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Around the WorldBoston May - June 2005
The
mission of WorldBoston is to provide a private, non-profit, non-partisan
forum for educating the public about matters of national and international
significance. We do this by
presenting an ongoing series of distinguished speakers, and by bringing to
Boston emerging leaders from around the world for the purpose of sharing
ideas, discovering opportunities for mutual growth, and creating bonds of
friendship and understanding. FEATURES
Moving Ahead Corporate Member Spotlight World Affairs Emerging Leaders 2005 Annual Membership Meeting A Thank You The WorldBoston Wish List Contact Us MOVING AHEAD Members and supporters of WorldBoston have recently been made aware of a number of changes in how we operate and how we communicate. These changes reflect our continuing efforts to enable the organization to perform at the highest possible level and to provide superior service to our membership. Member Benefits. Over the last month, we have offered some new incentives to encourage prospective new members to join our organization, provided several cost-savings opportunities to all members to subscribe to a variety of national and international publications, continued to grow our list of corporate supporters, and worked to creatively enhance our programming. For all of these reasons, as well as the introduction of members-only events, now is one of the best times to join WorldBoston or to renew your membership. More Environmentally Conscious and a Friendlier Website. With the advent of paperless mailings and a greater commitment to and dependence on maintaining a high-quality website, WorldBoston is becoming more environmentally conscious. We encourage you to check our website frequently as it continues to be updated and enhanced to make it more user friendly and easier to keep you informed.
Annual
Membership Meeting. Lastly,
I encourage each of you to take an active stance within the organization
by not only participating in our programs, but also by attending our
annual membership meeting on May 10th (see additional information below).
As a member of WorldBoston, this is your opportunity to meet our
staff and board members, ask questions and voice your opinions. I look forward to seeing you there! Brandie
Conforti Executive Director
CORPORATE MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Foley
Hoag LLP, a business law firm with 250 attorneys and offices in Boston and
Washington, D.C., assists clients ranging from governments and NGOs to
multinational corporations, financial institutions, start-up enterprises
and entrepreneurs. Its lawyers represent clients in more than 80 countries
in legal engagements involving business and investment, international
taxation, privatization and law reform, arbitration and litigation,
government relations and lobbying, intellectual property protection, and
corporate and environmental social responsibility. Foley Hoag is one of
the few private law firms to appear before the World Court in The Hague
and, in addition, the firm is a member of Lex Mundi, a worldwide
organization of 160 independent law firms and over 14,000 attorneys. For
more information, please visit http://www.foleyhoag.com. |
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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.
During the Spring 2005 event season, we have once again been fortunate to bring to our members some distinguished speakers including Osman Faruk Logoglu, Ambassador of Turkey to the United States, and Jehangir Karamat, Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States. At the same time, our program on “Religion and Foreign Policy” and our “Great Decisions” lecture series have continued to elicit a great deal of interest. Upcoming Events . . . “Religion
and Foreign Policy”
A
four-part series of panel discussions made possible through the generous support of
the Boston Foundation’s Curtis International Fund. Time:
6:00 PM Location:
Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston Street, Boston (please check our website
for the room location) Cost: Free and open to the public From
the Israeli-Palestinian crisis, to the War on Terror, to genocide in
Darfur, the intersection of religion and politics becomes increasingly
complicated each day. Although
the first two discussions in this program covering Christianity and Islam
have already taken place, please join WorldBoston for the remaining panel
discussions. You will find
them informative and thought-provoking.
Topic: Judaism Date: Thursday, May
12, 2005 Panel: Hillel Fradkin, Fellow, the Hudson Institute; Rabbi Robert Goldstein, Temple Emanuel, Andover; Jonathan Sarna, Professor of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, Brandeis University Topic: Summary Date: Thursday,
June 2, 2005 Panel: Wat Cluverius, former Ambassador and member of the all-American negotiating delegation following the Camp David Accords (1978-1983) and current President of the Cleveland Council on World Affairs; Ronald F. Thiemann, Professor of Theology and of Religion and Society, Harvard Divinity School Note: Pre-registration is suggested for these events. _______________ Benazir
Bhutto, Former Prime Minister of Pakistan
A Special Members-Only Event! (Join
WorldBoston today and save $35 on your first-year’s membership.) Date:
Monday,
May 2, 2005 Time: 12:30 – 1:45 PM General Luncheon and Discussion Location: Hilton Hotel Back Bay, 40 Dalton Street, Boston Cost: $65 (A three-course plated meal will be served) This
event is limited to current members in good standing. Benazir Bhutto is the first woman to lead an Islamic state in modern times. The daughter of former Pakistani Premier Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto received her early education in Pakistan and later attended both Harvard University and Oxford University, earning degrees in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. In 1988, she was elected Prime Minister of Pakistan in the country’s first open election in more than a decade, serving 20 months of her term before leaving office. She was reelected Prime Minister in 1993. Her political career has focused on ending divisions in Pakistani society and reducing discrimination between men and women. She has also struggled to launch a nationwide program of health and education reform. Since 1999, Ms. Bhutto has been living in self-imposed exile in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, where she still heads the Pakistan People’s Party. Throughout her life Ms. Bhutto has overcome personal and professional struggles and has triumphed. Space at this
event is extremely limited so reserve your place today. Reservations are required and must be paid in full at that time.
Cancellations must be received by 8 AM on Friday, April 29, 2005,
for a full refund. _______________ U.S.-Syrian
Relations
(Join
WorldBoston today and save $35 on your first-year’s membership.) Speaker:
Imad Moustapha, Ambassador
of the Republic of Syria to the United States Date: Tuesday, May 10, 2005 Time: Noon Luncheon; 12:15 PM Discussion Location: The Offices of Foley Hoag, World Trade Center West, 155 Seaport Blvd., 13th Floor, Boston Cost: $25 for members; $35 for non-members
The
Offices of Foley Hoag are easily accessible by car or public
transportation. For driving
directions, please visit the Foley Hoag website.
Parking is available at the Seaport Hotel garage.
If using public transportation, you may access the Silver Line at
South Station. There is also
a complimentary shuttle service from the corner of Devonshire and Water
Streets (State St./Government Center) as well as from the corner of Canal
and Causeway Streets (North Station). Reservations
are required and must be received by 8 AM on Monday, May 9, 2005.
Cancellations must be received by 8 AM on Monday, May 9, 2005, for
a full refund. _______________ The WorldBoston/Suffolk University Global Leadership Series U.S. – Libyan Relations (Join
WorldBoston today and save $35 on your first-year’s membership.) Speaker: Ambassador Ali Aujali, Chief of the Libyan Liaison Office in Washington, D.C. Date:
Thursday,
May 19, 2005 Time: 11:45 AM Private Pre-event Luncheon (limited to 15) Noon, General Luncheon 12:15 PM, Discussion Location: Suffolk University, 1 Beacon St., Boston, 25th Floor - CMD Conference Room Cost: General Luncheon and Discussion: $25 for WorldBoston members; $35 for non-members Private
Pre-event Luncheon and Discussion: $50 Following the 1988 bombing of PanAm flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, an incident for which Libya for many years denied culpability, the Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya was isolated by much of the international community and the target of sanctions imposed by the United Nations. In 2003, however, Libya took formal responsibility for the bombing and agreed to pay compensation to families of the victims. Months later, Libya announced its decision to halt its program to produce weapons of mass destruction. Both of these important actions were made by Libya to restore its place in world affairs and pave the way for a further blossoming of relations with the West. They resulted in the lifting of sanctions by the United Nations and efforts by the United States to begin the process of building relations with a country it long considered an enemy nation. Today, the United States has a representative located in Tripoli and Tripoli has a representative in Washington, D.C. While these actions are positive, one must wonder where the relationship is headed and what road it will take given the years of animosity. Much work remains to be done to repair the U.S.-Libyan relationship, and the next few years will test the strides that have already been made. Reservations are required and must be received by 8 AM on Wednesday, May 18, 2005. Pre-payment is advisable to guarantee your seat as this event is expected to sell out. Cancellations must be received by 8 AM on Wednesday, May 18, 2005, for a full refund.
Because
our last two luncheon events sold out quickly, be sure to make your
reservations as soon as possible. Also,
feel free to pass along all event information to others you believe might
be interested in attending.
For more information about these events and to learn about future events, please check our website periodically. And keep the communication flowing by telling us what you would like us to address in the future or to provide feedback on events you have attended. Your ideas are important to us.
To reserve space at an event or to contact the program, please call 617- 542-8995, ext.112, or send an email to wac@worldboston.org.
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EMERGING LEADERS Natasha Palmroth, Director, Emerging Leaders Jennifer Field, International Visitors Project Associate Sokol Shtylla, Community Connections Project Associate
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.
After a bit of a down period during the Winter, the Emerging Leaders Program has spun into high gear. Over the next month, we will be welcoming many visitors to Boston, including our final group of Community Connections participants as well as a large number of international visitors from around the globe. Community Connections. WorldBoston has been hosting Community Connections participants since 1999. Over the years, the Community Connections groups we have hosted have represented some of the best young professionals from the former Soviet Union. It has always been exciting to get to know each group and to wait with great anticipation to learn about the wonderful things all of our alumni are doing back home after completing the program. The program has been a success in Boston because of the involvement of so many people in the Greater Boston community, from our wonderful homestay families that have opened their homes to our guests on more than one occasion and shown them the best of American life, to the professional resources that have volunteered to share their knowledge and experience. And although the State Department is phasing out this program, the friendships forged will surely be one of the lasting legacies of the program. 17th
Community Connections Group.
Between April 29th and May 19th, WorldBoston
will host this Community Connections group from Komi, Russia.
The 10 members of the group represent different entities, including
governmental agencies that develop youth policy for the Komi area of
Russia and non-profit organizations that implement numerous programs
targeting youth. The
interests of the group are diverse, ranging from learning about the
process of formulating public policies affecting youth to observing direct
service programs that utilize innovative techniques in working with youth. WorldBoston
has prepared for this group an intensive professional program that will
incorporate meetings and visits at a number of organizations in the Boston
area, including agencies of Boston city government, the Massachusetts
Department of Education, the Boys and Girls Club, Citizen Schools,
CityYear, Thompson Island Outward Bound, Home for Little Wanderers, and
United Way. In addition to
the professional program, a series of cultural activities is planned that
will highlight the history and many attractions of the Boston area,
including a guided tour of Boston and Cambridge. International Visitors Program. The warm weather seems to bring more visitors to Boston. In the last month, as the temperature has been rising (finally!), so has the number of international visitors. As a result, we have been developing programs for a diverse group of individuals from all four corners of the globe. Some of our visitors included a gentleman from Zimbabwe who wanted to learn about the U.S. investment industry. We also organized two programs that focused on young professionals: Young Political Leaders from India and Pakistan, and Young Entrepreneurs from Spain. Intellectual property rights was the topic of interest for visitors from both South Korea and Russia, while two groups of Polish visitors wanted to study U.S. foreign policy and arts management, and a Venezuelan visitor wanted to learn about public housing. May is already shaping up to be a busy month, with three groups from Morocco; two visitors from China; two visitors from South Africa; and visitors from Iceland, Slovakia, the Netherlands and Malaysia.
If you would like to get involved with the International Visitors project and interact with a diverse group of individuals, please contact Jennifer Field, International Visitors Project Associate.
Be sure to check our website for up-to-date listings of all of our upcoming visitors.
(l-r) Melissa McDonald, Farukh Amil, Brandie Conforti, Amb. Jehangir Karamat, Kent Lucken
2005
WORLDBOSTON ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING Date:
Tuesday, May 10, 2005 Time:
5:00 PM Location:
WorldBoston, One Milk Street, 6th Floor, Boston We
know that you believe in the mission of WorldBoston and hope that you will
join us to discuss issues of importance to the long-term vitality and
success of our organization. Please
join us at this meeting to:
Please
make a reservation to attend the meeting by calling 617-542-8995, x112,
or by emailing wac@worldboston.org. A THANK YOU
WorldBoston would like to thank its Spring 2005 interns for all of their hard work this semester!
Bridget Cusick Stonehill College
Natalia Cybulska Regis College
Emily Huston Tufts University
Sotirios Pintzopoulos Stonehill College
Sarah Ryan Simmons College
We wish them much success in the future!
THE
WORLDBOSTON WISH LIST
On our Wish List are:
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.
CONTACT US TO. . .
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WorldBoston
One Milk Street, 3rd Floor
Boston, MA 02109
Tel: 617-542-8995
Fax: 617-423-7918
Email: wb@worldboston.org
Website: www.worldboston.org
