SPEAKER SERIES

Iran’s future domestic politics are likely to be shaped less by the war’s outcome than by preexisting structural tensions.  This includes a fragmented opposition, ethnic tension, and elite competition and corruption in a post-Khamenei landscape. On May 27th, 2026, Dr. Patrick O'Neil explored possible trajectories—intensified repression, elite reconfiguration, prolonged instability, and liberalization—and discussed the ability of future regime to resolve Iran's internal contradictions. Patrick O'Neil is the Distinguished Professor of Politics and Government at the University of Puget Sound.  His current research interests focus on the Middle East, particularly Iran, Israel and Palestine. In addition to his research in those areas, he has also written and co-written several widely used textbooks in the field of comparative politics.

The Consequences for American Foreign Policy and Global Leadership of the Trump Presidency: Iran, Ukraine, NATO, and the fate of the Post-WWII World Order. On April 28, 2026, Dr. Thomas Preston is C. O. Johnson Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Washington State University and a specialist in security policy, foreign affairs, and political psychology, examined the direction of U.S. foreign policy and global engagement in a period of heightened international tension. It will consider how U.S. actions and commitments related to Iran, Ukraine, and its alliance with NATO are shaping strategic priorities and perceptions of American leadership. This program was supported in part by Tacoma Creates, a program of the City of Tacoma.

Socio-Cultural Change In Germany In the Wake of Russian Military Aggression and Changed US Trans-Atlantic Relationships Dr. Johann J Reusch, Associate Professor at UWT Social Sciences This talk explores the profound changes in German socio-cultural identity that followed the Epochal Turn as defined in former Chancellor Olaf Scholz's February 2022 Zeitenwende speech that responded to Russian military aggression. On March 12, 2026, Dr. Johann J Reusch, Associate Professor at UWT Social Sciences, Department of School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, discussed political positions on mandatory military service, defense spending, and its financial strain on the welfare system, in the wake of a changed US relationship with Germany. This program was supported in part by Tacoma Creates, a program of the City of Tacoma.

Melannie Denise Cunningham is strengthening cultural ties between Tacoma and Africa through sister-city initiatives and heritage travel that center peace, roots, and reconnection. On February 4, 2026, at Tacoma Public Library, Peace Queen Melannie Denise Cunningham brought the room into a charged, reflective stillness—one shaped by memory, return, and responsibility. Drawing on nearly four decades of peace work across the African continent, she spoke not in abstractions but in lived crossings: from Tacoma to the Garden Route District Municipality of South Africa, and through heritage journeys to Ghana organized by Peace Works United. Her vision of a sister-city relationship was framed not as ceremonial diplomacy but as an ethical bridge—an act of repair between diaspora and continent. She described sacred ground as both geography and reckoning, a place where history demands acknowledgment before reconciliation can even be imagined. The evening closed not with applause alone, but with an invitation—to travel, to witness, to reconsider one’s inheritance, and to step into a broader architecture of belonging. Melannie Denise Cunningham is the 2018 Greater Tacoma Peace Prize Laureate and has been engaging in nearly four decades of peace work across the African continent. This program was supported in part by Tacoma Creates, a program of the City of Tacoma.

Local Historian Michael Sean Sullivan discussed the ethnic and geographic pockets of the city that have been removed by big public projects like I-5 and urban renewal, or that have faded away with relocation or migration to the suburbs.

UBI is a regular cash payment made to all adult citizens, regardless of their employment status or income. An idea with a long history, it is now gaining traction globally and across the political spectrum. On November 12, 2025, WACT Speaker, Dr. Peter Grosvenor explained UBI and examined the major arguments for and against it. Dr. Peter Grosvenor is a Welsh political scientist with degrees from Swansea University and the London School of Economics. He is an Associate Professor of Sociology and Global Studies at Pacific Lutheran University, teaching courses in political philosophy and international relations, with a special interest in international political economy. He is a former labor union research officer and speechwriter at the Trades Union Congress in London and a member of the Basic Income Earth Network. This program was supported in part by Tacoma Creates, a program of the City of Tacoma.

WACT | Speaker Series: Professor Sang-Yoon Chang, Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Colorado gave a presentation on the latest challenges facing cybersecurity. Developments in A.I. have rendered many mathematically based systems vulnerable. Post-quantum cryptography has emerged as a reliable alternative to these older systems and can be used to protect the privacy of our communications and data. #ai #cryptography #bitcoin #cybersecurity #crypto

TARIFFS: How do they work, who pays for them, and what impact will they have on our nation? | Speaker Series On Thursday the World Affairs Council hosted a panel presentation at the University of Washington-Tacoma on the subject of "TARIFFS: How do they work, who pays for them, and what impact will they have on our nation?" The speakers were Andreas Udbye, a professor logistics at Tacoma Community College and in the University of Washington system and two local business people active in trade: Deborah LI, the Vice President of Sales for Mode Imports , and Emma Perruccio, an Account Executive for Kintetsu World Express. Professor Udbye gave an explanation of #tariffs and an overview of the research on their impact, while Deborah and Emma provided real world examples of how they struggle to navigate (and survive in!) the rapidly changing trade environment. This event was funded by Tacoma Creates.

WACT | Speaker Series: Thomas Preston, a Washington State University C. O. Johnson distinguished professor, describes the impacts of President Trumps' radical shift away from support of Ukraine, and the entire structure of the post-WWII alliances with Europe and NATO. This program was sponsored by Tacoma Creates. #ukraine #political #world #trump

Description Genocide. Whenever the word appears in news headlines, documentaries, or movies, everyone knows a horrific atrocity is potentially unfolding. However, from a historical perspective the visceral reaction to this word is somewhat surprising because the concept of genocide was invented barely eighty years ago and only recently became a widespread part of international dialogues. This talk will describe the historical creation of the concept of genocide by Raphaël Lemkin and its adoption in international law and contemporary political discourse. Speaker Ben Meiches is a Professor at the University of Washington-Tacoma and earned his Ph.D. In Political Science from Johns Hopkins University in 2015. At the University of Washington, Tacoma, his research and teaching focus on global politics, political violence, human rights and international theory. He is a particularly interested in armed conflict, genocide, and the development of international law. He is the author of two award-winning books: Nonhuman Humanitarians: Animal Interventions in Global Politics and The Politics of Annihilation: A Genealogy of Genocide both with University of Minnesota Press.