Global Conversations

Ambassador Marie “Masha” Yovanovitch has a stark but hopeful story to tell of the dedication of foreign service officers and her own career. As Ambassador to Ukraine, her endeavors to encourage democracy, support anti-corruption efforts, and advance U.S. interests and values in Ukraine no doubt left a lasting impression that continues to inform the policies of a country now under direct military attack. On April 26, 2023, she sat down with CCWA President and Ambassador-in-Residence, Heather Hodges for a special luncheon Foreign Policy Forum. Please note that this episode will only be available for a limited time, per the Ambassador's request. It will be removed on June 30, 2023.

The world has always been managing crises. From armed conflict to climate change and pandemics, the United Nations is the place where the international community gathers to attempt to solve them. Effective communication about these challenges and the responses to them is one of the keys to global cooperation. On April 11, 2023 the United Nations’ top communications official spoke about her work at Cleveland Council on World Affairs' Foreign Policy Forum.

The International Women of Courage Award given by the U.S. Secretary of State recognizes extraordinary women from around the world who have demonstrated exceptional courage, strength, and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equity, and the empowerment of women and girls, in all their diversity, often at great personal risk and sacrifice. Since the inception of the International Women of Courage Award in March 2007, the U.S. Department of State has recognized more than 170 women from over 80 countries. 

On March 14, 2023, the Cleveland Council on World Affairs welcomed three of the 2023 honorees to share their stories and help us mark International Women’s Day by recognizing the incredible work that they are leading in their respective countries. Please note that the event was held in English and French with English interpretation. Please enjoy the forum.

As the CEO of a multinational corporation, Rich Kramer is leading The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company through an evolution of mobility and transportation that is taking place around the globe.  From its world headquarters here in Northeast Ohio, Goodyear has continuously reinvented its business during its 125-year history to adapt to the conditions and challenges of our interconnected world. In his discussion, Kramer described how and why Goodyear has grown from a tire company to a technology company driving innovation a new world of transportation. This event was made possible through the generosity of the Dr. Raj and Karen Aggarwal Forum on International Business.

The Republic of Korea has been a strategic U.S. military and economic ally since the 1950s. With regional tensions with China at an all-time high, a new Korean President since May, and global trade experiencing massive disruption, what does the future of the strategic U.S.-Korea relationship look like? And how might they jointly, or multilaterally, continue to thwart the threats from ongoing missile tests and nuclear program development from the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK)? To examine this question, the Cleveland Council on World Affairs hosted a delegation including representatives from the Korea Economic Institute, the Korean Embassy and the U.S. Department of State.

Significant moves in both diplomatic and economic relationships are already bearing fruit after the historic signing in September 2020 of the Abraham Accords to jointly normalize relations between Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. In the two years since the first signing, four additional Arab countries have signed on to the Accords. Moreover, other players in the region have gained the confidence needed to strengthen regional trade agreements and commercial ties. As one of the principal architects of the Accords, Robert Greenway, former deputy assistant to the president and senior director of Middle East and North Africa Affairs on the National Security Council, will share how the benefits derived from the Abraham Accords could provide future stability, security, and economic growth for the entire region.

The Summit of the Americas, hosted in San Diego in June, brought about tense interactions between the U.S. and our hemispheric neighbors to the south. Debate about the guestlist, threats of boycott, and challenges to the agenda were just a few of the reasons many felt the gathering did not accomplish as much as it could have.  Ambassador McKinley will argue that a wholesale reset of the relationship between the U.S. and the rest of the Americas is in order. With the recent elections of several leftist leaders in Latin America and increasing Chinese investment seen by these leaders as a solution to ongoing economic woes, Ambassador McKinley will warn that the time to reframe the relationship and set the groundwork for productive cooperation moving forward is now.

Ambassador P. Michael McKinley is Senior Adviser in the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. A four-time ambassador to Peru, Colombia, Afghanistan and Brazil, his 37-year career as a diplomat covered issues in development, trade, and peace negotiations. He also oversaw refugee resettlement programs for populations in Africa, Europe, and Latin America from 2001-2004. Ambassador McKinley is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including State Department Distinguished Honor Awards and Presidential Performance Awards.

In April 2022, The Cleveland Council on World Affairs had the opportunity to speak with Elizabeth Shackleford, a former U.S. Foreign Service Officer and now senior fellow on U.S. foreign policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. In this interview with CCWA, she reflects on the importance of foreign policy education and discourse in the everyday lives of all Americans. She also shares invaluable advice on developing mentoring relationships and a surprising recipe from Somalia for bananas on spaghetti.

Guest: Fiona Hill

Since her testimony in the 2019 presidential impeachment hearings, Fiona Hill is sounding the alarm on the conditions that lead to populism and democratic decline the world over in her book There Is Nothing for You Here. Drawing comparisons between economic dislocation in places like the Rust Belt, manufacturing regions of England and the former Soviet Union, Dr. Hill exposes the fragility of democracy as a global political system. After her years serving as senior director for European and Russian affairs on the National Security Council, she has returned to Brookings as a Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Program at the Center on the United States and Europe.