Robert & Lynn Burt Global Speakers Program

We know our neighborhoods, communities, towns, and counties well because we are a part of them.  And of course, our own state and country have an impact on us. 

But what about moving beyond our nation? 

What is the importance of having a global perspective?

The Covid-19 pandemic is a prime example of how world events and global affairs are more significant than any one person, state, government, or country. That is why WACHH has a Global Speakers Program!  

The Global Speakers Program is part of our Distinguished Speaker Series Program. Twice a year, once in the Fall and once in the Spring, WACHH brings a speaker from overseas. A vital benefit to listening to a global speaker is our members and guests get to hear what the world is thinking and feeling about global topics. Our speakers' different points of view help us understand how the world is more interconnected and complicated today.

This program was launched in 2016 when Robert and Lynn Burt, Council members, made a generous $100,000 gift to the Council  that allowed us to create the Global Speakers Program and fund. The success of the program inspired them to challenge us in 2018 with an additional $50,000 match donation, which many members participated in. The Global Speakers Fund covers the expenses of the two international speakers each year. 

Our goal is for people in the community to have a complete picture of the world, from a global point of view, not just the American version. 

	2023-2024
	November 10, 2023: Anna Wieslander Director for Northern Europe at the Atlantic Council and Secretary General of the Swedish Defence Association Title: Sweden and Finland’s accession to NATO and the impact on the Baltics, NATO, and U.S. policy
	January 19, 2024: Peter Ammon Former German Ambassador to the United Kingdom, United States, and France Title: A turning point in history: How Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is impacting Europe
	April 5, 2024: Richard Heydarian Senior Lecturer at the University of the Philippines, Asian Center Title: New Cold War: Philippines, Taiwan, and the Sino-American Struggle for Global Mastery
	2022-2023
	November 4, 2022: Sergei Medvedev Professor, Moscow Free University, Affiliate Professor, Charles University, Prague &  Fellow, Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies Topic: The Return of the Russian Leviathan
	March 24, 2023: Richard McGregor Senior Fellow for East Asia at the Lowy Institute, Sydney, Australia Topic: The Meaning of AUKUS for China, Europe and the US
	2021-2022
	November 19, 2021: Anand Menon Professor of European Politics and Foreign Affairs, Kings College London Topic: UK in a Changing Europe
	March 18, 2022: Peter Sparding Transatlantic Fellow, German Marshall Fund Topic: Germany, the EU, and the U.S. after Chancellor Merkel
	2020-2021
	November 6, 2020: Maud Olofsson Former Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden Topic: Will the Nordic Model Survive?
	November 11, 2020: Richard MacGregor Senior Fellow for East Asia at the Lowy Institute, Sydney, Australia Topic: Australia and China: The West’s Tipping Point
	2019-2020
	November 1, 2019: Monica Araya Founder, Costa Rica Limpia Topic: Costa Rica: A Small Country with Big Ideas
	May 1, 2020: Jonatan Vseviov Estonia's Ambassador to the United States Topic: Transatlantic Security: A View from Estonia
	2018-2019
	November 2, 2018: Ambassador Pierre Vimont Senior Fellow, Carnegie Europe Topic: President Macron's France
	April 5, 2019: Ambassador Jerzy Pomianowski Executive Director of European Endowment for Democracy Topic: Supporting Democracy in Eastern Europe in a Time of Uncertainty

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World Affairs Council of Hilton Head