World Affairs Council Hilton Head upcoming events

Linda Thomas-Greenfield: Lessons in International Leadership: A Conversation with Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield (02 Oct 2026)

Fri, 02 Oct 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Biography

Linda Thomas-Greenfield served as United States Ambassador to the United Nations, as well as the U.S. Representative in the UN Security Council from 2021-2025. During her tenure as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Thomas-Greenfield was a member of President Biden’s Cabinet, and sat on the National Security Council.

As a career diplomat, Thomas-Greenfield has had a wide range of assignments. From 2013 to 2017, she served as Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, where she led U.S. policy development for sub-Saharan Africa. She previously served as Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources, overseeing the State Department’s workforce. Her notable Foreign Service roles include Ambassador to Liberia (2008-2012) and postings in Switzerland, Pakistan, Kenya, The Gambia, Nigeria, and Jamaica. In Washington, she served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of African Affairs and as Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration.

After retiring in 2017, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield led the Africa Practice at Albright Stonebridge Group and was a Distinguished Resident Fellow in African Studies at Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University and a master’s from the University of Wisconsin, where she also pursued doctoral studies. Her honors include a Presidential Rank Award, Secretary Distinguished Service Award plus numerous other awards. She has honorary doctorates from the University of Wisconsin and the University of Liberia.

Guest Policy

Guests may register in advance for $35 or at the door for $40. Please arrive at 9:30 am to check in. Advance registration opens one month before each event and closes the Wednesday before each event. There is no cost for WACHH members to attend.

Michael Ratney:A New Saudi Arabia in a Volatile Region (16 Oct 2026)

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Biography

Michael Ratney served for over three decades as a distinguished U.S. diplomat and has been at the center of high-profile diplomatic initiatives throughout the Middle East. Prior to serving as U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia (2023-2025), Ratney served as the U.S. Consul General in Jerusalem and as the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy to Israel where he was responsible for conduct of U.S. diplomacy with Israel as well as diplomatic engagement with Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. From 2015 to 2017, he served as the U.S. Special Envoy for Syria where he was responsible for U.S. relations with Syrian opposition and led diplomatic engagements in Syra with partners in Europe and the Middle East, as well as ceasefire negotiations with Russia. Other assignments included serving as deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy in Doha, Qatar as well as tours in in Baghdad, Beirut, Casablanca, Mexico City, Tunis, Bridgetown, and Washington DC.

He taught leadership on the faculty of the National Defense University in Washington, and was Dean of the State Department’s School of Language Studies. Micheal Ratney speaks Arabic and French. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the American Academy of Diplomacy and serves on the Board of Governors of the Middle East Institute and on the Board of Directors of AMIDEAST. He is currently a Distinguished Fellow with the Israel Policy Forum and a Senior Advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He earned a B.S. degree from Boston University and a M.A. from George Washington University.

Guest Policy

Kurt Volker: Russia's War on Ukraine: How Will It End? (30 Oct 2026)

Fri, 30 Oct 2026 14:00:00 GMT

Biography

Kurt Volker is a leading authority on U.S. foreign and national security policy with more than 35 years of experience spanning government, diplomacy, academia, and the private sector. He served as U.S. Special Representative for Ukraine Negotiations from 2017–2019 and as U.S. Ambassador to NATO from 2008–2009.

Ambassador Volker is the Founder and President of Alliance Strategic Advisors and co-founded American University Kyiv in 2022. He also serves on several prominent advisory and governing boards, including the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, and the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), where he is a Distinguished Fellow.

From 2012–2019, he was the founding Executive Director of the McCain Institute for International Leadership. He is also affiliated with the Atlantic Council, the Hungary Foundation, GLOBSEC, and Ukrainian-American House, and has taught transatlantic relations at both Arizona State University and George Washington University. A frequent media commentator, he has appeared on CNN, Fox News, BBC, Sky News, and Al Jazeera.

Ambassador Volker began his career as a CIA intelligence analyst in 1986 before joining the U.S. Foreign Service in 1988. Over a 25-year diplomatic career serving six U.S. administrations, he held senior positions at the State Department, the National Security Council, NATO, and worked on foreign policy matters for Senator John McCain.

He holds degrees from Temple University and George Washington University and speaks Hungarian, Swedish, French, some Spanish, and is learning Georgian.

Guest Policy

Joby Warrick: Twilight of the Jackal: The World's First Super-Terrorist to Syria 2026 (13 Nov 2026)

Fri, 13 Nov 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Biography

Joby Warrick is a best-selling author and a national security correspondent for The Washington Post. A two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, he served for 27 years with the Post’s national and investigative staffs, reporting from Washington and scores of cities around the world. In addition to his latest book, “Red Line,” he is the author of two previous two nonfiction books, including “The Triple Agent” (Doubleday, 2011), a New York Times best-seller about a CIA operation in Afghanistan; as well as “Black Flags” (Doubleday, 2015), a narrative account of the personalities and events that gave rise to the Islamic State. “Black Flags” was listed as one of the best books of 2015 by the New York Times, The Washington Post, the San Francisco Chronicle and numerous other publications, and was the recipient of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for general non-fiction.

In more than two decades as a Washington Post reporter, Warrick has written extensively on topics ranging from Middle East conflicts and terrorism to nuclear proliferation and climate change. His articles about illicit weapons trafficking won the Overseas Press Club of America’s Bob Considine Award for the best newspaper interpretation of international affairs.

Before coming to The Post, Warrick was an investigative reporter for The News & Observer of Raleigh, N.C., where he co-authored “Boss Hog,” a series of stories that documented the political and environmental fallout caused by factory farming in the Southeast. The series won the 1996 “Gold Medal” Pulitzer Prize for public service and nine other national and regional awards. Prior to that, Warrick was a foreign correspondent for United Press International in Eastern Europe, where he covered the collapse of communism in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Warrick graduated summa cum laude from Temple University in 1982 with a B.A. in journalism. A native of North Carolina, he has two adult children and lives in the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.

Guest Policy

John McKay: The Future of U.S.-Canada Relations (04 Dec 2026)

Fri, 04 Dec 2026 15:00:00 GMT

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GLOBAL SPEAKERS PROGRAM

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Biography

The Honourable John McKay P.C. was first elected as a Member of Parliament in 1997, serving nine consecutive terms in the House of Commons representing the constituency of Scarborough- Guildwood. He did not seek re-election as of the 2025 federal election.

A long-time human rights advocate, he has successfully sponsored major national legislation to strengthen Canada’s foreign aid regime, combat modern slavery in international supply chains, and crack down on unethical practices in Canada’s business activities abroad.

He was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance by Prime Minister Paul Martin, earning him the distinction of Privy Councillor to the King, and worked with Prime Ministers Paul Martin and Mark Carney to deliver two consecutive balanced budgets.

John also served as the Liberal Party of Canada’s Critic for National Defence, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence, Chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on National Defence, and Canadian Co-Chair of the Canada-U.S. Permanent Joint Board on Defence. The latter post included leading meetings at NORAD headquarters at U.S. NORTHCOM and in Washington D.C.

John is a senior consultant at David Pratt & Associates, a premier government relations and strategic consultancy firm and is currently a Member of the Board of Governors from Centennial College, one of the largest colleges in Canada. Prior to politics, John practiced law for 22 years.

Guest Policy

Lobsang Sangay: Tibet: A Failure of China's World Order (08 Jan 2027)

Fri, 08 Jan 2027 15:00:00 GMT

Biography

Lobsang Sangay is a Lecturer on Law and a Senior Visiting Fellow at Harvard Law School. He previously served two terms (2011–2021) as the democratically elected Sikyong (President) of the Tibetan government in exile.

In 2006, he was selected as a Young Leaders by the Asia Society. He has written op-eds for The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and Newsweek, and has appeared on BBC and CNN. He was profiled by The New York Times, CNN (Asia), and other news outlets.

Dr. Sangay has received the Gold Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Public Discourse from the Trinity College Dublin (2014), and the Salisbury University Presidential Medal for Distinguished Community Leadership (2015). He has addressed various parliaments and was instrumental in the passage of the Tibetan Policy and Support Act of 2020 by the United States Government.

Sangay remains an influential voice on issues of democracy, exile governance, and human rights, frequently speaking at international forums and academic institutions. He is currently writing a book on Democracy in Exile and co-editing a volume on the Geopolitics of Reincarnation and the Institution of the Dalai Lama.

He studied at the University of Delhi before earning a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School in 1996 and a Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.)

Guest Policy

Mihaela Papa: BRICS -- Its Evolution, Impact on Global Finance, and Relationship with U.S. (22 Jan 2027)

Fri, 22 Jan 2027 15:00:00 GMT

Biography

Mihaela Papa is the director of research and a principal research scientist at the Center for International Studies (CIS). She joined CIS from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, where she was a senior fellow, co-founded and led the Rising Power Alliances project, and taught on sustainable development and global governance. She also previously served as the director of Global Programs at the MIT Sloan School of Management and as the assistant director for international activities in MIT's Office of the Provost.

An expert in negotiation strategy and coalition-building, Papa focuses on BRICS and rising powers in global governance, as well as climate transitions. She leads the BRICS Lab and has published widely on BRICS, including its evolution as a soft-balancing coalition, the BRICS Convergence Index and BRICS–U.S. relations, and its potential to de-dollarize global finance. Her work on sustainable development governance and climate coalitions has appeared in Global Environmental Politics, Global Environmental Change, Climate Policy, and other journals. Papa's postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Law School inspired her research on emerging economies, leading to fieldwork in India and at Fudan University’s Center for BRICS Studies in Shanghai.

Dedicated to bridging theory and practice, Papa has consulted for various organizations, including the US government, the European Commission, and the International Institute for Sustainable Development. Her insights have been featured in, and on major media outlets such as CNN, Bloomberg, BBC, News24, and the South China Morning Post. She began her career as a trade economist in the Croatian Foreign Ministry and holds an MA in law and diplomacy and a PhD in international relations from the Fletcher School at Tufts University.

Guest Policy

Dr. Manuel Orozco: Remittances and Their Implications for Immigration and Displacement Worldwide (19 Feb 2027)

Fri, 19 Feb 2027 15:00:00 GMT

Biography

Manuel Orozco is the director of the Migration, Remittances, and Development Program at the Inter-American Dialogue. He also serves as a senior fellow at Harvard University’s Center for International Development and as a senior adviser with the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

Orozco has conducted extensive research, policy analysis and advocacy on issues relating to global flows of remittances as well as migration and development worldwide. He is chair of Central America and the Caribbean at the US Foreign Service Institute and senior researcher at the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University.

Orozco frequently testifies before Congress and has spoken before the United Nations. He holds a PhD in political science from the University of Texas at Austin, a MA in public administration and Latin American studies, and a BA in international relations from the National University of Costa Rica.

Orozco has published widely on remittances, Latin America, globalization, democracy, migration, conflict in war torn societies, and minority politics. His books include International Norms and Mobilization for Democracy (2002), Remittances: Global Opportunities for International Person-to-Person Money Transfers (2005), América Latina y el Caribe: Desarrollo, migración y remesas (2012) and Migrant Remittances and Development in the Global Economy (2013).

Guest Policy

Ann Butler: Wife, Mother, Spy (05 Mar 2027)

Fri, 05 Mar 2027 15:00:00 GMT

Biography

Ann Butler has always been drawn to travel and adventure. She was born in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and raised in Upstate, New York. After graduating from the University of Notre Dame, she spent several years studying overseas in France and Belgium. Then, she began a 27-year-long career with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) as an undercover Operations Officer.

Butler’s mission was simple: recruit spies, collect intelligence, and help protect the United States. While working in this fast-paced and dangerous role, she moved every few years to a different city, country, or continent with her husband and five children. Her memoir, Wife, Mother, Spy - An Extraordinary Life Filled with Ordinary Days, published last year, describes a life full of both challenging and rewarding moments. Throughout her career, Butler strived to find the balance between her unique line of work and her role as a mother.

With her story, she hopes others will realize that with a bit of patience and tenacity, they too can experience an extraordinary life.

Guest Policy

Dr. Anna Wieslander: Russian Intimidation Actions Affecting the Baltic Region (19 Mar 2027)

Fri, 19 Mar 2027 14:00:00 GMT

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GLOBAL SPEAKERS PROGRAM

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Biography

Dr. Anna Wieslander serves as Director for Northern Europe at the Atlantic Council and Head of the Atlantic Council office in Stockholm. She is also Chair of the Institute for Security and Development Policy (ISDP), a Stockholm-based think tank with a focus on Central Asia and Asia, and a life-time member of the Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences and the Swedish Society for International Affairs. Dr. Wieslander is an Adjunct Professor at George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, a founding member of the Alphen Group and a member of RUSI European Security Advisory Group.

Dr. Wieslander is a frequent keynote speaker, lecturer and panelist at international conferences, and comments in national and international mass media, such as the New York Times, BBC, Times Radio, Politico, Reuters, Wall Street Journal and Financial Times. She also publishes extensively related to current international affairs.

Dr. Wieslander previous positions include Secretary General of the Swedish Defence Association, Deputy Director at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs (UI), Head of the Speaker’s Office in the Swedish Parliament, Secretary of the Swedish Defence Commission and Deputy Director of the Swedish Defence Ministry. She has also served as Communications Director in the private sector.

Dr. Wieslander holds a PhD in International Relations from Lund University and a degree in Journalism from Gothenburg University. Her expertise covers security and defence policy, Northern Europe security, NATO and defence industry.

Guest Policy

Sherri Goodman: Environmental Changes & Its Impact on Global Security (02 Apr 2027)

Fri, 02 Apr 2027 14:00:00 GMT

Biography

Sherri Goodman is a national security, energy and climate security leader, and former senior defense official. She is the author of Threat Multiplier: Climate, Military Leadership, and the Fight for Global Security, the story of the US military’s experience on the front lines of a changing climate.

Sherri serves as the Secretary General of the International Military Council on Climate and Security. She is a Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council and a Senior Associate at the Harvard Arctic Initiative. She was a senior fellow at the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program and Polar Institute. She is the founding board chair of the Council on Strategic Risks and Advisory Board Member of the Center for Climate & Security. She serves on the boards of the Atlantic Council and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. She is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Sherri is the former president and CEO of the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. She served as senior vice president and general counsel of CNA from 2001 to 2014. She is the founder and executive director of the CNA Military Advisory Board, whose landmark reports include National Security and the Threat of Climate Change (2007).

Sherri served as the first Deputy Undersecretary of Defense (Environmental Security) from 1993 to 2001, where she was responsible for environmental issues, energy, safety, and occupational health policy and programs. Goodman served on the staff of the Senate Armed Services Committee, where she was responsible for oversight of the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons complex. She has practiced law at Goodwin Procter as a litigator and environmental attorney and has worked at RAND and SAIC.

Awards include the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Environmental Peacebuilding Association in 2024, honorary doctorate from Amherst College in 2018, Department of Defense Distinguished Service Award in 1998 and 2001, Gold Medal Award from the National Defense Industrial Organization in 1996, and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Change Award in 2000.

She holds degrees from Harvard Law School, Harvard Kennedy School, and Amherst College.

Guest Policy

Chidi Blyden: How Africa's Growth & Geopolitics are Reshaping Global Power -- Is the U.S. Paying Attention? (23 Apr 2027)

Fri, 23 Apr 2027 14:00:00 GMT

Biography

Chidi Blyden is an accomplished executive leader and former U.S. foreign policy advisor with more than two decades of experience in national security, defense, economic development, and international affairs. As Principal of Culturally Bound, she develops strategies to address Africa’s complex challenges by leveraging the strengths of the African Diaspora.

Ms. Blyden served as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), she managed daily operations and helped oversee a $1 billion annual investment portfolio and an $8 billion active program portfolio. Previously, as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs at the Pentagon, she managed U.S. defense relationships with 53 African nations and helped reshape U.S.-Africa security partnerships.

In a prior Administration, she served as Special Assistant and Africa Peacekeeping Senior Advisor in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, overseeing defense policy for East and Central Africa and helping lead Department of Defense efforts for the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit. She also advised the House Armed Services Committee on African and Western Hemisphere security priorities.

A recognized socio-cultural expert, Ms. Blyden emphasizes the importance of culture and community-driven security in policymaking. As the first Africa Director at the Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC), she developed training programs for the Nigerian Armed Forces aimed at reducing civilian harm during the Boko Haram crisis.

Ms. Blyden is also a lecturer, mentor, and advocate for ethical leadership and women in national security. Her honors include the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service and multiple leadership awards from international affairs organizations.

Guest Policy

Heidi Urben: Crisis in Civil Military Relations (07 May 2027)

Fri, 07 May 2027 14:00:00 GMT

Biography

Dr. Heidi A. Urben is Associate Director of the Security Studies Program and Professor of the Practice in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. She also serves as a senior associate (non-resident) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

A retired U.S. Army colonel, highlights from her 23-year career on active duty include: commander of a military intelligence brigade at Fort Meade, Maryland; Vice Deputy Director of Current Analysis and Warning in the Joint Staff Directorate for Intelligence; Deputy Director for Intelligence in the Joint Staff’s National Military Command Center; commander of a military intelligence battalion in Hawaii; assistant professor of American Politics, Policy, and Strategy in the Department of Social Sciences at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point; operations officer and executive officer for a counterintelligence battalion; military aide to Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates; and various positions in two light infantry divisions, two deployments to Afghanistan, and a peacekeeping deployment to Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Her research interests focus on civil-military relations, military and defense policy, and national security strategy, and her research has been featured in Foreign Affairs, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, NPR, and Politico, as well as in numerous academic journals. Her book entitled, Party, Politics, and the Post-9/11 Army was published with Cambria Press in 2021.

Dr. Urben holds a B.A. in Government and International Studies from the University of Notre Dame, an M.S. in National Security Strategy from the National War College, and an M.P.M., M.A., and Ph.D. in Government from Georgetown University.