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SUMMARY:Second Monday with CTWAC | May 2026
DESCRIPTION:Join fellow World Affairs Council members and friends in conversation over dinner on the issues impacting our world. Connect and engage with others\, share your thoughts\, and explore how we can secure our global future. \nTopic TBA \nThe Details: \nWhen: Monday\, May 11th | 6-7:30PM\nWhere: McCarter & English\, LLP\, Stamford\, CT\nTickets: $20 Members\, $30 Non-members | Registration required\nSpace is limited \nReserve your spot today \n\n\n \n\nUpcoming Second Mondays:\nMay 11th - *Topic TBA\nJune 8th\n*Topics will be announced 1 week prior to events. \n\nPast Second Mondays:\nApril 13th - When Inequality Becomes Instability\nMarch 9th - The Iran Question\nFebruary 9th - Is 'The West' Over?\nJanuary 12th - What Just Happened in Venezuela? \n2025\nDecember 8th - Global Inequality & its Impacts on Societal Stability\nNovember 10th - Nuclear Deterrence in the Age of Drones\nOctober 13th - A New Era of U.S. Foreign Policy\nSeptember 15th - Counterterrorism or Extra-Legal Killings: When Do Strikes on Non-State Targets Cross the Line?\nJune 9th - What's at stake in the India-Pakistan conflict?\nMay 12th - So many elections - what do they all mean?\nApril 28th (Special Edition) – Sudan’s Civil War & Sub-Saharan Africa after USAID\nApril 14th - The Future of Immigration Policy\nMarch 10th - NATO's Uncertain Future\nFebruary 10th – The End of USAID?\nJanuary 13th – Greenland\, the Panama Canal\, and The Future of Immigration Policy \n2024\nDecember 9th – A Rebalancing in the Middle East and the Taiwan Question\nNovember 12th – Foreign Policy in a New Administration\nOctober 14th – The World After the U.S. Election\nSeptember 30th – Worldwide Efforts to Battle - or Embrace - Disinformation\nJuly 15th – The Climate Crisis & Global Instability\nJune 10th – Potential Flash Points - How is the U.S. positioned and what happens next?\nMay 20th – Democratic Systems at a Crossroad\nApril 8th – War in Gaza: How did we get here?\nMarch 11th – Western Consensus on Ukraine: What’s Next? \n\nMission Partners\n\nSupport global engagement in Connecticut by contacting CEO Megan Torrey about sponsorship opportunities. \n\nStay Globally Involved\nRenew your membership or become a member on our website. As a member of the World Affairs Council of Connecticut\, you can get exclusive access to events and travel opportunities\, build relationships with local leaders and global dignitaries\, and join our community of global citizens. Let us bring the world to you.
URL:https://ctwac.org/event/second-monday-with-ctwac-may-2026/
LOCATION:McCarter & English\, Two Stamford Plaza\, 281 Tresser Blvd\, 11th Floor\, Stamford\, CT\, 06901\, United States
CATEGORIES:Fairfield County
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260514T173000
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SUMMARY:250 Years of American Diplomacy
DESCRIPTION:Featuring Michael Brenes\, Director of the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy at Yale\n\n\n\nAs the United States approaches its 250th anniversary\, we’re taking a closer look at the powerful force that is U.S. diplomacy. \nThe World Affairs Council of Connecticut invites you to a special evening exploring the evolution of U.S. diplomacy – from pivotal decisions to defining figures and from the impact of U.S. leadership on world history to where the U.S. is headed in the century ahead. \nHow did diplomacy shape the nation into a superpower and where is the U.S. headed next? RSVP to find out. \nAfter a great event in Fairfield\, we’re bringing Dr. Brenes to Hartford due to popular demand for another exciting talk about 250 years of U.S. diplomatic power. \n\nDetails\nThursday\, May 14\, 2026 | 6-7pm | Doors open 5:30pm\nMark Twain House & Museum\, Hartford CT\nTickets: $25 General Admission\, $15 Members | No Charge for Students \nReserve your spot today \n\n\n \n\n\nFeaturing\nMichael Brenes is co-director of the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy and lecturer in history at Yale University. \nHis research interests include United States foreign policy\, political history\, and political economy. He is the author of For Might and Right: Cold War Defense Spending and the Remaking of American Democracy\, published by University of Massachusetts Press in 2020\, and the co-editor (with Daniel Bessner) of Rethinking U.S. Power: Domestic Histories of U.S. Foreign Relations\, published by Palgrave MacMillan in 2024. His next book\, co-authored with Van Jackson\, is titled The Rivalry Peril: How Great-Power Competition Threatens Peace and Weakens Democracy\, and will be published by Yale University Press in January 2025. \nIn addition to his academic articles and book chapters\, his work has been published in The New York Times\, The New Republic\, Foreign Affairs\, Foreign Policy\, Politico\, Dissent\, Boston Review\, The Nation\, and The Chronicle of Higher Education. \nHe is currently writing a history of the War and Terror from the 1990s to the present\, to be published by Grove/Atlantic. He is also finalizing a co-edited volume with Daniel Bessner on Cold War liberalism\, which is under contract with Cambridge University Press. \n\nJoin the Community\nWith continuous breaking global news\, Council membership allows you to understand it all. Members gain lower-cost and exclusive access to discussions with foreign and local leaders\, events with experts and opposing views\, and – most essentially – a community of engaged people like yourself. \nBecome a member or renew today. \n\nMission Partners\n \nSupport global engagement in Connecticut by contacting CEO Megan Torrey about sponsorship opportunities. Learn more on our website about available opportunities. \n\n\n\nThe World Affairs Council of Connecticut provides a platform for open dialogue and the exchange of ideas on global issues. The views expressed by speakers and contributors to this organization’s public programs—in person\, online\, and through affiliated social media sites— are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the official policies or positions of CTWAC\, its individual staff\, board members\, members\, or sponsors. As a nonpartisan and nonpolitical organization\, CTWAC’s purpose is to foster informed discussion and greater understanding of the world\, without endorsing any particular viewpoint.
URL:https://ctwac.org/event/250-years-of-american-diplomacy-hartford/
LOCATION:Mark Twain House & Museum\, 351 Farmington Avenue\, Hartford\, CT\, 06105\, United States
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260520T181500
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SUMMARY:The Global AI Race with Sebastian Mallaby | WorldNow
DESCRIPTION:Artificial intelligence is reshaping the global balance of power. Nations are racing for advantage\, companies are competing for dominance\, and the quest for superintelligence is moving faster than ever. \nJoin us on WorldNow with Jim Falk as we sit down with Sebastian Mallaby\, author of The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis\, DeepMind\, & the Quest for Superintelligence and Senior Fellow for International Economics at the Council on Foreign Relations. \nFrom the rise of DeepMind and Silicon Valley to the intensifying global race for AI dominance\, we’ll explore what this technological competition could mean for security\, power\, and the future of the world economy. \nThe details:\nWhen: Wednesday\, May 20th | 6:15pm-7:15pm Eastern\nWhere: Zoom Webinar\nTickets: No charge\, RSVP Required \nReserve your spot today \n\n\n \n\nMeet the Guest\n \nSebastian Mallaby is the author of several books including the bestselling More Money Than God. A former Financial Times contributing editor and two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist\, Mallaby is the Paul A. Volcker Senior Fellow for International Economics at the Council on Foreign Relations. \nHe is the author of the newly published The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis\, DeepMind\, and the Quest for Superintelligence.  \n  \n\nMeet the Host\n\nJim Falk is President Emeritus of the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth. Now residing in Santa Fe\, NM\, he is Vice Chairman of the Board of Global Santa Fe. In addition to hosting WorldNow with Jim Falk\, Jim produces and hosts The Forum\, a weekly talk show on KSFR-FM\, Santa Fe Public Radio. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. \n  \n  \n\nAbout the Book\nThe Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis\, DeepMind\, and the Quest for Superintelligence by Sebastian Mallaby \nFrom one of our leading chroniclers of the intersection of innovation and capitalism\, a landmark reckoning—based on unprecedented access—with one of the world’s most brilliant and driven tech visionaries\, and his game-changing company. \n“A fascinating portrait of Demis Hassabis\, the influential thinker heading DeepMind\, Google’s AI research laboratory…Mallaby captures Hassabis’ curiosity and relentless drive\, weaving a vivid tapestry of collaborators\, competitors\, and engineers of modern AI systems…A tantalizing glimpse inside the pursuit of machine superintelligence.”--Kirkus Reviews\, starred review \nGet yourself a copy of The Infinity Machine on Bookshop.org and support your local bookstore \n\nPresented by\nWorldNow with Jim Falk is hosted by the World Affairs Council of Connecticut with the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth and the World Affairs Councils of America. Presented in partnership with Councils nationwide: \n \n\nMission Partners\n\nSupport global engagement in Connecticut by contacting CEO Megan Torrey about sponsorship opportunities. Learn more on our website about available opportunities. \n\nStay Globally Involved\nRenew your membership or become a member on our website. Council members gain exclusive\, lower-cost access to global events and travel opportunities\, while engaging with top international leaders. Join our community of global citizens and let us bring the world to you. \n\n\n\nThe World Affairs Council of Connecticut provides a platform for open dialogue and the exchange of ideas on global issues. The views expressed by speakers and contributors to this organization’s public programs—in person\, online\, and through affiliated social media sites— are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the official policies or positions of CTWAC\, its individual staff\, board members\, members\, or sponsors. As a nonpartisan and nonpolitical organization\, CTWAC’s purpose is to foster informed discussion and greater understanding of the world\, without endorsing any particular viewpoint.
URL:https://ctwac.org/event/the-global-ai-race-worldnow/
LOCATION:Zoom Webinar
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DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260609T180000
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SUMMARY:The Diplomat + Luminary Award 2026
DESCRIPTION:Join us for an unforgettable evening at The Diplomat + Luminary Award\, the World Affairs Council of Connecticut’s signature gathering of diplomats from around the world and Connecticut’s top business\, government\, and community leaders. \nOver 50 nations will be represented as Consuls General\, Ambassadors\, and dignitaries gather in Hartford to offer unparalleled opportunities to connect\, exchange ideas\, and foster international partnerships. \nThis year\, we proudly present the Luminary Award\, honoring a Connecticut leader whose work has made a meaningful impact on the world. \nBe part of an evening where diplomacy meets community\, and where Connecticut shines on the global stage. \n\nThe Details\nWhen: Tuesday\, June 9 | 6:00pm – 8:00pm\nWhere: The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art | Hartford\, CT\nTickets: General Admission $125; Member Admission $99; Patron $250 \nTickets \n\n\n *You may call us to RSVP at (860) 241-6118 to pay directly and avoid ticket processing fees. \nUnlock special member pricing for this event by becoming a member of the World Affairs Council of Connecticut today. \nNot a member? Join here or select the membership add-on during checkout. Reach out to Abby Noyes at noyesa[@]ctwac.org with any questions. \n\nThe 2026 Luminary Award\nKarl J. Krapek\nGlobal Visionary\, Titan of Industry\, Philanthropist \nThe World Affairs Council of Connecticut is thrilled to present the 2026 Luminary Award to Karl J. Krapek\, World Affairs Council Advisor\, for his extraordinary global leadership and lasting impact on industry and community. \nOver a distinguished career\, he has helped guide major global enterprises through growth and innovation\, demonstrating the power of principled and forward-looking leadership. \nJust as important is Karl's deep commitment to the Hartford community and to expanding opportunities for the next generation. \nHis leadership of initiatives like Hartford Youth Scholars has helped open doors for talented young people and invest in our region's future. \nJoin us on June 9 at The Diplomat for an unforgettable evening as we honor a leader who has changed the world for the better. \n\nMission Partners\n \n  \nJoin the Community\nWith continuous breaking global news\, Council membership allows you to understand it all. Members gain lower-cost and exclusive access to discussions with foreign and local leaders\, events with experts and opposing views\, and – most essentially – a community of engaged people like yourself. \nBecome a member or renew today.
URL:https://ctwac.org/event/the-diplomat-luminary-award-2026/
LOCATION:Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art\, 600 Main Street\, Hartford\, CT\, 06103\, United States
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DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260616T193000
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SUMMARY:The U.S. & Cuba: 250 Years of Change – What’s Next?
DESCRIPTION:From the early days of the republic to today’s headlines\, the story of U.S.–Cuba relations offers a compelling window into the evolution of American foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere. This is a story of empire\, revolution\, crisis\, and diplomacy – and it is far from over. \nJoin the World Affairs Council of Connecticut and Pequot Library for a unique opportunity to explore Cuba’s past\, present\, and future with Jack Leslie and Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis\, a central figure in the 2015 restoration of diplomatic relations and the first U.S. Chargé d’Affaires in Havana since 1961. \nThe conversation will be moderated by Jack Leslie\, a longtime Fairfield resident and public relations executive\, political consultant\, and international development activist. \nHow has U.S.-Cuba relationship fundamentally changed over 250 years – and where is it headed next? RSVP to find out. \n\n\nDetails\nTuesday\, June 16\, 2026 | 6:00pm – 7:30pm\nPequot Library\, 720 Pequot Ave\, Southport\nTickets: No Charge\, Suggested $20 Donation \nReserve your spot today \n\n\n \n\nWith Special Guest\n \nAmbassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis\nCharge d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Havana (2015-2017); Adjunct Professor\, Fordham University; Senior Non-Resident Fellow in International Affairs\, John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding\, Dartmouth College \nDuring his 28-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service\, Ambassador Jeffrey DeLaurentis worked almost exclusively on Western Hemisphere issues and as a multilateral diplomat at the United Nations. He served as the first Charge d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Havana following the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba. Prior to taking up his Cuba post in August 2014\, he was the Ambassador for Special Political Affairs at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Previously\, he served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs\, and as Minister Counselor for Political Affairs and Security Council Coordinator at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. \nAmbassador DeLaurentis began his State Department career in 1991 as a consular officer in Havana and returned to Cuba as Political-Economic Section Chief in 1999-2002. In Washington\, he served as the Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs\, Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs\, and Director of Inter-American Affairs at the National Security Council. His last assignment in the Foreign Service was at the Harvard Kennedy School as a Senior Diplomatic Fellow with the Belfer Center Future of Diplomacy Project. \nSubsequently\, Ambassador DeLaurentis was appointed a Centennial Fellow at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service\, Distinguished Resident Fellow in Latin American and Multilateral Diplomacy Studies at the Georgetown University Institute for the Study of Diplomacy\, George S. McGovern Visiting Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University\, Resident Fellow at the Harvard University David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies’ Cuba Studies Program\, and a Senior Advisor with the Albright Stonebridge Group.   He was also a member of the Biden-Harris Presidential Transition Team and called back to government service in January 2021 as the Senior Advisor for Security Council Affairs and Acting Deputy Permanent Representative at the U.S. Mission to the UN\, a position he held until September 2023. He then began a two-year appointment at Simmons University as the Joan M. Warburg Professor of International Relations. At the same time DeLaurentis also served as a diplomatic advisor on the U.S. interagency task force on Haiti and represented the U.S. on the advisory board of the UN Trust Fund in Support of the Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) to Haiti\, until December 2024. He was subsequently appointed the Magro Family Distinguished Fellow in International Affairs at the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College for the 2025 Fall Term. \nDeLaurentis is a graduate of the Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service and Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. A recipient of multiple State Department awards\, he is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations\, the American Academy of Diplomacy and the Cuba Study Group. He recently joined the Stimson Center as a Distinguished Fellow and is a member of Stimson’s Latin American Program Advisory Council\, and continues as an associate with the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard. \n\nModerated By\nJack Leslie\nPublic Relations Executive and former Chair\, U.S. African Development Foundation \nJack Leslie is the former Chairman of Weber Shandwick\, one of the world’s leading public relations and public affairs firm. He was appointed by President Obama and confirmed by the US Senate to Chair the Board of Directors of the US African Development Foundation (USADF)\, an independent federal agency. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and is a former Chair of the Ron Brown Scholar Program. \nJack is a veteran communications strategist\, having advised corporations and governments on high-profile campaigns over the past three decades. Jack served as a senior aide to Senator Edward Kennedy in the late 1970s\, and later became President of Sawyer Miller Group\, a pioneer in the political media consulting business. \nIn the 1980s\, he served as political consultant and media advisor to dozens of candidates for U.S. Senate and Governor\, and to presidential candidates in the U.S.\, Latin America\, Africa\, and Asia. Political and business leaders alike have sought his counsel during significant crises\, including American Airlines following the attacks of September 11th. \nJack is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations\, former Chairman of the U.S. Agency for International Development Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid\, former Chairman of USA for UNHCR and is currently a Distinguished Professor at Georgetown University and a Visiting Fellow at the Duke Global Health Institute. He is a member of the board of directors of Water.org\, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation and the NIH Clinical Center. Jack is a graduate of the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. \n\n \n\nJoin the Community\nWith continuous breaking global news\, Council membership allows you to understand it all. Members gain lower-cost and exclusive access to discussions with foreign and local leaders\, events with experts and opposing views\, and – most essentially – a community of engaged people like yourself. \nBecome a member or renew today. \n\nMission Partners\n \nSupport global engagement in Connecticut by contacting CEO Megan Torrey about sponsorship opportunities. Learn more on our website about available opportunities. \n\n\n\nThe World Affairs Council of Connecticut provides a platform for open dialogue and the exchange of ideas on global issues. The views expressed by speakers and contributors to this organization’s public programs—in person\, online\, and through affiliated social media sites— are solely their own and do not necessarily represent the official policies or positions of CTWAC\, its individual staff\, board members\, members\, or sponsors. As a nonpartisan and nonpolitical organization\, CTWAC’s purpose is to foster informed discussion and greater understanding of the world\, without endorsing any particular viewpoint.
URL:https://ctwac.org/event/us-cuba-250-years-of-change/
LOCATION:Pequot Library\, 720 Pequot Ave\, Fairfield\, CT\, 06890\, United States
CATEGORIES:Fairfield County
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