Dinner Event

National Insecurities:

America and the World 2020-2050

Schedule

Wednesday, October 16, 2019 | 6:00-8:30 pm

Cocktail Reception: 6:00-6:45 pm
Dinner: 6:45-7:30 pm
Program: 7:30-8:30 pm

Venue

Registration

Early-Bird Rate through October 5th
Standard Registration: $55
Standard Registration (Non-Member): $70

After October 5th

Standard Registration: $65
Standard Registration (Non-Member): $80
Table (up to 8 attendees): $600

REGISTRATION CLOSED PLEASE CALL 480.289.5761 FOR THE WAIT LIST

About the Event

In the next 30 years, the US will be navigating an increasingly challenging international environment. World power as is traditionally defined will shift to Asia, particularly China. Traditional Western levers of influence are likely to decline. The economic landscape will be irrevocably altered with the introduction of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and perhaps Quantum Computing. And by 2050, the signs of a declining global population will be there for all to see. Countries will be competing for immigrants and workers; the tenets of capitalism--built on constant demographic and economic growth--will be sorely challenged. How can America best navigate these headwinds and prosper despite them?

About Carmen Medina

Carmen, a retired Senior Federal Executive with 32 years’ experience in CIA, is a recognized national and international expert on intelligence analysis, strategic thinking, diversity of thought, and innovation and intrapreneurs in the public sector. She is the co-author of the book: Rebels At Work: A Handbook for Leading Change from Within and of the landmark Deloitte University Press paper on Diversity’s New Fronter: Diversity of Thought and the Future of the Workplace. Her story as a heretic and change agent at CIA is featured in Wharton School professor Adam Grant’s bestseller Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World.

Some of her most recent presentations include speaking at South by Southwest 2018 on The Mediocrity Trap and on Critical Thinking at SXSW 2017, to Canadian Federal senior executives about Diversity of Thought and Rebel Thinking 2018, to the California STEM Education conference 2017, at the Business Innovation Factory 2017, and multiple times at GovLoop’s NextGen Leadership summit.

From 2005-2007 Carmen was part of the executive team that led the CIA’s Analysis Directorate; in her last assignment before retiring she oversaw the CIA’s Lessons Learned program and led the Agency’s first efforts to address the challenges posed by social networks, digital ubiquity, and the emerging culture of collaboration. She was a leader on diversity issues at the CIA, serving on equity boards at all organizational levels and across Directorates. She was the first CIA executive to conceptualize many IT applications now used by analysts, including blogs, online production, collaborative tools, and Intellipedia, a project she personally greenlighted; as a senior executive, she began using in 2005 social networking and blogs to reach her diverse workforce. Upon her retirement from CIA, she received the Distinguished Career Intelligence Medal. From 2011—2015, Carmen was a member of Deloitte Federal Consulting where she served as senior advisor and mentor to Deloitte’s flagship innovation program, GovLab.

Carmen describes herself as Puerto Rican by birth and Texan by nationality. She likes to garden and cook things that she has grown. You can follow her on Twitter @milouness and visit her two blogs: recoveringfed.com and rebelsatwork.com

New and Prospective Member Breakfast

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

7:30am – 9:00am

Venue 

ASU SkySong
1475 North Scottsdale Road Building 1, Discovery Conference Room
Scottsdale, AZ  85257
+1.480.884.1860 

Registration is FREE

Attendees will share their interest and experiences in foreign relations, while meeting and connecting with potential members. If you attended a past Member Breakfast, we would be delighted see you again.

Start your day with a lively conversation and complimentary breakfast. Rest assured you will leave with new knowledge on international relations and new relationships . 

We look forward to seeing you!

Questions? Email membership@pcfraz.org.

Topical Discussion

Taken Hostage:

The Silent Victims of Kidnapping Abroad

Schedule

Wednesday, October 23, 2019 | 11:30 am-1:15 pm

Lunch & Networking: 11:30 am-12:00 pm
Program: 12:00-1:15 pm

Venue

ASU Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Room 601

111 E. Taylor Street

Phoenix, AZ 85004

PARKING INFO & DIRECTIONS

Registration

Member Registration: $20

Non-Member Registration: $25

About the Event

It is estimated that up to 200 Americans are kidnapped overseas each year—taken by terrorists in places such as Afghanistan and Syria and by criminals in countries such as Mexico and Central and South America. Others are detained by countries including Iran and North Korea. The problem is larger than most Americans are aware, but because of the necessary secrecy, most cases do not make the headlines.

Families suffer alone and in silence and struggle to make sense of this new and strange world they are thrown into. They face a myriad of challenges; navigating the branches of government, finding properly qualified counselors, most of whom don’t accept health insurance, accessing their loved ones bank accounts if they do not have passwords or a power of attorney, along with the challenges posed by acute fear and sleeplessness over months or even years.

After surviving captivity, hostages must then learn how to survive survival; coping with choice again, reintegrating into families who struggle to know how best to support them, PTSD, rebuilding their bodies after the harsh physical conditions of captivity, and coming home to a financial mess with no credit rating and unfiled tax returns to contend with. The problems are myriad, complex, and especially difficult to solve for those who are sleep deprived and suffering the effects of trauma.

Rachel Briggs OBE is the Founding Executive Director of Hostage US. She will share her experience working with hundreds of former hostages and families over the past 15 years, as well as what she learned when her own family had their own brush with hostage taking – her uncle was kidnapped in Colombia and held for 7 months.

About Hostage US

Hostage US is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that provides care, support and practical assistance to American hostages and their families during and after a kidnapping. Founded in 2015, it is based on a successful model Rachel helped to stand up in the UK. All assistance is delivered free of charge, confidentially and independent of any other interest. For more information, visit their website.

About Rachel Briggs

Rachel Briggs OBE is Executive Director of Hostage US, a non-profit that supports hostages and their families, during and after a kidnapping. Rachel helped to set up and was the founding Director of Hostage UK, which was founded by Terry Waite and Carlo Laurenzi. It was the world’s first support service for the victims of hostage taking. She relocated to Washington DC to set up Hostage US in 2015.

She is a distinguished researcher and writer on issues of national security, has advised governments and corporations across Europe and North America, ran a working group for the European Union on the use of technology in tackling terrorism and is a regular media commentator. She is President of the Board of Directors of the Global Center on Cooperative Security which works with international institutions, governments around the world and local civil society groups to tackle the challenge of violent extremism. She is also an Associate Fellow of Chatham House.

She was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) by Her Majesty the Queen in recognition for services to hostages and their families.

Topical Discussion

Japan on the World Stage: Society, Influence, Education

Schedule

Wednesday, November 20, 2019 | 11:30 am-1:15 pm

Lunch & Networking: 11:30 am-12:00 pm
Program: 12:00-1:15 pm

Venue

ASU Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law, Room 601

111 E. Taylor Street

Phoenix, AZ 85004

PARKING INFO & DIRECTIONS

Registration

Member Registration: $20

Non-Member Registration: $25

About the Event

Japan finds itself in a unique position in its post WWII history. The major factors are:

• an ascendant China that is rapidly expanding its sphere of influence around the world; 
• new insecurity regarding US-Japan Security Cooperation; 
• an emboldened North Korea; and 
• an invigorated economic and technological competitor in South Korea. 

Within this tumult, Japan is navigating its own internal issues of an aging society, diminishing work force, and uncertainty about its role in the world. Education and information access stand at the domestic nexus of these issues, and we’ll examine their role and response to these challenges.

About James Baskind, PhD

Before returning to the US last year, James Baskind, Ph.D. (Yale, 2006), was most recently associate professor of Japanese Thought at Nagoya City University, Nagoya, Japan. He is now Directing Manager of Arizona Japan Network LLC, which is focused on building infrastructure for Japanese-directed hospitality services and collaborative initiatives between Arizona and Japanese industries.

November Reading Group

The Curse of Bigness:
Antitrust in the New Gilded Age

by Tim Wu

Schedule

Thursday, November 21, 2019 | 7:30-9:00 am

Venue

7729 E Greenway Road, Suite 300
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
(one block south of Greenway Hayden off 73rd St)

Finally, please park only in the parking spaces marked ‘visitors’, not the numbered parking spaces. If the spaces are full, you may park on the street.

Topic of Discussion

The recommended book is by the law professor, Tim Wu, The Curse if Big-ness, 2018 at paperback price of $15. Search second hand and I am sure you can buy for considerably less or rely on other sources of information.

As you know Google dominates the search engine business, Face Book dominates social media, Amazon dominates retail On Line and Apple dominates smart phone apps. Undeniably, these companies are huge and incredibly influential, but are they harmful? The Sherman Anti Trust Act of 1890 under the administration of President Benjamin Harrison outlawed companies restraining trade. Its focus was the consumer who would be hurt by too high pricing, too little quality and too little services versus a more competitive economy with more players who presumably would lead to greater consumer welfare. With the support of the Progressives in the early years of the 20th century and huge support of Theodore Roosevelt, the Clayton Anti Trust Act was later passed in 1914 during the Wilson Administration. This legislation followed its predecessor and created the Federal Trade Commission, but directly excluded labor unions and ultimately sports organizations and Hollywood. Monopolization of labor and actors under contract law meant total control over these employees. Indeed, the Biltmore was an escape destiny for actors fleeing temporary contract control from the film studios of Hollywood.

Today, the Big Tech media companies mentioned above are under attack as being too concentrated both in the United States and abroad. However, does their size harm the consumer, other producers and governments? Is it true these companies have kept prices too high, provided too few services and lower quality? My guess is most PCFR members would deny this allegation and would claim they are happy with all their innovations. So what’s the problem?

Well, like much political opposition today, the attack is not centered on economic issues where economic harms are difficult to quantify, but more on social justice issues, like invasion of privacy and too much control of private information. The Big Tech Media companies are now facing growing investigation by Congress and ultimately vigorous litigation in the courts.

However, a good student of economics could argue that Big Tech Media may provide a serious economic problem in that, even at prices of zero, they still charge too much? How could that argument be made? Well, it is true that much of their pricing runs from very low to zero, however, they gather tons of information from their users and this information gets over to lots of advertisers. The advertisers pay the Big Tech companies ‘big bucks’ and the companies are very profitable (look at their earnings and stock prices), so an argument could be made that prices should be lower and to be more outrageous, that excellent economics student could argue that these companies should pay us for all the information we give them. HMMM! Think it over.

What a fascinating topic and we need your help to discover the truth! So do not miss this upcoming session.

Dinner Event

Global Leadership in 4IR

(Fourth Industrial Revolution)

Schedule

Tuesday, December 3, 2019 | 6:00-8:30 pm

Cocktail Reception: 6:00-6:45 pm
Dinner: 6:45-7:30 pm
Program: 7:30-8:30 pm

Venue

Registration

Early-Bird Rate through November 22nd
Standard Registration: $55
Standard Registration (Non-Member): $70

After November 22nd

Standard Registration: $65
Standard Registration (Non-Member): $80
Table (up to 8 attendees): $600

About the Speaker

Dr. Sanjeev Khagram is the Dean & Director General of Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Topical Discussion

From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin’s Russia

Schedule

Tuesday, January 28, 2020 | 6:00-8:30 pm

Cocktail Reception: 6:00-6:45 pm
Dinner: 6:45-7:30 pm
Program: 7:30-8:30 pm

Venue

Gainey Ranch Golf Club

7600 E Gainey Club Dr

Scottsdale, AZ 85258

Registration

Early-Bird Rate through January 25
Standard Registration: $55
Standard Registration (Non-Member): $70

After January 25

Standard Registration: $65
Standard Registration (Non-Member): $80
Table (up to 8 attendees): $600

About Ambassador Michael McFaul

Michael McFaul is the Ken Olivier and Angela Nomellini Professor of International Studies in Political Science, Director and Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and the Peter and Helen Bing Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, all at Stanford University. He was also the Distinguished Mingde Faculty Fellow at the Stanford Center at Peking University from June to August of 2015. He joined the Stanford faculty in 1995. He is also an analyst for NBC News and a contributing columnist to The Washington Post. McFaul served for five years in the Obama administration, first as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs at the National Security Council at the White House (2009-2012), and then as U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation (2012-2014). He has authored several books, most recently the New York Times bestseller, “From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin’s Russia.” Earlier books include Advancing Democracy Abroad: Why We Should, How We Can; Transitions To Democracy: A Comparative Perspective (eds. with Kathryn Stoner); Power and Purpose: American Policy toward Russia after the Cold War (with James Goldgeier); and Russia’s Unfinished Revolution: Political Change from Gorbachev to Putin. His current research interests include American foreign policy, great power relations between China, Russia, and the United States, and the relationship between democracy and development.

Prof. McFaul was born and raised in Montana. He received his B.A. in International Relations and Slavic Languages and his M.A. in Soviet and East European Studies from Stanford University in 1986. As a Rhodes Scholar, he completed his D. Phil. in International Relations at Oxford University in 1991.

Dinner Event

How America Can Make the World More Peaceful

Schedule

Thursday, February 20, 2020 | 6:00-8:30 pm

Cocktail Reception: 6:00-6:45 pm
Dinner: 6:45-7:30 pm
Program: 7:30-8:30 pm

Venue

Gainey Ranch Golf Club

7600 E Gainey Club Dr

Scottsdale, AZ 85258

Registration

Early-Bird Rate through February 9
Standard Registration: $55
Standard Registration (Non-Member): $70

After February 9

Standard Registration: $65

Standard Registration (Non-Member): $80
Table (up to 8 attendees): $600

About Ambassador Rick Barton

Ambassador Rick Barton teaches at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University, where he serves as a co-director of Princeton’s Scholars in the Nation’s Service Initiative and Ullman Fellowships. His 2018 book, Peace Works: America's Unifying Role in a Turbulent World, uses a mix of stories, history, and analysis to offer an affirmative approach to foreign affairs through concrete and attainable solutions. Barton started USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives, and was America’s ambassador to the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations in New York, the UN’s Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva and the first Assistant Secretary of State for Conflict and Stabilization Operations. He led conflict management initiatives in over 40 crisis zones across the globe, from Haiti, Iraq, Nigeria, Burma, Pakistan to Turkey. Published in The New York Times, the Washington Post, Politico, The Boston Globe, and numerous other international outlets, Barton is a guest on news shows ranging from NPR to all of the major networks. He resides in Washington, D.C. with his wife of 43 years, Kit Lunney.

Review of Peace Works:

America's Unifying Role in a Turbulent World

By G. John Ikenberry, Read it in Foreign Affairs

Part memoir and part scholarly study, this book provides one of the most thoughtful reflections yet on U.S. interventionism and peacemaking since the end of the Cold War. Drawing on his years as a diplomat, Barton argues that although the United States has stumbled badly in humanitarian interventions, it should not abandon the task but rather go about it in new ways, working with local groups and staying in the background. Barton draws specific lessons from several recent U.S. interventions. In Bosnia, the United States created incentives for people to collaborate by supporting local institutions that cut across ethnic divides. In Rwanda, after the genocide, aid to women in the countryside encouraged small steps toward peace. After the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, the lesson was to direct economic assistance to local civic leaders who had the trust of the wider public. In the future, states will continue to fail or collapse into civil war, and ethnic violence will continue to sprawl across poor regions of the world. Barton’s message to American decision-makers is to be humble and patient and to stay as close as possible to the people at the bottom of society. 

Dinner Event

The Challenges for U.S. Policy in a Turbulent Middle East

Schedule

Wednesday, March 4, 2020 | 6:00-8:30 pm

Cocktail Reception: 6:00-6:45 pm
Dinner: 6:45-7:30 pm
Program: 7:30-8:30 pm

Venue

Gainey Ranch Golf Club

7600 E Gainey Club Dr

Scottsdale, AZ 85258

Registration

Early-Bird Rate through March 1
Standard Registration: $55
Standard Registration (Non-Member): $70

After March 1

Standard Registration: $65

Standard Registration (Non-Member): $80
Table (up to 8 attendees): $600

About Paul Salem

Paul Salem is President at The Middle East Institute. He focuses on issues of political change, transition, and conflict as well as the regional and international relations of the Middle East. He has a particular emphasis on the countries of the Levant and Egypt. Salem writes regularly in the Arab and Western press and has been published in numerous journals and newspapers. Salem is the author and editor of a number of books and reports including From Chaos to Cooperation: Toward Regional Order in the Middle East (ed. with Ross Harrison, 2017), Broken Orders: The Causes and Consequences of the Arab Uprisings (In Arabic, 2013), “The Recurring Rise and Fall of Political Islam” (CSIS, 2015), “The Middle East in 2015 and Beyond: Trends and Drivers” (MEI 2014), Bitter Legacy: Ideology and Politics in the Arab World (1994), and Conflict Resolution in the Arab World (ed., 1997). Prior to joining MEI, Salem was the founding director of the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut, Lebanon between 2006 and 2013. From 1999 to 2006, he was director of the Fares Foundation and in 1989-1999 founded and directed the Lebanese Center for Policy Studies, Lebanon's leading public policy think tank.

Dinner Event

An Evening with Ichiro Fujisaki,

Former Ambassador of Japan to the U.S.

Schedule

Wednesday, April 1, 2020 | 6:00-8:30 pm

Cocktail Reception: 6:00-6:45 pm
Dinner: 6:45-7:30 pm
Program: 7:30-8:30 pm

Venue

Gainey Ranch Golf Club

7600 E Gainey Club Dr

Scottsdale, AZ 85258

Registration

Early-Bird Rate through March 28
Standard Registration: $55
Standard Registration (Non-Member): $70

After March 28

Standard Registration: $65

Standard Registration (Non-Member): $80
Table (up to 8 attendees): $600

About Ichiro Fujisaki

Ichiro Fujisaki joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1969, and went on to serve as Deputy Director General for Asian Affairs, Political Minister at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, DC, Director General for North American Affairs, Deputy Foreign Minister, and Ambassador to the UN and WTO in Geneva. He served as Ambassador to the United States in 2008 until 2012. He is currently distinguished professor and Chairman for International Strategies of Sophia University. He also is the president of the America-Japan Society, Inc.