April 7, 2020

A conversation on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic in Nashville and around the world and the TNWAC pivot to digital global awareness programs

With

Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean

Amb Charles Bowers, USFS(Ret)

Jim Shepherd, Chairman, TNWAC Board

John Scannapieco, Chair Baker Donelson Global Business Team

LCDR Patrick Ryan, USN(Ret)

Check TNWAC.org for program schedule

Karl Dean | Welcome to the new Global Nashville.

Today, we’re going to tell you about the World Affairs Council, about the programs we’re building to keep you connected to global issues, and we’ll have a discussion of the events that are shaping developments in Nashville and the elements that will make up the “new normal.”

With me today are several members of the World Affairs Council board in addition to President Pat Ryan, a former Navy intelligence officer. Here today are Jim Shepherd, Chairman of the Council board and former president of a company with international reach; Ambassador Dick Bowers, a career diplomat and former US Ambassador to Bolivia; and John Scannapieco, an attorney at Baker Donelson and chair of the firm’s global business team. John is an expert on international commercial relationships, especially with the Far East.

TIMELINE

00:00 Introduction / welcome

01:35 Former Nashville Mayor Karl Dean provides an overview

02:39 Jim Shepherd, TNWAC Chair, on the role, mission and programs of the World Affairs Council

09:05 Ambassador Charles Bowers talks about TNWAC’s pivot from in-person programs to Webinars for speakers programs and global affairs awareness programs.

12:45 John Scannapieco, Baker Donelson Global Business Team Chair and Community Resource Center board member, talks about Nashville’s tornado relief and pandemic response. CRCNashville.org

17:04 John Scannapieco, what should we know about what’s happening in America’s relationships with East Asia?

18:30 Significant issues in China. Supply chain impact. Freight capacity reductions.

20:14 Countries cutting off export of medical supplies. Lack of multilateralism affecting ability to fight the pandemic.

21:15 Do we have the global institutions needed to fight the pandemic? What do we need to build? Dean.

22:29 Building higher walls is not a solution. Ryan

23:30 Most existential crisis faced since WWII. U.S. became a global leader in response. Current paucity of leadership. World becoming more fractured and fragmented. Amb Bowers not optimistic about global outlook.

25:30 Are we seeing a reordering of the global institutions? Shepherd

26:02 Wrong thing when we’re competing with our allies for scarce resources instead of mobilizing America’s industrial might. Bowers

26:50 We’re in for a long troubled time. Strongmen. Food shortages. Bowers.

27:20 We’ll be seeing changes in global commerce, supply chains, global stocks. Change in who people look to for leadership. Unless things change it’s not going to be the United States. Scannapieco.

28:32 Possibly the final piece in nations deciding who to follow.

29:09 Signs of higher inclination to pull up the drawbridge in the international scene. Rough road ahead for globalization and America’s place in the world. Ryan

30:21 American leadership, at federal level, needed for internal purposes too. Bowers

31:02 Can’t imagine this retreat from leadership is what most Americans want. “Lord of the Flies” scenario. We used to see marshaling of effort. Scannapieco

32:57 Summing up. Implications are enormous. Need better international system.

Issues will be discussed constantly. World Affairs Council has strong role to play. Dean

34:17 Last points? People need to be knowledgeable about these issues.

35:06 World Affairs Council programs ahead. “Zoom world.” Global Nashville with Karl Dean, Global Dialogue, Global Engagement. Bowers

36:29 Reach out to friends and family to participate in the conversations. Shepherd

37:01 Be optimistic, take care of yourself. Dean

Recorded: Oct 8, 2019

A conversation on the U.S.-Korea business relationship, US-Japan relations and U.S.

In this episode we hear from the United States Ambassador to the Republic of Korea (ROK) Harry Harris, a Tennessee native. He was in Nashville to visit with business leaders as part of his effort to promote trade ties.

Ambassador Harris spoke to a group hosted by the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. TNWAC was a partner for the event along with the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the U.S. Commercial Service.

Ambassador Harry Harris was confirmed by the United State Senate on June 28, 2018 as the U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea (ROK) following a distinguished naval career which culminated in commanding the U.S. Pacific Command. He is the first Asian-American to hold four-star rank in the U.S. Navy and the first to head USPACOM. Prior to USPACOM, he commanded the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

From 2011 to 2013, Ambassador Harris served as the representative of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the Secretary of State. In this role, he traveled to over 80 countries with the Secretary and participated in most of the Secretary’s meetings with foreign leaders. He also served as the U.S. Roadmap Monitor for the Mid-East Peace Process.

Ambassador Harris was born in Japan and reared in Tennessee and Florida. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1978. He holds master’s degrees from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service. He also did post-graduate work at Oxford University and completed the Seminar 21 fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Originally recorded: Sep 12, 2019

In this episode we will bring you conversations on an organization promoting “Smartpower” and an organization promoting development and humanitarian aid.

The USGLC works in our nation’s capital and across the country to strengthen America’s civilian-led tools — development and diplomacy — alongside defense. By advocating for a strong international affairs budget, the USGLC is working to make America’s international affairs programs a keystone of U.S. foreign policy. They’re all about “Smartpower.”

We’re going to learn more about USGLC from their national outreach coordinator Carey Campbell.

Carey comes to the USGLC from her previous position as Chief of Staff to the South Carolina House of Representatives Deputy Minority Leader James Smith, where she oversaw all political and legislative priorities. Her previous experience includes serving as South Carolina Deputy Political Director for the Hillary for President campaign during the 2008 primaries and a former lobbyist for a South Carolina education organization. Carey has worked on numerous political campaigns at the local, state, and presidential level overseeing field, fundraising, and policy development. She graduated with honors from the University of South Carolina, where she focused on political science. She is a native of native of Decatur, Alabama and spent several years in Nashville.

Carey was in Nashville recently along with Jeremy Tolbert, the Outreach Coordinator for the Southeast. They organized a community event featuring David Stanton from USAID.

USAID leads international development and humanitarian efforts to save lives, reduce poverty, strengthen democratic governance and help people progress beyond assistance. It was created by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to lead the us government’s international development and humanitarian efforts.

More on the agency at: usaid.gov

David Stanton is a public health leader and the former Director of the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID’s) office of HIV/Aids. He has 19 years of experience working with USAID’s HIV/Aids program and over 30 years of experience in public health, including working on sexually transmitted infections, HIV and aids treatment, and clinical epidemiology. David has 4 years of overseas experience in West Africa. Additionally, he served on the transition team that established the office of the U.S. Global Aids Coordinator at the U.S. Department of State.

We thank Carey and Jeremy for bringing David Stanton to Nashville and we thank Carey and David for taking time to talk with Global Tennessee.

Special Episode - Coronavirus - Medical and Commercial Implications

In this episode arranged in response to the rapid spread of Coronavirus into a global and U.S. health emergency we talk with Medical Epidemiologist Dr. Mary-Margaret Fill of the Tennessee Department of Health's Communicable and Environmental Diseases and Emergency Preparedness (CEDEP) Division about the medial implications of the Coronavirus outbreak. John Scannapieco, Chief of the Global Business Team at Nashville's Baker Donelson law firm and a long-time specialist on China commercial relations will talk about the impact on trade and investment in China and with U.S. businesses.

Listen to this important special Podcast episode to be up to date on the Coronavirus implications on health and commerce.

References:

John Scannapieco and his colleagues at Baker Donelson authored an article with must know insights, "Novel Coronavirus Outbreak in China - What You Need to Know Right Now." Find it here:

Baker Donelson Paper

https://www.bakerdonelson.com/novel-coronavirus-outbreak-in-china-what-you-need-to-know-right-now

An excerpt:

A new coronavirus is causing an outbreak of respiratory illness that began in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The outbreak began in early December 2019 and continues to spread in China and beyond. As of January 28, 2020, Chinese health officials have confirmed 4,565 cases and 106 deaths related to the virus. In addition, there are more than 70 confirmed cases globally, including five confirmed cases in the United States. In an effort to slow the spread of the virus, Chinese authorities are imposing quarantines and restricting travel throughout the country. Hong Kong has closed some of its borders with mainland China and has stopped issuing travel permits to mainland Chinese tourists. Mongolia and Russia (Far East border) have closed their respective borders with China. Mainland Chinese authorities are trying to keep citizens at home by extending the Chinese New Year holiday through February 3, 2020, with some areas (Shanghai, Suzhou, Guangdong Province and Zhejiang Province) extending the holiday through February 9, 2020. While Chinese health officials claim that the virus can spread by a person before symptoms appear by what is known as asymptomatic transmission, the Center for Disease Control in the United States (CDC) and state health officials believe it is unlikely that the virus can be transmitted until an individual appears symptomatic.

Biography - Dr. Mary-Margaret Fill

Dr. Mary-Margaret Fill is a Medical Epidemiologist with the Tennessee Department of Health, where she oversees waterborne and zoonotic disease surveillance and outbreak response, and directs overarching strategy for communicable disease surveillance systems and informatics initiatives.

She received her undergraduate degree (BS) in Microbiology and a minor in Security and Intelligence from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. She then earned her Doctor of Medicine from the Mercer University School of Medicine in 2011, where she was inducted into both the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and the Gold Humanism Society. She completed dual-residency training in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and is board certified in both specialties. Following residency, Dr. Fill served as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, assigned to the Tennessee Department of Health, and she was a member of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security Emerging Leaders in Biosecurity Initiative Class of 2017. Dr. Fill has worked on food-borne, waterborne, vaccine-preventable and healthcare-associated disease outbreaks, emerging pathogens, and analysis of surveillance systems and novel datasets.

John Scannapieco Bio

https://www.bakerdonelson.com/john-m-scannapieco

In this episode host Patrick Ryan talked with Tomas Baert, Head of Trade and Agriculture of the European Union Delegation to the United States based in Washington, DC.

They talked about US-EU trade, Brexit, multilateral relations and issues of the day.

If you want to know insights about Brexit -- the separation of the UK and the EU -- you won't get elsewhere take a listen to this interesting Podcast that will bring you up to date on the hot topics in European Union developments.

Check out these important references:

Delegation of the EU to the US

https://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/united-states-america_en

EU-US Trade

https://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-and-regions/countries/united-states/

Biography

Tomas Baert is the head of the Trade and Agriculture section at the Delegation of the European Union to the United States. Between 2016 and 2018, Tomas was the Head of Unit for Trade Strategy at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade (DG Trade). He led the team responsible for the development and implementation of the 2015 Trade for All strategy and the 2017 Communication on A balanced and progressive trade policy to harness globalisation. In this capacity, he also coordinated DG Trade's work on questions relating to the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, including the preparatory discussions on the future EU-UK trade relationship. Prior to becoming a Head of Unit, from 2014 to 2016, Tomas was an assistant to Director-General for Trade Jean-Luc Demarty, advising on a number of trade priorities such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and World Trade Organisation (WTO) negotiations in the run-up to the tenth Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, Kenya. Tomas holds an MSc from the London School of Economics (LSE) and an MA from the Catholic University of Leuven (KUL), Belgium. He spent a term at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland and completed the Mastering Trade Policy program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Recorded: Jan 8, 2020 -- In this episode Canada's Consul General to the Southern US, Nadia Theodore talked with host Patrick Ryan, Ambassador Charles Bowers and TNWAC Chair Jim Shepherd about the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement signed by President Trump on Jan 29, 2020; about US-Canada and US-Tennessee commercial relations and the global issues connecting Americans and Canadians.

Biography

Nadia Theodore joined the Canadian civil service in 2000. She has made her career in the Trade Agreement and Negotiations Branch of Global Affairs, holding leadership positions on several recent and major trade initiatives of Global Affairs Canada, including serving as one of the two Deputy Chief Negotiators for the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and as the Executive Director of Canada’s Secretariat for the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

Consul General Theodore previously served at Canada's Permanent Mission to the World Trade Organization and at Canada's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, in Geneva Switzerland. Directly prior to being named Consul General for the US Southeast, in August 2017, she served in Ottawa as Chief of Staff and Executive Director to Canada’s Deputy Minister for International Trade.

With over 10 years of trade policy experience, Ms. Theodore’s appointment came as Canada, Mexico and the United States launched negotiations to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). As part of Canada’s international trade negotiating team, Ms. Theodore built a reputation for forging strong partnerships with government and business leaders and managing complex, priority trade initiatives.

Ms. Theodore was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario. She holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of London and an M.A. in Political Science from Carleton University.

-- United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement

Why was an agreement necessary? NAFTA shortcomings?

What are the main points of the agreement?

What are the benefits for Canada?

What are the benefits for the USA?

-- CPTPP – Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership

Can you tell us about Canada’s reaction to the death of the TPP and its participation in the CPTPP?

-- Canada commercial activity with Tennessee

Discuss the scope of trade/investment

What should Tennessee business people know about Canada opportunities?

THE RELATIONSHIP

-- What is the state of US-Canada relations?

"In foreign affairs Congress has a big role." -- Rep Jim Cooper

Every American has three people who represent their interests in Congress — two Senators and a Representative — on issues of war and peace, commerce and prosperity, and the functioning and aims of U.S. foreign policy and national security. There can be little of more importance to our understanding of world affairs than what our elected representatives’ roles and perspectives are in the arena of foreign relations.

In this episode Global Tennessee host Patrick Ryan and TNWAC Chairman Jim Shepherd talk with Congressman Cooper about the role of Congress in U.S. foreign policy, Cooper's role as Chair of the HASC Subcommittee responsible for nuclear weapons and more, and a review of current global challenges for the Untied States.

Congressman Cooper represents Tennessee's 5th Congressional District. He is assigned to the three most significant committees in the U.S. House of Representatives. He serves on the Armed Services Committee which ensures the military has the resources needed to defend America. The Committee oversees a $660 billion military budget.

Congressman Cooper serves as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces which overseas our nation’s strategic weapons, ballistic missile defense, space programs and the Department of Energy national security programs.

He also serves on the Seapower & Projection Forces Subcommittee and the Intelligence, Emerging Threats & Capabilities Subcommittee.

If you like the Global Tennessee Podcast please subscribe so you get future episodes and consider becoming a member of the World Affairs Council at: wwwnTNWAC.org/join. Thanks!

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE RUSSIAN INFORMATION OPERATIONS CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE UNITED STATES AND ABOUT MALCOLM NANCE, A SPECIALIST ON INTELLIGENCE, TERRORISM, NATIONAL SECURITY AND THE RUSSIAN ATTACK ON AMERICA.

Today we’re coming to you from beautiful Belmont University where we’re talking with Malcolm Nance, career Navy man, counter-terrorism and national security specialist, author and expert on the Russian information warfare campaign being waged against the United States.

There could be no more timely conversation just as headlines focus on a new effort by Vladimir Putin and Russia, to deflect blame for its information campaign against the 2016 election. We will unpack Russian information operations with Nance whose books, public speaking and television appearances have earned him recognition as an expert on the subject.

But first we’re going to talk with him about his background, Navy service, and work in intelligence and national security that led him to getting inside the Russian attack on America.

Mr. Nance hails from a family rich with military tradition, traced back to a great grandfather and grand uncle who escaped slavery and joined a regiment of the Federal Colored Troops in Tennessee.

Nance chose the Navy like his father, a career Master Chief Petty Officer and was trained as a linguist in the Cryptologic community – the Navy’s elite group that exploits adversaries’ communications. He became an expert in Russian Cold War military and intelligence activities and in the Arab world.

Nance retired after 20 years and promotions to Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer.

Among his post-military pursuits was work in preparing Navy special operations forces, SEALs and others, in methods to endure captivity at the hands of a new class of enemies like Al Qaeda militants.

He also worked in security and intelligence activities in Iraq after the 2003 U.S. invasion. Along the way he became an expert on extremist threats in Iraq and literally wrote the book on ISIS producing a handbook that became a counter-terrorism bible.

Nance’s research and writing about ISIS’ use of electronic media led to his dive into what was to emerge as a wide-ranging Russian information warfare capability and campaign.

In the months leading to the 2016 presidential election Nance knocked out a book called, “The Plot to Hack America.” It was written and released in the same timeframe as the U.S. Intelligence Community’s analysis of the Russian support for the Trump campaign and eventual public statement charging Moscow with an attack on America’s elections.

What followed? What is the story of Nance’s relentless analysis and speaking out?

That’s what we’re getting into today with Malcolm Nance – Navy leader, intelligence and national security expert, author, commentator.

MORE INFORMATION AT: https://www.TNWAC.org/podcast

INFORMATION ABOUT MALCOLM NANCE'S BOOKS - visit Amazon.com

Complete Podcast Notes:

https://www.tnwac.org/2019/11/12/global-nashville-with-karl-dean-china-with-john-scannapieco-gnkd5-ep-32/

Podcast Notes Excerpt:

03:00 Tell us about your background. How did you become involved in global business?

05:11 Was international business your focus in college and law school?

06:32 Tennessee has significant interests in global commercial relations, how did you become involved in work with Chinese businesses?

08:35 How much travel time do you spend on the global business portfolio?

09:20 What is the importance of the US-China business relationship?

10:41 What do Americans want from China in terms of goods?

12:18 What does China want from the United States?

13:25 US-China trade wars. How did it begin? What led us to this point?

15:50 Prior to tariffs last year was it a relatively free bilateral trade relationship?

17:12 China expected to have world’s largest economy, is that right?

18:40 Tell us about the tariff process that is the center of the trade war.

20:34 How are we feeling the tariffs in Tennessee?

21:00 What about the TPP? What was it? What happened to it?

24:35 What was the geo-strategic and political implications of TPP?

25:34 BREAK

28:25 What is the issue with China over Intellectual Property (IP)?

33:01 What are the big issues with China and will they get worked out? Is the deal that the U.S. wants possible?

35:35 What can the U.S. lose in the trade war with China, particularly in Tennessee?

37:39 How do the issues fit into the process of globalization?

39:08 Are walls going up? Are we seeing economic dislocations?

41:15 What does China trade mean to Tennessee -- by the numbers?

43:25 What references and resources do you suggest for people who want to know more about U.S.-China relations and the trade war?

46:00 End

For more go to:

https://www.tnwac.org/2019/11/12/global-nashville-with-karl-dean-china-with-john-scannapieco-gnkd5-ep-32/

"Why Europe Matters"

Recorded: September 10, 2019

Ambassador John C. Kornblum has a long record of service in the United States and Europe both as a diplomat and as a businessman. He is recognized as an eminent expert on U.S.-European political and economic relations, in particular in Central and Eastern Europe. He served as the U.S. ambassador to Germany from 1997 to 2001. Before that, he occupied a number of high-level diplomatic posts, including U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European affairs, Special Envoy for the Dayton Peace Process, U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Process), Deputy U.S. Ambassador to NATO, and U.S. minister and deputy commandant of forces in divided Berlin.

Join us as we gain insights and perspectives hard to find unless you're talking to someone who has lived the history. As Ambassador Kornblum said, "Living history is part of understanding the world. Understanding history that you didn’t live if harder.” So that you may appreciate not only history but also where the U.S. and Europe are as we move forward, we are proud to present this Global Tennessee Podcast episode with John Kornblum.

3:25 Why Nashville? “Nashville is the place we like the best.”

4:30 Why does Europe Matter? Europe and a close relationship and close cooperation is in America’s interest.

6:30 Need in Europe for America to exert leadership. Largest community, the US with Europe, of like minded economies. Largest investment and trade community in the world. Trade: $1 billion a day.

8:58 Better to have a partner like Europe than to be finding our way alone in the world.

10:47 NATO is the only integrated defense force in the world. Article 5 (common self-defense) first invoked after US attacked on 9/11.

13:30 Should there be a focus on China?

14:20 What does it cost the U.S. for the Transatlantic Alliance.

17:40 Why isn’t Europe good enough for you. Europe IS paying their bills.

19:50 Amb Kornblum and an important role in resolving the Balkan conflict where over 200,000 people died – a real war.

23:51 American security begins in Europe – the Balkans conflict and US intervention.

24:38 Amb Kornblum assigned to implement the agreement.

26:17 What was the role of diplomacy in ending the conflict in the Balkans?

28:06 15,000 US troops involved, no combat casualties.

28:57 The Dayton Accord – “a very dramatic experience”

31:40 “Mr. President, you sit down!” -- three weeks with Slobodan Milosevic.

33:18 Break

35:15 Taking a look at Brexit. Starting from the beginning. Born out of sense of disunity and keeping up with progress. Confrontation within the Conservative Party. Basis: England is not Europe – like Texas and Massachusetts.

42:02 “If there was ever a time for the United States and Europe to stick together, it’s now.” No alternative to working with others. There’s no “Make America Great Again” by being angry.

43:45 What is the feeling for other “Brexits”? There could be countries that “fall out.”

45:49 Freedom of movement in Europe. Lost generation in Italy. The danger of societies not being able to keep up. Conflict building in Europe between north and south.

46:54 “If you want to see a real wall go to the Serbian-Hungarian border.” Immigrant, refugee problem.

48:11 City/Countryside differences. People being left behind results in confrontation.

48:46 The world is coming together in ways we never expected not because of brilliant achievements but through the pressures of society – passage of time, immigration, technology, etc.

49:42 What’s going on in the U.S. diplomatic service?

50:20 Three Administrations have pushed away from traditional foreign policymaking.

51:04 New generations coming with new points of view. Sleep walking since 1990. “Living history is part of understanding the world. Understanding history that you didn’t live if harder.”

54:09 Last thoughts. Even a country as big and strong as the United States can’t go it alone.