Liz Brailsford, Marc J. Sievers, and Robert Jordan sit down for a conversation ahead of our event "Middle East Alliances: What’s in the Crystal Ball?"By World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth

Liz Brailsford and Ihor Terekhov sit down for a conversation ahead of our event "Kharkiv’s Story: Leadership, War, and the Fight for Democracy."By World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth

Liz Brailsford and Cullum Clark sit down for a conversation ahead of our event "The U.S. National Debt: How Does It Affect Foreign Policy?"By World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth

Liz Brailsford and Liz Truss sit down for a conversation ahead of our event "A Conversation with Liz Truss: Why Global Leadership Matters."By World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth

Liz Brailsford and Jeffrey Toobin sit down for a conversation ahead of our event "The Pardon: The Politics of Presidential Mercy."By World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth

Liz Brailsford and David Rohde sit down for a conversation ahead of our International Educator of the Year Awards Luncheon.By World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth

Liz Brailsford and John J. Sullivan sit down for a conversation ahead of our event "On the Frontlines: Service to Country, Moscow, and the West’s Global Challenge."By World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth

More than half of the world’s countries are democratic and 2024 has become the election year, with 49% of the world’s population going to the voting booth. With a record number of elections being held this year, how do the results abroad affect our upcoming November election? Join the Council in welcoming back Mark McKinnon in conversation with for…

Featuring Panelists: Brookings Institution Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe Fiona Hill; George W. Bush Institute Executive Director and George W. Bush Presidential Center Vice President David Kramer; Brookings Institution Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy and Fritz Stern Chair at Germany and Trans-Atlantic Relat…

On June 11, Susan Glasser joins us for a discussion about the evolution and future of democracy with Jeremi Suri of the University of Texas. Glasser and Suri will explore the 2024 election with all its implications.Each summer, the leadership of the 90 World Affairs Councils network gather in a different city for networking and professional develop…

The 2024 election has ramifications that extend beyond our border. As the country approaches a Trump vs. Biden rematch, the two candidates have opposite views on foreign policy, particularly on NATO, tariffs, and China. The 2024 election will be consequential for many reasons; however, the current state of European and Eastern volatility makes fore…

Kosovo is in a fight for state recognition, and next month the Council of Europe will vote to include or exclude Kosovo. Despite the fact that 12 of its 46 member states do not consider Kosovo to be an independent state, the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly has already weighed in, voting 31 to 29 for Kosovo’s inclusion. This membership wo…

Is the U.S. upholding the ideals of democracy? In 2022, 161 million Americans were registered to vote and that number is expected to rise in the upcoming presidential election. However, faith in our voting system has dropped in the past few years. Fighting between Republicans and Democrats has made voters distrustful of “the system.” Voter trust is…

The Berlin Wall came down in 1989 followed by the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. For many in the West, this represented the end of the Cold War and symbolized capitalism’s triumph over communism. However, in China and Russia it was merely a setback in their fight against Western influence. Putin and Xi Jinping have since begun trying to rect…

Throughout U.S. history there are presidents whose qualities separated them from the rest and propelled them to the highest office Washington’s honesty, Lincoln’s leadership, Kennedy’s charisma, Roosevelt’s fortitude, the list could go on. But which of these qualities can be transferred to the next generation? What leadership lessons apply today? I…

KEYNOTE – Salvatore A. GiuntaSpecialist Salvatore A. Giunta distinguished himself at the risk of his life in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, on October 25, 2007. While under heavy enemy fire, Specialist Giunta sprinted towards cover and engaged the enemy. After seeing that his squad leader had fallen, Specialist Giunta exposed himself to enemy fi…

Cyberspace is like the Wild West – a vast and lawless land. Both cyber warfare and cyberweapons have been used in the Russo-Ukrainian war. Rapid technology advancement and global dynamics challenge governments to protect military and critical infrastructures. Can the 2024 U.S. election occur without interference? Cyber expert Christopher Whyte join…

Since Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin have been in power, Russia and China have been each other’s biggest cheerleaders. Director of China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Bonny Lin notes that “the bond has been decades in the making, but Russia’s war in Ukraine has tightened their embrace.” Leading the BRIC alliance…

In 2023, 39.1% of all U.S. businesses were owned by female entrepreneurs. The number of women elected in congressional leadership has increased by 15% in the past 20 years. Today, women make up 28% of the 118th U.S. congress. That said, of the 193 member states of the United Nations, only 13 of those leaders are women. There is still much work to b…

“America’s secret weapon is a blue note in a minor key,” proclaimed the New York Times. In the late 1950’s, President Eisenhower looked to fight the Cold War using the cool weapon of jazz. The State Department hoped that showcasing popular American music around the globe would not only introduce audiences to American culture, but also win them over…

War is catastrophic for nations and can bring businesses to a complete halt. When Russia attacked Ukraine, U.S. companies such as McDonald’s and Starbucks closed their stores. Millions of dollars of Ukraine’s infrastructure has been destroyed. War’s cost can be simplified into three parts: the opportunity cost of resources, the destruction of physi…

Part of the Dialogues for Democracy SeriesForty countries will hold major elections in 2024, including Taiwan, Russia, Mexico, and the U.S. As technology “improves” and cyber-attacks become more difficult to predict, elections have become more susceptible to meddling. At the same time, social media has transformed our news consumption – and it’s ha…

Even though globalization has become a negative concept for some, the reality is that there is no going back. While the politics of globalization are debated, Professor Małgorzata Zachara-Szymańska says, “All social organizations have ‘gone global’ within the last several decades; they are more interconnected and more dependent on global processes,…

ABOUT THE SPEAKERGeneral David Petraeus, U.S. Army (Ret.) served as director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 2011-2012 and as commander of U.S. Central Command from 2008-2010. His highly decorated 37-year military career included combat commanderships of the Surge in Iraq and the U.S./Coalition Forces in Afghanistan. He established the KKR …

ABOUT THE PANELISTS:Sam Brownback currently serves as co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Summit, is a senior fellow at Global Christian Relief, and is chairman of the National Committee for Religious Freedom. While serving as ambassador-at-large for International Religious Freedom under the Trump Administration from 2018 until 2021, Br…

In this year’s Gail Koppman History Lecture Series, the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) Summit just a few weeks ago revealed the ever-growing presence of nonwestern nations arraying themselves against NATO and the West. The BRICS nations share one common concern: U.S. sanctions on global trade and investment. New alliances an…

ABOUT THE AMBASSADORHis Excellency, Jean-Arthur Regibeau, Belgian Ambassador to the United States The Ambassador represents His Majesty The King of the Belgians and Belgium’s federal government in the United States of America and in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. He is responsible for the direction and work of the Embassy and its Consulates, incl…

..Do you believe in the importance of international education and connections? The nonprofit World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth is supported by gifts from people like you, who share our passion for engaging in dialogue on global affairs and building bridges of understanding. While the Council is not currently charging admission for virtual …

Kevin Cassidy is currently the director and representative to the Bretton Woods and Multilateral Organizations for the International Labour Organization (ILO) Office for the U.S. Prior to his appointment, Cassidy served as the senior communications and economic and social affairs officer for 11 years in the ILO office for the United Nations with ad…

Each year, The Economist publishes “The World Ahead” series: an informed prediction of the major themes that will dominate the coming year. Spanning topics from politics to technology to sociology and more, this series edited by Tom Standage is as ambitious as it is awe-inspiring. On December 8, Standage rejoins the Council to discuss his publicati…

Boston College Professor of History Heather Cox Richardson supplies her 1.2 million Substack subscribers with her interpretation of history and current events in her daily newsletter called Letters from an American. In her new book Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America, Richardson argues that “America is at a crossroads. A country that…

Soft power – the ability to shape the preferences and behaviors of others through attraction and persuasion, rather than coercion, holds a significant place in today’s global landscape. Through a seemingly innocuous sport, the U.S. and China were able to thaw icy relations in the 1970s - “ping-pong diplomacy” - showcasing how cultural exchanges can…

“To deeply know and understand others is a way of life,” observes New York Times bestselling author David Brooks in his upcoming book, How to Know a Person. Drawing on insights from psychology, neuroscience, theater, philosophy, history, and education, Brooks presents a comprehensive approach to fostering meaningful human connections that prioritiz…

Congressman Colin Allred is currently serving his third term as the U.S. Representative for Texas’ 32nd Congressional District. Allred was born and raised in North Dallas where he was class president of Hillcrest High School and earned a full-ride football scholarship to Baylor University. He deferred his acceptance to law school to play in the NFL…

In 2018 word broke out that Alphabet Inc’s Google, reacting to employee outrage, would not renew its contract with the Pentagon for Project Maven. Project Maven involved AI analysis of aerial drone imagery and Google employees claimed this association with warfare violated their “do no harm” principle. Autonomous weapons expert Paul Scharre reports…

Every year the U.S. Department of State International Women of Courage (IWOC) Award recognizes women from across the globe who have demonstrated exceptional courage while advocating for everything from world peace to human rights. They bring great empowerment to women and girls, but often with personal risks and sacrifices. While the names of the a…

President & CEO of the Council on Foreign Relations Richard Haass joins the Council to discuss his latest publication The Bill of Obligations: The Ten Habits of Good Citizens. Haass argues that good citizenship is not only a right, but also a duty, and that individuals must actively participate in the democratic process in order to maintain a healt…

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Isabel Wilkerson argues in her best-seller Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents that race in America can be compared to the caste systems of India and Nazi Germany. The New York Times called the book “an instant American classic.” Her 2010 best-seller, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Mi…

The Honorable Mike Pompeo is the 70th Secretary of State (2018-2021). Previously, he served as the Director of the CIA from 2017-2018. Pompeo graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1986, and after leaving active duty received a law degree from Harvard Law school. He began his legal career in 1998, and later turned to entrepreneurship …

In 2019, Marie Yovanovitch was serving as U.S. ambassador to Ukraine. A seasoned diplomat, Yovanovitch watched the 1993 constitutional crisis and street fighting in Russia. For years, she witnessed Putin’s election meddling, cyberattacks, and vast misinformation in Ukraine. Yet, upon president Volodymyr Zelenskyy being democratically elected, then-…

Each year, The Economist publishes “The World Ahead” series: an informed prediction of the major themes that will dominate the coming year. Spanning topics from politics to technology to sociology and more, this series edited by Tom Standage is as ambitious as it is awe-inspiring. On December 14, Standage rejoins the Council to discuss his publicat…

The world changed on that day in August 1945 when the American B-29 bomber released the 7,900 pound “Little Boy” nuclear bomb over the city of Hiroshima, Japan, and 77 years later nuclear weapons remain a primary global issue. Today, a nuclear weapon can fit into a suitcase. Join us for a special Mel Kusin National Security Lecture on nuclear threa…

From the presence of drones to the power of social media, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is changing the face of warfare as we know it. How will the U.S. military adapt to the evolving future of warfare? Join us for a discussion with former Under Secretary of Defense Michèle Flournoy on America’s strategy for success in the uncertain times ahead, …

Today, American democracy faces a polarized population. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham has found a timely message to American leaders in the example of Abraham Lincoln: the survival of democracy demands a firm conscience. A frail, imperfect man, Lincoln overcame his limitations and was willing to risk his career to uphold his deep fai…

The political polarization of America in 2022 is not a new phenomenon, but what is often missing is the political will to find a middle ground. Even while in fierce opposition to the policies of President Ronald Reagan, who was swept into office in a landslide, Democrat House Speaker Tip O’Neill said, “In the best interest of America, the hand of c…

Our challenge is to remain good citizens in a politically and socially divided world. The Freedoms Foundation’s David Harmer says, “When we recognize what we share in common and work through our differences with civility, we can preserve and advance freedoms for all.” At the Bill and Barbara Benac Human Dignity and Fairness for All Lecture, Harmer …

Do massive floods worldwide and soaring heatwaves foreshadow changes in the global climate status quo? Last February, the freeze in Texas caused massive power outages, damage to infrastructure, and 172 people lost their lives. What does a system more resilient to catastrophic risk look like? Is our response coming too late? Council on Foreign Relat…

In this year’s Gail Koppman History Lecture Series, the Civil War may have ended on April 9, 1865, but over 150 years later, the fight for a stable democracy continues with polarizing civil tension in the United States. The fight to preserve the Union is more tightly knit with the fight for democracy than any of can imagine. What are the implicatio…

No recent administration has been so intensely scrutinized as that of President Donald Trump. “Insiders,” media, and Congressional hearings attempt to interpret what happened behind the scenes at the Trump White House. Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for The New York Times, and Susan Glasser, staff writer at The New Yorker and founder/…

The monarchy is a national symbol of the UK and a traditional unifying point, as we have just witnessed. As the United Kingdom said goodbye to its longest-reigning monarch, questions arose about how many of the 56 commonwealth nations would retain King Charles III as their sovereign. What is the impact of the Queen’s passing on the world? Does it c…