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Dear Friends,
Welcome to this week's WorldBoston Recommends email, highlighting high-quality programming for the upcoming week, special opportunities, and event recordings, whether our own, from other World Affairs Councils, or other excellent venues.
We hope these recommendations help you stay internationally engaged, wherever you may be.
Best regards,
Your Friends at WorldBoston
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Great Decisions: U.S. Engagement with Africa
Thursday, January 29th
6:00 – 7:30 PM
This Great Decisions lecture will examine the evolution of U.S. engagement with Africa by critically comparing decades of aid-led diplomacy with an emerging emphasis on trade, investment, and commercial partnership. Framed around the question of what actually drives sustainable growth, the discussion will assess the historical outcomes of aid-first strategies, the viability and limits of increased U.S. private-sector investment, and how policy, regulatory reform, and risk mitigation can unlock greater capital flows across diverse African markets.
Panelists for this event will include Amb. (ret.) Stephanie Sullivan, former U.S. Ambassador to the African Union, and Kennedy Ukelegharanya, business attorney at a major multinational law firm with experience in evaluating infrastructure and industrial bottlenecks in Nigeria. This panel will be moderated by Dean Scott Taylor of The Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. Panelists will explore the role of technology adoption in closing development and financing gaps, identify the foundational conditions required for scalable investment, and debate where U.S. public and private actors can be most effective—individually and in concert.
This program is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required.
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Disclaimer: WorldBoston is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, non-advocacy, educational organization dedicated to fostering civil discourse on international affairs. Our speakers' opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WorldBoston, our affiliates, or our community.
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Korea Zinc Chairman Yun B. Choi on allied partnership for minerals security
Tuesday, January 27th
9:00 AM ET
As the Trump administration intensifies efforts to secure critical mineral supply chains, attracting large-scale investment has become a central strategic pillar. Korea Zinc recently signed agreements with the Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, and U.S. companies to help establish advanced integrated smelting and recycling operations. Such an approach could provide a model for critical minerals partnerships among allies. Yun B. Choi, Chairman of Korea Zinc, will discuss how partnerships for minerals security can move beyond just capital investment to include technology transfer and workforce development.
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The World Ahead: Top 10 Global Trends For 2026, From The Economist
Wednesday, January 28th
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET
The coming year promises to be a period of uncertainty, as the current U.S. administration reshapes long-standing norms in geopolitics, diplomacy, and trade. As the drift and decay of the old rules-based global order continues, existing conflicts will grind on around the world, and new ones will flare up. Concern will grow over trade wars, economic stagnation, fiscal incontinence, and AI’s impact on jobs, presenting both challenges and opportunities to countries, companies, and citizens in the coming year. Join Tom Standage, deputy editor of The Economist and editor of its future-gazing annual, The World Ahead, as he outlines his ten global trends to watch in 2026, analyses what is going on, and considers where things might be going next.
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One year of ‘America First’ trade policy: What did we learn, and what comes next?
Wednesday, January 28th
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET
On the first day of his second term, President Trump issued a memorandum outlining the administration’s “America First” trade policy priorities. One year later, the administration’s trade actions have significantly altered America’s economic and strategic posture—sometimes in ways that aligned with analysts’ predictions and sometimes not. Join the Brookings Economic Studies program as they assess what we have learned in the year since the memorandum was released. Trade policymakers, economists, and private-sector experts will examine how the policy has affected economic outcomes, business decisionmaking, diplomatic relationships, and America’s competitive position globally. The program will illuminate which expectations proved accurate, which concerns did not materialize, which unforeseen issues emerged, and what the first year of this agenda suggests for the future of U.S. trade strategy.
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At the Water's Edge: Foreign Policy, Polarization, and the American Public
Thursday, January 22nd
6:30 – 7:30 PM ET
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs has been polling Americans on attitudes on U.S. foreign policy for five decades, and the latest results show that the U.S. public is more divided than ever on the country's role in the world. What's driving these splits, and where do we still find common ground? The Chicago Council on Global Affairs' 2025 survey reveals how partisan polarization is reshaping public opinion on everything from tariffs, to support for Israel and Ukraine, how to deal with China, and immigration. Which foreign policy issues unite us across party lines, and where are the sharpest disagreements? Join the Chicago Council as they unpack the data and explore what these divisions mean for the future of U.S. global leadership.
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Exploring Global AI Policy Priorities Ahead of the India AI Impact Summit
Friday, January 30th
9:15 PM – 2:00 PM ET
Since 2023, a series of global summits has brought together world leaders, industry, and civil society to advance international cooperation and collaboration on artificial intelligence. In February 2026, India will host the AI Impact Summit, marking the first time an AI summit is held in the Global South. As this event approaches, conversations around international AI priorities are intensifying, with India positioned to play a central role in shaping next steps. This event will convene leading voices in AI to explore India’s goals for the upcoming AI Impact Summit and expert perspectives on the future of global AI policy. Featured speakers are Ambassador Vinay Kwatra, of India, and Ambassador Laurent Bili, of France, for a conversation situating the AI Impact Summit within the momentum created by the Paris AI Action Summit, which France and India co-hosted in Paris in February 2025. Panel discussions will also focus on domestic and global AI policy agendas, industry perspectives on governance and innovation, and AI-driven development initiatives in the Global South.
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Let Only Red Flowers Bloom: Identity And Belonging In Xi Jinping's China
Friday, January 30th
7:30 PM – 9:30 PM ET
As China rises as a global power, understanding its complexities requires insight into the lives of the people who navigate its challenges. In her book, Let Only Red Flowers Bloom, Emily Feng, NPR international correspondent, tells the compelling stories of individuals resisting state control over their identities and expressions. Drawing on her firsthand reporting, the book tells the stories of individuals in China who challenge prevailing norms: a Uyghur family torn apart by detention camps; human rights lawyers striving to defend civil liberties; a teacher in Inner Mongolia fighting to preserve his mother tongue; and a Hong Kong fugitive searching for a new place to call home. Join the Hoover Institution for a conversation with Emily Feng as she reflects on these stories and the challenges of reporting them, including the obstacles that ultimately led to her expulsion from China. The discussion will be moderated by Frances Hisgen, senior research program manager for the Hoover Institution’s program on the US, China, and the World.
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Named for the proverbial “green room” where people wait before going on stage, the new Green Room Scholars initiative is part of WorldBoston's growing NextGen programming, an essential element of our effort to fulfill and expand our mission of “fostering international engagement and global cooperation.”
For each regular WorldBoston event, the selected Green Room Scholar will help greet and orient the speaker, serving as part of the WorldBoston event team.
What benefits do Green Room Scholars receive?
- Networking
- Participation in a well-tuned, professional event team
- Blogging with byline
- Recognition in WorldBoston social media
- Connecting with one of WorldBoston's outstanding speakers, who are leading scholars and practitioners in global affairs
Who is eligible to be a Green Room Scholar?
Students at universities that are currently sponsoring WorldBoston!
For further information contact Director of Global Engagement Programs and Operations Harrison Zeiberg at hzeiberg@worldboston.org
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Writing Opportunities
Are you interested in writing about international affairs? Below are opportunities for you to submit your pieces to publications nationwide!
- The Journal of Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs: This quarterly journal is accepting submissions of features and essays, as well as online exclusive submissions to appear on their website on a rolling basis. Submit your piece here.
- Realist Review Article Submission: This policy publication is accepting submissions from anyone interested in writing a commentary or analysis piece that expresses a perspective on policies or developments in international affairs and diplomacy. Submit your work here.
- AFSA’s National High School Essay Contest: This contest encourages young people to think critically about how U.S. diplomats utilize policy expertise, negotiation skills, and crosscultural understanding to shape a more peaceful and interconnected world. The 2025-2026 topic is The Fragile Front Line: U.S. Diplomacy and the Future of Soft Power. This contest is open to high school students in grades 9-12. Learn more here.
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