Come to exchange views and analysis of significant current events, foreign and domestic. Some weeks, a pre-chosen topic will be discussed after an initiator launches the discussion with a brief (~5 minutes) framing of a topic, after which free-wheeling discussion follows. Other weeks, the discussion will revolve around what currently piques attendees’ interests.
The sylvan sonorities of the Beau Soir Ensemble open our 25th Anniversary Season program to feature Maurice Ravel's lovely and intriguing "Tombeau de Couperin," a Suite in six baroque-style movements composed in 1914-16 in memory of six comrades fallen in World War I. In this arrangement, Beau Soir celebrates their unusual insturmentation, capping the afternoon with a premiere performance of a Suite by Manuel Moreno-Buendia. Leading the ensemble is director Michelle Lundy, harp. She is joined by Carole Bean, flute, and Ruth Shaef, viola, both members fo the National Symphony Orchestra. Come and enjoy fall colors in the mews garden with tea and sherry at intermission. more info...
Enjoy a delicious buffet, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Self-serve coffee & tea included. Wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
A French Conversation Group is being formed to help French-speaking members maintain their proficiency. The group will meet monthly for lunchtime conversation involving foreign relations, diplomatic history, cultural activities, travel, and - of course! - French food and wine. more info...
Nearly all of NASA's programs benefit from some level of international cooperation - we have nearly 800 active international agreements with 120 nations and these partnerships have grown in diversity and importance. NASA is now pursuing with international and commercial partners the next phase of robotic and human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit, including the return of Americans to the lunar surface. Ms. Karen Casper Feldstein will speak about not only the benefits to this NASA mission, but also the benefits to the United States more broadly.
Ms. Feldstein is responsible for supervision and management of NASA's interaction with Executive Branch offices and agencies, international relations for each of NASA's Mission directorates, administration of export control and international technology transfer programs, and support of NASA advisory councils and committees. Previously, she served as Director of the Science Division in NASA's Office of International and Interagency Relations (OIIR), coordinating activities in support of NASA's Science Mission Directorate and leading NASA's engagements and new partnerships in Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Ms. Feldstein also served in Paris as the NASA European Representative, serving as NASA's representative to space-faring European nations, the European Space Agency, and other European institutions to facilitate NASA aeronautics and space objectives in Europe. more info...
Come to exchange views and analysis of significant current events, foreign and domestic. Some weeks, a pre-chosen topic will be discussed after an initiator launches the discussion with a brief (~5 minutes) framing of a topic, after which free-wheeling discussion follows. Other weeks, the discussion will revolve around what currently piques attendees’ interests.
A delicious lunch with the choice of the special of the week or a vegetarian option. The meal also includes dessert, coffee/tea and House wine. Premium wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table.
Dr. Daniel Twining, President of the International Republican Institute (IRI), who has served as a member of the U.S. Secretary of State's Policy Planning Staff and as a foreign policy advisor to th elate U.S. Senator John McCain, will reflect on how American values continue to influence our foreign policy "soft power," and how that is shifting in response to the emerging illiberal movements.
Dr. Twining joined IRI as president in September 2017, where he leads the Institute's mission to advance democracy and freedom around the world. He heads IRI's team of nearly 400 global experts to link people and governments, motivate people to engage in the political process, and guide politicians and government officials to be responsive to citizens. more info...
Enjoy a delicious buffet, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Self-serve coffee & tea included. Wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
A delicious lunch with the choice of the special of the week or a vegetarian option. The meal also includes dessert, coffee/tea and House wine. Premium wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
Mr. Eric Farnsworth has led the Washington office of the Council of the Americas and the Americas Society since 2003, during which time the stature and influence of the organization has grown significantly. He has played an important thought leadership and advocacy role across the broad range of issues affecting U.S. relations with the Western Hemisphere, including economic development, trade, and energy; Asia-Latin American relations and broader BRICS and global governance issues; security; and democracy.
Mr. Farnsworth began his career in Washington with the U.S. Department of State. He served in positions of increasing responsibility in the foreign policy and trade communities, from Western Hemisphere Affairs at State to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, culminating in a three-and-a-half year appointment as the senior advisor to the White House special envoy for the Americas.
In between his government and nonprofit experiences, Mr. Farnsworth was managing director of ManattJones Global Strategies, a Washington and Los Angeles-based advisory and strategic consulting group. Before coming to Washington he also worked in the global public policy division of Bristol-Myers Squibb, and in the U.S. Senate with Sam Nunn (D-GA) and the U.S. House of Representatives with John Edward Porter (R-IL). He also worked briefly at the U.S. Consulate in Johannesburg. more info...
It’s becoming ever clearer that yesterday’s development assistance won’t be tomorrow’s. Dr. Larry Cooley will discuss the implications for official development assistance of recent work on taking development outcomes to scale, and sustaining those outcomes, in a world where domestic resource mobilization and private flows dwarf official development assistance and where host country institutions and talent are increasingly capable. Dr. Cooley founded MSI, now a part of Tetra Tech, in 1981, and served as its president until March 2015, when he transitioned to President Emeritus and Senior Advisor.
For more than four decades, Dr. Cooley has been a thought leader, author and lecturer on a wide range of development management issues. He has served as an advisor to cabinet officials in six federal agencies and in more than a dozen countries. He was recently elected President of the Society for International Development and previously served for 15 years as Chair of the Development Management Network of the American Society of Public Administration.
For 11 years, Dr. Cooley directed the USAID-funded Implementing Policy Change program that assisted governments worldwide to manage complex policy reforms, and he served as external facilitator for inter-agency task forces on small business development, food safety, post-Castro Cuba, and the future of the national wildlife refuge system. More recently, he oversaw a nine-year effort to rebuild Iraqi public administration. He currently directs a global community of practice on scaling innovation. more info...
Ms. Paula Jakub will discuss benefits and OPM initiatives, quality and affordable coverage, managing prescription drugs, addressing opioids, population health and wellness programs. She also will talk about the FEDVIP program, and the latest on Medicare.
As CEO and Executive VP of AFSPA, Ms. Jakub provides strategic leadership that facilitates the development and enhancement of various insurance and specialty programs offered by the Association. AFSPA administers the Foreign Service Benefit Plan under contract CS1062 with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, as authorized by the FEHB law. She is also the Executive Director of the Senior Living Foundation (SLF) of the American Foreign Service, where she provides proactive management to the vital organization solely devoted to helping elderly Foreign Service retirees and widows. more info...
Enjoy a delicious buffet, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Self-serve coffee & tea included. Wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
Come to exchange views and analysis of significant current events, foreign and domestic. Some weeks, a pre-chosen topic will be discussed after an initiator launches the discussion with a brief (~5 minutes) framing of a topic, after which free-wheeling discussion follows. Other weeks, the discussion will revolve around what currently piques attendees’ interests.
Join us for a special Members Lunch in honor of Veterans, their families and friends. A microphone will be available for any who wish to share their experiences as veterans and/or for those who want to express their appreciation for members of our Armed Forces. This is a family friendly event. more info...
Enjoy a delicious buffet, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Self-serve coffee & tea included. Wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
On April 6, 1994, two air-to-ground missiles hit the Dassault Falcon jet bringing Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana back home to Kigali from a regional summit in Dar es Salaam, killing all aboard. The contending parties in the country’s long-running civil conflict thereupon returned to war, instead of working out the arrangements of democratic governance and power sharing based on the hard-won principles of the August 1993 Arusha Accords.
David Rawson had participated in 1992 as the initial U.S. Observer in the peace talks at Arusha, Tanzania, and later served as U.S. ambassador to Rwanda during the last months of the doomed effort to make the Arusha agreements hold. In Prelude to Genocide, Rawson draws on declassified documents and his personal involvement to seek out what went wrong. What was the context in which the downing of the president’s plane engendered genocide? How did the international community help structure that context? Rawson examines the international diplomatic and humanitarian intervention in Rwanda and asks what lessons might be learned from the nearly four-year international effort that failed to halt the conflict between the Hutu-dominated Rwandan government and the Tutsi Patriotic Front and to establish peace and security for Rwanda’s people.
“Rawson puts the bottom line up front – Arusha failed because the parties to the talks were seeking power, not peace... This book is the definitive work on the Arusha talks and the most detailed and best-documented account of a diplomatic negotiation that I know of.”
––Robert E. Gribbin III, former U.S. Ambassador to Rwanda and author of In the Aftermath of Genocide: The U.S. Role in Rwanda
The result of Rawson’s blow-by-blow account of political negotiations in Arusha and party wrangling in Kigali is a commanding blend of diplomatic history and analysis of the humanitarian crisis in Rwanda and what can happen when conflict resolution and diplomacy fall short.
As U.S. ambassador to Rwanda from December 1993 through January 1996, Dav id Rawson managed the safe evacuation of Americans during the genocidal civil war. He returned in July 1994 to direct U.S. humanitarian operations. As ambassador to Mali (1996–99), he supervised major development efforts, the largest Peace Corps presence in Africa, and a growing military assistance program. Prior posts included Madagascar, Somalia, Senegal, and earlier postings to Mali and Rwanda. At State he was director of West African affairs and senior fellow at the Center for the Study of Foreign Affairs. He holds MA and PhD degrees from American University, was a fellow at Princeton's Woodrow Wilson School, and has taught at colleges in Ohio, Michigan, and now Oregon. His publications include The Somali State and Foreign Aid (1993) and numerous book chapters and articles. more info...
Come to exchange views and analysis of significant current events, foreign and domestic. Some weeks, a pre-chosen topic will be discussed after an initiator launches the discussion with a brief (~5 minutes) framing of a topic, after which free-wheeling discussion follows. Other weeks, the discussion will revolve around what currently piques attendees’ interests.
Enjoy the multi-talents of Mr. Andrew Simpson, composer, pianist, organist, conductor, silent-film improviser and musician extraordinaire in the Washington area. Mr. Simpson will first perform “Flower-Terrible Moments,” a poetic solo suite inspired by E.E. Cummings. He is joined by Deborah Sternberg, soprano, who returns to DACOR along with Rachel Barham, soprano, and James Rogers, baritone, performing scenes from Simpson’s music-drama, “The Outcasts of Poker Flats.” more info...
Bring visiting friends and family to our November Holiday Brunch for a delicious spread and great conversation. The buffet will feature a wide assortment of tasty dishes, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Be sure to save room for the dessert selection! more info...
Enjoy a delicious buffet, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Self-serve coffee & tea included. Wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
If you have an interest in Africa or want to learn more, join DACOR members at the monthly Africa Discussion Group. Discussions are organized around theme, country, region or on a selected speaker’s interests.
American Phoenix tells the tale of how John Quincy and Louisa Adams’ diplomatic mission to Russia turned a prickly, down-on-his-luck politician into a statesman on track to become president. Louisa also changed from a marginalized mother into a diplomat in her own right and a champion of women entrusted to make life and death decisions to be reunited with her children. Their Russian destination changed U.S. destiny during the War of 1812 and Napoleonic era.
Ms. Jane Hampton Cook makes presidential and first lady history relevant to news, current events, politics and modern life. She is the award-winning author of nine books, including her newest The Burning of the White House: James and Dolley Madison and the War of 1812, which is slated to become a movie. A national media commentator and former White House webmaster for President George W. Bush, Ms. Cook is a contributor for The Hill and is a frequent guest on the Fox News Channel, CNN, C-SPAN and other television and radio outlets. She has been a cast member and on-camera storyteller for several documentaries, including The First American, a film about George Washington hosted by Newt and Callista Gingrich. more info...
Come to exchange views and analysis of significant current events, foreign and domestic. Some weeks, a pre-chosen topic will be discussed after an initiator launches the discussion with a brief (~5 minutes) framing of a topic, after which free-wheeling discussion follows. Other weeks, the discussion will revolve around what currently piques attendees’ interests.
A French Conversation Group is being formed to help French-speaking members maintain their proficiency. The group will meet monthly for lunchtime conversation involving foreign relations, diplomatic history, cultural activities, travel, and - of course! - French food and wine. more info...
A delicious lunch with the choice of the special of the week or a vegetarian option. The meal also includes dessert, coffee/tea and House wine. Premium wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table.
Enjoy a delicious buffet, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Self-serve coffee & tea included. Wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
Come to exchange views and analysis of significant current events, foreign and domestic. Some weeks, a pre-chosen topic will be discussed after an initiator launches the discussion with a brief (~5 minutes) framing of a topic, after which free-wheeling discussion follows. Other weeks, the discussion will revolve around what currently piques attendees’ interests.
A delicious lunch with the choice of the special of the week or a vegetarian option. The meal also includes dessert, coffee/tea and House wine. Premium wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table.
Enjoy a delicious buffet, including vegetarian and gluten free options. Self-serve coffee & tea included. Wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table. more info...
Come to exchange views and analysis of significant current events, foreign and domestic. Some weeks, a pre-chosen topic will be discussed after an initiator launches the discussion with a brief (~5 minutes) framing of a topic, after which free-wheeling discussion follows. Other weeks, the discussion will revolve around what currently piques attendees’ interests.
A delicious lunch with the choice of the special of the week or a vegetarian option. The meal also includes dessert, coffee/tea and House wine. Premium wine, beer and soft drinks are available for purchase at the table.
U.S. Policy in the Middle East: Challenges and Opportunities in the Arabian Gulf Mr. Tim Lenderking is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Arabian Gulf Affairs in the Near East Bureau at the U.S. Department of State. He is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. Mr. Lenderking served previously as the Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from 2013 to 2016. He served as the Director of the Pakistan Office at the Department of State from 2010 to 2013. From 2008 to 2010, Mr. Lenderking completed two tours in Baghdad, the first as the Senior Democracy Advisor at the U.S. Embassy, and the second as the Policy Advisor to LTG Charles Jacoby, Commanding General of Multi-National Forces Iraq (MNF-I), based at Camp Victory.
Before his Iraq tours, Mr. Lenderking served as the Economic Counselor and Acting Deputy Chief of Mission at U.S. Embassy Kuwait. He was also the Political Counselor at Embassy Rabat from 2002 to 2006. Mr. Lenderking’s other tours in the Foreign Service include serving as the Special Assistant to Under Secretary for Political Affairs, Marc
Grossman 2001 to 2002, as the Lebanon Desk Officer 2000 to 2001, and as a Watch Officer in the Operations Center. Mr. Lenderking also served in Dhaka, Bangladesh and Damascus.
Mr. Lenderking joined the Foreign Service in 1993 after a career in the refugee field, where he held numerous positions with American NGOs and with the United Nations in New York, Sudan, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Thailand. more info...
