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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,
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Mary P. Yntema
President & CEO
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16th Annual Consuls Reception
The Consuls Reception is a festive gathering that honors the Consular Corps serving Boston and New England, and celebrates WorldBoston’s mission of international engagement and global cooperation. The Consuls Reception draws distinguished guests from business, government, academia, and the community to mingle with other internationally-minded leaders over delicious light fare and drinks.
This year, the 16th Annual Consuls Reception will take place on October 21st, 2025. We’re honored to host Kendalle Burlin O'Connell, CEO and President of MassBio, who will offer keynote remarks.
Advance registration is required, and this event will likely sell out. We cannot accommodate walk-ins.
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Monday, October 6th
9:00 AM ET
Many countries in Africa and Latin America hold shared ambitions, and both regions have also been recipients of a recent flood of Chinese investment. This economic engagement has addressed real development needs, but it has also presented challenges. To explore what African and Latin American countries can learn from one another on navigating China’s growing global presence, the China-Global South Initiative is gathering experts from across Africa and Latin America, as well as from the private sector and U.S. and allied governments. These experts will kickstart innovative and collaborative policy solutions that help these countries exercise their sovereignty, protect their environments, strengthen their institutions, resist coercion, and ultimately ensure engagement with China serves their own interests.
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Monday, October 6th
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM ET
Join us for a discussion on China’s gray zone strategy toward Taiwan. In recent years, China has intensified gray zone activities — ranging from military and paramilitary intimidation to disinformation campaigns — in an effort to undermine Taiwan’s defense capabilities and morale. This growing pattern raises critical questions: What is China trying to achieve through these tactics? And how is Taiwan responding? In this conversation, Pam Kennedy, Deputy Director of the China Program, will be joined by Senior Fellow of the Grand Strategy Program, Kelly Grieco, and Fellow of the Strategic Foresight Hub, James Siebens, to examine China’s gray zone strategy and explore priorities for countering it.
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Wednesday, October 8th
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM ET
Ambassador John J. Sullivan, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and former U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation, was recently named a Distinguished Senior Fellow in Columbia Law School’s National Security Law Program. His career spans four decades in public service in prominent diplomatic and legal positions under five U.S. presidents. Ambassador Sullivan's earlier positions included Deputy Secretary of Commerce under President George W. Bush, following his service from 2005 to 2007 as the general counsel of the department. In President Bush’s first term, he served as deputy general counsel of the Defense Department. In the George H.W. Bush Administration, Ambassador Sullivan was counselor to Assistant Attorney General J. Michael Luttig in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel.
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Wednesday, October 8th
3:00 PM – 4:30 PM ET
In-Person Registration requires a Harvard ID
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has done the impossible by standing up to a nuclear super power, and Russian President Vladimir Putin has done the unexpected by converting his entire country into a 24-7 war machine. Please join the Belfer Center for a discussion with former Belfer Center Senior Fellow, retired Brig. Gen. Kevin Ryan. Ryan, on home leave from his position teaching at the Kyiv School of Economics, will talk about his experiences in Ukraine, the war, and where this is all headed. The conversation will be moderated by Graham Allison, the Douglas Dillon Professor of Government at Harvard University and Simon Saradzhyan, founding director of the Russia Matters Project at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.
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Thursday, October 9th
2:15 PM – 3:00 PM ET
As NATO enters its 76th year, long-standing questions about its scope, sustainability, and alignment with U.S. interests have a renewed urgency. The alliance has grown well beyond its original Cold War mission of defending Western Europe, taking on new members, broader security roles, and out-of-area operations. At the same time, shifting U.S. strategic priorities toward the Indo-Pacific region and daunting domestic budgetary pressures have sharpened concerns over whether the current structure of NATO serves the United States’ national interest. This discussion will examine efforts at defense burden sharing and the challenges of balancing American interests with an ever-expanding menu of international commitments. The speakers will include Senator Mike Lee (R‑UT), U.S. Senator of Utah, and Justin Logan, Director of Defense and Foreign Policy Studies for the Cato Institute.
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Thursday, October 9th
5:30 PM – 8:00 PM ET
Scholar and political philosopher, Michael Sandel, will deliver the inaugural Ralph Lowell Lecture. Extending his 1996 work, “Democracy's Discontent,” celebrated by Alan Brinkley when first published as “a remarkable fusion of philosophical and historical scholarship,” Sandel will offer a long view of America’s civic struggles, from the 1990s to the present, recalling moments in the American past when the country found ways to hold economic power to democratic account. From a 2025 vantage point, he will discuss how Democrats and Republicans alike embraced a version of finance-driven globalization that created a society of winners and losers and fueled the toxic politics of our time—and why the American people must reconfigure the economy and empower our citizens as participants in a shared public life.
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Thought Leadership Forum with Matthew Whitaker, US Ambassador to NATO
Friday, October 10th
7:00 AM – 8:00 AM ET
For decades, Europe’s defence and security have relied on American leadership and NATO. However, the U.S. pivot to the Indo-Pacific, the security threat from Russia, and wider geopolitical shifts, have compelled Europe to assume greater responsibility for its own security, with billions of euros poured into defense spending. This event will open with a keynote address by Ambassador Matthew Whitaker, U.S. Ambassador to NATO. The discussion will then center on the rapidly changing geopolitical landscape, the U.S.’s relationship with Europe and Ukraine, and the future of NATO. The conversation will be moderated by Fabian Zuleeg, Chief Executive Officer at the European Policy Center.
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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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ENGLISH FOR HERITAGE LANGUAGE SPEAKERS
Native speakers of critical languages are in high demand in the U.S. government. EHLS trains advanced English speakers to be effective communicators and strong candidates for federal jobs. All EHLS participants receive a full scholarship from the Defense Language and National Security Education Office (DLNSEO) that includes tuition and a living stipend. As part of the scholarship obligation, participants agree to fulfill the EHLS service requirement, which requires you to work for the federal government in a position with national security responsibilities for one year after you complete the program. The 2026 EHLS Program is open to native speakers of: Chinese Mandarin, Arabic, Russian, Persian Farsi, Korean, Ukrainian, Kazakh, Turkish, and Hausa.
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INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT MUTUAL AID PLATFORM
The Boston Network for International Development created a Mutual Aid platform to support individuals in Greater Boston / New England who have been directly impacted by the foreign aid pause and USAID shutdown. This peer-to-peer resource connects community members who need assistance with those who can offer help in areas such as career mentorship, job search support, networking, housing, and more.
How It Works:
If you need assistance, submit a request and your request will be shared (without personal contact details) on a public listing (see list of requests).
If you can offer assistance, submit an offer and your information will be listed publicly for those seeking help (see list of offers).
If you see a specific request you can help with, submit a response and your offer will be forwarded to the requestor.
This platform is a community-driven mutual aid network. BNID does not verify, vet, or endorse any requests, offers, or responses. All interactions are voluntary and at participants’ own risk.
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Join WorldBoston’s Dinner Diplomacy program! Engage with international professionals of visiting delegations for a meal at your home. We often have opportunities to get involved! Hosting in an informal setting allows you to meet distinguished visitors from all over the world and learn more about their country, culture, and professional expertise. Dinner Diplomacy can take various forms, from brunch to afternoon tea to a sit-down dinner with small groups. Reach out to Sarah Sibley, Vice President of Citizen Diplomacy (ssibley@worldboston.org) to learn more about upcoming opportunities!
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The Alumni Resource Center (ARC) is an online career development hub for U.S. citizen ExchangeAlumni. ARC provides ExchangeAlumni with courses, trainings, and other resources to develop professional skills and abilities, market themselves, and explore careers in and outside of public service. The Alumni Resource Center is offering a new online course, Seize the Advantage: Understanding Non-Competitive Eligibility. This course will explore non-competitive eligibility and how you can leverage this unique opportunity to apply for federal jobs. You must be a U.S. citizen ExchangeAlumni and a member of the Alumni Resource Center.
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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!
- WorldBoston's #BostonPhotoFriday: We want to see your pictures of Boston! As part of our #BostonPhotoFriday series, we would like to feature our community's photos on our social media. For more information, please email Harrison Zeiberg, Manager of Global Engagement and Operations.
- 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.
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