Perhaps you, like my wife and I, enjoyed last season’s Artis-Naples presentation of "Ain’t Too Proud to Beg," the Broadway hit featuring the unforgettable music of the Temptations.  These songs always produce many memories, and the messages of some continue to ring true today. Take, for example, “Ball of Confusion (That’s What the World Is Today).” 1970, when this song was released, was a confusing and concerning time. So is 2022.  

Members of the Naples Council on World Affairs who seek to understand political, military, economic, and social conditions around the globe are challenged as never before to keep up.  War in Ukraine, a global food crisis, Iran’s nuclear ambitions, China’s threats to Taiwan, Europe’s economic instability, failing states in the Middle East and Sahel, increased worldwide migration, impacts of climate change and an apparently unending pandemic are but a few of the issues that command our attention. That “ball of confusion” is still rolling.

In that context, the work of the NCWA has never been more important. Through a lecture series presenting topical presentations from noted experts, though conversations with colleagues in Great Decisions sessions, though special events like our War College program, and through our robust array of programs for the region’s middle and high school students, we will endeavor to slow down that rolling ball.

We’ll be doing that both via live streaming and in-person in a new venue with improved audio capacity—Moss Hall at Moorings Presbyterian Church. Great Decisions sessions will return to an in-person format at familiar venues around Southwest Florida. Partnerships with local schools will continue to facilitate our widely respected Model UN conference, Academic World Quest competitions, and summer experiences at home and abroad.  

The Naples Council could not begin to conduct this ambitious agenda without the enthusiasm and support of our members. Throughout the difficult days of Covid, your patience, understanding and continued financial support inspired us to endeavor to produce the best experiences possible for all stakeholders. As some sense of normality returns, we pledge to continue that commitment to doing all we can to “educate, inspire and engage” our members on critical global issues.  

We thank you and look forward to being with you for the 2022-2023 season!

Warmest regards,

Jim Schmotter, President

Sowing Chaos:
A Harvest of Discontent

Monday, October 31: Ian J. Brzezinski,  Member of the Strategic Advisors Group at the Atlantic Council; Senior Fellow in the Council's Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security: "U. S. Security Policy and Strategy: What is at Stake?"

Monday, November 14: David S. Rohde, American author and investigative journalist,  Executive Editor of “newyorker.com”: "The Weaponization of Social Media in Foreign Policy"

Monday, December 5: Steven A. Cook, Eni Enrico Mattei Senior Fellow for Middle East and Africa studies, Council on Foreign Relations: "Putin's Willing Partners in the Middle East"

Wednesday, January 11: "Finland and the Baltics" TBD

Monday, January 23: Constanze Steizenmueller, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy, Center on the United States and Europe; Fritz Stern Chair, Germany and Trans-Atlantic Relations, Brookings Institute: "Germany's Role in NATO and Moscow's Challenge to European Security"

Monday, February 6:  Dr. Cynthia Watson, Professor Emerita, National War College, and Dr. Bernard D. Cole, USN [Ret.]: "China's Challenges: Inside and Out"

Tuesday, February 21: Dr. Duncan Wood, Vice President for Strategy and New Initiatives and Senior Advisor to the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute: "Are We Losing Mexico? AMLO Returns to the Past"

Monday, March 6: Caitlin Welsh, Director, Global Food Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies: "Food Insecurity Impact in the Wake of Russia's Invasion of Ukraine"

Monday, March 20: Sheila A. Smith, PhD, John E. Merrow Senior Fellow for Asia-Pacific Studies, Council on Foreign Relations: "The Quad in the Indo-Pacific"

Monday, April 3: "Forging a New World Order" TBD

Special Edition of NCWA Newsletter Announces:

Selection
of Moss Hall as Venue
for the 2022-23 Lecture Season

and

A special gift for NCWA Members!

Click Here to read Newsletter

Your Membership Team conducted a thorough search among locations in Naples that might be considered the best venue for our lectures in the upcoming season and encountered obstacles in all of them. 

We finally selected Moss Hall, a large conference room within Moorings Presbyterian Church (which offers good acoustics, without the problems encountered in the church sanctuary), because of its size, parking and location and because we will be able to make significant investments in further enhancements to sound quality, as well as install a system that members can use with their wi-fi headsets and hearing aids (instructions will be provided).

We hope you will join us in person in Moss Hall! Of course, live-streaming of the lectures and posting of recorded videos on our website will continue to be available.

We look forward to seeing you this fall!

Topics

for Great Decisions season

have been announced!

Great Decisions discussions begin
the week of January 16
and end
the week of March 6, 2023.

Discussion topics are:

• Energy geopolitics
• War crimes
• China's foreign policy
• Economic warfare
• Elections in Latin America
• Global famine
• Iran and the Gulf States
• Climate migration

For detailed descriptions of each topic, please click here.

Topics and the contents of our discussion books are selected by the Foreign Policy Association after gathering input from Great Decisions discussion groups around the country.

The World Affairs Council of Philadelphia organizes Travel the World trips for the national association of World Affairs Councils. Enjoy traveling on unique tours to fascinating destinations and having access to political experts and local guides who give behind-the-scenes views and briefings -- a benefit of NCWA's affiliation with the Philadelphia program.

Tour leaders are drawn from across the World Affairs Councils of America leadership, including Naples' own Mimi Gregory, vice president of programs. Three of the many trips include:                 Legendary Turkey with Don Samford, September 30-October 14, 2022. $5,292 per person including air from New York (other gateways available) 
     Island Life Ancient Greece, October 8-16, 2022, a nine-day Aegean odyssey aboard the Five-Star Le Bougainville. From $5,630 per person plus airfare. 
     Cruise the Heart of Europe with Mimi Gregory, October 13-26, 2022. $5,095 per person plus airfare, a savings of $250 if you book by August 29! Navigate the legendary Danube, Main, and Rhine rivers. Sail through the scenic Middle Rhine and Wachau valleys to Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Slovakia. Plus, enjoy insightful lectures and personalize your journey with a choice of included excursions, such as culinary tours, cycling trips, museum visits, walking tours, musical performances, and more! No single supplement!