Global I.q. Minute With Jim Falk

Time Magazine called H. R. McMaster, the 26th U.S. National Security Advisor, "the Army's pre-eminent warrior-thinker." Now McMaster brings his long record of battleground engagement and foreign policy scholarship to an examination of America's place in the world and asks us if we are ready to reject party politics and educate ourselves about "the most significant challenges to national and international security."

Sarah Huckabee Sanders served as the White House press secretary from 2017-2019; she was the third woman and first mother to ever hold the position. The daughter of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Sanders has worked in leadership roles for U.S senators, governors, and presidential campaigns. Sarah has been recognized in TIME Magazine’s “40 under 40” as one of the best political operatives of her generation. She is a Fox News contributor, advises major companies, and serves on the Fulbright board as an appointee of President Trump. Sarah lives in Little Rock, Arkansas with her husband Bryan, their children Scarlett, Huck, and George, and their golden retriever Traveler.

In the 70 years following the introduction of the Marshall Plan, the world saw unparalleled prosperity – but Blair Sheppard argues this steady prosperity has now “unraveled.” Rising economic inequality, disruption caused by technology, polarization overcoming consensus, and a loss of trust in institutions are driving significant global challenges. Blair believes the current trajectories of prosperity, technology, institutional legitimacy and leadership have created an existential crisis, “But if we tackle them now, thoughtfully, imaginatively, creatively, and energetically, in ten years we could be looking at a dawn instead of darkness.” Blair H. Sheppard is the global leader for strategy and leadership at PwC, a network of professional services firms committed to building trust in society and solving important problems. He is also professor emeritus and dean emeritus of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business. During his time at Duke, he was the founding CEO and chairman of Duke Corporate Education and w

It takes several acts of Congress to set the federal budget. Presidential appointments are subject to congressional approval. The Supreme Court can overrule executive orders. Yet the President, acting alone, can push the nuclear button. Operating within a system designed around checks and balances, the President of the United States possesses unchecked authority to order a nuclear strike – without any oversight. President Clinton’s Secretary of Defense William Perry and nuclear expert Tom Collina argue that “Presidents, like all of us, make mistakes. They are only human. So, why do we give so much power to one fallible human?” In “The Button,” the authors recommend what is needed to update U.S. nuclear policy. William Perry, a self-styled “Prophet of Doom,” served as Secretary of Defense (’94-‘97) under President Clinton. He is the founder of the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies and currently serves as the Director of the Preventative Defense Project at Stanford University. Perry has

Jorge Castañeda was foreign minister of Mexico from 2000 to 2003. He has held teaching positions at Mexico's National Autonomous University, the University of California, Berkeley and New York University. He is a New York Times contributing opinion writer and a columnist for the Mexican daily El Financiero and the Spanish daily El País. Dr. Castañeda has authored more than seven books, including his newly published book, “America Through Foreign Eyes.” . . Do you believe in the importance of international education and connections? The nonprofit World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth is supported by gifts from people like you, who share our passion for engaging in dialogue on global affairs and building bridges of understanding. While the Council is not currently charging admission for virtual events, we ask you to please consider making a one-time or recurring gift to help us keep the conversation going through informative public programs and targeted events for students and teachers. Donate: https

Alliances with other countries have been an integral part of U.S. foreign policy since the beginning of our country. Mira Rapp-Hooper says, “When alliances are working, we don’t see them at all,” which may have caused the alliance system to become “a victim of its own quiet success.” Today the system faces challenges not only from disrupter countries such as China and Russia, but also from Americans who question their value and cost. Join Jim Falk in conversation with Rapp-Cooper about her new book, “Shields of the Republic: The Triumph and Peril of America’s Alliances.” Mira Rapp-Hooper is a senior fellow for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and a senior fellow at Yale Law School’s Paul Tsai China Center. She was the Asia policy coordinator for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. Her policy writings have appeared in The National Interest, Foreign Affairs and Washington Quarterly. She holds a B.A. from Stanford University and an M.A., M.Phil. and Ph.D. in political science from Columbi

True Crimes And Misdemeanors With Jeffrey Toobin by World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth

Believers: Love and Death in Tehran by World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth

Ezekiel Emanuel, M.D., an Obama Administration healthcare advisor and one of the architects of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, gives the United States’ health system failing grades as he compares it to the healthcare systems of Germany, France, Switzerland, Norway, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Taiwan and China. Join Jim Falk's conversation with Dr. Emmanuel.

Fans of Daniel Silva have been eagerly awaiting the release of his twentieth Gabriel Allon thriller. “The Order” is a spellbinding novel of friendship and faith in a perilous and uncertain world. And it is still more proof that Daniel Silva is his generation’s finest writer of suspense and international intrigue.

The World With Richard Haas by World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth

Dr. Cynthia A. Watson, Dean of Faculty & Academic Programs at the National War College, discusses the changing dynamics of geopolitical power as Hong Kong returns to Chinese sovereignty.

Barton Gellman was one of three people who received the explosive archives of highly classified National Security Agency files revealing the extent of the agency’s global surveillance apparatus from Edward Snowden. This Washington Post veteran investigative reporter’s book “Dark Mirror” is not only the story of government overreach into private lives, but also a fascinating look into the life of Snowden and the byzantine world of investigative journalism. In spying and investigative journalism, no one can be fully trusted – including Snowden. Barton Gellman, a staff writer at The Atlantic, spent 21 years at the Washington Post, where he held positions as legal, diplomatic, military and Middle East correspondent. He wrote the best-selling “Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency.” Gellman has won three Pulitzer Prizes: the 2014 Prize for Public Service for coverage of the National Security Agency and Edward Snowden, the 2008 Prize for National Reporting for a series on Vice President Dick Cheney, and the 2002 Pri

Dr. Robert M. Gates brings his decades of observation and participation guarding the security of the nation to a fresh examination of the exercise and limitations of American power. Gates recently wrote in Foreign Affairs that “Most Americans want their country to stand for something beyond just military strength and economic success. They want it to be seen admiringly by others as the world’s strongest advocate for liberty.” He believes that a restructured and strengthened State Department would enable the U.S. to accept the burden of global leadership, in a manner that reduces risk for the nation. Kirkus Reviews said of Gates’ new book, “It’s refreshing to see a secretary of defense call for the use of the military as a choice of last resort.” Robert M. Gates served as secretary of defense under presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He was an officer in the U.S. Air Force and worked for the CIA before being appointed director of the agency. A member of the National Security Council staff in four admi

Tom Peters has been a passionate advocate of “putting people first” for decades, and it’s never been more important than in this age of pandemic. Peters says, “Leaders understand the power of relationships,” but now we must struggle to effectively engage within the limits of social distancing and virtual conference rooms. Peters believes that the only way that leaders can navigate through crises is “to deal with people compassionately.” Our Global Forum will hear the ideas of one of the bestselling business authors of all time in a not-to-be-missed program. Tom Peters’ 17 books have sold more than ten million copies, beginning with “In Search of Excellence.” He is a civil engineering graduate of Cornell and he earned an MBA and a Ph.D. in business at Stanford. Peters was a partner at McKinsey & Co. before founding The Tom Peters Company in 1981. He is a sought-after expert on management and leadership. Sponsored by Dallas Baptist University

In New York Times bestselling author Scott Turow's latest novel, The Last Trial, two formidable men collide: a celebrated criminal defense lawyer at the end of his career and his lifelong friend, a renowned doctor accused of murder. Full of the deep insights into the spaces where the fragility of human nature and the justice system collide, The Last Trial is a masterful legal thriller that unfolds in page-turning suspense — and questions how we measure a life. Scott Turow is the author of ten bestselling works of fiction, including Identical, Innocent, Presumed Innocent, and The Burden of Proof, and two nonfiction books, including One L, about his experience as a law student. His books have been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than thirty million copies worldwide, and have been adapted into movies and television projects. He has frequently contributed essays and op-ed pieces to publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic.

Five U.S. presidents have depended on Ambassador Dennis Ross to shape U.S. policy and relationships in the Middle East, and for twelve years he played a leading role in the many attempts to bring a settlement to the decades-long conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Ross is the author of several influential books about the region and his experiences, including “The Missing Peace” and “Doomed to Succeed.” In his latest book, he takes a look back at Israel’s founding founders Ben-Gurion, Begin, Rabin and Sharon, suggesting that today’s political leaders might draw on the lessons of the past to steer Israel safely forward. Among the questions and topics to be discussed will be stability of the emergency government forged between Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz and what it means for each leader’s political future; whether the two-state solution – to which Ross devoted much of his career – is a distant memory; and how are Israel’s growing economic and political ties with Gulf countries reshaping the pol

Jonathan Karl was a cub reporter when he first met Donald Trump in 1994. “I knew that I could call him from that point on whenever I wanted to and he would be accessible and willing to play along and loved to be in the mix,” Karl says. He has reported from the White House under four presidents and logged more airtime than any other network reporter during President Trump’s first two years. “Front Row at the Trump Show” is Karl’s story about his often-contentious relationship with the 45th president and the view from one of history’s front row seats. Jonathan Karl is ABC News’ chief Washington correspondent and co-anchor of “This Week with George Stephanopoulos.” He is also the President of the White House Correspondents' Association. In his 15 years in Washington, Karl has won prestigious awards for his coverage of U.S. politics, foreign policy and the military for ABC and CNN. He spent his early career at the New Republic and the New York Post. Karl graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Vassar College. Sponsored b

The oil war between Russia and Saudi Arabia has plunged energy markets into a freefall, threatening U.S. energy independence as many domestic producers are faced with bankruptcy. Is this another calculated challenge against the U.S. by Vladimir Putin? The guile and aggression of the Russian president has “resurrected Russia’s status as a force to be reckoned with,” says foreign policy expert Angela Stent, author of “Putin’s World: Russia Against the West and With the Rest.” Stent examines how Russian history formed this mercurial leader in what Kirkus Reviews calls “a compelling historico-psychological work.” Angela Stent is a former national intelligence officer and current director of the Center for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies and professor of government and foreign service at Georgetown University. She is a Brookings Institution senior fellow and is an editorial board member of the Journal of Cold War Studies and the World Policy Journal. In addition to service on the National Intelligence

When he began writing “The End of October,” a medical thriller about a deadly virus that sweeps across the world after coming to life in a refugee camp in India, The New Yorker’s Lawrence Wright says, “I thought it might happen one day but I didn’t think it would happen today… As I read the papers and watch the news, I have that same unsettled sensation of revisiting scenes that I have already written.” The events depicted in “The End of October” were meant to serve as a cautionary tale. But real life doesn't always wait for warnings. Sponsored by Dallas Baptist University.