Dr. Gilles Guiheux, author, historian and sociologist at the Université Paris Cité, highlights his book “Contemporary China: 1949 to the Present .” He posits that China’s combining integration into the capitalist world economy with authoritarian political practice may be sustainable. Some political observers doubted this delicate juggling act could succeed. In 1949, the stake for Mao was to haul the country out of backwardness and project it into modernity; for Xi, the current challenge is to rally social forces with conflicting interests behind the Party, e.g., Uyghurs, Taiwan, individual rights, etc. The opposition between the world of cities and that of the countryside is still the main inequality that characterizes Chinese society. The Chinese experience is not entirely unique: industrialization, urbanization, bureaucratization, and globalization are phenomena that have accompanied the entry of all human societies into modernity. China owes its success to the convergence of its institutions with those of capitalist market economies.

John Cavanagh, former director of the Institute for Policy Studies, is the co-author of 12 books and numerous articles on a wide range of social and economic issues. His newest book is “The Water Defenders: How Ordinary People Saved a Country from Corporate Greed. He just returned from a factfinding trip to El Salvador whereupon he identifies how El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele reduced the gang violence and crime rates by employing strongarm tactics that ostensibly violate human rights and national laws. El Salvador is holding firm in banning mining to save its rivers from poisonous chemical contaminants. Turning to the Middle East, he suggested that Hamas release the hostages and Israel respond accordingly. Palestinian desperation and Saudi Arabia’s potential deal with the Israelis may have helped ignite the October 7 terrorist attack. On a positive note, the frosty relationship between China and the USA seems to be improving, what with the meetings between Presidents Biden and Xi.

Dr. Bernie Strenecky presently serves as the Scholar in Residence at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green KY, USA. He is a member of the diplomatic corps of the country of Barbados, an active member of the Prospect Goshen Rotary Club, a member of the board of the United Nations Association-Kentucky Division, and he was integral in developing the Play Ball Puerto Rico (PBPR) project. Bernie is the grandfather of Lawson Strenecky, the founder of the organization. Lawson developed the concept in response to the horrific damage wreaked by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. Although PBPR helps refurbish baseball fields, it is not designed to develop great baseball players but in developing competent citizens with humanitarian skills through good sportsmanship. Various groups such as Rotary Clubs, United Nations Associations, and the private sector have partnered on this project in Puerto Rico but also in eastern and western Kentucky in areas hit by natural disasters.

Joe Lurie has spent most of his adult life interacting and engaging with other cultures and promoting cross-cultural understanding. As a young man, he served in the US Peace Corps in Kenya, which began his life of “intercultural encounters.” For 20 years, Lurie was executive director of the University of California’s International House whose mission is to “foster intercultural respect and understanding for the promotion of a more peaceful world.” Since retiring, Lurie has been a teacher, intercultural trainer, and consultant. His most recent book highlights what he learned about understanding – and misunderstanding – one another in the book: “Perception and Deception: A Mind-Opening Journey Across Cultures.” The First Goal of the Peace Corps is to provide technical assistance overseas; however, the Third Goal of the Peace Corps is to bring a volunteer’s unique international experience home to the US and share that information, plus build upon the experience to provide more intercultural understanding.

Steve Schlesinger is a Fellow at the Century Foundation in New York City. Mr. Schlesinger authored "Act of Creation: Founding of the United Nations," And he is an expert on the UN and international issues. He offers an update on the 78th Session of the UN. The UN has changed dramatically since its creation in 1945, especially in aid to refugees, economic development, climate change, cultural and educational development, and assisting ships, mail, aircraft and weather information in the international arena. The UN, albeit not perfect, is indispensable. The UN is critical to the success of many US foreign policies, e.g. Korean War, Cuban Missile Crisis, democratic elections and refugee assistance. In a political move that damages the US and the UN, the Republican-controlled US Congress has adopted—for the very first time-- a State Department bill to not fund the UN. The UN is not a one-world government, has no taxing power and no military.

Dr. Jean Krasno is on the faculty of the Department of Political Science at the City College of New York and is a lecturer at Columbia University. She teaches courses on the United Nations, peacekeeping, international law, and international organizations at City College and at Columbia University. Her most recent book is titled “United Nations: Policy and Practice.” The UN is a rapidly changing organization that responds to the major challenges confronting the world, such as peacebuilding, development, disarmament, electoral assistance, climate change, Ukraine war, nuclear proliferation and refugee assistance. Some of the prevalent myths that are not accurate is that the UN is dysfunctional, is anti-US and is wealthy. Uniting for Peace is a method the General Assembly can bypass a paralyzed Security Council such as on the Ukrainian crisis. Dr. Krasno has published the official papers of former SGs Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon at www.rienner.com

Judge Thomas G. Moukawsher is a Connecticut complex litigation judge and a former lawyer, legislator, and lobbyist. He is the author of “The Common Flaw: Needless Complexity in the Courts and 50 Ways to Reduce it.” Some recommendations to improve the judicial system are to streamline trials, deliver prompt decisions, accept fewer motions and appeals, control evidence gathering process (discovery) and offer decisions that are presented in plain English, all the while promoting a humanistic and public trust approach. To restore credibility in the US Supreme Court (SCOTUS), ethical/legal indiscretions should be investigated, adopt a tough Code of Ethics, and write decisions that are understandable. The UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948 by the UN General Assembly with Eleanor Roosevelt’s assistance,, the International Criminal Court in the Hague and the UN International Court of Justice are all based on the Rule of Law, as is that of the US, which states no one is above the law. To help the public better understand the legal system in the US and internationally, the US media should stop mocking international institutions, such as the United Nations, and show the accomplishments, while simultaneously holding them accountable for any indiscretions or illegalities. Had the Supreme Court moved more quickly on the evidence presented immediately after the 2020 presidential election and declared the election results fair and accurate, it is possible that the January 6 insurrection to overthrow a fair and free election and the US Government may have been avoided.

Hussein Solomon, Senior Professor in the Centre for Gender and Africa Studies at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa and co-author of “African Security in the Anthropocene,” depicts how humans have created more dangerous situations through the use of fossil fuels that are accelerating climate change, squabbling over natural resources, hunger and terrorism. Africa, which is the second largest continent with a 1.4 billion population, is primarily rural and does not have the technology and financial wherewithal to combat these problems. Recently, the African Climate Summit, recommended removal of subsidies for fossil fuels, which would make clean energy sources much more competitive. Although 80% of agriculture is by subsistence farmers, funding, global capital and partnerships are required to make the transition. There is hope for “cautious optimism” since some regions are using drought resistant crops and “conflict smart” agriculture. As always, women play a critical role in confronting these problems.

Aaron S. Williams has experience in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, including posts as USAID mission director for South Africa, vice president of the International Youth Foundation, executive vice president of RTI International, and director of the US Peace Corps (2009–2012). His most recent book is “The Young Black Leader’s Guide to a Successful Career in International Affairs: What the Giants Want You to Know.”

In this book, Aaron shared his personal vision that led to a meaningful career in the foreign service, why is it important for students to develop and articulate their visions, and how International Development is often long-term. In his previous book, “ A Life Unimagined”: The Rewards of Mission-Driven Service in the Peace Corps and Beyond”, he expounded on the importance of the Peace Corps and then as Mission Director for USAID/South Africa how President Mandela addressed the hatreds, social divisions, and political polarization seen around the world today.

Dr. Robert Zuber, Director of Global Action to Prevent War and Armed Conflict, serves as a consultant, adviser or board member to several non-profit and educational organizations including Green Map System and the Martin Luther King Jr. Center in Cameroon. As a participant in the United Nations System, he highlights the major issues discussed at the 78th Session of the General Assembly. The UN, established in 1945, had the major goals to eliminate the scourge of war, promote economic and social development and enhance human rights. The UN has changed dramatically over the past 78 years. One principal challenge has been the UN’s Agenda for Peace. The UN has expanded, at the world’s request, to deal with a wide range of issues such as the recent assault on Israel, Palestinian suffering, climate crisis, refugees, international pandemics, UN peacebuilding successes and a myriad of others. Tragically, most Americans still do not understand how UN agencies directly impact their lives.

Thom Hartmann is an American radio personality, author, former psychotherapist, businessman, and progressive political commentator, whose talk show has been rated in the top 10 shows for over a decade by Talkers Magazine. He discusses his recent book, “The Hidden History of American Democracy: Rediscovering Humanity’s Ancient Way of Living,” by focusing on facts, such as many of the founders were Deists, not Christians, who firmly believed in a strong separation of church and state. Several contemporary challenges today are that Donald Trump ostensibly tried to illegally overthrow a fair election and install an autocratic, anti-democratic government; support for the US Supreme Court has declined primarily due to some of their biased judicial decisions and allegedly corrupt justices, such as Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito; and the misinformation and disinformation that is streaming out of many faux news outlets, such as Fox, OAN and Newsmax, which arguably pass themselves off as legitimate news operations.

Norman Solomon, an American journalist, media critic, author and activist discusses his latest book is, “War Made Invisible: How America Hides the Human Toll of Its Military Machine.” Solomon's dozen other books include “War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death.” He has been actively involved in RootsAction, and is the founder of the Institute for Public Accuracy. His recent book deals with the US having a larger military budget than the next 10 countries combined, and how it has been involved in endless wars with Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine and many other countries. The main drivers of these wars are the Military Industrial Complex, Joint Chiefs of Staff, military leaders, apathetic and ill-informed citizens, and ultra-conservative media outlets (as well as some mainstream media), to mention a few. Diplomacy should not be a dirty word. Solomon’s book highlights the costs of war and its racial aspects on people of color.

John Seager, President and CEO of Population Connection, describes how his organization provides education, advocacy and small loans to assist people in voluntarily achieving their family planning goals. Rather than think about a total population, we need to think about how we want to live, how we want others to live, and the resources required for our lifestyles. A population of 2- billion, rather than 8 billion, would be more sustainable. Best practices in family planning have three key elements that vary in composition and impact: education for women and girls; access to a full range of reproductive services and changing social dynamics so that women are key to any family planning activities Studies show that the GDP may decline as population drops, but the per capita GDP will rise. The Social Security crunch could be alleviated by raising the earnings cap. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN population conferences are critical to help educate and inform people about family planning services.

Elizabeth Graham had a Top-Secret CIA security clearance at the age of 16. She worked for an international corporation for 12 years, began to travel to the Soviet Union, and then became one of the very few Americans to move to Russia. She lived under Communism in the Soviet Union, then Russia, and Central Asia. Her most recent book, “From Democracy to Democrazy: A Warning to all Americans” reads like a cross between a John Grisham novel and the movie The Manchurian Candidate. She contends that Vladimir Putin hates America and is striving to weaken it as much as possible, utilizing tools, such as racism, violence, insurrection, cyberattacks, inflation, isolationism and possibly receiving help from Donald Trump. If Trump secures the presidency, he has threatened to dismantle NATO, the US’s administrative state, abolish the Constitution, install political hacks throughout the government, ignore legal governmental decisions, quash media outlets, imprison his political opponents and install a presidential dictatorship.

Kevin Cassidy, Director and Representative to the Bretton Woods and Multilateral Organizations of the United Nations International Labour Organization Office in Washington, DC, highlights the main goals of the ILO in advancing social justice and promoting decent work that was adopted as the social justice definition from the Declaration of Philadelphia Convention which declared that “all human beings, irrespective of race, creed or sex, have the right to pursue both their material well-being and their spiritual development in conditions of freedom and dignity, of economic security and equal opportunity.” ILO has four priority action programs: a transition from the informal to formal economy; a just transition towards an environmental and sustainable society; decent work outcomes in global supply chains; and decent work in crisis and post-crisis situations. Historically the ILO has largely focused its technical work on developing countries and emerging economies, however, it does engage in activities in developed economies.

Dr. Gregory O. Hall, Associate Professor, Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY., USA discusses his recent book: “Examining US-China-Russia Foreign Relations: Great Power Politics in a Post-Obama Era.” He proffers that, although the Russian military has been grossly overrated, the post-Soviet Russia is still a "great power." primarily because of its nuclear missiles and the fact it is one of the 5-Permanent Members, along with the US, UK, France and China, of the UN Security Council with the potential to veto any binding resolutions. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken are calling for a détente between the West and China, to avoid a misunderstanding and possible military conflict. From a positive standpoint, the US has re-joined WHO, the Paris Climate Accord and UNESCO, is repaying arrears at the UN and is working to renew the Iranian Nuclear Deal.

Dr. Frank Costigliola is a Distinguished Professor of History at the University of Connecticut. His most recent book is, “Kennan: A Life Between Worlds.” Although the 1940s were a period of optimism due to the end of WW2, creation of the United Nations and a commitment to re-building Europe and key Asian countries, storm clouds were looming with the advent of the Cold War. Kennan offered a third way to “contain” the former USSR. His "Long Telegram" to the State Department in 1946 and his article under the pseudonym "X," which was published in "Foreign Affairs" in 1947 laid out his “containment” approach. Kennan was opposed to the wars in Vietnam and Iraq and NATO expansion because they were counterproductive to American interests. Another ally over the years has been the United Nations by defusing tensions such as during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Claire Marie Regan, the 106th president of the Society of Professional Journalists (2022-2023), has more than 30 years of newsroom experience. She is the recently retired managing editor of her hometown paper the Staten Island Advance, New York, USA. The Society of Professional Journalists helps its members in a variety of areas, such as combatting attacks on democracy, promoting freedom of the press, defending against intimidation of journalists, encouraging DEI (Diversity, Equality and Inclusion), sharpening skill development for journalists, recruiting students from HBCUs and promoting the SPJ Code of Ethics. The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has been a paladin in defending freedom of the press worldwide. In general, journalism can be strengthened by inculcating the SPJ Code of Ethics and combatting misinformation, disinformation and lies, which are often disseminated by a variety of faux news outlets. SPJ has an online International Community that focuses on international issues.

William Shields, Executive Director for the American Society for Public Administration, explains how ASPA is the organization that brings together the academic scholarship and the front-line practitioners in all fields of public service. Public administration transcends international boundaries since Best Practices can be shared. ASPA has memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with counterparts in South Africa, France, Australia and the United Nations. A joint topic for several years has been the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The UN is an extension of public administrators in the international arena to combat diseases, battle climate change, provide public security and move aircraft, ships, mail and weather information worldwide. Nonpartisan public administrators are under attack for carrying out their jobs to provide services for the public good. “Meeting the Challenges on International Engagement” is an ASPA report that focuses on the notion of how international engagement is extremely important to bring together a broad section of public administration professionals to collaborate, coordinate and share information.