Around the WorldBoston

September - October 2005

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

Some Comments From WorldBoston’s Executive Director

World Affairs

Emerging Leaders

In the Media

Meet WorldBoston Member Dave Harmon

WorldBoston Partner Profile:  Quebec-New England Cross Border Forum

Special Thanks

The WorldBoston Wish List

Contact Us

SOME COMMENTS FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

As Summer draws to a close, renewed fears of terrorism and the unfortunate repercussions of a backlash against the Muslim community influence much of how we think and what we do.  The bombings in London and the messages from al Qaeda promising attacks on a grander scale than 9/11 elicit feelings of angst, confusion and, among some people, a desire for greater retaliation.  Against this backdrop, I recently had two very disturbing experiences that make me believe even more in the critical work that WorldBoston does to build bridges between people and countries around the world through our programs of public education and exchange.

In July, one week after the London bombings, I was at a Boston company’s Summer outing.  While seated at a table enjoying a clambake, I found the topic of conversation suddenly switched from finance (the company’s focus) to terrorism, with comments quickly changing from those based on fact to statements reflecting outright ignorance and racism.  Because I was a guest and largely among strangers, I exercised great control to remain silent.  But I was appalled when a supposedly well-educated individual stated unequivocally that Muslims want to become suicide bombers because they are promised virgin women in heaven.  This individual seemed to actually believe that members of the Muslim population as a whole desire to become suicide bombers – that this is intrinsic to their faith and that they are rewarded “handsomely” for giving up their lives in this fashion.  I am not sure how this belief would translate for female suicide bombers and, because I did not believe this individual would be able to address this, I restrained from challenging him on this point.

A second troubling experience occurred a short time later when WorldBoston posted an announcement for our August 3rd event on The New al Qaeda, Post 9/11.  On one day alone I received a number of hate-filled emails from a so-called “pro-Arab and pro-Muslim” fringe group in Boston.  The emails were filled with threatening language that generally reflected themes of anti-Semitism, not only blaming Israel and the Jewish population for global terrorism from 9/11 on, but also accusing them of actually being the terrorists.  Several of the emails went on to state that al Qaeda is a complete fabrication and a conspiracy of Israel, and that all Arab governments are puppet governments of the United States and Israel.  Without question, this was the most disturbing and offensive email I have received during my five years at WorldBoston.

However, one line in one email served to strengthen my resolve and, hopefully, will reinforce your commitment to the mission of WorldBoston.  That line stated, “Enough romanticism about so-called building bridges between the United States and elsewhere.”  But can we ever do too much work to promote understanding and learn the truth about so many complex situations affecting the United States and the world?

The members of WorldBoston, as a group of concerned citizens with perhaps the most important personal attribute today – common sense – have an obligation to speak louder, work harder and continue to contribute to public understanding of the most difficult issues that we as world citizens face.  Should we choose not to, our world will populate with more divisive and more toxic individuals such as those I encountered this Summer.  This is not romanticism; it is simple and plain reality.

Brandie Conforti

Executive Director

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. 

I will be leaving WorldBoston at the end of August to pursue a new career direction but, before doing so, I want to thank all of the people with whom I have had the pleasure of working over the last two years.  I have truly enjoyed my experiences at WorldBoston and will miss all of you.  I especially want to thank my co-workers for all of their support; the wonderful interns who have worked so dedicatedly with me on World Affairs events; the WorldBoston Board of Directors; the national World Affairs Council; all of the organizations that have collaborated with WorldBoston to offer such outstanding events; and last but not least, you, WorldBoston’s members, who have faithfully attended and supported our events.  I have really enjoyed getting to know you.

I am proud of the variety and caliber of events that World Affairs has been able to offer and assure you that we are working to continue to provide you with equally provocative and informative speakers who will address the most pressing issues of the day.  Please mark your calendars to attend the first two events of our new programming season.

Upcoming Events . . .

John Cohen, Senior Homeland Security Policy Advisor to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Date:  Thursday, September 15, 2005

Time:  Noon, General Luncheon; 12:15 P.M., Discussion

Location:  To Be Announced

Cost:  $10 for WorldBoston Members/$20 for Non-Members

(Join WorldBoston today and save $20 on your first-year’s membership.)

“Running the World”: The Inside Story of the National Security Council and the Architects of American Power

Date:  Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Time:  6:00 P.M. Discussion

Location:  Boston Public Library, 700 Boylston Street, Boston, Mezzanine Conference Room

Cost:  Free and open to the public

Speaker:  David J. Rothkopf, Author of “Running the World” and Visiting Scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

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 a place at an event or to contact the program, please call 617-542-8995, ext. 112, or send an email to wac@worldboston.org.

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.  

Throughout the Summer months, WorldBoston has continued to welcome many outstanding professionals to Boston through the International Visitors Leadership Program.  In July, we hosted a large group of women from around the world.  Their program theme, Leadership Development for Women, had several objectives:

• To examine the leadership roles of women in government, business and the independent sectors, as well as leadership training for women.

• To develop an understanding of the values and ethics that serve as the foundation for educational leadership training for women.

• To examine the contributions of women in U.S. society.

To achieve these objectives, WorldBoston organized an intensive program that included meetings with the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail, Harvard University’s Women and Public Policy Program, Bentley College’s Institute for Women and Leadership, and the Caucus of Women Legislators.  The group was also invited to join participants at the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day walk.

Feedback from the group indicated that the time these women spent in Boston helped them gain a lot of understanding about the role of women in the United States.  They also lauded the training they received at Bentley College and noted that their participation in the Cancer walk was “an amazing experience.”

Looking forward, this Fall WorldBoston will welcome several regional and multi-regional groups from Afghanistan, Albania, Bolivia, Canada, India, Mongolia, Morocco and Saudi Arabia.  The individuals in these groups will be exploring a variety of themes, including conflict resolution and human rights, transparency and good governance, tourism and economic development, U.S. foreign policy, higher education, grassroots democracy and civic responsibility, and interfaith dialogue.

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.

IN THE MEDIA  

The Spring 2004 issue of Suffolk Business, a publication of Suffolk University’s Sawyer School of Management, cited two recent WorldBoston/Suffolk University Global Leadership Series luncheons: the April 4th event at which His Excellency Osman Faruk Logoglu, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the United States, talked about the recent economic growth of Turkey and the country’s ongoing desire for membership in the European Union; and the May 19th event at which Ali Aujali, Chief of the Libyan Liaison Office in Washington, D.C., discussed recent efforts to restore relations between the once enemy nations of Libya and the United States.

MEET WORLDBOSTON MEMBER DAVE HARMON  

We’d like to introduce Dave Harmon, a WorldBoston member and supporter for over 20 years who first “discovered” WorldBoston through a friend.

Q:  As someone who has traveled extensively in many parts of the world for both business and pleasure, why is WorldBoston important to you?

The speakers and visitors coming through WorldBoston give me a personal view of the world that does not come through the press or other sources.  As many ambassadors and visitors tell us, our press is free except for Middle East and Muslim views.  We hear those other views at WorldBoston.

Q:  What sorts of WorldBoston events do you attend?

I go to most of the lunches for ambassadors and other speakers.  In addition, through the Emerging Leaders program I host many visitors who are involved in business, politics and diplomacy.  This gives me a chance to exchange views with them on our respective countries and is a great learning experience.

Q:  How do WorldBoston’s events and opportunities to network support your business/professional interests?

Although I don’t seek business opportunities, they’re there.  I have developed a network of friends here and abroad who have similar interests in being better informed about world affairs.  They want to “hear for themselves” in addition to reading what the press has to say.

Q:  Would you encourage others to join WorldBoston?

Anyone who has an interest in foreign affairs should join WorldBoston.  The opportunity to hear good speakers who explain the background to events is worthwhile.  Moreover, the quality of these presentations has improved significantly in recent years.  In addition , the opportunity to host the quality of foreigners coming through Boston through the Emerging Leaders program is appreciated by the visitors and fascinating for me.

WORLDBOSTON PARTNER PROFILE: 

QUEBEC-NEW ENGLAND BORDER FORUM

The Quebec-New England Cross Border Forum was established in 2004 to promote collaboration between Quebec and New England.  Balancing trade and security has been a constant concern since the organization’s inauguration in Stanstead, Quebec.  In the wake of September 11th, Paul Cellucci, former U.S. Ambassador to Canada, made it clear that U.S. security took priority over trade.  Allowing the free flow of trade while working on having security measures, promoting business relations between Quebec and the New England states and working on regional issues are among the Forum’s key goals.

Since its creation by François Lebrun, former Quebec delegate to Boston and now the Forum’s President, the Forum has held several conferences and offered various activities focused on cross-border issues.  The Annual Colloquium of June 9-10, 2005, marked the Forum’s biggest event so far, with 100 businesspeople gathered for two days in Stanstead to get acquainted, learn from one another and work on new projects, with a special focus on issues related to border security and cross-border relations.

“This first gathering has surpassed all of our expectations,” said the two Co-Presidents of the event, Maurice Di Stéfano of Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton (QC), and Steve Marsh, President of the Community National Bank (VT).  In fact, business leaders from both sides of the border were able to establish some very fruitful contacts, contacts that will certainly be to the advantage of the entire region – on both sides of the border.”

SPECIAL THANKS

The staff at WorldBoston extend a special thanks to our Summer 2005 interns and wish them all the best of luck as they return to the classroom: 

Andrew Bielak - University of Michigan

Alex Davies - Lehigh University

Jason Huber - George Washington University

Laura Keane - University of New Hampshire

Sarah King - Connecticut College

THE WORLDBOSTON WISH LIST

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

In addition, we are always seeking new event sponsors.  If you 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.