Iowa City Foreign Relations Council

Since 2007, Frontier Co-op's Well Earth program has been the foundation of the co-op's responsible sourcing efforts, fostering long-term relationships with suppliers around the world. In this program, speakers share how the Norway, Iowa-based company ensures the long-term sustainability of its supply chain by investing in their partners and communities at origin to improve their social and environmental impact.

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Despite all the caveats about how much we do not know about the records practices of authoritarian governments, it is clear that they directly affect archives in a number of distinct ways: greatly increasing the production of some documentation; creating political climates that lead to self-censorship and, therefore, lack of records creation, withholding the release of current records, and tightly controlled access to archives. The...

Researchers, sovereign tribal communities, and women farmland-owners will discuss how they are collaborating to foster climate resilience through the newly established Central Midwest Climate Opportunities and Learning Team (CM CO-Learn), funded by the NOAA Climate Adaptation Partnerships program, that supports Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri. This panel brings together a tribal community member, a woman farmland owner, and se...

An inspiring panel discussion exploring the intersection of sustainability and design with Keith Porter (Stanley Center for Peace and Security), Sally Obernolte (Neumann Monson Architects), and Deb Schoelerman (Unitarian Universalist Society-Coralville). Together, they delve into the transformative role of sustainable building practices in addressing climate change. Highlights include a closer look at Stanley's International Living...

A new immigrant and refugee welcome center is opening in Polk County in 2025. The hub for refugees and immigrants, which has been designed with community input to create an inclusive environment, will feature professionals who provide confidential and sensitive spaces, services related to employment, housing and education, and transition programs for new Iowans living in the capitol. Mak Suceska, the Center's Manager of Operations,...

Historically, industrialized countries have created our climate crisis but have yet to take responsibility for the development dilemmas associated with climate change. The solutions proposed at the international level have largely prioritized technical fixes, including new cooking technologies and carbon credit accounting. Highlighting perspectives from below -- the lives and livelihoods of marginalized people -- illuminates severa...

Will China or the US lead the way in the Fourth Industrial Revolution?

To answer this question, leading thinkers and policymakers in both countries draw lessons from past technology-driven power transitions that center the moment of innovation -- the eureka moment that sparks astonishing technological feats.

In this talk, focused on his new book, Technology and the Rise of the Great Powers, Jeffrey Ding, PhD offers a ...

Since 2010, Viktor Orban has consolidated power as prime minister of Hungary, a central European country whose democratic institutions he has weakened primarily through a form of governance he terms "illiberal democracy" as well as through the nationwide advancement of Christian nationalism.

Iowa City Foreign Relations Council Executive Director Peter Gerlach talks with guest Ben Novak, a former reporter for the N...

Expectations for democracy in South Africa have been shaped by a longer history of citizenship linked to white supremacy. The concept of relational citizenship is an important way of thinking about political belonging which requires reflection on the different kind of political imagination people in places like South Africa have who have experienced sustained oppression and how we might learn from it in the United States.

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Europe still lacks a "European" public sphere and a media system that serves it. As was the case during the 2019 EU parliamentary election, the 2024 contest exhibited regional differences in the themes covered by national media and their emphasis on European-wide issues. Most voters' choices of representative MPEs reflected national politics and perceived interests, and relatedly, the ideological divides that positively o...

A compelling discussion featuring the 2024 WPI international journalists as they share their experiences covering elections in various political environments. The panel explores the critical role of the media during tense electoral periods and how these journalists navigate political pressures and the ethical challenges they encounter while reporting on elections worldwide.

For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Re...

A compelling discussion featuring the 2024 WPI international journalists as they share their experiences covering elections in various political environments. The panel explores the critical role of the media during tense electoral periods and how these journalists navigate political pressures and the ethical challenges they encounter while reporting on elections worldwide.

For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Re...