Community Event
Happy Dog Takes on the World: What’s Next for the U.S. and Iran?
On January 3, 2020, the United States carried out a drone strike near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq which resulted in the death of nine people, including Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a powerful security and intelligence commander and longtime leader of Iran's Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force. On January, 8, 2020, Iran retaliated by firing missiles…
Happy Dog Takes on the World: How Will Coronavirus Change the World? How Should We Change It?
The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted life across the globe, profoundly affecting supply chains, healthcare, and the economy. It's also exposed the harsh realities of racial, ethnic, economic, political, and health disparities the effects of which many countries have tried to minimize or ignore for decades. Now, as the pandemic slows before a probable second wave,…
Happy Dog Takes on the World: COVID-19 and Women’s Leadership Around the World
In October 2020, the world will mark the 20th anniversary of the landmark Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, which addressed the importance of women’s political participation for sustainable peace, among other issues. This anniversary comes as the coronavirus pandemic continues to upend lives around the globe. For women, these affects are especially acute.…
Happy Dog Takes on the World: The Next President’s Foreign Policy Inbox
Regardless of which candidate prevails on November 3, the next President of the United States will inherit a complicated international landscape and mounting global problems. While this has been true for nearly every modern presidential election, what makes this election different is that Joe Biden and Donald J. Trump vastly disagree on almost every foreign…
Happy Dog Takes on the World: Coups and the Fragility of Democracy
On January 6, 2021, supporters of President Trump violently stormed the Capitol after attending a rally on the National Mall where Trump defended his belief that the election had been "stolen" from him. Five people died. Many saw it as inevitable, a cumulation of four years of President Trump and his administration testing the invisible…
Happy Dog Takes on the World: Russia, Putin, and the Pro-Democracy Movement
Alexei Navalny, an anti-corruption investigator and Russian President Vladimir V. Putin’s most prominent critic, is determined to challenge the authoritarian leader and change Russia's political system. He was arrested on January 17 upon returning from Germany, where he spent five months recovering from a nerve-agent poisoning that he blames on the Kremlin. Putin has denied being involved.…
Happy Dog Takes on the World: Why Rust Belts Matter Around the World
In America and other Western democracies, older industrial communities are in a painful process of economic transition. These geographic regions were once economic powerhouses, but have experienced a decline in manufacturing, and a subsequent decline in local economies, property taxes, education, and other community assets. Research has shown that when election season rolls around, residents…
Cleveland International Film Festival: To the Street
CCWA is proud to be a community partner again at this year’s Cleveland International Film Festival. Our partner film, To the Street (A La Calle), will be be available for streaming on April 8-20, 2021 during the virtual CIFF. Use the code CCWA to receive a discount when purchasing tickets. About the film: The crisis…
A La Calle: People, Protest, and the Road to Restoring Democracy in Venezuela
This forum is presented in partnership with The City Club of Cleveland and the Cleveland International Film Festival. The crisis in Venezuela has been making headlines for years. As violence erupts in the streets, people without food, water, or electricity have been fleeing the country in droves. Unsustainable economic practices compounded by Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian…
Happy Dog Takes on the World: 10 Years of War in Syria
In March of 2011, protestors took to the streets in Syria to show solidarity with the growing pro-democracy movements in Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia. Across the region, these protests sparked a domino effect of citizens taking to the streets to demand democratic reforms and greater freedoms; on a larger scale, this period became known as…
Why U.S. Humanitarian Work Should Matter To Americans
The 2020-2021 Foreign Policy Forum Series is presented by Hitachi Healthcare Americas. Our community partner for this forum is The American Red Cross of Northeast Ohio. This past year more than ever, we have learned that not all disasters are limited by national borders. Whether COVID-19, climate change, or political unrest, when international disasters occur around…
The Future of U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East
The 2020-2021 Foreign Policy Forum Series is presented by Hitachi Healthcare Americas.Our community partners for this forum are the Northeast Ohio Consortium for Middle Eastern Studies (NOCMES) and the CWRU Center for International Affairs. President Biden's Administration inherited a host of challenges and opportunities in the Middle East. It has become clear over the last…