Around the WorldBoston

January - February 2004

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

Our Mission: 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

Foreign Policy and the 2004 Presidential Election

   World Affairs

  Emerging Leaders

 The WorldBoston Wish List

  Contact Us

FOREIGN POLICY AND THE 2004 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

Brandie E. Conforti, Executive Director

An echo of election years past haunts us once again:  “It’s the economy, stupid!”  Few mantras would seem more appropriate as the 2004 U.S. presidential election process moves ahead at full speed in the midst of a continuing slump in consumer confidence and a jobless economic recovery.  Although economic policy will continue to weigh heavily on the minds of many Americans during this election season, for the first time since the end of the Cold War it appears that many sectors of the U.S. population are expressing concerns about U.S. foreign policy.  These concerns will undoubtedly grow as a result of the recent national elections in Spain where the foreign policy of Prime Minister José María Aznar’s Popular Party appears to have played a major role in the party’s defeat.

The war in Iraq, the continuing presence of al Qaeda forces and other terrorist groups around the globe, the U.S. response to a sustained threat of terrorism and the deployment of U.S. troops to hot spots on several continents are the major foreign policy issues that continue to dominate the news.  As participants in a democratic system, we must take responsibility for gathering as much information as possible about these and other key foreign policy issues in order to make informed voting decisions when we go to the polls in November.  We must also assume responsibility for ensuring that foreign policy issues maintain their rightful place within the entire election discourse.

At WorldBoston, our mission is to present forums that reflect the most relevant issues of the day.  To accomplish this, in addition to our ongoing “Great Decisions” lecture series events in March and April, we will be hosting a luncheon on Tuesday, March 30th, where Ambassador Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, Pakistani Ambassador to the United States, will speak, as well as a luncheon on Tuesday, April 27th, featuring Ambassador Farid Abboud, Lebanese Ambassador to the United States.  Our hope is that these events will give the Greater Boston community significant opportunities to become a better informed and a more knowledgeable electorate.  We hope to see many of our members and supporters at all of these events.

Congratulations to Stu Krusell!  We are pleased to congratulate Stu Krusell, WorldBoston Board Member and former Executive Director of the World Affairs Council of Boston, on his recent appointment to Deputy Director of Iraq Programs for the International Republic Institute.  We wish him great success in this exciting opportunity to help bring freedom and democracy to a people, country and region truly in need  of both.

WORLD AFFAIRS

Melissa McDonald, 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 New Year was launched with a rousing start as World Affairs offered a number of exciting discussions on the current state of affairs between Israel and Palestine, new and emerging travel security measures being taken by the U.S. government and their impact on international relationships, the role of the media in formulating foreign policy, steps for creating a lasting peace in disputed Kashmir and the direction in which The Philippines is headed in this century.  As the momentum continues, please mark your calendars to attend some of our upcoming events.

U.S. and Europe: A Triple Challenge

Tuesday, March 23, 2004 (6:00 PM to 7:30 PM)

at the Boston Public Library’s Mezzanine Conference Room

with Professor Stanley Hoffman, former Chairman of the Harvard University Center for European Studies and Paul and Carol Buttenwieser Professor at Harvard University

U.S. - Pakistani Relations

Tuesday, March 30, 2004 (Noon)

at the Offices of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C., One Financial Center

with Ambassador Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, Pakistani Ambassador to the United States

The Challenges of Islam in a Post 9/11 World: Diversity in Islam

Tuesday, March 30, 2004 (6:00 PM to 7:30 PM)

at the Boston Public Library’s Mezzanine Conference Room

with Qamar Ul-Huda, Assistant Professor of Theology at Boston College

U.S. - Latin American Relations Post 9/11

Tuesday, April 6, 2004 (6:00 PM to 7:30 PM)

at the Boston Public Library’s Mezzanine Conference Room

with David Scott Palmer, Professor of International Relations at Boston University

Middle Eastern Political Reform

Tuesday, April 13, 2004 (6:00 PM to 7:30 PM)

at the Boston Public Library’s Mezzanine Conference Room

with Denis J. Sullivan, Director of the Cronin International Center and Chair of the Department of International Studies at Bentley College

Public Diplomacy and U.S. Foreign Policy

Tuesday, April 20, 2004 (6:00 PM to 7:30 PM)

at the Boston Public Library’s Conference Rooms 5 and 6

with Alan K. Henrikson, Professor of Diplomatic History, The Fletcher School, Tufts University

A Trip to the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York City

Tuesday, May 11, 2004 (6:15 AM to 9:30 PM)

Join us for a day-trip to the Headquarters of the United Nations where we will have briefings from United Nations delegates, lunch in the Delegates’ Dining Room and be given a tour of the facility.  The cost of the trip is $375 for those who register and send payment by March 31st.  The cost includes round-trip transportation, tour, briefings and lunch.  Be sure to join us for this wonderful opportunity.   Please visit our website for more information.  We anticipate that this will be a “sell-out” event, so sign up soon!

We hope you will be able to join us at these events and promise to continue to work judiciously to bring you the best in programming.  Please keep the communication flowing and tell us what you think.  Your ideas are important to us.  To contact the World Affairs program, please call 617- 542-8995, x112, or send an email to wac@worldboston.org.

Note:  Some of you have told us that you would like to see more events held in the evening.  Please know that we are working to identify venues to do this.  If you or someone you know has access to a space that we might be able to use, please let us know and we will follow up with your suggestions.

EMERGING LEADERS

Natasha Palmroth, Director, Emerging Leaders

Kate Harvey, Director, International Visitors

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 grants: International Visitors and Community Connections.  

A Focus on Central Asia.  Central Asia is a region that few people know about.  However, with the war on terrorism being fought close to its borders, we all need to pay more attention to this large, strategic area of the globe.

Central Asia is comprised of five independent countries – the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan.  Sandwiched between Russia, South Asia and the Middle East, all of these countries share many of the same problems and challenges.  While they have taken some steps forward since the collapse of the Soviet Union, these emerging democracies have also experienced regression since gaining independence.

Internally, the Central Asian states are dealing with rampant government corruption and widespread economic decline that have led to poverty, crackdowns on religious and political dissent and, in some cases, the return of authoritarian rule as their governments cite the war on terrorism as justification for their actions.  Externally, they face pressures from neighbors, allies and other independent forces (e.g., terrorist groups).

The mix of internal discord and external pressures leaves the people of Central Asia unsure about where to place their loyalties.  At the same time, the volatile nature of the region is providing a fertile breeding ground for extremist groups – groups that have sprung up internally due to the population’s disenchantment with the state of affairs within Central Asian borders, and outside groups that view the region’s instability as a perfect opportunity to exploit their causes.  For example, in Uzbekistan, where 88 percent of the population is Muslim, two radical Islamic movements have taken root since Uzbek independence.  One of these is known to have been a supporter of the Taliban in Afghanistan, with funding provided by Osama bin Laden; the other is working primarily from within, taking aim at the corrupt government of Uzbekistan in order to transform Central Asia into a region where Shari’a law is the governing ideology.

While the situations in the Middle East and South Asia capture today’s headlines, Central Asia, sitting at the crossroads of terrorist activities, could become the next Afghanistan or Iraq.  Although this diverse and vibrant region of the world has great potential, radicals both inside and outside the region could eventually win widespread support if the populations of Central Asia continue to be quashed by corrupt leaders and poverty becomes the norm.

For all of these reasons, it is essential for the democracies of the world to help bring about reforms before the situation deteriorates further, allowing radical leaders and terrorists to gain control.  Promoting the continued development of stability in the region is the only way to quell the potential flare-ups and infiltration of negative influences that will occur if Central Asia is ignored.  As a world leader, the United States must continue to support these fledgling democracies and work with others to ensure that Central Asia’s transition to a stable, self-governing region is allowed to continue.

Through projects like Community Connections, the United States is helping to bring stability to Central Asia through the development of a civil society.  On April 30th, WorldBoston will welcome its first Community Connections group from Central Asia.  A group of Kazakh professionals will be in Boston for three weeks to study small and medium enterprise development.  If you would like to become involved in this program, please contact Natasha Palmroth, Director of Emerging Leaders.  For more information on this group, please visit our website.

Our International Visitor Project.  Accompanying April showers and May flowers are International Visitors under the Emerging Leaders program.  Spring is a busy season for WorldBoston’s International Visitor project when each year we welcome over 50 visitors and organize some 20 visitor programs a month.  This Spring we will be welcoming visiting professionals from Central Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia who are exploring themes that range from children’s television programming to combating international crime.  All arriving the same day, Mr. Janko Guzijan from Serbia and Montenegro will examine economic forecasting; Mr. Edvard Rtveladze from Uzbekistan, archaeology; Mr. Mario Vera Crestani from Mexico, university theatre programs; and Dr. Marc Berg from The Netherlands, hospital quality improvement.

After a break in Fall 2003 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their program, the Eisenhower Fellows will be back in Boston this Spring.  Nominated by their countries’ senior leaders for significant accomplishments early in their careers, the Eisenhower Fellows chosen for Spring 2004 are expected to have increasing leadership impact in their countries’ domestic, regional and international development.  We are proud of the diversity of professional backgrounds and interests that all of these visitors bring to our International Visitor project.

If you would like to get involved with the International Visitor Project, please contact Kate Harvey.  Be sure to check our website for up-to-date listings of our International Visitors.

Note:   Be sure to tune into Pledge Night at WGBH on Sunday, March 28th, from 5:30 PM to 11:00 PM.  WorldBoston staff members and volunteers Brandie Conforti, Natasha Palmroth, Melissa McDonald and Lorraine Goldstein, along with some friends of WorldBoston, will be answering the phones.  Don’t forget to watch!

THE WORLDBOSTON WISH LIST

We hope that you will consider making a donation to WorldBoston.  Please visit our website and click on Give a Gift to see the kinds of activities your gift will support, as well as a donation form.

Other things on our Wish List are:

   * Volunteer part-time bookkeeper

   * Color printer (PC compatible, 14ppm color;

      installation software must be included)

   * Event sponsors and space

If you are able to donate your time or a top-quality color printer, or are interested in event sponsorship, please contact Brandie Conforti. 

Check Our Website. We are continually updating the WorldBoston website to keep you informed about our programs, upcoming events and visitors, and to make it easier for you to contact us. Please check out our website regularly.