Home | Recent Events | Contact Info | Web Contact Form The Juneau World Affairs Council (JWAC) is a private, non-profit, non-partisan membership organization. We hope to encourage dialog and understanding of important international economic, political, and social issues through informed discussions, personal contacts, and other educational activities.

Juneau World Affairs Council's Recent Events

Wednesday,
March 31

5:30 pm. reception
6:00 pm. talk

An Inside Look at Intelligence and the Iraq War

Ray McGovern, Former CIA Analyst

Raymond L. McGovern's first career, as a CIA analyst, spanned 27 years from John F. Kennedy to George H. W. Bush. Ray is now co-director of the Servant Leadership School, which trains and supports people who wish to be in relationship with those made poor. The School is one of a dozen Jubilee Ministries, which were inspired by the ecumenical Church of the Savior and took root in inner-city Washington, DC.

In early 2003, when the integrity of that search for truth seemed in serious jeopardy, a handful of intelligence community alumni/ae, including Ray, created Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity. VIPS now includes over 30 former professionals from CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the Department of State's Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Army Intelligence, the FBI, and the National Security Agency. VIPS' first paper was a same-day critique of Secretary of State Colin Powell's address to the UN on February 5. Eleven such papers have been published to date.

Tuesday,
March 30, 2004

5:30 pm. reception
6:00 pm. talk

West Bank and Gaza Experiences

Wendy Pearlman, the author of, "Occupied Voices" is a PhD student in Government at Harvard University. She has lived in the West Bank (where she spent several months studying political science at Birzeit University) and the Gaza Strip. Wendy's book is interviews with Palestinians about their experiences during the second Intifada. She has published Op-eds in the Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Author, "Occupied Voices"

Wednesday,
March 17

5:30 pm. reception
6:00 pm. talk

Human Rights

Peter Mulrean is Deputy Director of the Office for the Promotion of Human Rights and Democracy in the Department of State. He is responsible for policy direction and assistance programming in support of human rights and democracy in the Middle East, Europe and Eurasia.

Mr. Mulrean joined the Foreign Service in 1988. He spent much of the first part of his career dealing with the Balkans, including serving at the American Consultate General in Zagreb; coordinating U.S. humanitarian assistance to Bosnia during the war; and observing the first national elections in Bosnia.

After a tour of duty at the American Embassy in The Hague during the Dutch EU Presidency, Mr. Mulrean became the State Department’s first exchange diplomat to the European Commission in Brussels. He then served as Deputy Political Counselor at the U.S. Mission to the European Union, where he coordinated the US-EU cooperative relationship, and took the lead on European Security and Defense Policy issues.

Tuesday,
March 9, 2004

5:30 pm. reception
6:00 pm. talk

US Canadian Issues

Marvin S. Wodinsky
Current Position: Acting Consul General

Manager of the Consulate General’s Political, Economic Relations and Public Affairs Program.

Foreign Assignments:

Program Manager, Canadian Embassy, Kiev

Cooperation Program Manager, Canadian Embassy, Moscow

Counsellor - Political, Economic, Public Affairs and Development Assistance Program Manager, Canadian High Commissions in New Zealand, Fiji, Western Samoa, Tonga and Cook Islands

First Secretary and Consul - Economic Affairs, Canadian Embassy, Seoul

Friday,
February 6, 2004

Reception at 5:30 pm.
Talk at 6:00

Philip Coyle: Military Transformation and the War on Terrorism

Philip Coyle will address the lessons learned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, what worked, what didn't, and why, the contradictions facing Military Transformation, the practical things we need to emphasize for Homeland Security, and the challenge to make all of that fit in State and Federal budgets that are stretched to the limit.

Philip E. Coyle is a senior adviser at the Center for Defense Information. He is a recognized expert on U.S. and worldwide military research, development and testing, on operational military matters, and on national security policy and defense spending. He was director of testing and evaluation at the Pentagon from 1994 to 2001. He has more than 40 years experience in testing related areas.

Monday,
January 26, 2004

Reception at 5:30 pm.
Talk at 6:00

Nathaniel York, Executive Director of Solace, International

The Afghanistan Girls School Project - Lifting the Veil on Education http://www.afghanistanproject.org/

Nathaniel York founded the Afghanistan Girls’ School Project in the Fall of 2002 after he returned from Uzbekistan and Afghanistan where he worked with two large international non-governmental organizations to distribute school supplies and rebuild schools in the Northern Afghanistan province of Jawzjan. He is now the Executive Director of Solace International, Inc., the nonprofit international aid and development organization that is administering the Afghanistan Girls School Project.

The Afghanistan Girls’ School Project is dedicated to providing the physical structures and educational materials necessary to allow Afghan girls and women to receive the education they crave.

The People Speak:
Juneau Debates America’s Role in the World

The Juneau World Affairs Council will host a 2 session debate on American foreign policy featuring Donald Hellmann, Director of the Institute for International Policy and Professor of International Studies at The Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington, and Ron Wixman, professor of Geography at the University of Oregon.  Tom Stewart will moderate the debate.

Thursday December 18, reception at 5:30 pm., talk at 6:00 pm.

Friday December 19 session will be at Juneau Douglas High School at 9:56 - 10:46 AM, repeated 10:54 – 11:44 AM

Topic: US Commitment to International Law and Institutions

Monday,
November 17, 2003
Reception 5:30 pm
Talk at 6:00 pm

Dimond Courthouse

Tibetan monk Palden Gyatso

Palden Gyatso, a former Amnesty International Prisoner of
Conscience will describe his years in prison and exhibit torture instruments which he smuggled out of Tibet.

PALDEN GYATSO was born in 1931 and became a monk at 10 years old. In 1959 when the Chinese military invasion of Tibet climaxed, he was arrested and imprisoned for 7 years. In 1962 he managed to escape but was caught and had his term raised to 15 years.

In 1975 he was released but not allowed to return home, instead being sent to a labor camp, where he escaped in 1979.He then put up posters calling for Tibetan independence for which he was rearrested in 1983 and taken to Old Sangyip prison in Lhasa. He was sentenced to 9 years imprisonment in 1984 without any legal representation or opportunity for defense.

In 1990 he was transferred to Drapchi prison from where he was released on 25 August 1992. He escaped to India 13 days later smuggling with him implements of his torture. He now works at
the reception center for new arrivals in the Tibetan Community at
Dharamsala. He has traveled widely in Europe and the USA and in 1995 he gave evidence at the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva.

An Affair to Remember!

Dine and dance at the Twisted Fish.

A gala JWAC fund raising event!

Saturday
September 27, 2003
6:30-Midnight at the Twisted Fish

The "Affair" will be semi-formal, with international costume encouraged.

The evening will begin with a No Host Bar, followed by an international hors d'oeuvre buffet prepared by "the Fish."

Andy Kline and Sharon Gaiptman will be MCs and the Robert Cohen trio will perform.

The buffet will be followed by the "Great Affairs Contest," a contest of international affairs and geography. The winner will receive two tickets from Alaska Airlines. There will also be door prizes and a silent auction for fabulous items.

Wednesday,
September 24, 2003
Reception 5:30 pm
Talk at 6:00 pm

Gerald J. Stratton, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army (Retired)

Saudi Arabia in Transition, the Middle East in Turmoil

Jerry Stratton joined the U.S. Army during the Vietnam era and served three tours of duty in the Republic of Vietnam as a Green Beret in the special operations arena, earning numerous awards for service and valor.

While assigned in Saudi Arabia between 1982-1984, he designed, trained and fielded the equivalent of the US Secret Service for Crown Prince Abdullah of the Saudi royal family.

He subsequently served as Chief of Plans and Operations, Headquarters Command, Allied Land Forces Southeast in Izmir, Turkey. During the 1991 Gulf War, he mobilized and deployed all west coast units. He also served as the Garrison Commander of the Presidio of Monterey.

Monday,
May 12, 2003
Reception 5:30 pm
Talk at 6:00 pm

Dimond Courthouse

Thomas J. Bollyky
Attny at Debevoise & Plimton, International Arbitration Group

HIV/AIDS in South Africa

Thomas J. Bollyky is an attorney at Debevoise & Plimpton, in its international arbitration group. He received a B.A in biology and history from Columbia University, where he was an EESTI Fellow and a Glendon Award winner. After stints at the White House and the Inspector General’s Office for the Department of Health and Human Services, Bollyky received his law degree from Stanford in 2000. He was the President of the Stanford Law & Policy Review.

In 2001-02, he received a Fulbright Scholarship to work as a staff attorney at the AIDS Law Project and with the Treatment Action Campaign in South Africa. He now sits on the Committee on African Affairs for the New York City Bar.

Monday,
April 21, 2003
Reception 5:30 pm
Talk at 6:00 pm

Dimond Courthouse

Michaela Moya Wright
European Union Fellow in Residence for 2002-2003
Jackson School of International Studies
University of Wahshington.

European Integration

Michaela-Moya Wright is an official in the Research for Development program of the European Commission. She has been working on a funding program for scientific research partnerships between European and developing coutnry partners, complementing the EU's economic cooperation and development aid programs. The majority of her time has been spent specifically managing EU scientific cooperation with the Asian developing countries, and more recently she took over responsibility for scientific cooperation with Latin America . She will spend part of her time at the UW researching the relationship between major foundations and research and policy setting.

Wednesday,
April 23, 2003
Reception 5:30 pm
Talk at 6:00 pm

Dimond Courthouse

Dr. James A. R. Nafziger
Thomas B. Stoel Professor of Law
Director of International Programs
Willamette University College of Law

At Willamette he teaches and writes extensively in the fields of international law and dispute resolution, international business transactions, immigration and refugee law, comparative law and conflict of laws. Professor Nafziger is the author of three books, over 80 articles and 50 other published writings. He also served as associate dean from 1985-86.

He is currently a consultant to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organization for Migration. The Burlington Northern Foundation presented him with its Faculty Achievement Award for excellence in teaching and scholarly activity.

Thursday,
April 24, 2003
Reception 5:30 pm
Talk at 6:00 pm

Dimond Courthouse

Robin Bronen
Immigration Lawyer
Catholic Social Services of Anchorage

The Impact of 9/11 on Foreign Nationals

Robin Bronen is the Director of Immigration & Refugee Services for Catholic Social Services. With a staff of six, Immigration and Refugee Services served about 6,200 people last year.

Bronen’s energies are divided among three goals: to help low-income immigrants, to assist in refugee resettlement and to manage a new pro bono program that pairs Anchorage attorneys with immigrants. Bronen organized the pro bono program last year to help Kodiak immigrants under a 1997 law that would give them legal status.

Monday,
April 14, 2003
Reception 5:30 pm
Talk at 6:00 pm

Dimond Courthouse

Dr. William M. Tsutsui, Associate Professor of History and Acting Director of the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Kansas

Sunrise, Sunset: The Uncertain Future of the Japanese Economy

A specialist in Japanese business and economic history, Dr. Tsutsui is the author of Banking Policy in Japan (1988) and Manufacturing Ideology: Scientific Management in Twentieth-Century Japan (1998), which was awarded the John Whitney Hall Prize of the Association for Asian Studies. Dr. Tsutsui is the recipient of Marshall, Fulbright, Japan Foundation and ACLS fellowships, and currently serves on the boards of directors of Kansas State Historical Society and the Kansas Humanities Council.

Friday,
March 14
9:00-11:30
1:00-4:30

Saturday
March 15
9:00-11:30
1:00-4:30

At the University of Alaska Southeast

The Juneau World Affairs Forum

Sponsored by the Juneau World Affairs Council and
the University of Alaska Southeast

Speakers included:

· Consul General Jocelyn Batoon-Garcia from the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC

· Lt. General Thomas Case (Ret.)

· Indonesian Consul General Susanto Prio Utomo

· Taipei Economic Affairs Director Paul Chang

· President, East-West Center, Charles E. Morrison

· Professor, International Studies and Political Science, Donald C. Hellmann

World Affairs Forum Speakers' Schedule

Tuesday,
March 11, 2003
Reception 5:30 pm
Talk at 6:00 pm

Dimond Courthouse

APLIS Ice Camp Spring 2003

Captain Tom A. Hawkins, USN
Director, Arctic Submarine Laboratory

Captain Hawkins will address the Arctic Submarine Laboratory expected ops for this spring, and the navy commitment to the Alaskan theater. He will also include some information regarding the ice pack and ice pack research in this area.

Captain Hawkins was born August 22, 1955 in Middletown, New York. He entered the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA) in July 1973, graduated with distinction, and was accepted by ADM Rickover into the Navy's Nuclear Power Program.

After command, Captain Hawkins assumed duties as the Assistant Chief of Staff for Command, Control, Computers, Communications, and Intelligence (C4I/N6/C2WC) for Commander Cruiser Destroyer Group FIVE (CCDG-5). Captain Hawkins completed his assignment to TACTRAGRUPAC as Executive Officer and assumed duties as Director Arctic Submarine Laboratory on 28 June 2002.

Sunday,
March 2, 2003
7:30 p.m.

Northern Light
Church

The Juneau World Affairs Council and Women for Women International Presents:

An Evening of Chamber Music for the Women of Afghanistan

Mary Watson
Sally Schlichting
Julia Bastuscheck

All funds raised from this effort go to the women of Afghanistan. For more information about Women for Women International and how you can help, contact: www.womenforwomen.org

Wednesday,
February 26, 2003
5:30 p.m.

Dimond Courthouse

Missile Defense in Alaska and the Arms Race into Space.

Stacey Fritz, coordinator of No Nukes North

Stacey Fritz is the coordinator of No Nukes North (http://www.nonukesnorth.net) , a young non-profit organization in Fairbanks that promotes educated opposition to missile defense. Fritz completed her master's thesis at UAF on the subject of Alaskan missile defense and its role in environmental security, including the history of the Kodiak Launch Complex and the Alaska Aerospace Development Corporation.

No Nukes North now has an email list that has grown to over 500 members. Fritz sits on the board of the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space (http://www.space4peace.org) and brings news of Alaskan star wars activities to that group's annual international conferences. No Nukes North has held demonstrations at Fort Greely and in Fairbanks to protest the destabilizing missile defense system and the new arms race it is sparking. The group also organizes local peace rallies, hosts guest speakers and nonviolence workshops, and works closely with similar groups around the state.

Wednesday,
January 29, 2003
5:30 p.m

Dimond Courthouse

Judith Kolokoff:
Implications of a War on Iraq for Peaceful Resolution
of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Judith Kolokoff will speak about the deteriorating situation for Palestinians and Israelis, and the possible consequences of a war on Iraq for the struggle to find a just solution for that troubled region.

Speaking as an American Jew, she will describe how the conflict has affected her personally, and her assessment of the possibilities for peace. Judith organized a coalition in the Seattle Area against war and for a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, and is a founding member of the Seattle Jewish Voices Against the Occupation. She is currently working as a consultant to AFSC with the charge to build a unified regional campaign to end the occupation.

Judith's stop in Juneau is co-sponsored by the Juneau Friends Meeting (Quakers).

February 5
11:00 to 12:30

Student trial presentations

JD High School Model United Nations Program.

The JWAC session with JDHS students for the Model UN will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 5 between 11 and 12:30 at the permanent fund corporation offices.

The students would like help from persons with knowledge about Bulgaria, Benin, El Salvador, Libya, Pakistan, Lebanon and Switzerland.

The students will also be looking for volunteers to listen while they do trial presentations.

If you would like to help with this very worthwhile project, contact Bruce Botelho.

Thursday
January 16, 2003

Reception at 5:30
Talk at 6:00

Going Global: What's Ethics Got to Do With It?

Paula Mirk, Institute for Global Ethics
Vice President, Education

Paula Mirk will describe the work of the Institute for Global Ethics, a nonprofit based in Camden, Maine with offices in Washington DC, Toronto, Canada and London, UK.

She has contributed to both elementary and secondary school curriculums that provide the underpinning to the Institute's classroom-based programs. She spearheaded the production of the video Tough Choices: Today and in History, and authored Elementary Decision Skills, a K-5 classroom curriculum. Mirk oversees the education department's many projects -- from survey research to school reform.

Fluent in Spanish, Ms. Mirk has delivered Ethical Fitness™ Seminars in Guatemala and Mexico. Her work with different cultures has expanded the reach of the Institute for Global Ethics education department and furthered its work internationally.

Wednesday
November 20

Juneau Attorney Doug Mertz:
How One NGO Operates within the United Nations in a Time of Crisis

Doug Mertz is a Graduate of Yale College and Harvard Law School, and has been practicing law in Alaska since 1975. He has served on the Quaker UN Committee, the oversight committee for the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO), for the last three years. QUNO maintains an active presence at the United Nations, with full-time staff in New York and Geneva.

Wednesday
November 6

Moira Smith:
Legal Clinics as a Means of Helping Refugees in Central and Eastern Europe

Moira Smith is currently the Regional Project Coordinator for Legal Assistance to Refugee Clinics funded by the UN High Commission on Refugees which is based in Budapest.

Moira is a JDHS graduate, and has a degree from Georgetown University in Non Western History and Diplomacy.

Sunday
November 3,
2002

2:00 to 5:00 pm

Douglas Public
Library

Juneau World Affairs Council Annual Meeting

2:00 Business meeting, including election of officers, followed by:

The meeting and presentation will be followed by a reception.

UAS Professor Jonathan Anderson:
"Elections and the Democratic Process in a New Democracy."

Jonathan Anderson is Professor of Public Administration at UAS. He has served in the US Foreign Service in Bangladesh and Australia. He has recently been in Kosovo as an Elections Observer for OSCE, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. For more information about OSCE: www.osce.org

Monday
October 7
Dimond Courthouse

Foreign Policy Challenges:

Sir Eldon Griffiths, National President, World Affairs Councils of America

He helped setup the UN's environmental agency; pioneered legislation on water engineering and transport; represented his government at international conferences in Brussels, Washington and Moscow. When Margaret Thatcher became leader of the Conservative party he was appointed as her party's spokesman on European and NATO issues. He was knighted by the Queen in 1988.

Thursday,
September 26
Dimond Courthouse

Reception at 5:30 pm.
Talk at 6:00 pm

The Euro

John Graham is a non-dollar fixed income portfolio manager assisting in the management of the Alaska Permanent Fund.

John Graham was born in Urbana, Illinois. He gained a degree in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin, then an MA in International Affairs from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He has 24 years investment management experience.

John lives in London with his wife Martha and their three sons. His hobbies are fly fishing, shooting, golf, opera and karate.

Wed. May 2, 2001

Reception 5:30-6:00
Presentation 6:00
Centennial Hall

Israel Today: The Challenges and Opportunities

Presented by Yossi Amrani, the Consul General of Israel for the Pacific Northwest Region.

Consul General Amrani, who began his tour of duty at the Israeli Consulate in San Francisco in August 2000, joined the Israeli Foreign Ministry in 1983. Prior to his appointment as Consul General, Yossi Amrani served as Minister of Political Affairs at the Israeli Embassy in Washington from 1998 to 2000.

He holds a B.A and a M.A in General History from Haifa University and a M.A in American Jewish History from the Hebrew University.

Humanities & Human Rights Conference
UAS, Amnesty International USA, and the Juneau World Affairs Council Present:
Ray Choto, a Zimbabwe journalist, and Ken Wiwa a Nigerian writer.

Friday April 6, 2001 at 12:30 pm at the Mourant Student Lounge, and
7:00 pm at the UAS Egan Library

Ray Choto is a reporter at The Standard in Harare, Zimbabwe. In January, 1999, he and Standard Editor Mark Chavunduku were illegally detained and severely tortured by military officers.

The detention was motivated by a story printed in The Standard on 10 January linking the arrest of 23 Zimbabwe National Army members with an alleged coup plot. After being charged with "publishing a false story capable of causing alarm and despondency" under Section 50 of the draconian Law and Order Maintenance Act, on 21 January both men were taken to Magistrates Court, where they were released on $10,000 (US$250) bail.

Ray Choto is a recipient this year of a John S. Knight Fellowship at Stanford University.

To contact JWAC: Web registration/renewal/information-request form
President:	Bruce Botelho, email: botelho@gci.net
Treasurer:	Robert Storer
Program Committee Chair:	Doug Mertz
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