Benefits of being a member
Would you enjoy the opportunity to hear and speak on world affairs with ambassadors, policy makers, award-winning journalists, strategists, and academics from the US and abroad?
Recent speakers we have heard and questioned
- Dr. Fiona Hill, author and distinguished senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, former senior director in the US national security council; she also testified before Congress in the impeachment trial, 2019.
- Jill Dougherty, longtime Moscow correspondent for CNN and fellow of the Wilson Center.
- Herr Michael Georg Link, a Member of the German Bundestag, minister, and Coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation at the foreign office (a special luncheon event).
- Rachael Galloway, Consul-General of the United Kingdom and recent ambassador to North Macedonia (a special luncheon event).
- Dr. Ken Yamashita, Career Minister with USAID (the highest rank), a veteran foreign service officer who emerged from retirement to lead the surge in AID effort and women's empowerment in Afghanistan.
Would you enjoy discussing current issues in world affairs in an environment where you can socialize with those of similar interests, over drinks and a light supper?
If so, you should consider joining the Alabama World Affairs Council (ALWAC) to participate in our upcoming year’s programs.
Levels of membership and their benefits
- You can select a level of membership for an individual, or a family ― and even for additional members or guests.
- Our individual dues are among the lowest in the country, and our reception benefits are valued much higher than these membership dues.
- If you would like to support our programs, select a level of membership (for example, Diplomat) that includes multiple seats for guests.
- With any type of membership, you will receive free entry to our main speaker events.
- There may be modest fees for a special event, such as luncheon with an ambassador, or a discussion series.
- Guests are welcome for a small fee at the door.
- Audiences have varied from twenty for an intimate lunch with a speaker, and often fifty for an interactive seminar with a speaker ― to over 240 in an auditorium for an ambassador.
ALWAC online
If you are unable to attend in-person, you can join our webinars, which are live streamed, recorded, and watched around the world.
- Our livestream with a top NATO official in Brussels, was watched worldwide by over 770 viewers, in addition to the in-person audience.
- In the online audience, you can ask questions of the guest speaker via the chat function on your phone, tablet, or computer.
ALWAC seminars
In some years, you may also be able to participate in our weekly discussion series, The Great Decisions, with eight topics and colorful magazines provided by the Foreign Policy Association.
- Facilitators are often award-winning teachers in international relations and comparative government, from the Air War College, Troy University, and other area colleges and universities.
- There is a modest charge for the spring series, which has in past years featured about 25 participants.