Around the WorldBoston

November - December 2004

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

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

  Freedom to Vote: Our Greatest Privilege

  World Affairs

  Emerging Leaders

  The WorldBoston Wish List

  Contact Us

FREEDOM TO VOTE: OUR GREATEST PRIVILEGE

by Brandie Conforti, Executive Director

I must confess that as I sit here writing these thoughts, I am still groggy from a lack of sleep over the last few weeks.  I can blame this condition either on the baseball playoffs and world series that severely affected my daily life, or my current travel schedule that is taking me to such diverse locations as Florida; Montreal; and Odessa, Ukraine – all within the span of three weeks.  The place that I am most looking forward to visiting is Odessa.  On November 11th my colleague and I will arrive in Kiev, following an overnight flight via Heathrow (London) and an eight-hour train journey to get to Odessa.  Door to door, we will have traveled about 18 hours to get to our final destination.

Many of you may be aware that on October 31st, while many adults and children in the United States were dressing up in costumes and consuming as much chocolate as possible, the Ukrainian people were heading to the polls to elect a new president.  My 18-hour journey pales in comparison to the 13-year journey that these people have traveled from Communism to emerge as a fledgling republic.  As my Ukrainian friends tell me, and as reported in the media, that election will define the future of Ukraine.  The race between reformist challenger Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych, the chosen successor of current President Leonid Kuchma, is set to be a battle between pro-Western ideals versus a potential regression leading to a greater attachment to Moscow.  At the same time, Ukrainians are even more fearful of an unfair and, ultimately, rigged election.

Since 1999, WorldBoston has participated in an exchange project, Community Connections, which in its incarnation focused solely on Russia but was later expanded to encompass Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Uzbekistan and Ukraine.  The primary purpose of this project is to provide hands-on training to business professionals in an emerging democratic society.  A second but equally important purpose is to impart both skills and theory to these individuals in order to help them succeed in strengthening the institutions necessary to build a new society.  To date, WorldBoston has hosted 150 Community Connections participants, the majority of whom have returned home with not only knowledge but also a new-found sense of hope for the possibilities within their reach as they look to the future.

The need for exchange projects such as Community Connections becomes even more apparent in places like Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan where religious extremism is growing exponentially.  Ironically though, the next 12 months will be the last months of the Community Connections project because the U.S. State Department, without warning or reason, canceled the project this past Spring.  As the Executive Director leading a non-profit organization, I as much as anyone understands the ebb and flow of funding priorities.  Yet, as a student of international relations, I also understand that now, more than ever, we as a country need to engage in positive ways in the world around us.  This single factor is the one that will guide my decision when I vote in the U.S. elections on November 2nd.  And, like my friends in Ukraine, I will continue to hope for free and fair elections throughout the world where the voice of the majority is heard and the minority is free to express dissent without fear.

EMERGING LEADERS

Natasha Palmroth, Director, Emerging Leaders

Jennifer Field, International Visitors 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.  

This Fall, through the International Visitor Program, WorldBoston is welcoming visiting professionals from Australia, China, the Czech Republic, India, Jordan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sri Lanka who are exploring a variety of themes, including university administration, fine arts presentation, television and radio station management, the medical devices industry and drug control strategies.

The U.S. election process continues to be a very popular topic with recent and upcoming visitors.  On the Tuesday of our presidential elections, we will be hosting a group of visitors from the People’s Republic of China whose members include political science professors, government representatives and government advisors.  Representing diverse regions in China, all of these individuals are involved in areas relating to public participation in governmental decisions and the selection of government officials.  This project is the result of increased recognition by Chinese government leaders that accountability, diversity of views, and direct channels for expressing the wishes of greater portions of the country’s population are necessary for efficient and effective government as China continue its efforts to modernize.  During their visit to the United States, these individuals will have the opportunity to examine how elections are organized, how candidates interact with constituents and how the media balances political coverage (e.g., opinions; endorsements vs. reporting).  While in Boston, they will be visiting a polling site and meeting with scholars and experts to discuss the elections process.

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 International Visitors.

French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte addresses more 

than 100 people at a WorldBoston evening event.

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:

    * 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. 

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. 

World Affairs has opened this Fall with an extensive line-up of activities that will keep you busy and involved up to the end-of-year holiday season.  Over the last couple of months, we have had the honor of welcoming many distinguished individuals to speak before our members and friends.  Many of you joined us to engage in dialogue with Hassan Abbas, Visiting Scholar at the Harvard Law School and Ph.D. candidate at the Fletcher School at Tufts University; Jerry Burke, former Senior Advisor to the Chief of the Baghdad Police; Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, the Ambassador of Germany to the United States; Ambassador Nabil Fahmy, the Ambassador of Egypt to the United States; Graham Allison, former Assistant Secretary of Defense under President Clinton; and Ambassador Jean-David Levitte, the Ambassador of France to the United States.  In addition, several of you joined us for a day trip to Washington, D.C., that included lunch at an embassy followed by a moving visit to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum where we listened to the story of Manya Friedman, a Holocaust survivor.

All of these activities as well as those currently being organized recognize the increasing importance of engaging in open and productive dialogue about matters of national and international significance.

Save these dates . . .

Tuesday, November 9, 2004 

6:00 P.M. at the Boston Public Library. Free and open to the public.

"Peace Between Israel and Palestine: Is it too late?"

Philip C. Wilcox, Jr., President of the Foundation for Middle East Peace.

Thursday, November 18, 2004 

The Ambassador of Cyprus to the United States

Thursday, December 16, 2004 

The Ambassador of The Netherlands to the United States

For more information about these events and to learn about future events, please check our website periodically for up-to-date information as new events are scheduled.  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 contact the program or to reserve space at an event, please call 617- 542-8995, ext.112, or send an email to wac@worldboston.org.

WorldBoston Executive Director, Brandie Conforti presents 

Ambassador  Levitte with a Red Sox cap. 

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.