Around the WorldBoston

Around the WorldBoston

November - December 2002

Editor in Chief: Brandie E. Conforti Editor: Lorraine Goldstein - Communications

WorldBoston is a catalyst for global engagement that offers cultural perspectives and promotes international thinking in individuals and organizations. WorldBoston provides a staging ground for issues-focused forums, one-on-one dialog, networking and personal and professional growth for residents, businesses and institutions of

Greater Boston and around the globe.

FEATURES

A Heart-Felt Thank-You

Global View

Emerging Leaders

World Affairs

In the Media

A HEART-FELT THANK-YOU

A very special thank-you to the sponsors of our 2002 Christian A. Herter Memorial Award Luncheon. Without their support, the event could not have been the success it was.

Underwriter

State Street Corporation

Benefactors

Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo, PC

ML Strategies, LLC

Sponsors

Fidelity Investments

General Dynamics

Raytheon Company

Table Sponsors

American Council of Young Political Leaders

Boston University

Hilary Burling

Feeley & Driscoll, P.C., CPAs

Gerard Lorden

William Papp

Suffolk University

GLOBAL VIEW

Brandie E. Conforti, Executive Director

A Message for the New Year. During the holiday season, wishes of “peace” were everywhere – in holiday cards, in advertisements, and on radio and television. But in order for peace to come to those parts of the world that today are marked by strife and hostility, we, as citizens and residents of the most powerful nation in the world, need to play a more active role by increasing our awareness and understanding of cultural and religious differences, and by demonstrating a greater interest in international affairs.

With President Bush’s proposed budget for FY 2003 allocating $369 billion for defense (plus a potential extra $10 billion if needed) and $24.3 billion for diplomatic efforts, we must all become more aware of how these tax dollars will be spent and, more important, better understand the foreign policy decisions driving that spending.

As a member of WorldBoston, you have already demonstrated your interest in international issues. My hope is that you will become more involved in and a better informed activist for whatever it is you truly believe in. Spread your enthusiasm to members of your family, friends and colleagues; invite them to attend our programs and events. WorldBoston is a unique resource dedicated to making international affairs relevant to every member of the Greater Boston community. Through distinguished speakers and forums that address critical issues, and by bringing emerging leaders from around the globe to Boston, our objective is to engage and inform the public about international issues that affect us all.

We have all experienced many changes and challenges this past year. WorldBoston is no exception, but because of that we are now stronger as an organization. We have a dedicated and multi-talented staff supported by a cadre of enthusiastic volunteers and interns, and we have a board that provides strong leadership. We enter the New Year with a renewed sense of dedication and a refreshed spirit, and we look forward to working with you, our members, to enhance Boston’s role as an international city and to promote global engagement.

WorldBoston Selected as a Massachusetts 2002 Catalogue for Philanthropy Charity. WorldBoston is extremely proud to be one of 80 Massachusetts outstanding educational, environmental and human service agencies profiled in the 2002 Catalogue. The Catalogue is designed to promote philanthropy and to help people make informed decisions about what charities to support. WorldBoston was chosen after a rigorous review of a total applicant pool of over 200 organizations. According to George McCully, who created the Catalogue in 1997, “Charities are chosen for general excellence, cost effectiveness and general interest to the public.”

Come to Our Open House. Help us celebrate the new WorldBoston. Come by our office on Wednesday, January 15th, for an informal gathering from 4:30 P.M. to 6:30 P.M. Meet our staff, learn more about us, and enjoy some light refreshments.

EMERGING LEADERS

Kate Harvey, Director, International Visitors

Natasha Palmroth, Director, Community Connections

The mission of Emerging Leaders is to engage and develop dynamic thinkers from around the world who will drive global change in the future. It involves the administration of two United States Department of State programs: the International Visitor Program and Community Connections.

A Year in Review. The Paul G. Harold Program for Emerging Leaders is proud of its achievements in its first year as the new professional development wing of WorldBoston. Experiencing a modest recovery after 9/11, we welcomed over 500 International Visitors from over 100 countries as well as 30 Community Connections participants. We are thankful to these outstanding international professionals who have brought a little bit of their world to us. We are fortunate to work in an environment where our eyes are opened every day to a new and exciting slice of the globe.

Our next group of Community Connections participants will arrive in Boston on February 7th and be here through February 27th. If you are interested in becoming a Community Connections homestay host or business internship host for one of these 10 travel and tourism professionals from Kaliningrad, Russia, please contact Natasha Palmroth, Director of Community Connections (phone: 617-542-8995, ext. 104; email: el@worldboston.org).

If you would like to become involved with International Visitors for professional meetings, social hospitality or home hosting, please contact Kate Harvey, Director of International Visitors (phone: 617-542-8995, ext. 105; email: el@worldboston.org). Be sure to check our website for an up-to-date listing of our January International Visitors.

We are constantly impressed by the high caliber of all our visiting emerging leaders. We hope you will join us in welcoming then and making them part of your global community.

WORLD AFFAIRS

Elizabeth J. Streiff, Director, World Affairs

World Affairs strives to educate, inform and foster understanding of international affairs; and to provide accessibility for the general public to participate in the discussion of global issues.

The Christian A. Herter Award Luncheon. In 2002, World Affairs held a series of timely and highly informative programs on a variety of topics, culminating with the Christian A. Herter Memorial Award Luncheon on December 2nd. At that time, Senator Richard Lugar, the incoming Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Senator Carl Levin, the current Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, were given the Herter Award for their bipartisan work on American foreign policy and national security issues.

Held at the Fairmont Copley Plaza, the luncheon was attended by over 275 people. Participating in the event were the USS Constitution Color Guard, a brass quintet from the Navy Band Northeast, and a children's chorus from the Jonas Clarke Middle School and Bridge Elementary School in Lexington.

In their acceptance speeches, both senators focused on the potential of a war with Iraq and the threat of future terrorist acts against the United States. Both stated that Iraq cannot be allowed to keep its weapons of mass destruction, with Senator Lugar noting that “Saddam could supply weapons of mass destruction to terrorists in other countries . . . with no return address.” Both senators cautioned against a U.S. unilateral invasion of Iraq without United Nations approval, with Senator Levin stating, “[This] could precipitate the kind of terrorist response which we’re trying to stamp out and trying to prevent.”

Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Indiana) & Sen. Carl Levin (D-Michigan)

Click here to see more photos from the event.

Some Upcoming Events

· Poland: What Does the Future Hold? Join us at noon on Friday, January 10th, when Ambassador Christopher R. Hill, U.S. Ambassador to Poland, will discuss Poland’s role in the changing world.

· The Evolution of the Political and Humanitarian Situation in Iraq. On Monday, January 27th, an evening reception and presentation will feature Kanan Makiya, Professor of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies at Brandeis University, and Dr. Mohammed Ahmed, former Senior Economic & Social Affairs Officer, United Nations, and former Professor, University of Baghdad.

For more information about these and other future events, be sure to check our website or call Elizabeth J. Streiff, Director of World Affairs (617-542-8995, ext. 112). If there are any topics that you would like us to address in the future, please send your suggestions by email to estreiff@worldboston.org.

IN THE MEDIA

If you missed the Herter Award Luncheon, you might catch the senators’ speeches on C-SPAN. To date, C-SPAN’s hour-long coverage of the senators’ comments has been aired four times, including prime-time spots on both coasts. The Boston Herald and The Boston Globe also covered the event. If you’d like copies of the press articles, contact Elizabeth Streiff.

The November 22-28 issue of the Boston Business Journal carried a story about Oleg Betzel, a young Ukrainian banker who, through WorldBoston’s Community Connections program, did an internship at Eastern Bank in order to learn about U.S. retail banking.