A Message From the President of SDWAC

Dear SDWAC members and friends,

SDWAC’s February 13 fundraising dinner and celebration was a resounding success.  More than 100 members, guests and volunteers attended.  Keynote speaker Jay Solomon, Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent of the Wall Street Journal, kept the audience spellbound with a masterful presentation on the Iran nuclear deal and its ramifications in the wider Middle East.  Jay’s argument, as expounded in his book “The Iran Wars,” is that President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry, having masterfully set the stage for negotiations with Iran by building international support for crippling sanctions that had brought Iran virtually to its knees by 2013, failed to achieve a good deal by being over-eager to come to an agreement.  There were many probing questions from the audience, skillfully moderated by Immediate Past President David Edick, and Jay handled them in a way that may not have persuaded everyone present of the correctness of his thesis but undeniably demonstrated his deep area expertise.   

Jay Solomon, Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent for the Wall Street Journal,

speaks at the SDWAC Annual Fundraising Dinner and Celebration

My sincere thanks and appreciation go out to the many Council officers, volunteers and others who helped make the event such a success.   Special thanks must go to restaurateur and in-kind partner Sam Kambo, who furnished the delicious Indian food and opened his bar for the festivities.  Pianist Glenn Kramer added a sparkling musical touch. Vice President Lulu Hsu and her team of volunteers, too numerous to mention here, worked intensively on logistics and preparations to make the event go smoothly.  Ambassador Reno Harnish, our program committee chair, played a key role.  And perhaps most of all, kudos are due to our fabulous Mistress of Ceremonies, Development Committee Chair Rewa Colette Soltan, who worked tirelessly to coordinate all the activities related to the event and to ensure that all of our hopes for it were realized. 

SDWAC continues in expansion mode, with a number of new members signing on at the time of the dinner and other members of the community expressing newfound interest.  To those reading this newsletter who have not yet joined the Council, an added benefit of membership is that, if you join by March 2, you will be eligible for a free, one-year subscription to DailyChatter, a new e-newsletter about international affairs, sponsored by the World Affairs Councils of America, that will hit your inbox first thing every weekday morning with a roundup of original stories on important world developments. 

I’d also like to announce the addition to the Council of two new corporate members: San Diego-based law firms Procopio; and Seltzer, Caplan, McMahon Vitek.  We are looking forward to working with these two top-line firms on initiatives that will support the Council and enhance our outreach to the wider community.

Finally, let me welcome two new members to the SDWAC Board of Directors whom we are thrilled to have as colleagues.  Both have distinguished backgrounds and bring much relevant experience and insight to the Council.  Dr. Vivek Lall, Chief Executive in charge of U.S. and International Business Strategy at General Atomics, has had an illustrious career in the aerospace industry.  Dr. Joel Day is Executive Director of the City of San Diego’s Human Relations Commission and International Affairs Board.  In this capacity he advises the Mayor and City Council on issues of human rights, inclusion and global engagement.  Again, we heartily welcome both Vivek and Joel to the Board and look forward to sustained and active collaboration with them to advance the goals of the Council.  

Upcoming Events Click here to see SDWAC events on our website February 23, 2017 The Rev. Daren Erisman: An expert in Christian-Muslim relations, the Rev. Erisman earned a Ph.D. in Systematic and Philosophical Theology, and an M.A. in Islamic Studies. His talk, “The One and the Many: The Challenge of Unity and Diversity Within Islam,” will explore how a diverse religion, spanning the world with 1.6 billion adherents, addresses the challenges of modern globalization and modern extremism. He will explain how the heart of the Islamic religion, tawhid, asserting the unity of God, guides and challenges contemporary Muslims to make sense of a quickly changing world involving multiple cultures and contexts. The Rev. Erisman will address the real diversity within Islam and the fundamental desire by Muslims to live out tawhid both personally and communally. Learn some of the key concepts that are often ignored or misunderstood by the media and by some forms of modern Islamic extremism. The Rev. Erisman will intersperse his talk with stories and photos of his missions into Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa. Member reservations for a round table lunch following the presentation may be made by contacting the sponsor, Joe McElroy: jmcelroy2013@gmail.com 9:30 a.m. Coffee Social 10:00 a.m. Free Program 11:10 a.m. Question & Answer Location: House of Prayer Lutheran Church, 795 N. Rose St., Escondido, CA, 92027, (760) 743-9178. DIRECTIONS 1. Take 15 North 2. Take exit 32 (stay in the right lane) to Route 78, east to Ramona 3. After 1.5 miles you will come to a stop light, go straight onto Lincoln Parkway, which will become E. Lincoln Parkway 4. After 1.5 miles turn right onto North Rose Street at the stop light 5. Drive .25 miles and the church is on the right 6. Parking is in the lot behind the church. This venue has no steps. Everything is on one level.  For further information about this event, please e-mail pmurchland@san.rr.com or visit www.sdwac.org. Save the Date: March 22, 2017 Juan F. Roche Juan F. Roche, Adjunct Professor at University of San Diego School of Leadership and Educational Sciences and former Nabisco president for Latin America, speaks to SDWAC about the legacy of Venezuela President Hugo Chavez and the tumultuous state of affairs in present-day Venezuela. Save the Date: March 29, 2017 Nico Ravanilla Nico Ravanilla, Assistant Professor at UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy, speaks to SDWAC about current affairs in the Philippines. Professor Ravanilla, who received his BS and MA from the University of the Philippines, researches ways to improve governance in developing democracies.

75th Anniversary Celebration of the Charles W. Hostler Institute on World Affairs                               Chukuka S. Enwemeka Provost and Senior Vice President San Diego State University cordially invites you to the 75th Anniversary Celebration of the Charles W. Hostler Institute on World Affairs dedicated to bringing the world to San Diego since 1942. Featuring forums on some of today's most compelling issues and regions with Ambassador Nicholas Burns Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO and former U.S. Ambassador to Greece Professor, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government and Ambassador John Bass Current U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Former U.S. Ambassador to Georgia and special guest speaker Ms. Mary Eisenhower President and CEO, People to People International Friday, February 24, 2017 Ambassador Burns Forum: 1:30 PM Ambassador Bass Forum 3:15 PM Light reception to follow Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center Fowler Family Ballroom (Directions Provided upon RSVP) The event is free and open to the public. Please register by February 17th