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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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The Future of Naval Aviation: A Conversation with VADM Cheever
Tuesday, August 26th
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM ET
This Security Dialogue event brings together CSIS and the U.S. Naval Institute for a discussion featuring VADM Daniel L. Cheever, U.S. Pacific Fleet, and RADM Raymond A. Spicer, U.S. Navy (Ret.), and chief executive officer and publisher, U.S. Naval Institute. The pair will discuss how the Navy is preparing for the future of naval aviation and what steps the service needs to take to remain competitive in the changing landscape of 21st century warfare. The Maritime Security Dialogue provides an unmatched forum, highlighting the unique challenges facing the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard from national level maritime policy to naval concept development and program design.
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Tuesday, August 26th
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET
What does the collapse of the Venezuelan economy tell us about U.S. relations with Latin America? A spiraling political and economic crisis in the South American country driven by ever-deepening polarization between its two dueling political forces has led to both sides pushing scorched-earth economic policies. U.S. sanctions only added fuel to the fire. While Venezuela is an extreme case, there are broader lessons here for Latin America and the Caribbean about the risks of long-term reliance on commodity exports, dangers of winner-take-all systems, and how a neighboring great power should not behave. To discuss all this and more, Karthik Sankaran, senior research fellow at the Quincy Institute, will be speaking with Francisco Rodriguez, Rice Family Professor of the Practice of International and Public Affairs at the University of Denver and author of the recently published The Collapse of Venezuela: Scorched Earth Politics and Economic Decline.
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Wednesday, August 27th
10:00 AM ET
The Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative will host a discussion with Nonresident Senior Fellow and China-MENA expert Jonathan Fulton about his new book, Building the Belt and Road Initiative in the Arab World: China’s Middle East Math. This book provides an in-depth analysis of the expansion of Chinese power and influence in the Middle East and North Africa through Belt and Road Initiative. Fulton will explore what these projects indicate about the trajectory of China’s presence in the region and which states or subregions are most important for Beijing’s regional ambitions—and which sectors are being developed. The conversation will be moderated by Yun Sun, Senior Fellow and CoDirector of China, East Asia at the Stimson Center.
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Wednesday, August 27th
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET
What do the Olympics reveal about international influence, branding, and global power? Join TNWAC for a fascinating webinar moderated by Karl Dean, former Mayor of Nashville and Davidson County featuring Terrence H. Burns, Chairman and Owner, T. Burns Sports Group, LLC. Terrence will explore how the Olympic Games transcend sport to shape geopolitics, national identity, and global narratives. You will learn how the Olympic brand has become a tool of soft power, the intersection of global sports, politics, and diplomacy, and real-world insights into international branding and influence.
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Thursday, August 28th
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM ET
Conversations around AI have long been dominated by countries like the United States and China. The discourse on AI safety has similarly centered on these regions. Yet Southeast Asia—home to over 700 million people, many of whom are young and digitally connected—is rapidly emerging as a powerful force in the global digital economy. As the region becomes increasingly digitized, Southeast Asia must be actively included in the global AI safety circles to ensure equitable and responsible development and deployment. This online discussion will examine the role of Southeast Asia in global AI governance. The Panel will feature Chinasa T. Okolo, Center for Technology Innovation, Supheakmungkol Sarin, AI Safety Asia (AISA), Alex Krasodomski, Chatham House, Wan Sie Lee, Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore, Lyantoniette Chua, AI Safety Asia (AISA), and Yameen Huq, Aspen Institute. This event will be moderated by Alejandro Reyes, Asia Society Hong Kong Center, and feature a presentation from Philip Tham, Brookings and AI Safety Asia (AISA).
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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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