Archive of Past Events

We are keeping a detailed list of the Council’s recent and past events. For clarity and organization, the events from 2002 to 2004 include just the date and title, but please feel free to contact the Council if you would like more information.
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Most Recent Events »
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First Night Activity:  “Being Mahmoud Ahmadinejad: Inside Today’s Iran”


with Mark Johnson and Sally Cummins

This event took place on December 31st, 2009 in room #204 of the Todd Bldg, UM Campus

The nuclear crisis in Iran has attracted the world’s attention. For 30 years, the governments of the US and Iran have viewed each other with suspicion and animosity. Mark Johnson and his wife, Sally Cummins, have just returned from a 6 week visit across Iran. They spoke with dozens of Iranian citizens in many cities and villages, finding out what is happening behind the scenes and what Iranians really think.

 

 CHINA Town Hall

China Town Hall

“Issues in US – China Relations” and “Is China a Threat to the US?”
with Dr. Terry Weidner, Dr. Steven Levine, and Dr. Kurt M. Campbell

This event took place on Tuesday, December 8th, 2009,
in room #210 of the Todd Bldg, UM Campus.

 

Nov. 17th 2009 >  Climate Countdown: A Discussion on Cap and Trade

 

George David Banks; former Senior Adviser – International Affairs and Climate Change
for the White House Council on Environmental Quality
Murali Kanakasabai; Vice President & Senior Economist, Chicago Climate Exchange
Keegan Eisenstadt; President & CEO – ClearSky Climate Solutions, Missoula, MT

Bob Seidenschwarz introduced our three speakers.  Mr. Eisenstadt and Mr. Kanakasabai presented data on Cap and Trade, explaining how carbon offsets and emission trading works.
Mr. Banks described where this is headed in US and foreign policy, and the discussion was then
opened to the audience, culminating in an excellent question-and-answer dialogue.  

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Oct. 27th 2009 >  “Who Speaks for Islam? What A Billion Muslims Really Think” 

with Dalia Mogahed; Senior Analyst and Executive Director of the Gallup Center for Muslim Studies

Ms. Mogahed presented results of Gallup polls on Muslims throughout the world and their perception of the West and the United States at a very well-attended event at the UM campus. Many of the results of the polls challenge contemporary views of Muslims.  See photos of the event! (coming soon)

 

Events of 2009 » 

January 29-30 A New View of Africa: Portraits in Progress
Photo exhibit displayed at the Rankin Peace Center
February 24th Fall Out Northeast Asia: Consequences of the Global Economic Crisis and Nuclear Stalemate on the Korean Peninsula
with Tom Byrne: Senior Vice President of Moody’s Investor Service,Gordan Flake: Executive Director, Maureen & Mike Mansfield Foundation, andNicole Finnemann: Director of Research and Academic Affairs, Korea Economic Institute< Cosponsored with the Maureen & Mike Mansfield Center >
March 4-5 New Avenues for U.S. Middle East Policy Conference

  • “Changing Interests in the Middle East: Implications for U.S. Policies” with Dr. John Duke Anthony
  • “U.S. Foreign Policy Toward Iraq and Afghanistan” Panel Presentation 
  • “U.S. Foreign Policy Toward Egypt and North Africa” Panel Presentation
  • “What the President Faces: Now Comes the Hard Part” Closing Presentation with Ambassador Mark Johnson

< Cosponsored with the Maureen & Mike Mansfield Center >
May 7th Southern Africa: Portraits of Progress
with Her Excellency, Ambassador Ndilowe of Malawi, Joan Wadelton: Senior Advisor on Africa, US Dept of State, and Tim McCoy: VP Member Services, Corporate Council on Africa
September 10th Transatlantic Megatrends
with Michael Maibach, CEO and President of the European-American Business Council

 

Events of 2008 »

February 13th Academic WorldQuest Competition
with Mayor John Engen as Master of Ceremonies
April 10th Can the CIA Get it Right?
with Tim Wiener: Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter from the New York Times< Cosponsored with the UM School of Journalism >
April 17th
China Town Hall: Local Connections, National Reflections               
< Cosponsored with the Maureen & Mike Mansfield Center >

 
April 26th Discover Turkey
A free teacher workshop on the history and culture of Turkey including presenters Thomas Goltz, Dave Grimland, Dr. Yvonne Seng, Tamila Melendze, and Professor Jeffery Gritzner.
May 21st Israeli Consul General David Akov
September 16th The Next Pandemic: Are We Prepared?
with Peter Marghella: CEO and President of Medical Planning Resources INC and Former Senior Medical Planner, Office of the Secretary of Defense
 
October 23rd What the Next President Needs to Know About Intelligence
with Mel Goodman: Author, Commentator, and 40-year veteran of the CIA
October 29th Stop Genocide
with John Prendergast: Co-chair of ENOUGH< Cosponsored with the Jeannette Rankin Peace Center and the
Intercultural Youth & Family Development Program of the University of Montana >
November 15th   Delegation of Saudi Women – Cancelled
November 18th   The Global Financial Crisis: Can Humpty Dumpty be put back together?
with Richard Erb: Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund and former Senior Official, White House, US Treasury Department
 

 

Events of 2007 »

March 7th Egypt: Timeless or Out of Time?
with Ambassador Mark Johnson: National Vice Chairman, World Affairs Councils of America.
 
April 26th Global Media and the Power of Images
with Ralph Begleiter: Former CNN world correspondent, host of the Foreign Policy Association’s ‘Great Decisions’ television series, and University of Delaware’s Distinguished Journalist in Residence.
June 16th 10th Commemorative Anniversary of the Montana Korean War Memorial
with Ambassador LEE Tae-Sik of the Republic of Korea
September 25th ADVANCING GLOBAL DEMOCRACY: THE CASE OF THE MIDDLE EAST
with Tom Garrett of the International Republican Institute and Les Cambell of the National  Democratic Institute
November 5th The UK and the U.S.: What next for London and Washington?
with the Honorable Julian Evans: UK Consul General, British Consulate General of San Francisco
December 11th    US – Syria and the New Old Middle East: Confrontation or Cooperation?
with His Excellency Dr. Imad Moustapha: Ambassador of Syria
 

 

Events of 2006 »

November 1st The Path to Peace and Security in the Middle East
A panel discussion on peace and security in the Middle East, part of the UN Foundation’s “The People Speak” series.With featured speaker Daniel Levy: Former Israeli diplomat, advisor to former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, and member of a joint Palestinian-Israeli effort to resolve the crisis with innovative proposals.Distinguished panel of professors: Mehrdad Kia, Jeffrey Gritzner, Roger Deal of UM and Barry Ferst of Carroll College.Mark Johnson of the World Affairs Council as moderator.
 
November 14th End of the Line: The Rise and Coming Fall of the Global Corporation
with Barry Lynn: Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation, former Executive Editor for Global Business

 

Events of 2005 »

February 3rd Religious and Political Freedoms in China: Tibet, Falun Gong and the Internet
with Dr. Deborah Schneider: U.S. State Department
 
April 7th Palestine and Israel After Arafat
with Philip Wilcox: President, Foundation for Middle East Peace, Washington, DC.

 

Events of 2004 »

American Foreign Policy: From Vietnam to Iraq: Differing Approaches
with Dr. Jerry Leach: National President, World Affairs Councils of America.

International Education in a New World: The Voyage of Discovery Continues
with Senator George McGovern

The Other War: Colombia

America Alone: The Neo-Conservatives and the Global Order

A Good Man in Hell: General Romeo Dallaire and the Rwanda Genocide

US and Europe: Partners or Rivals?

Dispatch from Afghanistan

 

Events of 2003 »

Bring Down a Dictator: Slobodan Milosevic
with Dr. Paul Lauren

US Foreign Policy in Latin America, and Reflections on a Recent Trip to Iraq
with Fr. Roy Bourgeois: Founder of SOA Watch.

Senator Mike Mansfield: The Extraordinary Life of a Great Statersman and Diplomat
with Don Oberdorfer

The Global HIV/AIDS Threat
with Nancy Carter-Foster in conjunction with the University of Montana United Nations Program.

Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda
with Lt. General (ret.) Romeo Dallaire

Saudi Arabia and the US: What’s Next?
with senior delegates from the Saudi Foreign Ministry

The US and Central Asia
with Ambassador Elizabeth Jones, US Assistant Secretary of State

Women in the Middle East
with Ambassador Nancy Ely-Raphael

Events of 2002 »

The Future of Israel
with Dr. Raphael Danziger

The US and the World: Clash of Cultures?
with Frank Hodsoll

Montana and the World: After 9/11
with Ambassador Mark Johnson

The Future of the United Nations
in conjunction with the US State Department and the Model UN Program at UM