Past Events
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Norway & the U.S.: Engaging the New "New" World
A presentation by His Excellency Benson K. Whitney
U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
On May 6, 2009, Minnesota native Benson K. Whitney shared his experiences and insights from serving as U.S. Ambassador to Norway for nearly four years and during two U.S. presidencies. Ambassador Whitney explained that the 21st century relationship between the U.S. and Norway faces a rapidly changing environment, including a "new" modern Norway and a dynamically changing geo-political scene which challenges the overall trans-Atlantic alliance.
Benson K. Whitney was sworn in as the U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on November 28, 2005. Ambassador Whitney’s career has included extensive experience in business, law, and community affairs.
He earned his JD from the University of Minnesota Law School in Minneapolis, graduating as an editor of the Law Review, and has previously practiced law in health care, cable television and other regulated industries, as well as election law. He has served as Managing General Partner of the Gideon Hixon Fund, an evergreen venture capital fund focused on early stage technology and health care companies in Minnesota and California, and was elected President of the Minnesota Venture Capital Association.
Cosponsors: The Honorary Norwegian Consulate General (Minneapolis); the Freeman Center for International Economic Policy at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs; the Economic Club of Minnesota; and the Norwegian American Chamber of Commerce (Minneapolis)
Meet the presenter (pdf coming soon)
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Sowing Crisis: The Cold War and American Dominance in the Middle East
A presentation by Dr. Rashid Khalidi
Thursday, March 12, 2009
On March 12, 2009, Dr. Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Modern Arab Studies at Columbia University, presented from his new book, Sowing Crisis: The Cold War and American Dominance in the Middle East.
Through a keen analysis of the last fifty years of U.S. foreign policy, Dr. Khalidi suggests in his new book that the global conflicts now explosively playing out in the Middle East were significantly shaped by the Cold War era, and that any successful peace process must begin with a 
thorough understanding of this historical foundation.
Considered to be one of the foremost U.S. historians of the modern Middle East, Dr. Khalidi holds graduate degrees from Yale University and Oxford University, and has been the recipient of numerous prestigious grants and fellowships throughout his academic career. In addition to being an accomplished author he is also a frequent guest columnist and talk show commentatoron various issues related to the Middle East. A book signing and reception followed the program.
Cosponsors: The Loft Literary Center, Mizna
Meet the presenter (pdf)
Purchase Dr. Khalidi's new book on Amazon.com
Sowing Crisis: The Cold War and American Dominance in the Middle East
(Beacon Press, 2009; 308 pages)
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U.S. Foreign Policy Outlook for 2009
A public forum with foreign policy expert Tom Hanson
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
One week after Barack Obama was sworn in as President of the United States, speaker Tom Hanson gave his annual State of U.S. Foreign Policy address. Mr. Hanson explored and explained current foreign policy development, trends and challenges, and discussed how policies outlined by the new administration of President Barack Obama may influence international opinion about the United States.
Tom Hanson is a Foreign Policy Consultant and a former U.S. Foreign Service Officer whose postings included East Germany, France, Norway, the Soviet Union, Sweden, and the former Soviet republic of Georgia. He also participated in the opening of new U.S. Embassies in Mongolia and Estonia. He worked on the foreign relations committees of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and served as Director for NATO and European Affairs at the Atlantic Council of the United States in Washington, D.C. Currently Mr. Hanson is Program Secretary of the St. Paul-Minneapolis Committee on Foreign Relations, a member of MIC’s Great Decisions advisory committee, a frequent Great Decisions speaker, and a regularly featured commentator on Minnesota Public Radio.
Listen to the program (may take a moment to load):
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Adding Value to Microfinance: Access to Basic Health Protection Services
Monday, October 27, 2008
As a pioneer of “integrated services,” the practice of combining education about basic life skills, financial skills, and health protection with access to microfinance, Christopher Dunford has long advocated that providing access to small loans by itself ignores the equally necessary treatment of the inexorable companions to poverty—lack of knowledge, poor nutrition, and disease. At Freedom from Hunger, he helped to design the “Microfinance and Health Protection” initiative now being field-tested in five countries on three continents with leadership funding from
the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Dr. Dunford reported on the compelling evidence that is emerging from this powerful pilot effort as he surveyed the efforts by Freedom from Hunger and others to bring about an end to chronic hunger.
Cosponsors: Freedom from Hunger, Compatible Technology International
Listen to the program (may take a moment to load):
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With Respect to Iran and the West: An Interface of Politics and Religion
Sunday, September 28, 2008
The Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights was created in January of 2006 by former Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik to encourage dialogue around the intersection of peace and religious practice. In 2007, the Oslo Center formalized a partnership with the Foundation for Dialogue Among Civilizations, which is headed by former president of Iran, Mohammad Khatami, to build bridges of understanding between the “Islamic World” and the “West.” The two organizations have jointly organized workshops in both Oslo and Tehran, focusing on fostering human rights, tolerance for diversity, and reducing religious extremism. Please join us at Augsburg College the evening of Sunday, September 28 for a panel discussion exploring how the nuances of cultural and religious differences affect the political relationship between Iran and the West, with the premise that informed and respectful dialog can reduce international tensions.
Panelists included:
Kjell Magne Bondevik, former Prime Minister of Norway and founder of the Oslo Center for
Peace and Human Rights
The Right Reverend John Bryson Chane, Eighth Bishop of Washington
Dr. William Beeman, University of Minnesota professor of Anthropology;
Imam Makram El-Amin, Masjid An-Nur Mosque.
Cosponsors: Augsburg College, The Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights, The
Vesper Society of San Francisco
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Franco-American Relations - The Current State of Affairs
Luncheon with Pierre Vimont, French ambassador to the U.S.
Monday, April 14
Pierre Vimont has been a member of the French Foreign Service since 1977, Ambassador Vimont was appointed Ambassador to the United States by President Sarkozy in August 2007. Monsieur Vimont has held several prominent posts including ambassador and permanent representative of France to the European Union.
Ambassador Vimont shared his thoughts on Franco-American Relations. At this luncheon, Ambassador Vimont also presented local French Honorary Consul Alain Frécon with the Légion d’Honneur on behalf of the French Government.
Cosponsors: Alliance Française, French American Chamber of Commerce, the Marquette Hotel, Northwest Airlines
Motherland Afghanistan
A film screening and reception with filmmaker Sedika Mojadidi
Friday, April 4, 2008
Sedika Mojadidi is an Afghan-American filmmaker who has
produced both independent and television projects, including two
experimental documentaries shorts on Afghanistan, Kabul, Kabul
(2000) and Zulaikha, (2002). Motherland Afghanistan is her first documentary feature.
Anika Rahman is President of Americans for UNFPA. For more than twelve years, Ms. Rahman has monitored and analyzed United States and international policies that affect the health and rights of women.
Following a screening of Motherland Afghanistan, Ms. Mojadidi and Ms. Rahman shared their perspectives on women's health, particularly in developing and war-torn countries like Afghanistan.
Cosponsors: Americans for UNFPA, American Refugee Committee, Deborah E. Powell Center for Women's Health
Norway and the U.S. in the 21st Century
Public forum with Jonas Gahr Støre, Norwegian minister of foreign affairs
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Minister Støre has held several positions in the Norwegian government
and with international organizations including the Norwegian Red Cross,
Econ Analysis, the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Norwegian
Mission to the United Nations in Geneva. He discussed the relationship
between Norway and the United States in the 21st Century.
Cosponsors: Royal Norwegian Consulate General, Humphrey Institute for
Public Affairs
Microlending - Promoting Peace through Building Prosperity
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Muhammad Yunus established the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh
in 1983, fueled by the belief that credit is a fundamental human right.
His objective was to help poor people escape from poverty by
providing loans on terms suitable to them and by teaching them
a few sound financial principles so they could help themselves.
Dr. Yunus shared his inspiring experiences with changing
people’s lives a few dollars at a time.
Cosponsors: Nobel Peace Prize Forum, Concordia College Moorhead,
Augustana College, Augsburg College, Luther College, and St. Olaf
College, Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs
Listen to the program (may take a moment to load):
US Foreign Policy Outlook for 2008
A public forum with foreign policy expert Tom Hanson
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tom Hanson is a former Career Foreign Service Officer and frequent speaker for MIC's Great Decisions program. He holds master's degrees from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, the Geneva Institute of Advanced International Studies, and the National School of Administration in Paris, and he also currently serves as program secretary of the St. Paul-Minneapolis Committee on Foreign Relations. In this popular annual presentation, Mr. Hanson spoke about the economic and security-related challenges facing the U.S. in 2008, and also shared his insights on how effective and appropriate foreign policy initiatives can be taken as the presidential administration transitions in the next year.
Listen to the program (may take a moment to load):
The Guantanamo Bay Challenge:
Finding the Balance between Our Nation's
Security and Our Nation's Ideals
Monday, November 12, 2007
James Dorsey and Nicole Moen are two attorneys who -- along with several colleagues at Fredrikson & Byron -- currently represent an Algerian detainee held in Guantanamo Bay. Mr. Dorsey and Ms. Moen spoke about their visits to their client in Guantanamo Bay, explaining who the detainees are, their treatment, and the legal recourse available to test the appropriateness of their continued detention. The presentation included photos of the prison and sketches of the interrogation procedures.
Cosponsor: Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights
Diplomacy and Peacekeeping
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
The Minnesota International Center co-hosted an expert panel discussion on United Nations peacekeeping, with a focus on efforts in Africa. Panelists included:
• William Lacy Swing is the chief of the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the largest U.N. Mission in Africa.
• Ambassador Bruce Laingen is a retired diplomat and immediate past president of the American Academy of Diplomacy.
• J. Brian Atwood is the dean of the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute and member of the 2000 Brahimi Commission on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations.
This presentation was the annual Joseph Sisco Memorial Forum in the Twin Cities.
Cosponsors: United Nations Association-Minnesota, The Hubert H. Humphrey Institute for Public Affairs, the American Academy of Diplomacy, and the United Nations Association-USA.
Restoring America’s Standing in the Middle East
A Public Forum with Ambassador Dennis Ross
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Ambassador Ross, a leading U.S. expert on the Middle East, discussed his book, Statecraft: And How to Restore America’s Standing in the World, in which he argues that in the post-Soviet era of globalization it is essential to use the traditional tools of statecraft – diplomacy, economic, and military – to advance American national interests. The New York Times called Statecraft “important and illuminating.”
Cosponsor: The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas
A Public Forum with Ambassador Michael Wilson,
Canadian Ambassador to the United States
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Ambassador Wilson addressed a multitude of issues that define our binational relationship, including the benefits derived from our principle trading agreement - NAFTA - as well as border and economic issues driving the bilateral agenda.
Cosponsors: The Consulate General of Canada in Minneapolis and The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce
Dr. Nafis Sadik
U.N. Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Asia
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
One of the highest ranking women in the United Nations system, Dr. Sadik spoke on the impact of the HIV/AIDS crisis on women in Asia, and what steps can be taken to combat this growing issue.
Cosponsors: Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights; Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota; the University of Minnesota Powell Center for Women’s Health; and The United Nations Association of Minnesota
Listen to the program:
