WorldBoston Recommends 8/15/22-8/19/22

U.S Withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s Return, One Year Later

Monday, August 15th

12:00-1:00 PM ET

One year after the withdrawal of American and allied forces from Afghanistan and the Taliban returning to power, women and girls lost their basic rights, ethnic and religious minorities lost their lives, and the economy collapsed. The U.S must now deal with the continued terrorist threat there and confront the consequences of Taliban rule. Join the Hudson Institute for a discussion to analyze this with an expert panel featuring Javid Ahmad, Former Ambassador of Afghanistan to the United Arab Emirates, Husain Haqqani, Former Pakistan Ambassador to the United States, Matin Bek, Former Chief of Staff to Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Metra Mehran, and Bill Roggio.

Ukraine and the Future of Warfare

Tuesday, August 16th

6:30 – 7:15 PM ET

Fighting in Ukraine has involved the latest weapons technology alongside tactics that often resemble 20th-century combat. As geopolitical competition between Russia, China, and the United States and its allies intensifies, what lessons can military strategists draw from the unfolding war in Ukraine? Join the Chicago Council on Global Affairs for a discussion with a panel of military experts, including Mick Ryan, retired Major General of the Australian Army, and Tammy Schultz, Director of National Security at the US Marine Corps War College to consider what the Russia-Ukraine conflict reveals about the future of warfare.

The Evolution of U.S. Policy Toward Cuba

Wednesday, August 17th

1:00 – 2:00 PM ET

Since the toppling of a U.S.-backed regime in 1959, the United States' relationship with Cuba has been tense and complex. Leadership transitions in both countries and alternating steps toward and away from normalization have kept the trajectory of U.S.-Cuba relations unclear, even as the reins in Havana passed from the Castro Family for the first time in six decades. Join the International Relations Council as they welcome Hilary Renner, Senior Strategic Communications Advisor for Cuba at the U.S. State Department to explore the evolving nature and challenges of this relationship.

Iraq’s Internal Politics & Expanding Regional Role After the Jeddah Summit

Thursday, August 18th

12:00-1:30 PM ET

Iraq’s evolving into an ever-reliable regional mediator, however, in Baghdad, thousands of supporters of influential Iraqi leader Muqtada al-Sadr have camped inside and around Iraqi’s parliament for days, calling for reform and renewed elections. The delays in Iraq’s government formation and the ensuing power struggles threaten to weaken the country’s emerging role as a critical regional player and interlocuter. Join the Atlantic Council for a discussion about these issues, featuring Omar Al-Nidawi from the Enabling Peace in Iraq Center, Katherine Harvey, Shamiran Mako, and David Des Roches.

In Focus: Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

Thursday, August 18th

1:00 – 2:00 PM ET

The post-Cold War era saw the Russian Federation and the United States work together on bilateral and global issues, a spirit of cooperation. That has evolved into the unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine, the extensive support of Kyiv by the United States and its allies, the expansion of NATO in reaction to Russian aggression and a disruption in global stability. Is this a new “Cold War?” Or is it something else?

Join the Tennessee World Affairs Council as they feature Patrick Ryan and Distinguished Vanderbilt Historian and Professor, Thomas Schwartz, in a conversation about Cold Wars and changing global dynamics. 

Pandemic Policy Postmortem: Lessons from Sweden

Friday, August 19th

4:00-5:30 AM ET

Join the CATO Institute for a discussion on Sweden's alternative

approach to managing the COVID-19 pandemic by using “light-touch” nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) measures to offset other personal and economic consequences. To determine the Swedish approach's efficiency, 

Epidemiologist and Public Health Policy Analyst Vinay Prasad, Investigative Medical Journalist Jeanne Lenzer, Stanford Medicine Professor Jay Bhattacharya, and Johan Norberg, will be featured to discuss.