Foreign Policy Forums
CCWA’s Foreign Policy Forums bring subject matter experts, government officials, and renowned diplomats to Cleveland to explore relevant and timely geopolitical topics. These programs are held September to May and are free for everyone to attend!
UPCOMING FOREIGN POLICY FORUMS
For the latest events and upcoming Foreign Policy Forums, be sure to check our Calendar section.
Jeremy Konyndyk, President, Refugees International; Former Senior USAID Official
The New Landscape of Global Aid and Health Security
2026-2027 Season Schedule
September 23, 2026
Uyghur Human Rights and Global Supply Chains
Nury Turkel, Former Chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom
November 10, 2026
AI, Automation, and the Reshoring Boom
Jordan Vickers, Chief Economist, Eaton Corporation
December 2, 2026
The New Landscape of Global Aid and Health Security
Jeremy Konyndyk, President, Refugees International
More programs to be announced soon!
2025-2026 Season Schedule
Making Sense of U.S. Policy in the Middle East
Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute
Constructing Peace: How Diplomats Change the World
Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat, former U.S. Ambassador to the European Union
Sports Diplomacy in America's Decade of Sport
Mike Mulhall, Senior VP of Business Operations, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission; and Travis Murphy, Chief Executive Officer, Jetr Global Sports
The Global Economic Outlook for 2026
Michael Weidokal, Founder and Executive Director, International Strategic Analysis
The Future of the UN Security Council: An Evening with Ambassador Samuel Žbogar
Ambassador Samuel Žbogar, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Slovenia to the United Nations
What Comes Next for Venezuela?
Ambassador William Brownfield, Former U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela
Inside the White House Situation Room
Marc Gustafson, former Senior Director of the White House Situation Room
Tipping the Scales: An Emergent India on the World Stage
Akriti (Vasudeva) Kalyankar, Fellow, South Asia Program and Editor-at-large, South Asian Voices at The Stimson Center
2024-2025 Season
Urgent Needs and Unique Challenges: An Inside Look at Humanitarian Aid in the Middle East
Ambassador David M. Satterfield, Director, Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University, and U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Humanitarian Issues (Oct. 2023 - Apr. 2024)
Keeping the U.S. Competitive: The Role of the Export-Import Bank
Judith Pryor, First Vice President and Vice Chair, Board of Directors, Export-Import Bank of the United States
U.S. Leadership on the World Stage
Allison Lombardo, Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Organization Affairs, U.S. Department of State
A New Direction or More of the Same? The Future of U.S. Foreign Policy
Richard Fontaine, Chief Executive Officer, Center for a New American Security
Women's Rights: The Fight to Expand Access and Opportunity
Ambassador Roya Rahmani, Chair, Delphos International, and Ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States (2018-2021)
Leading in a VUCA World: Global Business in Northeast Ohio
Frank Sullivan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, RPM International
2023-2024 SEASON
The Bin Laden Papers: Exposing the U.S. Misunderstanding of Terrorism
Dr. Nelly Lahoud, Associate Professor, Department of National Security and Strategy, U.S. Army War College; Senior Fellow, International Security Program New America
The Global Economic and Geopolitical Outlook for 2024: More Uncertainty Ahead?
Michael Weidokal, Founder and Executive Director, International Strategic Analysis
What's Next for Ukraine?
Ambassador Paula Dobriansky, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University; Vice Chair, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, Atlantic Council
India: The Emerging Geopolitical and Economic Power -- Prospects and Challenges
Dr. Ajay Chibber, Distinguished Visiting Scholar, Institute for International Economic Policy, George Washington University; Non-resident Senior Fellow, South Asia Center, Atlantic Council
Global Population: Sorting Fact from Fiction
Dr. Jennifer Sciubba, Author of 8 Billion and Counting: How Sex, Death, and Migration Shape Our World, Senior Associate, Hess Center for New Frontiers, Center for Strategic and International Security
Geopolitics and National Security in the World of Tomorrow
Admiral James Stavridis, Former Supreme Allied Commander, NATO; Chair, Rockefeller Foundation Board; Vice Chair, Global Affairs, The Carlyle Group
Cleveland Committee on Foreign Relations
The Cleveland Committee on Foreign Relations (CCFR) has been a forum for in-depth geopolitical discussions since 1938. Today, this members-only dinner and dialogue program offers our Diplomat and Ambassador level members access to informed conversations, candid remarks, and interaction with top experts and diplomats. These intimate, conversation-driven events provide unparalleled access for serious engagement and understanding of today’s most pressing international issues. Participation is exclusive to Diplomat and Ambassador level members and their guests.
RECENT & UPCOMING CCFR PROGRAMS
Mohammed Soliman, Senior Fellow, Middle East Institute; Author of “West Asia: A New American Grand Strategy in the Middle East”
West Asia: The Middle East 25 Years After 9/11
General (Ret'd) Tom Lawson, Former NORAD Deputy Commander and Canadian Chief of the Defense Staff
NORAD at 70: The Future of North American SecurityWest Asia: The Middle East 25 Years After 9/11
Mohammed Soliman, Author of "West Asia: A New American Grand Strategy in the Middle East"
Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 5:45 PM | The Union Club
NORAD at 70: The Future of North American Security
General Tom Lawson, Ret., Former NORAD Deputy Commander and Canadian Chief of Defense Staff
Wednesday, October 21, 2026, at 5:45 PM | The Union Club
The New Geopolitics of Central Asia
Ambassador Daniel Rosenblum, Former U.S. Ambassador to Uzebkistan and Kazakhstan
Thursday, February 25, 2026, at 5:45 PM | The Union Club
Partners or Adversaries: The Sahel After the Coups
Alex Thurston, Author of "Jihadists of North Africa and the Sahel: Local Politics and Rebel Groups"
Wednesday, April 14, 2027, at 5:45 PM | The Union Club
More programs to be announced soon!
2025-2026 SEASON
Rose Gottemoeller: European Security Under a Shifting World Order
Michelle Gavin: The Abandonment of Sudan
Kathryn Lavelle: America's Relationship with the Arctic
Caitlin Welsh: The U.S. G20 Presidency
Fatima Abo Alasrar: Yemen and the Houthi's
Tess Bridgeman: The Future of International Law and Legal Limits
Emma Belcher: Nuclear Weapons Policy in a Hot World
Brian Hart: Patience, Power, and Purges: A Closer Look at China's Security Policy
2024-2025 SEASON
- Christopher Rassi: The World's Forgotten Crises
- Ambassador Jose Manuel G. Romualdez: Regional Security in Southeast Asia
- Ambassador Paul Jones: Poland as the Linchpin of Europe
- Holly Dagres: Imagining a Different Iran: Can the U.S. Expect Change?
- Will Freeman: (Re)Organized Crime in Latin America
- Gracelin Baskaran: Critical Minerals: How They Shape U.S. Policy
- Melanie Sisson: The Intersection of Artificial Intelligence and National Security
- Mvemba Phezo Dizolele: The 30-Year War: Conflict in Africa's Great Lakes
2023-2024 SEASON
- Martin Chorzempa: An Inside Look into the Chinese System
- Dr. Lauren Benton: Empires and International Conflict
- Danica Starks: Trade or Aid? Is There a Future for the International Development System?
- Ambassador W. Robert Pearson: Turkiye: Power Broker at Last?
- Ambassador J. Peter Pham: Instability in the Sahel: How Africa's "Coup Belt" Is Impacting the Continent
- Dr. Iulia Joja: The Ripple Effect: How the War in Ukraine Is Causing Waves Across the Black Sea
- Mark Simakovsky: A Crucial Piece of Foreign Policy: Why U.S. Aid Continues to Matter
- Dr. Ryan Berg: The Next Six Years: What to Expect from Mexico's New President
2022-2023 SEASON
- Ivan Kanapathy: An Uneasy Ambiguity: A New Path for U.S.-China Relations
- Dr. John Nagl: Why America Can't Win America's Wars: Ukraine, Afghanistan, and the Future of Conflict
- Oge Onubogu: Nigeria: What is at Stake for Africa's Largest Economy Facing Challenging 2023 Elections?
- Ambassador Liliana Ayalde: Brazil's Presidential Elections and Implications for U.S.-Brazil Bilateral Relations
- Richard Fontaine: The Evolving World Order: How Geopolitics Shape American Security
- Dr. Courtney Freer: A New Era in U.S.-Saudi Arabia Relations?
- Dr. Liana Fix: What if?...: Scenarios for the Future of Ukraine
- Chase Sova: The State of Global Food Security
2021-2022 SEASON
- Ilan Goldenberg: The U.S.-Israel Relationship After Netanyahu
- Gregory Shaffer: Emerging Powers and the World Trading System
- Kaitlyn Johnson: Space Security - Threats and Foreign Policy Implications
- Terry Roberts: Implementing Cyber Risk Management Frameworks
- Andrew Yeo: Adapting the U.S.-South Korea Alliance to the Indo-Pacific Era
- Paul Angelo: Getting U.S. Security Assistance Right: Lessons from Mexico, Central America, and Colombia
- Cameron Hudson: The Horn of Africa and Its Strategic Implications
- Pierre Morcos: The Future of Europe: A French Perspective
Cleveland Connections: A Video Interview Series
Cleveland Connections is our newest way to help Clevelanders be informed and learn about the latest global events. These 20-30 minute interviews with renowned experts, all with a connection to Cleveland, are meant to cover impactful stories in world affairs with the people who understand them most.
Cleveland Connections Interviews
Global Impact Awards
CCWA's Global Impact Award recognizes an individual or organization whose leadership has led to greater global understanding and cooperation. This annual event includes dinner, a program, and the Brooks Emeny Distinguished Lecture, delivered by our honoree.
The Cleveland Council on World Affairs’ 2026 Global Impact Award event date and honoree will be announced soon! Stay tuned for more information about how you can join us to celebrate CCWA’s mission and global engagement in our community and around the world at this year's event.
For more information, contact Jenni Carney at jcarney@ccwa.org.
2025: Ambassador William J. Burns, Former Director of the CIA, Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State
2024: Senator Rob Portman
2023: The U.S. Diplomatic Corps (Award accepted by Ambassador Anne W. Patterson)
2022: The National Geographic (Award accepted by Jill Tiefenthaler, CEO of National Geographic Society)
2019: Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations
2018: Senator George Mitchell
2017: Condoleezza Rice, Former U.S. Secretary of State
2016: James A. Baker, III, Former U.S. Secretary of State
2015: Senator Richard G. Lugar
2014: Strobe Talbott, Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State
2013: Governor Richard F. Celeste, Former Director of the Peace Corps
Contribute to Global Connections
SUPPORT THE CLEVELAND COUNCIL ON WORLD AFFAIRS
For a century, the CCWA has brought diverse perspectives on issues of international import to Cleveland. Much of our programming is made possible by the the support of our members and the generosity of our donors. Will you help us continue to create global connections?