One
of the big areas of contention during the presidential election was the
issue of military spending. How much should the U.S. be spending on the
military? Where does the military fall on the list of priorities for
the United States?
Christopher
A. Preble, the vice president for defense and foreign policy studies at
the Cato Institute and an expert on military spending, writes
extensively about this issue and how the government should address it.
His publications include The Power Problem: How American Military Dominance Makes Us Less Safe.
In
an excerpt from his blog, Preble calls for a more in depth and
transparent discussion of the costs of the U.S. nuclear weapons program.
He asserts that the costs are largely unknown, and because of this, it
is difficult to manage spending on the program. Preble’s lecture on
December 6th will focus on rationalizing the U.S. nuclear weapons
delivery systems.
To
read Christopher’s Preble blog about nuclear spending, visit the
following link:
http://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-skeptics/questions-about-nuclear-weapons-6214
For more information about Christopher Preble’s lecture, visit the event page on our website.
Please
note that this lecture is at 6:00 p.m. at the Anchorage Museum. You can
RSVP by calling us at (907)276-8038 or emailing us at info@alaskaworldaffairs.org. All payment for admission will be at the door is $10 for members and $15 for non-members.
Although
written a little more than a year ago, in June 2011, Mikkal Herberg’s
editorial “China’s Energy Rise and the Future of U.S.-China Energy
Relations” couldn’t be more relevant. Herberg points out the capacity
that China has to completely reshape the global energy landscape and the
challenges that poses to the United States. How should the U.S.
approach the situation?
After
a very in-depth analysis of the factors surrounding the U.S.-China
energy relationship, Herberg concludes, “Stronger cooperation between
China and the U.S. on global energy issues is vital to addressing our
key global energy challenges, most importantly our common energy
security dilemma. ... The issue is not cooperation on better U.S.-China
relations for its own sake but cooperation that addresses our vital and
common interests in energy security on a global basis.” To achieve this,
Herberg suggests that the Obama administration focus on both short and
medium term goals, and he encourages the creation of more multilateral
institutions to manage energy security.
Mikkal
Herberg will speak to the Alaska World Affairs Council on Wednesday,
November 28, at noon at the Anchorage Hilton Hotel. To pay in advance,
click here. To RSVP and pay at the door, call us at (907)276-8038 or email us at info@alaskaworldaffairs.org
Farideh
Farhi is an independent scholar and expert on Iranian politics and
comparative revolutions. Currently, she is a graduate faculty member in
the political science department at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
An engaging and informed speaker, Farhi be speaking to the Alaska World
Affairs Council on November 16th, and she is not to be missed.
As
we prepare to elect the next President of the United States, foreign
policy has moved to the forefront of the national discourse. One of the
many questions we must consider is how the next president will confront
the issue of Iran's nuclear policy, as Iran's actions will inevitably
affect our own nuclear and foreign policy decisions. To make things more
complicated, understanding Iran's policies is difficult, particularly
because at its heart is a " basic contradiction … seeking to be a
respected member of the international community while also loudly
challenging international codes of conduct," as Farhi points out in her
blog.
To
gain a better understanding of Iranian politics, and its nuclear
policies in particular, come hear from Farideh Farhi on November 16th.
To read more of Farhi's blog click here. For
more information about Farhi's lecture, visit our website.
On
Friday, October 26th, Dr. Margo Thorning spoke to a full house about
how U.S. tax and energy policy is affecting Alaska’s economy. Her
lecture included in-depth analysis and statistics related directly to
Alaska’s industries and circumstances. Her lecture sparked so much
discussion that many attendees stayed well past the scheduled end of her
lecture.
One
suggestion, in particular was that Alaska might try broadening it’s tax
base, in lieu of relying on heavily taxing oil companies to supply
state revenue. Dr. Thorning argued that this would allow the state to
ease up on taxing oil companies, which would in turn encourage more
investment in the state on the part of oil companies.
To
hear more of Dr. Thorning’s suggestions and analyses, listen to the
podcast of her lecture, which will be available for streaming or download
on KSKA's website shortly.
AKWorld
Board Members Pamela Orme, Anne Lovejoy, Robert Artwohl, and AKWorld
Staff Lise Falskow, Kari Gardey, Alyssa Bish, and Meneka Thiru, and a student from the UAA club Volunteers Around the World volunteered to help
with KSKA’s fundraising campaign by answering phone calls at APTI early
(to the tune of 6 a.m.) Friday morning. With a little coffee and
friendly competition to fuel us, we met our goal of donations with ease!
Check out some photos from the day!
“The
point of the purposeful narrative, of the ethical narrative is to draw
all of the courage, kindness, goodness, and hope from world and all the
darkness and hate and pain and death into the open where we can all
share it.”
On
October 5th, Chris Abani spoke to an intimate group at the University
of Alaska Anchorage about narrative and its connection to humanity, and
thus human rights. He shared with us one of his essays, called the
Writer and the Goat. The evening was more conversation than lecture,
more dialogue than monologue; Abani interacted with the audience,
before, during, and after the lecture, welcoming questions and comments,
and sharing his own experiences off the cuff.
If you missed Chris Abani, his lecture is now available on the KSKA website as a podcast. http://www.alaskapublic.org/2012/10/15/stories-of-struggle-stories-of-hope-art-politics-and-human-rights/
Dr.
Margo Thorning is an internationally recognized expert on tax,
environmental, and competitiveness issues and has testified as an expert
witness on capital formation and environmental issues before various
U.S. congressional committees. Dr. Thorning is senior vice president and
chief economist with the American Council for Capital Formation and
director of research for its public policy think tank.
Dr.
Thorning writes for numerous online and in print publications. Below is
an excerpt from a piece she wrote for the National Journal:
“Without
question, the U.S. needs to do everything it can to promote domestic
energy, especially oil and gas, to help meet our future population
demands. And don't forget that enhanced energy production means an
enhanced job market. Energy-producing states including Texas, Oklahoma,
Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota and Nebraska are seeing
impressive income and job growth gains mostly attributed to the growing
demands for their robust commodities, including oil and gas. Allowing
the Keystone Pipeline would also enhance our energy supply and create
more jobs. We should also allow companies export our robust supplies of
natural gas.
The
private sector is already making strides in new business models that
accommodate changes in climate and weather patterns through "no regrets"
solutions (or changes that would be undertaken in the normal course of
business). Examples of this might include companies that are developing
more drought-resistant seeds or hardening coastal infrastructure at risk
from sea level rise.
To
promote more energy production and more "no regrets" business
solutions, we need a tax code that retains robust capital cost recovery.
Tax provisions including accelerated and bonus depreciation, Last In
First Out (LIFO) and Section 199, and provisions utilized by the oil and
gas industry which are all on the table as potential eliminations as a
trade-off for reductions in lowering corporate tax rates should be
preserved.
Finally,
we need reductions in regulatory and permitting barriers that are often
factors hindering U.S. companies from making investments to improve or
expand their facilities. For example, in addition to permits to meet
federal regulations there are often additional state and local permit
requirements, which add time and cost to a project getting underway.
Environmental regulations should meet a cost/benefit test--those that
have minimal environmental impact but place a chokehold on businesses
should be eliminated.”
Clearly,
Dr. Thorning’s expertise and recommendations concerning tax and energy
policy is extremely relevant to Alaska’s own energy and development
issues. To learn more from Dr. Thorning in person about how the U.S.
government’s tax and energy policies will be affecting Alaska’s economy,
attend our luncheon on Friday, September 21st, at noon in the Anchorage Hilton Hotel.
If
you are interested in attending, we strongly suggest that you RSVP to
us by Wednesday October 24th. Admission is $23 for members, $26 for
non-members if paid in advance, and $26 for members, $30 for non-members
if paid at the door. All students are free, as are UAA staff and
faculty. To pay in advance, click here.
If you would like to pay at the door, you can still RSVP by sending us an email (info@alaskaworldaffairs.org) or by giving us a call (907-276-8038).
A
topic that is not often discussed at the Alaska World Affairs Council’s
typical events is that of our common humanity. What, though, is more
worldly and more related to our international relationships than that
which unites us? In his TED Talk (which can be viewed below), Chris Abani discusses what makes up
our humanity, and how the people he has known in his life have taught
him the importance of the human relationship.
Chris
Abani is a Nigerian poet and novelist. As a young man, Abani wrote a
spy novel about a foiled coup that incidentally mirrored a real-life
attempted coup against the Nigerian government. Accused of laying out
the blueprint for the attempted coup, Abani was imprisoned in Nigeria at
the age of 18. Although he was released, he was later arrested and
tortured twice more. Abani directs his experiences into his writing,
resulting in “searing poetry” and poignant novels, all the while
maintaining an optimistic view on life.
During
his lecture on October 5th, which is sponsored by UAA Student
Activities, Chris Abani will be discussing human stories of struggle and
hope, and how art, politics, and human rights intertwine. The lecture
will be held on at 7:30 p.m. in the UAA Student Union Den. Admission is
free for all, and there is no need to RSVP.
For more information, visit the event’s facebook page.
On
September 21st, Dr. John Hatch discussed FINCA, the organization he
founded, and the use of microfinance as a tool to end poverty. Dr. Hatch
was optimistic, despite the great challenges that we face; although his
talk was entitled “Ending Poverty by 2040,” Dr. Hatch strongly believes
that the deadline is actually quite generous, and that at the rate that
microfinance is growing, poverty could be ended as soon as 10 or 15
years from now. Currently, microfinance helps 160 million families,
which translates to about 800 million individuals, and this number is
growing by about 10% per year. As Dr. Hatch put it, microfinance is “too
big to fail, and it’s run by the people themselves.”
During
his talk, Dr. Hatch also emphasized the importance of the bottom-up
(versus top-down) approach. When an initiative is created from the
bottom up, it involves individuals and creates a greater sense of
ownership and accountability. Consequently, many groups become
self-sufficient and no longer rely on grants to continue their work. The
sustainability and potential longevity of these programs means that
they can have more long-lasting effects on individual clients.
For more information about our future events, visit our website at www.alaskaworldaffairs.org. If you missed Dr. Hatch’s lecture, a podcast version should be available on the KSKA website shortly.
Dr.
John Hatch has a PhD in Economic Development and is the founder of
FINCA (the Foundation for International Community Assistance), a
micro-finance organization that uses village banking as its model. Dr.
Hatch is credited with creating the
village banking model, which has served as a example for micro-finance
organizations all over the world. He also served as FINCA's president and director of research during his 22 years with the organization.
Below is an excerpt from FINCA’s website (www.finca.org) explaining the village banking model, which is unique because it promotes individual empowerment and encourages financial responsibility by emphasizing community relationships.
“The
Village Banking method is the form of microlending that FINCA
pioneered. It is economic democracy in action. A Village Banking group
is a support group of 10-50 members—usually mothers—who meet weekly or
biweekly to provide themselves with three essential services:
small self-employment loans-–as small as $50 or $100--to start or expand their own businesses
an incentive to save, and a means of accumulating savings
a community-based system that provides mutual support and encourages personal empowerment.
Village
Banking group members guarantee each others’ loans and run a democratic
organization. The group guarantee is important, since borrowers don’t
have the kind of collateral a commercial bank would be seeking to lend
them money. Groups represent grassroots democracy in action; members
elect their own leaders, design their own bylaws, keep the books, manage
the funds, and are fully responsible for loan supervision, including
enforcing penalties for non-compliance.”
Dr.
Hatch will be addressing how the village banking model and
micro-finance in general can be used as a means to end poverty around
the world. With his expertise and lifetime of experience, it is sure to
be an enlightening luncheon.
For a full biography of Dr. John Hatch, please visit our website.
Dr.
Hatch will be speaking on Friday, September 21st, from noon to 1p.m. If
you are interested in attending, we strongly suggest that you RSVP to
us by Wednesday, September 19th. Admission is $23 for members, $26 for
non-members if paid in advance, and $26 for members, $30 for non-members
if paid at the door. To pay in advance, click here. If you would like to pay at the door, you can RSVP by sending us an email (info@alaskaworldaffairs.org) or giving us a call (907-276-8038). The session will be moderated by Eric McCullum, an Alaskan businessman.
Traditionally,
foreign representatives have fit a particular mold and seemingly come
from similar backgrounds. This pattern is changing and opportunities for
foreign service is widening as the face of the foreign diplomat
diversifies. We heard about this last week, when Dr. Dino Patti Djalal,
the Indonesian Ambassador to the U.S., shared his story with us. During
his lecture, he told us that his first job in the U.S. was as the
janitor in the embassy where he would one day work as ambassador, but
then he didn’t think it was possible. At that time, Indonesian
ambassadors were required to have military rank, something Dr. Djalal
lacked. However, because the opportunities and requirements changed, Dr.
Djalal was able to rise to the position of ambassador.
Similarly,
though perhaps less explicitly, the face of representation from the UK
has conformed to a certain idea of the traditional diplomat. In an
increasingly diverse world, however, this is changing. Priya Guha was
appointed as the first woman Consul General of San Francisco in August
2011, changing the face of traditional British representation. Guha is
also half Indian; she represents both the multi-generational British
citizen as well as the second-generation daughter of an immigrant. Guha,
on several different levels, knows what it means to be a diplomat
representing a diverse society and personal background.
From
2007 to 2011 Guha served as First Secretary for Political and Bilateral
Affairs, leading on Indian politics and the UK-India bilateral
relationship. As the Consul General in San Francisco, she represents the
British government’s foreign policy interests in several states
including northern California, Washington,Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and
Alaska.
Priya
Guha will be speaking on Friday, September 7th at noon at the Anchorage
Hilton Hotel. Price for lunch if paid in advance is $23 for members,
$26 for non-members. If paid at the door, lunch is $26 for members, $30
for non-members. You can register through our website:
http://www.alaskaworldaffairs.org/September72012PriyaGuha/tabid/467/Default.aspx
One
of the big areas of contention during the presidential election was the
issue of military spending. How much should the U.S. be spending on the
military? Where does the military fall on the list of priorities for
the United States? 
