TGL 27 | America Fired Its Diplomats. Houston Just Hired One — at the Public Library.

TGL 27 | America Fired Its Diplomats. Houston Just Hired One — at the Public Library.

Washington has fired career diplomats, shuttered USAID, and pulled back from international engagement. Houston is doing the opposite. In this episode, Maryanne Maldonado sits down with Ambassador Chase Untermeyer, veteran of the Reagan and Bush administrations, former US Ambassador to Qatar, and director of the Voice of America, and Nick Sawicki of the Houston Public Library Foundation to announce something that has never been done at any public library in the United States: a Diplomat in Residence program. Ambassador Untermeyer, who grew up reading at the Houston Public Library, is now its inaugural Diplomat in Residence, bringing decades of firsthand foreign policy experience directly to one of the most diverse cities in America, free and open to everyone. The conversation covers what diplomacy actually looks like at street level, why Houston's consular corps keeps growing while the federal government retreats, what Sharia law actually is (and why politicians who campaign against it can't define it), and why the library, not a think tank, not a university, might be exactly the right place for this conversation to happen.  Subscribe for global affairs content that connects the world to your world.  Topics covered: * The first Diplomat in Residence program at any public library in the US * How Houston is filling the diplomatic vacuum Washington left behind * Ambassador Untermeyer's career: Reagan, Bush, Qatar, Voice of America * What Sharia law actually is, and why it's being misused politically * How the Houston Public Library connects 2.4 million visitors to global affairs * Diplomacy in closed rooms vs. diplomacy for everyday people * The lost US Information Agency libraries, and what replaced them * Houston's growing consular corps and international business community

TGL 26 | Standing at the DMZ and the Silk Road - Travel with the WAC

Most people travel to see the world. WAC Houston members travel to understand it. In this episode, Maryanne Maldonado sits down with travel expert Ilyas Hokkaci to preview two of the most geopolitically charged trips the World Affairs Council has ever offered: Uzbekistan, sitting at the center of a quiet new great power competition between Russia, China, and the West, and South Korea & Taiwan, two democracies living on the most volatile fault lines on earth. In Uzbekistan, travelers will walk through the ancient cities of Khiva, Bukhara, and Samarkand, the heart of the Islamic Golden Age, and connect that history directly to today's new Silk Road rivalry. In South Korea and Taiwan, they'll stand at the DMZ, meet with North Korea intelligence specialists, and visit the semiconductor companies and democratic institutions that the world's superpowers are competing to control. This isn't a tour. It's a lens.    Subscribe for global affairs content that connects the world to your world.  What's covered: * Why Uzbekistan is the gem of Central Asia — and a geopolitical battleground * The Silk Road as information highway, not just a trade route * Khiva, Bukhara & Samarkand, Islamic civilization made visible * The DMZ: what it actually feels like to stand there * Meeting North Korea intelligence specialists in Seoul * Taiwan's survival story. Why a small island matters to the whole world * South Korea & Taiwan as parallel democratic fault lines * How WAC Houston connects ancient history to today's headlines * 2027 trips preview: Japan, Mongolia, the Baltics & more Book your spot: https://wachouston.org/events/category/travel/ [https://wachouston.org/events/category/travel/] — wachouston.org

P Series 20 | The New Oil Crisis. Where Are We Heading? - Former Chairman of OTC Wafik Beydoun

In only four eventful and momentous years, numerous major geopolitical events have shocked global oil markets and redefined how oil is, and may be, traded around the world in the years to come. Those events and the leaders still shaping them have contributed to often staggering and unpredictable swings in global oil prices. In the longer term, even if prices stabilize again, what may prove to be the most important ramification of this era may be not just the differing ways oil moves around the world, but which nations may or may not buy/sell oil with each other. Little more than a year after COVID massively disrupted global oil demand & prices, Putin’s brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 rocked global oil markets once again. Within about a year, markets regained their balance, as Europeans looked to reduce their excessive dependence on Russian oil & gas – and with his growing ‘shadow fleet’, Putin re-prioritized where and how his crude would be delivered. The stunning and unexpected capture of Maduro this January may have had a relatively short-term impact on global oil prices. But it set the stage for possibly dramatic political and economic changes in Venezuela, in terms of who is in power and which major companies and countries may be involved in the years to come. Most recently, the US-Israeli War on Iran, which started less than two months ago, has already had profound impacts not only on global oil prices, but on the economies of Saudi Arabia & the Gulf States and beyond. The war also launched an ever-changing and ongoing conflict to determine control and access to the vital artery that supplies 20% of the world’s oil – the Strait of Hormuz. Whether it might result in more Russian pipelines to China, more American energy companies being willing to work in Venezuela, or Gulf States looking for long-term alternatives to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, global oil markets, trading partners, and routes for delivery may never be the same. Featured Speaker: Wafik Beydoun With over 40 years of international experience in the energy sector, Wafik Beydoun has lived and worked across more than 40 countries, leading major projects and partnerships while navigating diverse cultural and operational environments. A former senior executive at TotalEnergies, including leadership positions with ADNOC and the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers, he brings deep insight into how culture influences strategy, leadership, and collaboration on the global stage. He also played a significant role in professional societies and global industry events (like OTC and SEG), serving on the OTC Board of Directors for nearly a decade, including as Chair in 2018–2019. Today, Wafik teaches and advises on cultural intelligence, helping professionals and students decode cultural dynamics through his course Navigating Cultural Dynamics in a Complex Global Environment. Wafik holds a PhD in Geophysics and a Master’s in Earth Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Master’s in Science & Technology from the Université Pierre et Marie Curie, in Paris, France. He is a member of SEG, SPE, EAGE, AAPG, AGU, and Sigma Xi, with over 100 publications and communications to his credit.

TGL 25 | 25 Years as George H.W. Bush's Chief of Staff Jean Becker— The Insider Stories You've Never Heard

Every time a president walks into a room, hundreds of decisions have already been made — the route, the handshakes, the camera angles, and the escape plan. And sometimes, despite all the planning, things go sideways. Jean Becker spent nearly 25 years as Chief of Staff to President George H.W. Bush — running his post-presidential office, managing his state funeral, and living inside the machinery of American power longer than most people can imagine. She's also the editor of Don't Tell the President, a collection of 96 behind-the-scenes essays from advance teams spanning LBJ to Obama — covering everything from fall-down funny road stories to the moments that made history: 9/11, Reagan's assassination attempt, Sandy Hook, and a secret Thanksgiving trip to Iraq that even Bush 41 didn't know about until it was over. In this episode, Maryanne Maldonado sits down with Jean to talk about what presidential advance actually means, what really went wrong at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and what George H.W. Bush was actually like behind closed doors — the man whose moral character, she says, was simply in his DNA. This is the side of American power you don't read about in official records. Hosted by Maryanne Maldonado | The Greater Loop — A podcast of the World Affairs Council of Houston Subscribe for global affairs content that connects the world to your world. Topics covered: * What presidential advance actually is — and how it works * The White House Correspondents' Dinner security breach — what went wrong * Running Bush 41's post-presidency for 25 years * The secret Thanksgiving trip to Iraq — and why Barbara Bush couldn't know * What Obama looked like before facing the Sandy Hook families * The moral character of George H.W. Bush — discipline or DNA? * What life looks like for a president after leaving office * Don't Tell the President — the book behind the stories https://wachouston.org/event/1082-wine-wisdom-confessions-behind-presidential-visits/

TGL 24 | What Happens When You Travel to Understand the World, Not Just See It

Most people travel to see the world. WAC Houston members travel to understand it. In this episode, Maryanne Maldonado sits down with Ilyas Hokkaci, WAC Houston's travel program lead, to talk about what intentional travel really looks like — from the just-completed cherry blossom season trip through Kyoto and Tokyo, to the upcoming October journey through Morocco that has members already booking their seats. Morocco isn't just a destination. It's a crossroads — where North Africa, Europe, and the Arab world collide across 1,000+ years of layered history. From the Atlantic coast of Casablanca and Rabat, through the Atlas Mountains, into the Sahara desert, and on to the ancient souks of Marrakesh — this 10-day trip moves through civilizations, not just cities. And thanks to WAC Houston's decades-long relationships with local partners, travelers get access that no individual traveler — or standard tour company — can replicate. Private palace lunches. Overnight desert camps. Conversations with people who actually live the history you came to see. If you've been on the fence about Morocco, this episode will get you off it. Hosted by Maryanne Maldonado | The Greater Loop — A podcast of the World Affairs Council of Houston Subscribe for global affairs content that connects the world to your world. What's covered: * Highlights from WAC Houston's Japan trip — Kyoto to Tokyo * What makes Morocco a once-in-a-lifetime destination * The Atlas Mountains, Sahara desert, Kasbahs & Marrakesh itinerary * Why Morocco is one of the most stable, welcoming countries in the region * Exclusive access: private lunches, desert glamping & local homes * How to secure your spot on the October trip Ready to go?    Morrocco: https://wachouston.org/event/morocco-from-sahara-to-the-sea/ [https://wachouston.org/event/morocco-from-sahara-to-the-sea/] All trips: https://wachouston.org/events/category/travel/ [https://wachouston.org/events/category/travel/]