Got pictures to share?

We had a busy weekend here at the IRC, working to put on two events in three days.  Last Friday, members attended our much-hyped annual Berkley Lecture with Allison Stanger.  Then yesterday (Sunday, Dec. 6th) IRC board member Benny Lee hosted a private reception in his home with special guest and world-class pianist Behzod Abduraimov. 

We have pictures from these events that anyone can view at our Facebook page.  Please feel free to tag yourself and people you know in the pictures.

Finally, if you have pictures that you would like to share with the IRC, please let us know in the comments, on Facebook, or by emailing irc@irckc.org.

Thanks to all who attended these events.  Watch the blog for details of more upcoming events!

Berkley and Todd E. Davis Scholarship winners to be announced at Berkley Lecture

Whew!  The IRC staff has done a lot of reading in the past few weeks.  We received applications from all over the metro for our two scholarships, and we're pleased to announce that we have chosen the winners for both.  We will announce the names of the winners at Friday's Berkley Lecture.   

Regular readers remember our announcements about the Todd E. Davis scholarship (for college students) and the Eliot S. Berkley Award for International Achievement (for high school students). Students submitted to the IRC an essay on an international topic, a statement of purpose, and a teacher recommendation.  The IRC staff and board of directors went through all of them carefully and look forward to congratulating the winners this Friday.  The Eliot S. Berkley Award winner will receive a $500 scholarship, the Todd E. Davis winner will receive a $1000 scholarship.

The IRC would also like to mention Lenora Miles of Platte County High School, who submitted dozens of her students' essays for consideration for the Berkley Award.  Miles' campaign on behalf of her students is truly admirable, and the IRC looks forward to another crop of essays from her students next year.  We will feature more about Miles in our upcoming December newsletter.

The Berkley Lecture is this coming Friday, but it's not too late to register!  Go to www.irckc.org to register to attend. 

Taking the GRE- for those who really really don't want to

Utter whatever curse you want about the GRE. Whatever slam you can come up with, the GRE probably deserves it.  The verbal section’s dependence on archaic vocabulary is the part I hate most.  It is one thing to test for vocabulary words that people actually, you know, use—surreptitious, taciturn, ambulatory—but then a test taker will encounter words she’s never heard before in her life—saturnine, gainsay, encomium—and be punished for her egregious sin of not knowing something that 99% of the population doesn’t know and 99.9% doesn’t care about.  If you’re the sort who cares about fairness and merit in academia, you’re probably aware that this sort of test is especially unfair to students who speak English as a second language.  Imagine that: you work for years to learn English, get a good score on the TOEFL, maybe even attend college in the US.  Then you take the GRE and because you don’t know what “peripatetic” means you might has well be tossed in a volcano. 

I exaggerate, of course.  But many would agree that the GRE is a bad test of academic ability; it is more of a test of your ability to jump through bureaucratic hoops and cough up $150.  You could protest.  You could howl and throw a tantrum and vow to only apply to schools that don’t need a GRE score or just throw in the towel and take the GMAT or LSAT instead.  You could fill with righteous anger and protest graduate schools’ dependence on a money-making racket disguised as a standardized test to judge another human being’s “potential.”   

But, at the end of it all, you will still have to take the GRE to go to grad school.

Sigh. 

I won’t spend hours going over all of the test taking strategies out there.  There is a whole industry for standardized test prep.  I recommend at least picking up a book or going to some kind of course for the GRE.  If the GRE is important to getting into grad school, and grad school is that important to your future, you should do some kind of prep.  Everyone you’re competing against for that admission will be. 

Besides reviewing the concepts tested and maybe taking a prep course, here are some rules for preparing for the GRE.

1.  Pick a date to register early.  Unlike the ACT or SAT the GRE can pretty much be taken any old time.  Because there are so many spots and you can take the test on relatively short notice it is easy to procrastinate—both to register and to actually prepare.  Don’t wind up taking the GRE two weeks before your application is due.  Pick a test date a few months out, and prepare accordingly.

2.  Find a good prep book/course.  As I said before, there are a ton out there.  A few criteria have to be met for best results.

            a.  Is the prep material current?  The GRE has gone through a lot of changes in the past few years, going from a written to a computer adaptive test, moving toward entering answe ers instead of multiple choice questions, and using “experimental” questions on test takers.  A good prep book will tell you how to prepare for each, but if it’s from 1995, it’s not going to be as helpful.

            b. Does the tone and content suit you?  Look at the book and see how it’s written.  Is it dry and instructive, or more conversational?  Go with a book that fits your personality.  It will make it easier to absorb whatever the book is trying to teach you if the book doesn't remind you of that painfully unhip teacher who always called you "dog."

            c.  Are there sample tests?  There is no better preparation for the GRE than taking the GRE.  ETS (the company that makes the GRE) releases old tests to the public after a few years.  A good prep book will incorporate those old tests and use them for diagnostic.  Even better: many books will come with a CD-ROM that will simulate the computer adapted tests.

3.  Vocabulary- Repetition is your friend.  Those ancient vocabulary words I complained about earlier?  You still have to learn them.  Again, there are lists, flashcards, books out there that will help you.  Go through the words and pick out words that you know cold.  Set them aside—you already know them.  Then go through again and pick out the words that you kinda sorta know what they mean, or have heard somewhere before.  These are what you need to memorize.  The words that you’ve never heard before, have no context to put them in, doubt that they are actually English?  Put those aside, your chances of learning them are slim to nil. 

Then take the vocab cards or list or whatever of words that you need to learn, and start memorizing.  Repetition is your friend here.  Look at the cards a few times a week, using the same words until you know exactly what it means and how to use it in a sentence. Yes, it's boring.  Yes, you still have to do it.

4. Review, Review, Review your math.  You may still remember the Pythagorean theorem.  You may still even remember how to do quadratics.  That’s great.  But can you do them under a time limit, sorting through irrelevant information, while already intellectually exhausted?  Be honest with yourself here.  If it’s been a few years since algebra and geometry, you owe it to yourself to take some sort of refresher.  Especially if you’re weak at math (like me) this will boost your ability and your confidence on test day.

5.  Check your network.  I am bad at math (so very very bad) but I am great at verbal and vocabulary questions. I have a friend who is amazing at math but struggles with the ambiguities of the verbal section.  See where we're going here? Go to your friends and ask their help, ask to study together, ask for their advice.  They're your friends, they'll be happy to help you.  Just be there to offer your help when they need you.

Also, if you're a student, check the career center.  Their whole job is is to get you a job or into grad school.  They will offer advice, test prep materials, and maybe even tutoring.  Again, a theme is emerging here: don't put it off.

In case you were wondering, I finally took the GRE, in spite of all my carrying on, this week.  I did pretty well, thanks to my own prep and an awesome assist from more math-literate friends.   Now that it's over I can swear an oath to never ever not ever take a standardized test ever again.  My wish for others is to prepare well and early, get through the GRE, and move on with their lives already.  We are all much more than a test score. 

Good luck to all!

New Event Announced: The Khaarijie

The Khaarijee: A Chronicle of Friendship and War in Kabul
with Malcolm Garcia

January 25
7:00 p.m.
Location TBA

J. Malcolm Garcia, who has worked as a reporter for The Kansas City Star, has recently released his newest book The Khaarijee: A Chronicle of Friendship and War in Kabul, a memoir about six orphans, a dog, a Muslim man, and an inexperienced American journalist--thrust together in post-9/11 Afghanistan.   Join the IRC as Garcia, a former social worker new to both journalism and war, dicusses his time in Afghanistan, where he found both a professional and emotional center.

In addition to working for The Kansas City Star, Garcia is a regular contributor to The Virginia Quarterly Review. His travel essays have appeared in Best American Travel Writing, and Best American Non-Required Reading.

More details to be announced as the date approaches.

The Khaarijie at Amazon.com

The Khaarijie reviewed by the Kansas City Star

Cuba Today event cancelled, update on other upcoming events

The IRC is sad to announce that its event Cuba Today: Reflections on My Visit with Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, which was first announced at our Awards Banquet, has been canceled.  We apologize to all our members; we share your disappointment.  We are currently working on refunding registration fees.

We invite all members to these other events in the coming weeks:

Asian Economic Outlook 

Nov. 17th, 2009 8:00 AM to 9:15 AM

Join the International Relations Council, in partnership with the UMKC Bloch School of Business and Public Administration, for "Asian Economic Outlook" with Dr. Norihito Tanaka, Visiting Professor of Economics at UMKC.  Dr. Tanaka will discuss current economic perspectives and the business environment, including the growth of the Chinese economy, the Japanese economic situation and governmental power shift, and emerging markets and economies in Asia.

Tanaka is a professor of International Business and Economics at Kanagawa University in Japan.  He has also taught in Thailand, the Phillipines, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.  Tanaka has published several books, including Japan's Postwar Economy and Technological Competitive Power of U.S. and Japan.

This event is free.  Please RSVP to the Bloch School.

2009 Berkley Lecture: Dr. Allison Stanger: One Nation Under Contract

Dec. 4th, 2009  at 12 PM

We have been posting about Dr. Stanger's book and the issues she will likely cover in her presentations.  Click on our "Berkley Lecture" tag to view them.

Now on YouTube: C. Fred Bergsten "The World Economy After the Crisis"

Did you miss our Awards Banquet this year? (Shame!) You missed a great night of networking, socializing, and learning! Scholars and professionals came from across the Midwest to support the IRC and confer on current international affairs. As a bonus, everyone dressed up and looked fantastic!

Our biggest draw of the evening was Dr. C. Fred Bergsten and his predictions about the future of the global economy. Dr. Bergsten gave an hour-long speech and took questions from the audience afterwards.

Kicking yourself for missing the fun? You’re in luck. The IRC recorded Dr. Bergsten’s speech, and now for the benefit of all IRC members we are posting the speech to YouTube as a series of audio clips. The clips are embedded below and can also be viewed on our YouTube channel.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Part 5


Part 6


Part 7


Part 8



To view and register for more upcoming events, please visit www.irckc.org.
For more on Dr. Bergsten and the Petersen Institute for International Economics, visit www.piie.com

Attention Students: Todd E. Davis Scholarship now available

(The IRC is offering a scholarship opportunity to area students, though eligibility is restricted to undergrads at one of our ten member schools, please see requirements below.)

The International Relations Council (IRC) is pleased to announce the Todd E. Davis Scholarship.  This $1,000 scholarship has been funded from the death benefits of Todd E. Davis.  Mr. Davis was killed in Iraq on an Army combat mission in January 2008. Todd was the nephew of Dorothy and Ralph Ochsner.  Dorothy, a long time IRC member and friend, passed away in June 2009.

This scholarship will be awarded to a current student at one of IRC’s Educational Organizational members at the 2009 Eliot S. Berkley Lecture on December 4, 2009.

The requirements are:

1. Full-time undergraduate student at one of these schools: Avila University, Baker University, Johnson County Community College, Park University, University of Kansas, UMKC, UMKC Bloch School, University of St. Mary, Rockhurst University, or William Jewell College.
2. A cover letter expressing interest in the Todd E. Davis Scholarship.
3. A letter of recommendation from a professor, to be sent directly to the IRC, that attests to the candidate's interest in global affairs, the promise of excellence in the study of global affairs, and any impressive leadership by the candidate in creating a globally-engaged community.
4. Submission of a 3-5 page essay on one of the following topics:
1. The Nobel Peace Prize selection committee has requested that you nominate a candidate for its 2010 competition.  In the award guidelines, they stipulate that the ideal candidate will be an individual “who expresses his/her knowledge of crises, conflicts and the importance of peaceful paths to resolutions.”
2. One of the toughest problems the Obama Administration faces is how to define “success” in Iraq, Iran or Afghanistan.  Give your advice.

The deadline for submissions is: Friday, November 13.
The applications will be evaluated by the staff of the International Relations Council.

Please send application materials to:

Linda S. Trout, Executive Director, at ltrout@irckc.org
Or:          International Relations Council         

          911 Main Street, Suite 2226
          Kansas City, MO 64105

One Nation Under Contract: Senate passes amendment to combat rape coverups- 30 Senators balk

As a lead up to our Dec.4th Berkley Lecture from Dr. Allison Stanger, author of One Nation Under Contract, we will examine a few issues likely to be raised in the book and in her lecture to the IRC.

Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) recently introduced an amendment, passed by the Senate on Oct. 6th, to the Defense Appropriations Act which was intended:

"To prohibit the use of funds for any Federal contract with Halliburton Company, KBR, Inc., any of their subsidiaries or affiliates, or any other contracting party if such contractor or a subcontractor at any tier under such contract requires that employees or independent contractors sign mandatory arbitration clauses regarding certain claims."

The amendment name-checked Halliburton and KBR in response to the case of Jamie Lee Jones, a former KBR employee who claims she was attacked and raped by several of her coworkers while working in Iraq in 2005.   According to Jones, after she reported the incident to her employers, she was locked in a shipping container for 24 hours.  KBR threatened Jones's job, took no action to punish her attackers, and then maintained that the attack should be addressed through arbitration.  Jones consented to arbitration upon her employment at KBR, as is standard procedure in many private companies, agreeing not to sue the company if she was injured in work-related activities.  In contrast to a trial, arbitration is legally binding, but produces no public record and is conducted with no judge or jury.  Under the arbitration agreement, Jones could not sue the company for her treatment, and could not appeal if she lost her case.  KBR claimed that Jones' assault was work-related and fell under her arbitration agreement.  This takes some mental gymnastics-- KBR was arguing that Jones should have expected to be gang-raped and imprisoned by her coworkers as a normal workplace risk.  One assumes that KBR feels this way about all of their female employees.

Thanks to a decision earlier this month from the US Court of Appeals, after three years of legislation Jones can finally sue KBR for her treatment.   The implications of her case and the Senate amendment are far-reaching.  First, her case highlights the disadvantages of mandatory arbitration.  Private companies have long asked employees and customers to agree to mandatory arbitration in dealing with disputes, a practice that many argue heavily favors the private company. In arbitration, it was possible that Jones would be victimized a second time by being stripped of her right to face her attackers in open court, and then probably fired while her attackers escaped punishment.

Second, it shows how little accountability these contracting companies currently have. 30 US Senators voted against an amendment that punishes government-funded companies for condoning something as reprehensible as rape. Contractors take billions of tax dollars to spend with relative freedom, yet refuse to abide by the provision that they allow employees to press charges if they are raped on the job.

There's a rather unfortunate local connection to the story.  Both Kansas senators (Brownback and Roberts) and one Missouri senator (Bond) were among the thirty Senators who voted against the amendment, claiming that the amendment unfairly targeted KBR and Halliburton.  Proponents of the amendment pointed out that the bill will apply to all government contracting agencies in the future.  Many of these thirty senators also seemingly contradicted themselves after calling for the de-funding of ACORN, which formerly received federal funding to help low-income individuals but now stands accused of fraud. Critics point out the two opposing ideas that these Senators seem to hold in their head simultaneously:  one, that companies who take government money should hold up to the highest level of scrutiny; the other, that the government should take a hands-off approach to such companies even when faced when evidence of gang-rape:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Rape-Nuts
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

Jones recently appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show to discuss her experience and her efforts to contact the thirty opposing senators:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Unfortunately for Jones and for any female employees of KBR or other government contractors, the amendment may still not go through. Senator Dan Inouye (D-HI) may remove the amendment thanks to continued pressure from defense contractors.

To register to attend the Berkley Lecture on Dec. 4th, please visit the IRC website.


S. Amndt.2588 to H.R. 3326 Voting Record 
Franken's Anti-Rape Amendment May Be Stripped By Senior Dem, Sources Say (Huffington Post)

Ambition for Admission- Preparing to Apply

So, you’ve decided to pursue a Master’s degree. You’ve decided to surrender your freedom and $60,000 for the privilege of enduring marathon classes, all-night study sessions, and cutthroat competition from your fellow students, with no guarantee that your new degree will help you get a job once you graduate.

Hooray!

Because you really, really want to earn a graduate degree and are willing to take on all of the accompanying burdens, right?

Right?

Any grad school application guide begins the same way: by attempting to dissuade you from applying. Would you be able to give up your social life for years at a time? Do you mind parting with enough cash that you could have bought a car, or maybe even a house with? The decision is harder if you’ve already started a family. Will you mind if your young children start calling the babysitter “Mommy?” If all this gives you pause, that’s good. It should.

I’ve considered these questions myself. The decision to apply was easier for me, because I have no family to traumatize with my perpetual absence and a good fifty years left on my life expectancy to pay off the debt. Because the unemployment rate is still so high, the opportunity cost (the money I could be making working instead of studying) is probably as low as it will ever be. I also am not so far from undergrad that study habits have atrophied. Plus, as we all know from the first entry in this series, it’s not like there are any other opportunities to seize on right now.

I’m ready to apply, and no doomsday prophecies will sway me. So, where to start? First, I have to make sure that my basic, universal requirements for applications are fulfilled.

1. Did I graduate from undergrad? It seems like a dumb question (“Duh, could l have all this post-grad angst without graduating?”) but schools are going to need proof of such, usually in the form of your transcript. You are going to need several copies of your transcript for even one application. Send off to your undergrad’s registrar and get a few official transcripts. Get an extra one that you can tear out of its envelope, photocopy, and use for “unofficial” purposes, such as multiple copies in the same application packages.

2. Take those standardized tests. For my purposes (international relations), I will need to take the GRE, however, other tests are often required or accepted. Business schools are usually looking for the GMAT, law school for the LSAT, and so on. The debate over standardized tests and their ability to measure academic aptitude has been debated as long as they have been in use, and I won’t spend any time rehashing the controversy here. The fact is you have to take one. Preparation can help ease anxiety and sometimes even raise your score. Companies that offer test prep books, software, and classes are Kaplan and the Princeton Review (full disclosure: I work part-time as an ACT teacher for the Princeton Review). I have yet to take the GRE officially myself; when I do I will cover preparation and test-taking strategies in a separate post.

3. Assess how much cash you are willing to part with and how much debt you are able to take on in pursuing the degree. Look at your assets, your savings, and your current debts. Take stock of the money you have RIGHT NOW—don’t be distracted by your future possible earnings, financial aid, or sudden lottery jackpots. Those are all imaginary at the moment and may never materialize. Be brutally honest with yourself. Once you have that number, write it down, stick it in a drawer, and forget about it for a while. Later in the application process, when you start receiving acceptance letters from universities (let’s pray) you can pull out that number and compare them to the schools’ tuition rate and their offered financial aid. If you come up with an accurate assessment of how much you can afford before applying, you have less chance of having stars in your eyes once the acceptance letters roll in.

4. Justify your existence. Make a list accounting for your whereabouts and occupation for past 5-10 years. For most people, this would be a resume. Be prepared to explain what you were doing, how much you earned doing it, and what skills/experience you picked up along the way. Don’t lie or even over-embellish, but put the best face forward that you can. Your grad program will want to know not only what you want to study, but what assets you will bring to the school. Your resume and work experience says a lot about your motivation, your stability, and your future potential. Be sure to account for periods of inactivity: were you traveling? Writing a novel? Taking care of your sick mother? If you don’t address these gaps, admissions committees can assume the worst.

5. Google yourself. Google your name and all nicknames/aliases/screen names you have used in the past. Do you like what you see in the results? Does your Facebook/MySpace/Twitter page come up? Do you WANT it to? Be sure that all your pages’ privacy settings only allow your friends to view them. Check for photos of yourself posted by friends that may be shared. Consider cleaning up your online presence, or better yet, keep it clean to start with. Don’t overshare or brag about your illegal activities. Even if you delete something incriminating, it could linger in archives or in other people’s files and still surface at inconvenient times. A good rule of thumb: if you would feel uncomfortable shouting out some piece of information in Time Square, in front of foreign tourists, the NYPD, people of all races, all your exes and your future spouse, your grandmother, your children, and the twitchy guy on the corner who may or may not be a serial killer, then DON’T post it online.

To build up positive results about yourself, you will have to put the content out there yourself. Consider using your website, Facebook, or Twitter to promote yourself and your accomplishments. Work for a reputation as an expert in your chosen field: review books about your field of study, write your thoughts on current events in your industry, post a portfolio of your work. Start on this early. The longer you put out positive content, the more likely it will be to outweigh anything incriminating or unflattering out there.

6. Think about who might recommend you for a grad program. Two types of references are essential: one, a professor from your undergrad to attest to your academic accomplishments; second, a work superior who has known you a while and can vouch for your work habits and enthusiasm for your chosen field. Avoid using family members (even if you’ve worked for them) and friends or work peers. Committees just aren’t going to take this type of recommendation seriously.

Also avoid falling into the trap of going for prestigious references over ones from people who really know you. For example, if you interned for Microsoft, it is better to get a personal, detailed letter from the office manager you worked with every day than a mass-produced form letter from Bill Gates. Admissions committees can spot a form letter a mile away, and you risk looking phony.

Getting good references isn’t something that you can throw together in a few days. Typically you will need to maintain a good relationship with mentors, teachers, and bosses for years. Get started early, ideally in undergrad or earlier. Don’t burn bridges or let relationships falter even after you’ve left school or a job. When you do need a reference, it will be easier to reconnect.

Grad school applications’ exact requirements will vary, but these are some basics that most all schools will require. Start pulling these materials together as soon as possible to avoid being caught up against deadlines. In coming posts, I will cover each of these points and more of the admissions process in more depth.

What preparations for grad school would you recommend? How soon should someone start preparing? Answer in the comments of the blog, on Facebook, or in LinkedIn.

Berkley Lecturer's book now available for purchase

(Update: Please see the bottom of the post for a link to The Boston Globe review of One Nation Under Contract.)
 
The 2009 Berkley Lecture will be given this year by Dr. Allison Stanger, Russell Leng Professor of International Politics and Economics and Director of the Rohatyn Center for International Affairs at Middlebury College.

From Stanger's biography at Middlebury's website:

"Stanger received her Ph.D. in Political Science from Harvard University. She also holds an A.M. in Regional Studies-Soviet Union (Harvard), a graduate diploma in Economics (London School of Economics), and a B.S. in Actuarial Science/Mathematics (Ball State University). She has studied foreign languages and literature at Charles University (Prague), the Sorbonne (Paris), and the Pushkin Institute (Moscow)."

Stanger is now a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Academic Leadership Council of Business for Diplomatic Action. Her op/eds and essays have been widely published. Recently, US News and World Report published a piece that is likely a good preview of her Dec. 4th lecture. She argues that after the end of the Cold War intelligence agencies fell into complacency, only to be shocked back into action by 9/11. Unfortunately, government agencies no longer maintained the manpower and budgets that they had commanded during the Cold War. To meet the demand, private companies were offered government contracts, sometimes worth billions, to handle intelligence and military affairs on behalf of the United States. Private companies, however, are motivated by profit. Allegations have surfaced of widespread contract fraud and misconduct by these companies-- everything from charging the US government for feeding nonexistent soldiers in Iraq to torturing suspected terrorists. Spending records from the State and Defense Departments show that expenditures have multiplied several times over as they turn duties over to contractors. What is less clear, however, is the effect on the CIA in the years since 9/11:

"Since CIA contracts fall outside normal licensing protocols and the agency's budget is classified, it had been relatively easy to keep these issues out of the public eye. The change in administration has loosened tongues, however, and a window has been opened on what is in reality a transformed intelligence community."

One Nation Under Contract was released on Oct 12th. To register to attend the Berkley Lecture (Dec. 4th at the Marriott downtown) please see the IRC website.


One Nation Under Contract: The Outsourcing of American Power and the Future of Foreign Policy at Amazon.com

"How the CIA Became Dangerously Dependent on Outside Contractors" (US News and World Report)

"So who's in charge?" One Nation Under Contract reviewed by the Boston Globe

Location announced for Cleaver address

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver's upcoming address on his visit to Cuba, first announced by IRC executive director Linda Trout at our Awards Banquet, now has a location.

Cleaver's speech is called Cuba Today: Reflections on My Visit. The IRC will host the event at Rockhurst University Science Center (1100 Rockhurst Road, Kansas City, MO, 64110Room 115, on Nov. 10th, 2009 at 7:30 PM.

To register to attend, see the IRC website.

Ambition for admission

My December 2008 graduation, rather than a mortarboard tossing, silly-string coated affair, was grim. The ceremony took place on a bitterly blustery grey day. Black-clad graduates herded silently to their chairs as a tinny “Pomp and Circumstance” piped in over the gym's sound system. The keynote speech drifted from the promise of youth to George Washington Carver to something about a man jumping out of a plane with a backpack full of silverware. "Are we the jumper?" I remember thinking. No one mentioned the crushing recession in progress in the world outside that wood-floored gym, the near-nil chance that many of us had of finding work in the coming months, the decades’ worth of student loan debt that we 22 year-olds now had to bear in such an environment. No one mentioned these things, but no one was reading aloud Oh, the Places You’ll Go! either.

I’m being dramatic, of course. But no more dramatic than the daily news at that time. Two months prior, the world economy had bottomed out, leaving predictions of mass unemployment, investments flatlining, a new Great Depression. Overnight we were stuck with the fallout of years of corruption and mismanagement from our elders in finances and government. Younger undergrads had years left to wait out this recession. Our slightly older peers who had graduated a few years before us had work experience to put on their resume. We were just 500 kids with liberal arts degrees. No wonder we were glum. At that ceremony my only moment of happiness came when the dean correctly pronounced my name handing me my diploma.
Without a job, my plans for moving somewhere cosmopolitan and vibrant, living alone without roommates, and laying the foundations for a career were out of the question. I moved back into my bedroom in my parents’ house, which they accommodated wonderfully but signaled to me a regression to my (shudder) high school days. I applied to hundreds of jobs, first in government and international relations, then any sort of office job, and finally jobs waiting tables and in retail. I couldn’t even get an interview. I ended up working as a waitress at a restaurant downtown. This was fine at first but as the recession continued the restaurant was so strapped that the kitchen couldn’t afford soap for the dishwasher. Management couldn't make payroll for months at a time. In the fall of this year, I decided to quit and become a “professional intern” for the International Relations Council and a local politician in hopes of gaining a little work experience and maybe a modicum of self-worth.

But these are stopgap measures. Almost one year after graduation, the economy is recovering but employment rates are not. I enjoy my work as an IRC intern but still can’t find what most would call a “real” job. Luckily I have my family to lean on, and no one to support financially as millions of other unemployed workers do. Times are tough everywhere, and we're all trying to figure out how to cope. I can manage this way for a long time. And yet, the recession and accompanying high unemployment rates will continue for years. Already, all this time spent looking for work and making do with what I can find is time that could have been invested in a career track that might allow me to become a diplomat, or a foreign service officer, or to work overseas as I wished. That time is lost, but I don’t want to spend what’s left of my youth waiting and cursing forces beyond my control.

That's why I'm trying something different this fall: I’m applying to graduate school to study international relations. I will blog here at the IRC about the application process, covering picking schools to apply to, graduate school fairs, finances, and standardized tests. Comments, questions and suggestions are welcome (I want to hear your stories!). Stay tuned for more updates on the process, and good luck to everyone out there in these tough times. --From Lucia, your friendly neighborhood IRC intern.

Breaking news: Congressman Emanuel Cleaver to speak on his travels in Cuba

We all had a blast last night at the Awards Banquet! Thanks to all the IRC members who came out to support us!

One announcement made by IRC director Linda Trout at the banquet is the newly scheduled speech from Kansas City's own Emanuel Cleaver, former KC mayor and now Missouri representative in Congress. Cleaver will speak about his recent visit to Cuba and his impressions on the future of the island nation.

Rep. Cleaver will speak on November 10th at 7:30 PM. Other details will follow, stay tuned for more information!

C. Fred Bergsten on the "G-2" of China and the United States

The Annual Awards Banquet approaches! In less than a week members can hear Peterson Institute for International Economics director C. Fred Bergsten speak about the future of the world economy after the crushing losses of 2008.

Dr. Bergsten is a highly sought-after expert in his field. Recently he testified before the United States House of Representative's subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment. In his testimony, Dr. Bergsten predicts (surprising no one) that China will soon pass Japan as the world's second largest economy. Dr. Bergsten advocates the formation of an "informal G-2," a working partnership between the United States and China, finding solutions to mutual problems such as global warming and guiding the world's economy into recovery. He makes some compelling arguments for such a relationship:

• "the two together accounted for almost one half of all global growth during the four-year boom prior to the crisis;"

• "they are the two largest trading nations;"

• "they are the two largest polluters;"

• "they are on opposite ends of the world's largest trade and financial imbalance: the United States is the largest deficit and debtor country while China is the largest surplus country and holder of dollar reserves; and"

• "they are the leaders of the two groups, the high-income industrialized countries and the emerging markets/developing nations, that each now account for about one half of global output."

Together, China and the United States can exert a huge amount of power in correcting the world's economy and working to end global warming, if the friendly bilateral relationship Dr. Bergsten recommends can be achieved. It will take some compromises from both sides, but as Dr. Bergsten describes the "G-2," one can't help but be excited at the possibilities.

The text of Dr. Bersten's testimony can be found here. To hear more from Dr. Bergsten on the future of the global economy and the United States' place in it, attend our Annual Awards Banquet on Monday, Oct 5th at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City. For all the details and to register, see our website.

2008 Berkley Lecturer James Goldgeier in the news

Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow and 2008 IRC Berkley Lecturer James Goldgeier is quoted in the Sept. 21st edition of Newsweek. Mr. Goldgeier discusses approval of the Obama administration in Eastern Europe:

"George W. Bush was perceived as being very supportive of East Europe’s efforts to join NATO and the EU. Now the first signal being sent by the new president is that he wants to improve relations with Russia. That has Eastern Europeans thinking, what is this president all about? How will he manage Russia? Will he look out for our interests?"

To read the whole article, visit Newsweek online.

Our 2009 Berkley lecturer will take place on Dec. 4th and feature Prof. Allison Stanger, professor of international politics, director of the Rohatyn Center for International Affairs at Middlebury College, and author of the new book, One Nation Under Contract: The Outsourcing of American Power and the Future of Foreign Policy.

The Berkley Lecture is an annual event which brings experts in foreign policy and international affairs to Kansas City. The winner of the Berkley Award for International Achievement will also be announced. To reserve your spot, visit us at the IRC website.

C. Fred Bergsten on the G-20 Summit

C. Fred Bergsten, who will give an address in Kansas City at our annual Awards Banquet on October 5th, is in the news today giving his opinion on Pres. Obama and the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh. The audio file can be found at the Peterson Institute website here.

Tickets are still available to see Dr. Bergsten, as well as William Neaves of the Stowers Institute and Danny O'Neill of the Roasterie, at our Awards Banquet on October 5th at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center. To register and for more information, please visit the IRC website (http://www.irckc.org/)

IRC Newsletter released

We at the IRC have released our quarterly newsletter and tentative program schedule for the next six months. Leading off, of course, is our fast-approaching annual Awards Banquet on October 5th. The IRC blog has profiled honorees Fred Bergsten and Danny O'Neill of The Roasterie, both will appear along with Stowers Institute president William Neaves. IRC members should sign up by Sept. 30th.

Coming in December, author and international politics expert Allison Stanger will deliver the year's Eliot S. Berkley lecture. Prof. Stanger's new book, One Nation Under Contract: The Outsourcing of American Power and the Future of Foreign Policy, will be released next month. Further details on Prof. Stanger's speech, as well as a more detailed profile, will be featured at a later date.

To see our schedule for the first half of 2009, as well as a profile of IRC member Sylvan Siegler and a feature on the International Classroom Partnership Program, please see our
IRC Sept. '09 Newsletter

The IRC is on Wikipedia

To any and all members of the IRC: In case you ever have trouble explaining what the IRC or our mission is, you can now point to Wikipedia. Like all articles on Wikipedia, the IRC's article can be edited by anyone and is always a work in progress. If you are not Wikipedia-savvy but would still like to make an edit, please let us know.

International Relations Council at Wikipedia

More on Danny O'Neill and the Roasterie, 2009 Awards Banquet Honoree

People attending the IRC Awards Banquet on Monday Oct. 5th will hear from Danny O'Neill, our 2009 Award for Contributions to International Commerce and Community Service winner. O'Neill is the president, owner, and "Bean Baron" of Kansas City institution The Roasterie.

The Roasterie Cafe is frequently described as the best coffee (and coffee shop) in the city, and The Roasterie-branded coffee is gaining national recognition, thanks to a recent mention in O, the Oprah Magazine. Roasterie coffee is carefully selected from coffee crops across the globe, air-roasted, specially packed, and served to happy customers daily. Of course, we at the IRC love our coffee, but our recognition actually goes to The Roasterie for the company's fair trade practices and international charity work.

The Roasterie prides itself in paying "a fair price" for coffee, far more than many other companies, which allows small farms to continue to operate rather than fold under the pressure of competition from corporate farms. The Roasterie's St. Drogo foundation is so-named for the patron saint of coffee and goes to communities that produce the coffee beans that eventually become Roasterie coffee. Programs are running in coffee-producing communities in Brazil, Costa Rica, and Colombia. So far the foundation has funded community-based projects such as school and community center construction, and donated educational tools such as computers. The Roasterie also supports WaterPartners (www.water.org) which works to provide clean and safe water sources to communities in Africa, South Asia, and South America.

The Roasterie Coffee is available at grocery stores, restaurants, and (naturally) coffee shops across Kansas City.

The Roasterie Cafe is located in Brookside at 6223 Brookside Blvd. Kansas City, MO 64113.

The Roasterie Plant is open for tours on Saturdays at 9:00 AM. The plant is located at 1204 W 27th Street

The Roasterie Website
O'Neill (BeanBaron) on Twitter

To do this weekend: The Kansas City Japan Festival!

Japan has always been something of a puzzle in the American popular imagination-- at once the ancient homeland of fearsome samurai and giggling geisha; birthplace of Hello Kitty and conveyor belt sushi. There are so many cliches associated with the "Land of the Rising Sun," it is hard for the average Kansas Citian to form her own objective opinion.

Fortunately, this weekend curious Midwesterners will have the chance to take in a variety of Japanese art and cultural presentations at the 2009 Greater Kansas City Japan Festival, presented by the Heart of America Japan-America Society. Presentations will include Japanese language and calligraphy, martial arts and dance, and unique Japanese arts such as bonsai.

The Japan Festival will take place on Saturday from 10AM to 8:30 PM at the Carlsen Center at Johnson County Community College campus at 12345 College Blvd. in Overland Park. For more information, check the website here.

Call for suggestions!

The IRC is working on a massive listing of businesses in the Kansas City area that work internationally for our upcoming Kansas City Global initiative. We are searching as best we can but we would love suggestions from our members. Our list will contain the company name, mailing address, phone number, email address, website address, and a short description. So far we have categories of:

International businesses and trade organizations
Humanitarian and political organizations
Faith-based groups
Educational groups
Professional groups
Cultural/arts groups

We are open to any suggestions. Let us know in the comments of the blog, or on Facebook or LinkedIn!

To do this weekend: Kansas City Irish Festival, First Friday

St. Patrick's Day isn't the only time that Kansas Citians can celebrate Irish culture. The Kansas City Irish Fest will take place today through Sept. 6th at the Crown Center Square in downtown Kansas City. There will be live music, food, and shopping. Tickets are $10. For more info, visit http://www.kcirishfest.com.

Also of interest is the Crossroad District's First Friday. Art galleries, restaurants, and other businesses welcome all visitors in a unique "arts walk." Galleries feature local artists as well as works from around the world. For a listing of September's events, visit http://www.kccrossroads.org/

Happy Labor Day from the IRC!

The next 100 years...

For IRC members who missed our most recent summer book club meeting over George Friedman's The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century, we have a recent New Statesman article in which the author lays out some of his predictions and explains his prediction process, which he claims is based purely on geography rather than ability of diplomats or strength of national character.

"Geopolitics assumes two things: first, that human beings organise themselves into units larger than families and that they have a natural loyalty to the things they were born into, the people and the places; second, that the character of a nation is determined to a great extent by geography, as is the relationship between nations. We use the term "geography" broadly. It includes the physical characteristics of a location, but it goes beyond that to look at the effects of a place on individuals and communities. These are the foundation of geopolitical forecasting."

Friedman mentions Machiavelli in the piece and many of his predictions and assessments seem to follow a familiar cold and downright cynical view of power plays among nations. He pooh-poohs ideas of BRIC nations challenging American power while claiming that countries like Poland and Turkey will rise to unprecedented level of influence in world politics. He cuts through hype and propaganda to focus on measurable realities such as GDP, population trends, and the availability of natural resources in making his predictions. Friedman frames his arguments with these facts to make his most incredible predictions seem feasible and logical.

Predictions for the future are often little more than a gamble, especially for subjects so layered and labyrinthine as geopolitics. Fiction from as recently as 50 years ago imagined the year 2009 as one of flying cars, cloud cities, and colonies on the moon. Predictions for the distribution of global power made by the most respected experts in the same era sometimes turned out to be just as inaccurate. Friedman is an expert in his field and makes his arguments confidently, but it is hard to put that simple fact out of mind.

That said, it is a worthy exercise to consider how our actions today will continue to affect the world even after it is inherited by our children's children. It might keep us from simply being reactive, and prompt us to take proactive and preventative measures before adversity arises. We just need to keep in mind that for all the planning in the world, in the next 100 years and beyond events no one could have imagined before will shape the fate of all nations. Friedman himself seems to acknowledge this as he takes on the impossible task of predicting the future:

"Each century, a new constellation of powers forms that might strike observers at the beginning of the century as unthinkable. Let us therefore think about the unthinkable."

You can view the article here.

Japan's Election and its effect on relations with the United States

On August 30^th after a whirlwind campaign the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) won a landslide victory in the nation’s parliamentary elections. The DPJ and its leader Yukio Hatoyama now hold the majority of seats in the lower house of Japan’s parliament and have displaced the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) led by Prime Minister Taro Aso. During the campaign the DPJ depicted Hatoyama as the “Japanese Obama,” promising expulsion of the old political guard and sweeping changes to domestic and foreign policies. Now that the election is won, analysts are wondering just how many of those promises will be kept and how they will affect Japan’s relationship with the United States.

The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan had been dominant in Japanese government, for all but eleven months, since 1955. During this time, the government became one of the most notoriously bloated and intractable bureaucracies in the world. The LDP-led government buried all lawmaking activity in hours of political ritual and under a burden of precedent, discouraging innovation. However, few challenged the these policies as Japan’s economy skyrocketed in the “bubble” days of the 1980s. Even in more recent years, following the economic collapses of the 1990s and 2008, the conservative LDP continued on as if it was still the 1980s. The parliament passed policies that discouraged immigration, put taxpayer money towards endless (and often needless) public works projects, and paid official visits to Japan’s controversial Yasukuni Shrine, which reveres all Japanese soldiers killed in service, including convicted war criminals. Relations with other East Asian nations such as China and South Korea have been chilly partially based on issues such as Japan’s endorsement of revisionist WWII history textbooks, and Japan’s downright antagonistic relationship with North Korea has been well documented.

Conservative, slow-moving government has been the standard in Japan for 55 years. Why the sudden clamor for change now? The Japanese economy is at its worst ebb since World War II, with unemployment at a record high. The huge companies that Japan was known for in the 20^th century can no longer guarantee lifetime employment, liberal expense accounts, and a pension for all its workers as it could in the 1980’s. Japan’s extremely low birthrate (about 7/1000 in 2008 compared with the US’s 14/1000) has ensured that as baby boomers age out of the workforce and go on government pensions, there are not enough younger workers to pay taxes and keep the system going. A shrinking workforce will also contribute to the further decline of Japan’s economy, setting Japan, the former industrial powerhouse of Asia, in stark contrast with the rise of China. In responding to these crises, the LDP-led government seemed to be spinning its wheels, going through three seemingly interchangeable prime ministers in three years, but otherwise changing little. Enter Hatoyama and the DPJ, promising to put ordinary people ahead of industrial and business interests. The party offered tax cuts, expanded social security, and even monetary support to families in order to encourage families to have more children. Above all, the DPJ cast itself as the mirror opposite of the LPD, even if some election-time promises and predictions contradicted and conflicted with each other. The DPJ promised change, and the Japanese are ready to embrace it.

Foreign policy experts are now scrambling to predict how Japan’s new ruling political party will conduct relations with the outside world. Without historical precedent (the DPJ is untested as the ruling political party) experts can only base their predictions on the DPJ’s campaign promises. In the experts’ predictions, Japan’s relationship with the United States is likely to change the most dramatically. Japan has long been a key ally of the United States and the Japanese islands are home to several US military bases. The bases are essential strategic locations for American operations in East Asia. The LDP-led government has long been supportive of the US, even during the Bush Administration when world criticism of the United States and its foreign policy reached a zenith. During this time, Japan offered money and manpower to American-led campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq despite a constitutional ban against engaging in military operations, an action critics branded as hypocritical on the parts of both Japan and the US. Hatoyama has said that he will put an end to this type of military support and reassess official acceptance of US military on Japanese soil. He also has stated that he intends to pursue better relations with other East Asian nations such as China.

These are bold proposals. However, the lack of detail and specifics, coupled with official backpedaling and hedging, lessen the impact. Hatoyama has been quick to assert that he wishes to maintain a close relationship with the United States while he pursues these closer relationships with nations like China. This is a good idea. A continued close relationship is advantageous for both the US and Japan. Japan remains a key strategic outpost for American forces in Asia. Without an official standing army, Japan has appealed to the US and the UN for help in dealing with North Korea as Kim Jong Il threatens the country with missile tests and nuclear aspirations. Japanese commercial interests enjoy a unique American “umbrella” over business transactions abroad. The Obama administration would welcome a more compromising Japanese government, more open to dealing with China and negotiating with North Korea, in place of the rigid, stubborn tactics of the LDP. However, that is as much certainty as experts can have about Japan’s foreign policy in the near future.

The DPJ now faces a population that is impatient for a fulfillment of campaign promises. Hatoyama has promised “change,” but no one is holding up a solid plan or agenda for the DPJ’s first days in power. No one can even determine where the funding for the DPJ’s proposed expanded social welfare system will come from as Japan faces enormous debt and a shrinking pool of taxpayers. The deposed LDP will not disappear anytime soon; no doubt the party will launch into endless criticism of the DPJ and seek to regain the majority of seats in the Japanese parliament. Assuming that the DPJ can stay in power long enough to make new policies, it is unclear if the party can wade through enough domestic upheaval to even consider overhauling foreign policy. All experts can do, at least in these first few weeks, is watch, wait, and hope for the best.

Reminder: IRC Upcoming events!

This is a reminder to all IRC members and the public of our upcoming IRC-sponsored events.

First up:

"Human Trafficking: Hidden in Plain Sight" Sept 1st, 7:00 PM at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church, 4501 Walnut, Kansas City MO

Timea Eva Nagy was an accomplished young professional in her native Hungary. When she immigrated to Canada in 1998 looking for a summer job, she found herself stripped of her identification and pressed into servitude. Though she eventually escaped, she spent the next six years working to piece her own life back together and bring her captors to justice. She will tour Kansas City with retired FBI agent Jeff Lanza, speaking about her experiences and calling for more education and prevention of human trafficking.

For more on Timea Eva Nagy and her new book Walk With Me, Memoirs of a Sex Slave Survivor, click here.

Next up on the calendar

IRC 26th Annual Awards Banquet, Monday Oct. 5th, Reception at 6:00 PM, Dinner at 7:00 PM at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center in Kansas City.

You can click on tags marked "Awards Banquet" in the blog for more on our speakers.

Reserve your spots now! Visit irckc.org to register today!

Upcoming event: Concert for Global Peace

The International Visitor's Council of Kansas City will host a Concert for Global Peace this upcoming Saturday, August 29th, from 7:30-9:30. Musicians from around the world will take part in this classical music concert.

The KCIVC is a nonprofit in Kansas City focused on "person-to-person" diplomacy.

For more information, check the KCIVC website.

http://www.kcivc.org/

Presidents Mubarak and Obama meet

Sameh Shoukry, Ambassador to the United States from the Arab Republic of Egypt, was IRC's guest on May 14. His address, "Challenges in the Middle East," provided an update and important perspective on this critical region of the world. It is therefore with heightened interest that we note Egyptian President Mubarak's visit to Washington, DC, and meeting with President Obama. Here are some of the news reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/world/middleeast/19prexy.html?scp=3&sq=mubarak&st=cse; http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-08/19/content_11909581.htm; http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-08-18-voa39.cfm.

Ethnic Enrichment Festival this weekend

The Ethnic Enrichment Festival (not related to the IRC but still worthwhile) will take place this weekend in Swope Park.

The Ethnic Enrichment Festival is thrown every year by the Ethnic Enrichment Commission of Kansas City to celebrate the great diversity of Kansas City. The festival features food and entertainment from nearly fifty countries.

Adult admission is $3.00, children under 12 enter free.

For more information, see the festival's website.

C. Fred Bergsten's Keynote Address Topic Released

We've received more information about Dr. C. Fred Bergsten's keynote address, which he will give at our Awards Banquet on October 6th. Dr. Bergsten is the head of the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, DC. The title of the address will be:

The World Economy After the Crisis

Dr. Bergsten also had this to say about his speech:

"I promise some controversial ideas, based on a major project that we have launched here at the Institute on the longer run implications of the recent and current turbulence."

Intrigued? Register today to attend our 26th Annual Awards banquet to hear from Dr. Bergsten, along with Dr. William Neaves of the Stowers Institute and Danny O'Neill of the Roasterie.

Our Awards Banquet will take place on Monday, October 6th, with a reception at 6:00 PM and the dinner and program beginning at 7:00 PM, at the Hyatt Regency Crown Center (Map)

Proceeds from our Awards banquet finance our programming for the entire year! Show us your support while educating yourself about our economy and its future.

Media's "Trivialization" threatens Secretary Clinton's credibility during vital missions

Current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, despite a respectable presidential campaign last year and appointment by the Obama administration to her current position, finds herself facing the same old undermining from the media. The irony is painful as Clinton works to end systematic abuse of women across the world while being the target of jokes and innuendos in what should be respectable news and media outlets.

Judith Warner of the New York Times notes that in recent weeks media outlets are quick to mock Clinton now as much as ever. The ceaseless jokes about her temper, her hair and body, and the intimate details of her marriage send a poor message to the rest of the world. How is Clinton meant to motivate any of these countries she is currently visiting, where horrific abuse of women is a dire fact of life, to change when she is mocked and derided in the global media for such petty reasons?

Hillary Fights a Tide of Trivialization (NYTimes.com)

UPDATE: The excellent Latoya Peterson of Racialicious.com and Jezebel.com tackles many of these issues in a more in-depth article:

Hillary Clinton, Women's Rights and Colluding With Global Misogyny

Former IRC President Keith Alm named Private Director of the Year

The National Association of Corporate Directors has named former IRC President Keith Alm Private Director of the Year. As Director of the Follett Corporation, Mr. Alm "balanced the development of a professional, accountable, and highly valuable structure that is also sensitive to the needs of a family-run organization."

Congratulations, Keith!

See the full press release.

Content and Contributions

We hope that you are enjoying our blog so far. It is very much still a work in progress. The IRC is striving to make this blog interesting and relevant to its members. Help us out and tell us your ideas!

-Got a link, event, or other tip that you want to share with the IRC?
-Written an article or other original material relevant to world affairs that you'd like to contribute to the blog?
-Active in the IRC and want us to link to your blog or website?

Let us know in the comments...

More on C. Fred Bergsten, 2009 Distinguished Service Award for International Statesmanship Winner

Those who attend the IRC's Annual Awards Banquet on Oct. 5th will have the chance to see C. Fred Bergsten, one of the world's leading authorities on international monetary policy and trade. Dr. Bergsten is the Director of the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington DC. He has held this position since the Peterson Institute's founding in 1981.

From the Peterson Institute's website:

"Dr. Bergsten has been the most widely quoted think-tank economist in the world over the eight-year period 1997–2005. He testifies frequently before Congress and appears often on television. He was ranked 37 in the top 50 "Who Really Moves the Markets?" (Fidelity Investment's Worth), with Alan Greenspan ranked first, and as "one of the ten people who can change your life" in USA Today, along with the inventor of the World Wide Web and the discoverer of ozone layer depletion."

A selection of Dr. Bergsten's recent appearances:
PBS Nightly Business Report, 7/7/09 (Transcript)

Restoring Global Financial Stability: The Asia Pacific's Essential Role 6/09

C. Fred Bergsten: Restoring Global Financial Stability: The Asia Pacific's Essential Role from East-West Center on Vimeo.

Inside Look - Latest on the G-20, 5/1/09



Dr. Bergsten's articles for Foreign Affairs can be found here

Amazon.com page for his latest books, The Long-Term International Economic Position of the United States, and China's Rise: Challenges and Opportunities

To register to attend the 2009 Annual Awards Banquet, call us at (816) 221-4204 or visit us online.

The IRC is now on YouTube!

Our foray into social media continues today as the IRC makes the leap to YouTube! Enjoy the video and let us know what you think in the comments....