BRATTLEBORO-The Windham World Affairs Council (WWAC) annual Galbraith Lecture, is a tradition begun by world-renowned economist and longtime Newfane summer resident John Kenneth Galbraith, an early founder of the organization.
That tradition has been continued by his son, former diplomat Peter Galbraith, of Townshend, whose talks have always been newsy and full of inside knowledge on U.S. foreign policy. This year's will likely be in that same vein as he shares the platform with another Vermont foreign policy expert, Tim Rieser.
The event will take place on Thursday, Aug. 29, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the campus of the School for International Training, marking a re-establishment of a relationship between WWAC and SIT.
Rieser served 37 years as foreign policy advisor to longtime U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy. The Vermont native, originally from Norwich, now serves as a senior advisor to Leahy's successor, U.S. Sen. Peter Welch.
"It can be described as a conversation between two foreign policy experts about America's place in the world today and what lies ahead after the election," said Susan Healy, WWAC administrative director. With a moderator (to be named) fielding questions from WWAC members and the audience, Galbraith and Rieser will speak on current foreign policy under the administration of President Joe Biden, and they will explore what the world might look like after November's presidential election.
According to a WWAC press release, "Rieser's political savvy and deep relationships in Washington, D.C., earned him a level of influence rarely achieved by Capitol Hill staffers."
Rieser has contributed to significant foreign policy achievements. He was one of the architects of the 1992 law that banned the export of land mines. He worked to normalize relations with Vietnam.
He also helped draft the 1997 Leahy Law, which bans the U.S. from providing military assistance to foreign armies that violate human rights without being held to account.
During the Obama administration, Rieser played a significant role in restoring diplomatic relations to still-embargoed Cuba.
In a recent interview, Rieser recalled that "relations between Washington and Havana had been hostile for decades."
Working for Leahy, Rieser helped to develop more respectful conversations.
"There would always be big differences and disagreements with the Cuban government, but there were also ways we could cooperate on issues we both cared about," he said.
Rieser was key in forging relationships with Cuba, leading to cooperation on a host of issues and policies from maritime security to cultural and academic exchanges.
"When Trump came in, he reversed everything Sen. Leahy and President Obama had done, and unfortunately, Biden hasn't done much to restore them," Rieser said.
Looking to a possible Harris administration, Rieser said that as the current vice president, Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party's presidential nominee, "has had a limited role in foreign policy; she was given a couple of assignments that would've been next to impossible to succeed at."
"Her past record is not notable, but she has the potential to make big changes," Rieser continued.
Harris, he said, "will want to continue to support Ukraine, as she should, and she will be dealing with armed conflicts in the Middle East, with Russia, with climate change, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and a host of other mega problems and humanitarian crises."
And what happens if Trump wins?
"I hope we don't have to answer that question," said Rieser.
He added that which party controls Congress "is a critical factor for any administration."
"Congress can make a president's life miserable, or Congress can be a partner," he said. "The worry is that the legislative process is increasingly stymied by extremists who say 'no' to everything."
Crises, crises everywhere
Of the global crises at hand, Rieser continues, "In terms of Gaza, Sen. Welch has been outspoken, as has [Sen.] Bernie Sanders."
He called the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel - in which 1,139 people were killed and 250 people were taken hostage - "a horrific atrocity that shocked everybody." But he characterized Israel's response as "a catastrophe for the Palestinians."
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he continued, "has been an obstacle to ending the war, to saving the hostages, and to ameliorating the plight of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank."
"A majority of Vermonters are against unconditional military aid for Israel," Rieser said. "Both Vermont senators have opposed more weapons and munitions for use in Gaza, and have called for more humanitarian aid for the Palestinians who are caught in the crossfire."
Rieser will no doubt cast a wider net at the WWAC talk.
"We are at a pivotal time," he said. "If you take seriously what scientists predict about the impacts of global warming, the future looks grim for life on Earth."
"There is also a real threat of a new nuclear arms race; we need to find an end to the war in Ukraine; millions of people are facing famine in Sudan; China is extending its influence in Asia, Africa, and Latin America; and the number of people becoming migrants to escape unbearable heat and drought may dwarf anything we have seen to date," he said.
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican Party nominee, "has nothing sensible to say about any of these things," Rieser continued. "The stakes in this election could not be higher."
Longtime colleagues
Tim Rieser and Peter Galbraith have known each other for years, going back to when Galbraith was a staffer on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1979 to 1993.
Galbraith, who speaks six languages and has earned degrees from Harvard, Oxford, and Georgetown, has held a variety senior positions in the U.S. government and the United Nations.
He taught at Windham College in Putney before leaving to work on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. During his 14-year leave from the Green Mountain State, he taught for a year at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., and he became the first ambassador to Croatia, appointed by President Bill Clinton, from 1993 to 1998.
Closer to home, Galbraith served two terms as a state senator from Windham County from 2011 to 2015, and he was a Democratic candidate for governor in 2016.
The author of two acclaimed books on the Iraq War, Galbraith, according to the WWAC release, "has written extensively for publications, including The New York Review of Books, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Guardian."
He serves as chair of the board of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, a national nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to enhancing peace and security through expert policy analysis and thought-provoking research.
In a recent interview, Galbraith noted major challenges in the foreign affairs arena: the continued conflicts in Sudan and Syria and the immediate crises in Ukraine and Gaza.
Beyond Gaza, he warns, there's the prospect of a major war in the Middle East.
"Everything depends on the outcome of the election," he said: Harris would follow Biden's support of Ukraine, for example, while Trump would not, because Trump admires and supports Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Moreover, [Vice Presidential candidate JD] Vance opposed aid to Ukraine," Galbraith said.
In terms of Gaza, "Trump said to Netanyahu, 'finish the job.' In other words, do as you wish to the Palestinians. Harris, though, is concerned about the humanitarian consequences of Israeli policy," Galbraith said.
He added that Netanyahu, Putin, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan "are all waiting for Trump to win."
If Harris wins, "we might see a shift, but right now these leaders see no incentive to change. In my life, I can't think of an election where there's been such a sharp contrast, such a clear choice."
Galbraith enumerated a number of contrasts between the two candidates.
"Trump doesn't believe in NATO; Harris does," he said. "Trump says climate change is a hoax; Harris knows it's real and demands attention."
Starting conversations
"It's important that we're having this discussion, looking at the big picture," said Lissa Weinmann, a member of the WWAC board and the organization's treasurer. "We're looking at what the U.S. role might and should be in shaping the global future."
She stressed the value of asking tough and essential questions to that end, and to consider all sides - a goal that is deeply in the organization's DNA.
For 63 years, the independent, nonpartisan, educational group has, according to the nonprofit's website, "brought the world to Windham County."
"Our mission is to build community engagement, dialogue, and resilience by helping people better understand our world's issues and problems," the site says. "In this way, we hope to contribute to creating a livable, peaceful, better world in which we are better prepared to participate knowledgeably in public affairs and make informed choices in elections and in our lives."
WWAC presents a diverse range of individuals with international experience to help create free community events and facilitate youth outreach through programming such as developing PeaceJam at Brattleboro Union High School, which, according to Weinmann, "has been said to be the most popular club at the school."
The WWAC is one of more than 90 such organizations across 40 states, with two chapters in Vermont. WWAC being the smallest one in the nation.
Formally established in 1961, WWAC had been the only all-volunteer chapter nationwide until two years ago, when Healy was hired.
The Aug. 29 event will also serve as a fundraiser for WWAC's America250 project, which, Weinmann explained, is designed to examine "American Leadership in a Changing World" and is meant to extend WWAC's outreach in the community to build awareness of the U.S.'s role in major global issues."
To that end, WWAC is partnering not only with World Learning/SIT, but also with Vermont Independent Media (the publisher of The Commons), Brattleboro Community Television, and Brooks Memorial Library, with support from the Vermont Humanities Council.
The WWAC engages a different speaker monthly. Each monthly board meeting (scheduled for the fourth Wednesday of every month at 118 Elliot in Brattleboro) is followed by a members-and-friends salon, where participants are invited to discuss a specific topic.
Healy has said the meetings give the community "an opportunity to not only learn about current international events, but also to have discussions about them."
"Our meetings are open to anyone who wants to participate," she said. "The tangible outcome of the WWAC's work is to provide a forum for people to come together to become better informed about international affairs and our place in the world, and it is an especially pressing need in this era of disinformation."
To register to attend the Aug. 29 Galbraith Lecture at the World Learning/SIT campus, 1 Kipling Road, Brattleboro, visit GalbraithLecture.eventbrite.com. For more information on WWAC and upcoming programs, visit windhamworldaffairscouncil.org.
This News item by Annie Landenberger was written for The Commons.