver University Korbel School's Center for China-US Cooperation. Richard and Claire moved from Shanghai to Golden, Colorado in 2016. They are the proud grandparents of seven grandchildren in Golden and San Francisco.

Stanley Harsha is a former United States diplomat with 28 years of experience in the Foreign Service, focused on Asia, with expertise in education and cultural exchanges. During his 28-year diplomatic career, in positions that included United States Consul General for Sumatra, in Medan, Indonesia (2009-2011). He was responsible for the Sumatran consular district (population 50 million), during which time he coordinated U.S. emergency response to numerous natural disasters and terrorist threats. As the Information Officer in Jakarta (2001-2004), he led the public information campaign in Indonesia during the troubled post-9/11 period, acting as the U.S. Embassy spokesperson in the world’s largest Muslim majority country. Stan’s other Foreign Service assignments included:  Public Affairs Officer in Windhoek, Namibia (2004-2006), as Information Officer in Kuala Lumpur (1991-1995); and Public Affairs Officer in Medan, Sumatra (1987-1990).  He has received numerous State Department awards and is fluent in Indonesian, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. Before retiring as a diplomat in 2013, he served as a senior policy advisor for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the State Department (2011-2013), playing a key role in the U.S. “pivot to Asia” policy under Secretary Clinton, and as Director of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. He now divides his time between the United States and Asia, dedicating his time to writing, advancing international educational exchanges between Asia and the United States, and promoting international tolerance and understanding.

His critically acclaimed book, Like the Moon and the Sun, was published in May 2015, comparing Indonesian and American societies, with analysis of culture, politics, religion, and human rights, based on his 30 years of connection with Indonesia.

Col. Kris A. Bauman: The Israel-Hamas Conflict: How Did We Get Here and How Do We Go Forward

Kris A. Bauman, Ph.D., Colonel (ret.) USAF is the Brent Scowcroft Professor of National Security Studies at the United States Air Force Academy where he teaches American Foreign and National Security Policy, and Middle Eastern Politics.

Col. Bauman previously served at the White House on the National Security Council as Director for Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian and Egyptian Affairs.

In 2013-2014, during the negotiations led by Secretary of State John Kerry between Israelis and Palestinians, Colonel Bauman was the Chief of Staff for the Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Defense, General John R. Allen, USMC. Gen. Allen’s team was responsible for the security portfolio of a proposed two-state agreement.

Colonel Bauman earned a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado, a Master of Public Administration from the University of Oklahoma, a Master of Military Operational Art and Science from Air Command and Staff College, and a Doctorate in International Studies from the University of Denver. His focus regions are Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and Iraq.

The programs of the Colorado Foothills World Affairs Council are free to members and the public and are held and the Mount Vernon Canyon Club, 24933 Club House Cr. Golden, Colorado 80401. You are welcome to meet with friends for fellowship and networking over a drink in the Canyon Clubs bar at 6:30 prior to the program

Kathleen Mogelaard: Is Demography Destiny? How Population Trends Shape our Future.

In 2022, the world's population surpassed 8 billion people, and according to UN demographers, global population may add another 2.4 billion before leveling off toward the end of this century. While global population growth continues, the diversity of demographic trends around the world has never been greater. While countries like Nigeria are forecasting a doubling of their populations, over 30 countries–including China–are shrinking. These trends have important implications for economic growth, health and well-being, and the ways in which we plan for and respond to global challenges such as climate change. In this presentation, Kathleen Mogelgaard of the Population Institute will provide an overview of these demographic trends, and share findings from the Institute’s recent report, “Population and Climate Change Vulnerability: Understanding Current Trends to Enhance Rights and Resilience.”

Kathleen Mogelgaard is President and CEO of the Population Institute, where she directs the organization’s advocacy and public education activities. Kathleen is passionate about promoting deeper understanding of linkages among issues that are critical for sustainable development, including population dynamics, reproductive rights, gender, climate change, and food security. Prior to taking the leadership helm the Population Institute, Kathleen was Principal of KAM Consulting, where she worked with clients in Washington and globally in policy analysis, research, and advocacy. Her career includes roles at Population Action International, Oxfam America, National Audubon Society, the University of Maryland, and the Population Reference Bureau, where she provided research support and technical assistance for conservation and development projects in Africa and Asia. Kathleen has participated as an observer in negotiations on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, where she represented the World Resources Institute in advocating for effective adaptation planning. She was the lead researcher and writer of “Unfinished Business: The Pursuit of Rights and Choices for All,” the United Nations Population Fund’s 2019 State of World Population Report. Her writing has appeared in Newsweek, The Hill, FairPlanet, New Security Beat, and Grist. She holds masters degrees in public policy and natural resources from the University of Michigan.

Dr. Marie Berry: “Gender Justice and Women's Rights Around the World”

Dr. Marie Berry is the Director of the Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security and Diplomacy and an Associate Professor at the Josef Korbel School at the University of Denver. She is also the co-founder and convener of the Inclusive Global Leadership Initiative (IGLI), an effort to elevate and amplify the work that women activists are doing at the grassroots to advance peace, justice, and human rights across the world. Her award-winning book, War, Women, and Power: From Violence to Mobilization in Rwanda and Bosnia-Herzegovina (Cambridge University Press 2018), examined the impact of mass violence on women’s political mobilization in Rwanda and Bosnia. Together with Dr. Milli Lake (LSE), she runs the Women’s Rights After War Project. Dr. Berry’s work has been published in places like the Annual Review of Law and Social Science, Gender & Society, Democratization, Signs, New Political Economy, Mobilization, Politics & Gender, Foreign Policy, Boston Review, The Monkey Cage, and Political Violence @ A Glance. She is a 2021 recipient of a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER Award.

Dr. Suisheng Zhao: Talk the Talk and Walk the Walk. US-China Relations

Despite recent high-level exchanges between the US and China, including visits to China by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, the US-China relationship has remained at the lowest point since President Nixon’s historical visit to China in 1972, with hawkish tones and disputes over Taiwan and tech-war becoming the new normal. Their talks have become exchanges of accusations rather than finding resolutions. How has the relationship got to this point? What are driving tensions and the root causes of this crisis? What is the prospect of the Sino-US competition? How can Washington and Beijing stabilize the relationship? Suisheng Zhao’s talk will see answers to these important questions.

Dr. Suisheng Zhao is a Professor and Director of the Center for China-US Cooperation at Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver. He is the founder and editor of the Journal of Contemporary China and the author and editor of more than two dozen of books. His most recent book is The Dragon Roars Back: Transformational Leaders and Dynamics of Chinese Foreign Policy (Stanford University Press, 2023). A Post-Doctoral Campbell National Fellow at Hoover Institution of Stanford University, he received his Ph.D. degree in political science from the University of California-San Diego, an M.A. degree in Sociology from the University of Missouri, and BA and M.A. degrees in economics from Peking University.

The Refugee Experience: A Story of an Afghan in Colorado

Homayoon Milad came to Colorado in 2021 with his wife and three sons, among the last Afghans to evacuate Kabul in the chaos of August 2021. He will tell his compelling story of fleeing Afghanistan, his contributions to peace and prosperity in Afghanistan before the Taliban takeover, and about refugee resettlement.  Milad has a Master’s degree in International Cooperation Policy and 16 years of experience in local governance, community development, and peacebuilding. He graduated from Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University of Japan in 2010. He served as a Peace Process Program Manager for the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), as a Program Director for the Community-Based Agriculture and Rural Development of the United States Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), and as a Program Director of the Livelihood Improvement in Tajik Afghan Cross Border Areas of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Afghanistan. Milad now serves as the Community Sponsorship Coordinator at the International Rescue Committee in Denver.

Carolyn Brehm and Richard Boucher: Finding Opportunity in a World of Turmoil

Richard Boucher, diplomat turned educator, has taught diplomacy at Brown University and other institutions. Until 2013, he served as Deputy Secretary General of the OECD with a focus on large developing economies (especially China, India, South Africa, and Brazil), on anti-corruption and on investment transparency. Over his 32-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service, he reached the highest rank --Career Ambassador -- serving as Ambassador to Cyprus, U.S. Consul General in Hong Kong, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia and as Spokesman for six Secretaries of State. As Spokesman he dealt with every major world event including the fall of the Berlin Wall to 9/11 and the Iraq war. Over his career and after, he served and traveled extensively in China from the start of economic reform to the modern day, including tours in Guangzhou, Shanghai and on the China Desk. He speaks Chinese, French and some German.

Carolyn Brehm is a corporate executive and lecturer with more than 40 years of experience in global government relations, public policy and international business. She worked at two Fortune 100 companies and several non-profits and business associations over the course of her career in Washington, DC and Asia. She is the Founder and CEO of consulting firm Brehm Global Ventures LLC and lectures on commercial diplomacy, global public affairs and political risk.

Brehm retired in 2017 from The Procter & Gamble Company as Vice President for Global Government Relations and Public Policy where she created and led P&G’s team of sixty government relations practitioners based in key markets across the globe. She was responsible for public policy and legislative advocacy to protect and grow P&G’s business, advising four company Chairmen and CEOs over her seventeen years there.

During a 13-year stint with General Motors Corporation, Brehm served as chief international lobbyist in Washington as well as in business expansion roles in Shanghai and Hong Kong. She led Asia operations in Hong Kong for ORBIS International, a global NGO working to eliminate avoidable blindness.

Brehm chairs the board of global health NGO Population Services International (PSI). She was appointed to the Board of Trustees at the Smithsonian Institute’s National Museum of Asian Art in September 2021. She also sits on the Board of Governors at the University of New Haven, the Board of Advisors of Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, and the Executive Council on Diplomacy.

Brehm is a 1977 graduate of Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service with a concentration in Asian Studies and holds an MBA in International Business from the University of New Haven’s program in Nicosia, Cyprus. She was an AFS International exchange student in Mumbai, India in 1972. Brehm speaks Mandarin and has studied French. 

“Why the Foreign Service Matters: An Intimate Conversation Among Three Former US Diplomats"

Stanley Harsha is a former United States diplomat with 28 years of experience in the Foreign Service, focused on Asia, with expertise in education and cultural exchanges. During his 28-year diplomatic career, in positions that included United States Consul General for Sumatra, interim Chief of Mission in Timor Leste, and Executive Director of the Fulbright Scholarship Board, his work ranged from managing performing arts and educational exchanges, to crisis management and interacting with youth at hundreds of schools. Stan is a valuable core member the CFWAC Board and a leader of the Program Committee.

Catherine Ebert-Gray has long and varied experience and a member to the Foreign Service. In addition to serving as Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, she held a variety of senior State Department positions at US missions in Egypt, Australia, Togo, Germany, Mali, The Philippines and Morocco. As Deputy Assistant Secretary of Logistic Management she had oversight of the State Department supply chain and procurement the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. She is currently the Director of Global Education at the University of Colorado Denver /Anschutz.

Gary Anthony Grappo was the United States Ambassador to Oman from September 17, 2006, to June 1, 2009. Prior to becoming ambassador, he was Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister Counselor of the United States Mission in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He is currently a Distinguished Fellow at the Korbel School for International Studies at the University of Denver. Grappo holds a BS in Mathematics  from the United States Air Force Academy, with, an MS in Geodesy and Survey Engineering from Perdue University, and an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. He is currently a Distinguished Fellow at the Korbel School for International Studies at the University of Denver.Ambassador Grappo kicked off the CFWAC 30th Anniversary season several years ago.

Dr. Marie Berry will be our moderator for the panel. She  is an Associate Professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at the University of Denver, where she is an affiliate of the Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security and Diplomacy. She is also the Director of the Inclusive Global Leadership Initiative (IGLI), an effort to catalyze research, education, and programming aimed at elevating and amplifying the work that women activists are doing at the grassroots to advance peace, justice, and human rights across the world. CFWAC members will remember Berry expertly moderating  our CFWAC program with Dr. Fiona Hill last March.

The program is at the Mount Vernon Canyon Club Feb. 15th at 7 PM. An optional dinner will proceed the program at 6 PM.

Paul Hughes: Global Conflicts: can they be managed?

Paul Hughes recently retired from the United States Institute of Peace and had served in many roles at the USIP. Previously he was Director for the Quadrennial Defense Review Independent Panels in 2010 and 2014 and executive director of the Congressional Commission of the Strategic Posture of the United States. He also helped facilitate the 2006 Iraq Study Group for former Secretary of State James Baker and former congressman Lee Hamilton.

Prior to joining USIP Hughes was an active-duty Army officer from 1975-2005 and was a senior fellow to the Institute for Security Studies at the National Defense University developing policy guidance for the Army in arms control for weapons of mass destruction, humanitarian assistance and crisis prediction.

His awards include two Defense Superior Service Medals, three Bronze Stars, and numerous other meritorious service and special commendation awards. Hughes holds a B.A. in sociology from Colorado State University and two M.A. degrees in military arts and sciences.

Ted Osius: “Nothing is Impossible: America’s Reconciliation with Vietnam”

Former ambassador Ted Osius is President & CEO of the US-ASEAN Business Council.  Founded in 1984, the Council represents 175 of the largest American businesses in Southeast Asia through its headquarters in Washington, DC, and its seven regional offices.

A diplomat for thirty years, Ambassador Osius served from 2014 to 2017 as U.S. ambassador to Vietnam.  Leading a team of 900, Ambassador Osius devised and implemented strategies to deepen economic, security and cultural ties between the two countries. In October 2021, Osius published his most recent book, Nothing Is Impossible: America’s Reconciliation with Vietnam, with a Foreword by former Secretary of State John Kerry, covering the two countries’ 25-year journey from adversaries to friends and partners.

After his departure from government, Osius joined Google Asia-Pacific as Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy, covering 19 Asian nations from Google’s Singapore headquarters.  Earlier, he was a senior advisor at the Albright-Stonebridge Group and the first Vice President of Fulbright University Vietnam.  Osius was associate professor at the National War College and Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

As a diplomat, Osius served as Deputy Chief of Mission in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Political Minister-Counselor in New Delhi, India.  Osius also served as deputy director of the Office of Korean Affairs at the State Department, regional environment officer for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, and senior advisor on Asia and trade to Vice President Al Gore.  He also served in Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Manila, and at the United Nations.

Ambassador Osius has authored numerous articles on Foreign Service tradecraft and U.S.-Asia policy.  He wrote The U.S.-Japan Security Alliance: Why It Matters and How To Strengthen It (CSIS/Praeger 2002) as a fellow at the Japan Institute for International Affairs (日本国際問題研究所).  While at CSIS, he published “Global Swing States: Deepening Partnerships with India and Indonesia” (Asia Policy, January 2014), Enhancing India-ASEAN Connectivity and A US-Indonesia Partnership for 2020.

Ambassador Osius earned a Bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, a Master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, and an Honorary Doctorate from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Education.  He was the first U.S. ambassador to receive the Order of Friendship from the President of Vietnam.  He serves on the Asia Foundation’s Board of Trustees and is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy.

Ambassador Osius was a co-founder of the State Department’s affinity organization for LGBTQ+ diplomats in the early 1990s.  He was the second openly gay career diplomat in U.S. history to achieve the rank of ambassador, and the first to be assigned to East Asia.  He and his husband Clayton Bond have a nine-year-old son and seven-year-old daughter.

Ambassador Osius speaks Vietnamese, French and Italian, and a bit of Japanese, Indonesian, Hindi, Thai, Tagalog and Greek. 

Dr. Ryan Hass: Ukraine: What does it Mean for China-Russia Relations?

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has brought serious complications to the Russia-China bilateral partnerships. Relations between the two powers had been improving in recent years as each nation inexorably evolved toward greater authoritarianism. Have the recent severe Russian setbacks in Ukraine, coupled with Russia’s falling international reputation, caused China to reassess how closely it wishes to be associated with Russia?

What lies in the future for these two proud nations?

No one is better qualified to examine the future of this bilateral relationship than our speaker.

From 2013 to 2017, Hass served as the director for China, Taiwan, and Mongolia at the National Security Council (NSC) staff. In that role, he advised President Obama and senior White House officials on all aspects of U.S. policy toward China, Taiwan, and Mongolia, and coordinated the implementation of U.S. policy toward these regions among U.S. government departments and agencies. He joined President Obama’s state visit delegations in Beijing and Washington respectively in 2014 and 2015, and the president’s delegation to Hangzhou, China, for the G-20 in 2016, and to Lima, Peru, for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meetings in 2016.

Hass is the author of “Stronger: Adapting America’s China Strategy in an Age of Competitive Interdependence” (Yale University Press, 2021. He also leads the Democracy in Asia project at the Brookings Institution.

Antonio J. Busalacchi: Climate change and international security

Antonio J. Busalacchi serves as president of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, a nonprofit consortium of 122 North American colleges and universities focused on research and training in Earth system science. An internationally recognized expert in Earth’s climate system and ocean-atmosphere interactions, Busalacchi earned his Ph.D. in oceanography from Florida State University. He has advised policy makers and testified to Congress on the importance of advancing research in ways that help save lives and property, strengthen the economy, and safeguard national security.

Prior to his appointment at UCAR, Busalacchi served as director of the Earth System Science Interdisciplinary Center at the University of Maryland, where he helped coordinate research into the oceans, atmosphere, and other aspects of the Earth system. He was also a professor in the University of Maryland’s Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Science.

Busalacchi has served extensively on National Academy of Science/National Research Council activities, including as chair of the Board on Atmospheric Sciences and Climate, chair of the Climate Research Committee, chair of the Committee on Earth Science and Application: Ensuring the Climate Measurements from NPOESS and GOES-R, and co-chair of the Committee on National Security Implications of Climate Change on U.S. Naval Forces. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering and is also a fellow of the American Meteorological Society, the American Geophysical Union, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Dr. Nina Ansary: The Future of Women’s Rights in Afghanistan

Dr. Nina Ansary is an award-winning Iranian American author, historian and UN Women Global Champion for Innovation. She is the Director of the World Affairs Councils of America (WACA) Global Women’s Lecture Series and the Director of the Cambridge Middle East and North Africa Forum Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) at the University of Cambridge.

Since the 2001 removal of the Taliban regime, Afghan women and girls had unprecedented opportunities and made significant progress especially in education, healthcare and participation in the public sphere. With the U.S. withdrawal and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, women and girls face an uncertain future with draconian measures including loss of gains made in all areas of economic, civic and social life. Taliban rule has had a devastating impact on the female population at large with monumental barriers to their participation across public life including law, politics, and academia with increased threats of gender-based violence, child marriage and severe restrictions on their rights to freedom of assembly and freedom of expression, including choice of attire. Furthermore, Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis has exacerbated the dire situation for women and girls who are struggling to survive while caught in a system of gender apartheid.

Today, one year after America’s departure, Afghan women and girls rightfully feel abandoned. The Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Act of 2017 specifically requires Washington to promote the role of women and girls in peace, security, and conflict prevention. The crisis in Afghanistan, not only warrants serious concern but also poignantly raises these issues.

 It is therefore, of crucial importance to protect Afghan women and girls as the Taliban continue to engage in human rights abuses. How can the international community support women’s rights and the Women, Peace and Security agenda in the midst of conflict? And what strategic adjustments can be undertaken to elevate the voices of women and girls and keep their voices at the center of US and foreign policy amid ongoing Taliban suppression?

 Join the Colorado Foothills World Affairs Council for this interactive discussion with Dr. Nina Ansary to discuss these questions and explore the future of women’s rights in Afghanistan.