World Affairs Council Houston – Center for Law, Engagement, and Politics

Covering the World with Ioan Grillo (and the World Affairs Council)

By Michelle Cardenas

LEAP students enjoyed another amazing World Affairs Council event, this one featuring author and journalist: Ioan Grillo. During this event, SHSU students and alumni had the opportunity to learn about Grillo and his most recent book titled “Blood, Gun, Money”.

Specializing in crime and drug cartels in Mexico, Grillo delivered an informative and thought-provoking run-down of the drug war the United States is currently battling.

After a brief introduction by Jahan Jafarpour…

…Ioan Grillo and moderator Ronan O’Malley took the stage. The conversation began with a striking question about the fentanyl crisis and its effect on Americans. Grillo explained how fentanyl is one of the deadliest synthetic drugs on the market, and how its potency can be fatal at minuscule doses. Due to its cheap production costs and easy transportation across the border, fentanyl has become extremely accessible and profitable.

Grillo went on to explain how America is experiencing a revolution of illegal drugs that’s killing thousands of people. He compares the current drug revolution to the crack epidemic that took place in the late 1980’s. According to Grillo’s data, the number of current overdoses on Fentanyl is 21 times higher than the number of overdoses on record for 1988, the peak of the crack epidemic. He then discussed the multi-faceted conditions that allow such a crisis, such as corruption in Mexican officials and the strong presence of organized crime.

Ioan Grillo spent much of time discussing the Mexican cartel and its impact on civilians and the United States. A concerning point in this discussion was the amount of heavy weaponry transported to Mexico from the United States. According to Grillo, many gun traffickers have easy access to weapons here in the United States, which they purchase without a paper trail. Due to the violence and cartel wars that have erupted, the journalist mentioned the possibility of naming the different Mexican cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. However, many issues could arise, one of which is the justification of asylum on the border. He concluded by assuring us that the war on drugs and violence is just now beginning, and that the only way to stop this war is government involvement and strict policies.

The conversation then moved on to a Q&A session, where many interesting topics were discussed. Olivia, a fellow LEAP Ambassador, asked a question about the media’s role in raising awareness of drug crises.

We each then had the pleasure to speak to Ioan Grillo after the event and get our books signed…

…as well as learn a little more about his approach to reaching a resolution to end this drug epidemic we are witnessing.

To fit the theme of tonight’s event and the region primarily discussed, we headed to Ninfa’s; a restaurant specializing in Mexican cuisine. We all enjoyed traditional Mexican dishes, including tacos al pastor, mole, and enchiladas de carnitas. Everyone was extremely satisfied with their dishes and enjoyed their flavorful entrees.

This was a great opportunity to get to know SHSU alumni (Victoria McClendon-Leggett and Bianca Saldierna), meet with new students who haven’t done many LEAP events, as well as learn more about the pressing issues affecting our country’s health.

Globalization Myths, With Dr. Shannon O’Neil

The Woodlands’ residents and various students got the opportunity to indulge in another World Affairs Council event, this one focusing on the “myths of globalization.” This event, featuring Shannon K. O’Neil, included amazing insight into regionalism and foreign relations.

O’Neil is an expert on Latin America, foreign relations, global trade, and supply chains. Shannon O’Neil has an extensive and impressive education which includes two degrees from Yale university in international relations and Latin American studies and a PhD in Government from Harvard University. Along with her qualifications and various degrees that make her an expert in Latin America, Dr. O’Neil has resided in Mexico and Argentina.

Following brief remarks by Sandiia Bayot, Mr. Seitz (from Cypress Creek’s Speech Team) introduced Dr. O’Neil. Moderating the event was Mr. Ray Cunningham, one of the WAC staff and a good friend to the LEAP Ambassadors. The two discuss how globalization can be confused with internationalization and development, although the terms have different implications and meanings.

Dr. O’Neil began with a personal anecdote about her hometown, Akron, Ohio, and how a city once booming internationally in the tire industry became desolate due to a lack of regional support. She compares this story to modern day trade and how weak ties with neighboring countries puts a nation at a disadvantage in world markets.

She took us on a trip back in history by discussing post-war development and how it impacted production and trade in different regions today. Focusing on three specific regions, Asia, Europe, and North America, she discussed their different economies, trade agreements, and regional dependency.

Dr. Shannon O’Neil spent a lot of time discussing new initiatives that are currently being worked on in the United States. She noted how the United States is actively developing and searching for ways to become less dependent on overseas production, especially in the area of semiconductors. She also discussed agreements like NAFTA and the USMCA, addressing the benefits and consequences the accords bring to our economy, dependency, and local trade.

Something I learned from the discussion is that Laredo, Texas is the second largest (land) port in the United States. I had not anticipated an inland port to be one of the most heavily trafficked in the nation.

The conversation then moved on to a Q&A where a lot of interesting topics were brought up by the audience such as sanctions and how they can be a weapon in international conflicts as well as the logistics of manufacturing companies to Latin America.

As two students studying Criminal Justice, economics and globalization are not subjects at the forefront of our education. However, Dr. O’Neil made such an intricate and nuanced topic super attainable and inspired us to learn more about the subjects. We had the pleasure to speak to Dr. O’Neil after the event, get our books signed, and learn more about her and some of her opinions on development in Texas.

Before and after the event we also had the chance to appreciate beautiful art pieces from the Glade Art Gallery. We had the chance to indulge in the art and find some pieces that resonated with us. Although extremely hard to choose “Lost in my Mind series 4” by Rebekah Molander was one of my favorites.

Whether it’s art, the experts, or the friendly staff at World Affairs Council, we are always grateful to attend one of their events.

An Evening with the Vice-President

LEAP students enjoyed another wonderful World Affairs Council event, this one featuring a former Vice President of the United States: Mike Pence. It was an educational evening, allowing students, alumni, and fellows SHSU faculty/staff of all political affiliations to hear about public affairs directly from public figures.

After brief introductions by WAC Director Maryanne Maldonado and other staff…

…Vice-President Pence and moderator Paul Hobby took the stage. With approximately 400 people on hand, Hobby asked a series of questions to Pence, with most of the addressing, not surprisingly, foreign affairs.

He also asked VP Pence about his duties during the January 6 riot/insurgency, in which Pence certified the election results. Pence noted that his job was simple, which was to follow the constitution.

In this case, he continued, there was no evidence that any voting irregularities amounted to sufficient cause to question the outcome of the election, and he had a clear duty to certify the results indicating Biden won. Somewhat surprisingly, he indicated that Vice President Al Gore, who lost the 2000 election but similarly certified the election results showing Bush won, was an inspiration to him.

On other topics, Pence indicated he believed the United States should show more strength on foreign affairs generally. Perhaps the most discussed topic involved the balloons that have been spotted floating over the United States. Pence expressed much alarm and dismay by this, expressed his belief that the US took too long to respond, and reiterated that no foreign vessels should be allowed on (or above) US Territory (what constitutes acceptable airspace is globally disputed, but this is a starting place). Pence indicated that while he had heard reports that foreign balloons were deployed over the United States while he was Vice-President, he expressed some incredulity about that, saying, “that’s news to me.”

While the World Affairs Council is nonpartisan, they bring in public figures from all over the political spectrum. The crowd was respectful to VP Pence, and it was clear he had many supporters on hand.

Meanwhile, we had the opportunity to get Vice-President Pence’s book, So Help Me God, and follow up the event with dinner at the nearby Kenny and Ziggy’s. Interestingly, this is the sixth Vice-President the LEAP Center has taken students to see, with the others being: George H. W. Bush, Dan Quayle, Dick Cheney, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and, now, Mike Pence.

Kenny and Ziggy’s

If you haven’t tried Kenny & Ziggy’s, it’s a great place to get good food and large portions. It is a NY-style deli, and we were all big fans of the sandwiches. While no formal vote was taken, Michelle’s Philly Sandwich may have been the favorite, but not one of the four students who ordered a Reuben was disappointed.

For us, it was also a chance to spend time with alumni (Esme Mata and Victoria McClendon) and SHSU staff, including Mike Yawn, Stephanie Fors, and Gene Roberts. This was a great opportunity to hear from public officials and learn about career opportunities while expanding our professional network.

Ambassador McKinley Surveys Latin America

Students and Woodlands’ residents enjoyed another World Affairs Council event, this one highlighting the leadership changes in Latin America. This event, featuring Ambassador Michael McKinley, proved entertaining and educational, hallmarks of WAC events.

McKinley is uniquely qualified to discuss Latin America. In addition to being born in Venezuela and having a PhD in international affairs, McKinley also served as Ambassador to Peru, Brazil, and Columbia (not to mention Afghanistan).

Following introductions by Sandija Bayot and Baylee Cammack from Caney Creek High School, the forum was turned over to the excellent moderator Ronan O’Malley.

McKinley discussed the unique challenges of Latin America, including periods of instability, colonial rule, poverty and inequality. This, he noted, had been particularly acute in Peru when Castillo was in power: In a sixteen-month period, Castillo’s cabinet went through 80 members, an unprecedented number. Moreover, Castillo attempted to suspend Congress.

While such episodes have occurred throughout Latin America’s history, much progress has been made, and McKinley notes that while the largest six Latin American countries now have left-leaning governments, these governments fall within normal and accepted economic and governing strategies: they aren’t socialist or Communist governments.

Moreover, in most of the countries, much progress has been made in institutionalizing democratic reforms, auguring well for the future.

McKinley noted that the United States needed to devote more attention to Latin America. While he noted that Ukraine and China are two paramount concerns right now, issues in these regions should not fully overshadow the importance and promise of Latin America. Remarkably, he noted that while the United States had sent 68 billion dollars to Ukraine last year, only 2 billion had been sent to all of Latin America. Moreover, the US accepts more than 500,000 students from China, India, and Korea, but we accept less than 100,000 students from all of Latin America. With attention, effort, and resources, these disparities can be addressed, benefiting both the United States and Latin America.

Gratifyingly, there were a large number of students on hand to hear Ambassador McKinley’s response.

Indeed, overall, there were more than 70 people who came out to hear the Ambassador speak, and it’s safe to say that everyone came away more informed. Ambassador McKinley spoke with guests following the event…

…and we also had the chance to peruse the wonderful Glade Art Gallery, which is constantly rotating its art work, giving us the chance to find new favorites–which we did!

Once again, we’d like to thank the World Affairs Council for offering these wonderful learning opportunities to students from SHSU and beyond.

24th Annual Jesse H Jones Luncheon

Jessica Cuevas

On October 20^th the World Affairs Council (WAC) of Greater Houston held its 24^th annual Jesse H Jones Luncheon where the Council recognizes several individuals as being global leaders of influence, educators of the year, and one individual is recognized as the international citizen of the year at the Post Oak Hotel.

The Sam Houston High School JROTC program presented the flags, while a local youth choir sang our national anthem.

A global leader of influence is recognized by the WAC as an individual who has helped the City of Houston to increase its status as an international city. This year eighteen business leaders were recognized and awarded:

Brenda Boral (Boral Agency), Lisa Darling (Awty International School), Francisco Gonzalez (Lopez Dorada Foods), Alicia Heiskell (GPS International), Linda Lorelle (Lorelle Media), Arthur Lyons (Indust Labs Inc.), Eduardo Marquez (Sidley Austin LLP), Dr. Marie Moreno (Newcomer Success), Grace Olivares (Univision), Kris Pitta (Prudent Resources), Muhammad Saeed Sheikh (Community Organizer), Fernando Signorini (Dow Chemicals), Hilde Janne Skorpen (Consul General of Norway), Val Thompson (International Focus Magazine), Uwem Ukpong (Amazon Web Services), Caroline Verot Moore (Fifth Third Bank), Patty Williams-Downs (OneGoal), and Vanessa Wyche (Johnson Space Center).

. . . that’s seven more than were recognized in 2021!

Over the summer, the ambassadors nominated Professor Yawn for Educator of the Year and we were extremely pleased (but not at all surprised) to find out that he was selected!

Professor Yawn graciously accepted the award as the “International Professor of the Year.”

This was, in fact, the first-ever awarding of this recognition, and WAC Program Director, Ronan O’Malley, noted that “The council is truly fortunate to have Dr. Yawn so earnestly involved with the council; and we are delighted to have his bright and poised LEAP students take part in our events.”

Professor Yawn has taken students to more than 100 of the WAC events, ranging from tours of the Holocaust Museum, meeting Condi Rice, hearing from author David Brooks, learning from General Stanley McChrystal, to meeting heads of state.

Ms. Lori Lambropoulos, the principal of Energy Institute High School, was selected as K-12 Educator of the Year.

Lastly, Greg Hill, President and Chief Operating Officer of Hess Corporation, was awarded the 2022 International Citizen of the Year for helping Houston become the energy capital of the world.

It wouldn’t be a World Affairs Council event without one of their remarkable speaker sessions, so after Mr. Hill received his award and while we ate the delicious meals we were treated to a dialogue between Mr. Hill and current House Minority Leader U.S. Representative Kevin McCarthy. Among other topics, they discussed our country on the international stage and how they each came to be where they are now.

Before we could finish our desserts (delicious mini cheesecakes with glazed berries on top) we found ourselves being ushered upstairs with the other students for something even more special: a small-group Q&A with Representative McCarthy and Mr. Hill. We all posed for a group photo before settling into our seats. The room was filled with students who had several questions for both speakers. Alas, time did not permit all questions to be asked. However, I thought that one of the best questions was what would be next on the agenda if Republicans took back the house and Rep. McCarthy was selected as Speaker of the House. His response: focus on our economy (property tax and inflation), a parent’s bill of rights, and much more.

Both Rep. McCarthy and Mr. Hill left us with some advice regarding our actions as aspiring leaders. The message from both men was to never give up—if we get knocked down eight times then we should get back up nine times. With the midterm elections right around the corner, they closed by impressing upon us the importance of young people like us getting out and voting.

As a nice extra, we also had a chance to meet Congressman Brady again. He was honored for his 20 years in Congress.

A big thank you and congratulations to the World Affairs Council staff for yet another successful Jesse H. Jones Luncheon! We look forward to attending many more of the Council’s events in the future. Lastly, thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Oyolu who sponsored our table, and to all other sponsors of student tables for allowing us the opportunity to attend this event! Finally, many congratulations to Professor Yawn for being the International Professor of the Year!

Covering the Globe with John Brennan, former CIA Director

11/09/2022, Jessica Cuevas

Approximately once a month, LEAP takes a group of students to Houston to attend a World Affairs Council event. For the month of November, this event happened to be a discussion about U.S. Intelligence and National Security with the Fifth Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director John Brennan, and Stephen B. Slick, the Director of the Intelligence Studies Project at UT Austin and former CIA Agent. Introducing them was Ambassador David Satterfield, making the group on hand about as knowledgeable on foreign policy as any three people could be.

This combination proved to be as interesting as it sounds, and made even a bit more interesting with the inclusion of several freshmen LEAP participants, including Adisen Massie, Michelle Cardenas, and Andrew Jeon!

Former CIA Director John Brennan with Andrew Jeon, Jessica Cuevas, Adisen Massie, and Michelle Cardenas

Many children grow up wanting to be a federal agent of some sort, and the CIA certainly has an allure. This was the case for former Director Brennan, who applied to the CIA, and when told he would be given an interview, immediately told all of his family about the exciting turn of events! Of course, you can’t be a clandestine agent if everyone knows you are interviewing for the CIA, so he had to turn around and tell everyone that the interview hadn’t worked out. As it turned out, however, the interview went well, and Brennan embarked on an illustrious career.

Serving from 1980-2005, Brennan specialized in Middle Eastern Affairs and counterterrorism and would eventually create a National Counterterrorism Center. Due to his specialization, he had the unique opportunity to serve as an intelligence briefer to Presidents Clinton and Bush (43).

While moderator Steven Slick advertised Brennan’s book, Undaunted: My Fight Against America’s Enemies, at Home and Abroad, he also noted that a title such as “Reform” would have been apt. Not only did Brennan reform the agency, but he helped establish our nation’s policy and response to terrorism, disasters, and cyberattacks.

Brennan was a fitting director for the agency, believing that they should primarily focus on intelligence and not lethal action. He also occasionally angered members of Congress, because he did not seek their recommendations for the types of reforms needed. If he had, he said, he would still be waiting on decisions and consensus.

At almost every opportunity, Brennan spoke of what he and other agents and government figures did as “public service.” And he encouraged the young people in the audience–mostly us–to see public service as valuable and obligatory.

As we’ve come to expect, it was another top-notch speaker and experience put on by the World Affairs Council. Many thanks for the wonderful service provided by WAC.

Nikki Haley on Women as Leaders

Morgan Robertson

October 11, 2022

The “team of teams” concept of the LEAP Ambassadors was on full display Tuesday, as each Ambassador led a team to different events. Jessica Cuevas went to “State of the City,” Yvette Mendoza led “Beyond Bars,” and I coordinated a team to see Ambassador Nikki Haley at a World Affairs Council event. With us were: Ashley Kinyon, Riya Prasad, and Ingrid Cuero.

The event was tailored around her book titled If You Want Something Done, and the rest of the evening fit that theme.

CEO, Maryanne Maldonado, gave a brief introduction and thanked everyone for attending.

She then introduced the moderator for the evening, Co-Owner and Global CFO of Houston-based Worldwide Oilfield Machine (WOM), Rani Puranik.

Puranik began the evening by reading directly from Ambassador Haley’s book. In her book, Ambassador Haley describes feminism as “working hard and proving you deserve to be in the room.”

The book is about women throughout history, some names are widely known, others not so much. Ambassador Haley connected these women with one attribute: courage. Each woman in her book took a stand for what they believed in, even if it scared them. This is something that Ambassador Haley came to live her life by; she makes efforts to do something, even if it scares her.

The conversation then drifted over to her time as the 29^th U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. Slightly as a joke, but also very true, Ambassador Haley compared her time at the U.N. to high school with the cliques. She said everyone “hung out with” those from similar countries and didn’t mingle much outside of that. Ambassador Haley stated proudly that she made efforts to host a monthly dinner and invite Ambassadors from every country; she especially made efforts to invite those with opposing views.

She gave old, but sound advice, to keep your enemies close and learn about them as much as possible. Ambassador Haley said her goal quickly became to listen, and attempt to understand opposing points of view. Negotiations were made much easier when there was a rapport to work from.

After the event, Ambassador Haley was nice enough to take a photo with us, and, keeping with the theme of the event, she encouraged all of us (all women) in our endeavors.

On behalf of the LEAP center, thank you to WAC for being such gracious hosts, and allowing us fantastic opportunities. Thank you to Ambassador Haley for your service to the country, as a Governor and Ambassador.

Dinner at Bawarchi Biryanis

Ingrid Cuero

Indian food is quite different than what I am used to, but I was excited to try something new with the LEAP Center! At Bawarchi Biryanis, we started with veggie samosas, paneer samosas, garlic, and regular naan. The garlic naan was the group favorite, but Riya loved the samosas and said they were very similar to what her family makes.

I had a Veg Dum Biryani, which included a mixture of rice, vegetables, and a variety of seasonings. The rice was a bit too spicy for my liking, and Riya informed me that it might not be the best starter dish. However, I am grateful to have had the chance to try new food!

Morgan and Riya both had curry-based meals; Morgan had the Saag Panner, and Riya had a Chicken tika. They both loved their selections!

Stephanie had the Aloo Gobi Malala, which is potatoes and cauliflower cooked in Indian spices, and Ashley had the Chicken Lollipops.

Everyone loved their meals and enjoyed trying what everyone else selected.

A Walk Through Korean-US Relations

Morgan Robertson

For the LEAP Ambassadors, there is no better mid-week venture than to the Glades Art Foundation in the Woodlands for an always amazing World Affairs Council event. This time around, we were fortunate enough to be accompanied by two guests: Hongjin Jeon, (aka. Andrew) a student in Professor Yawn’s Texas Government class and Dr. Lei Duan, the professor for my Modern Asian History course.

We enjoyed pursuing the current exhibits on display, one of which we have seen before: a collection of drinks!

The Glade Gallery hosts an array of exhibits as well as acts as a meeting location for many local groups. The Woodlands Photography Club was also hosting a meeting and they were surrounded by many dynamic photographs.

The event began with an introduction from Ray Cunningham, the North Houston Coordinator, who thanked the Glade Gallery, and the guests for their continued interest in the Council.

Mr. Cunningham then introduced Professor Yawn…

…who proceeded to introduce General In-Bum Chun.

Professor Yawn highlighted General Chun’s career in both the military and governmental sectors…

…and a few of his acts of service, which later General Chun elaborated on.

General Chun began by recognizing and expressing his gratitude for one of the audience members, Charles, A Korean War Veteran! It was wonderful to see this man, who must have been nearing 90, hear about an expert on Korea, seven decades after he fought for South Korea’s right to remain independent and free.

General Chun then spoke on the importance of the United States involvement in the Korean War, (1950-1953) more specifically, American troops on the ground in Korea. Chun stated, that without help from America Korea would not be where they are economically, politically, and socially today.

He then gave 5 key features about Korea that have been made possible by the U.S.

Reforestation: after the war, the whole peninsula was a barren war zone. Now, Korea has some of the lushest forests in the world.
International travel: Korea has one of the most accepted passports in the world.
Healthcare: General Chun highlighted the benefits of universal health care, including regular preventive health checks.
Public Transportation: The public transportation system is almost on par with the one in Japan.
Public Restrooms: General Chun noted, slightly jokingly, that when you must go, you don’t have to look far! Everywhere in Korea there are accessible, clean restrooms.

Ronan O’Malley then stepped as the world-class moderator that he is, and he asked a series of questions of his own and from the audience. In response, General Chun described Korea’s relationship with its surrounding neighbors.

Most of the country’s trade is done with China, although it is extremely difficult to navigate. With their neighbor to the east, there is deeply rooted emotional history. Japan and Korea have made great strides to reconcile, but politicians from both countries capitalize on the bad blood for political gain.

For the other country that shares the peninsula, General Chun Described North Korea as “a perfect dictatorship based on a cult.” The whole country is run by one family and, socially, still operates based on a hierarchal system.

Often tying historical aspects of the country to modern topics, General Chun concluded the night with one piece of advice: communication. General Chun pointed out that historically there is a lack of communication coming from America. Often we do what is in our interests, without asking the opinions of our allies. General Chun’s advice to keep communication in mind applies to much more than international relations and is sound advice for everyone.

I strongly admire the way General Chun was able to identify an area that has potential for growth in the U.S, but also express his gratitude for what is arguably one of the best alliances in history.

As the event drew to a close, we were able to meet with General Chun in groups. The Lonestar Honors Organization was on hand, and we had a chance to talk with them, and also photograph them with the General.

We also had a chance to meet high-school students from Caney Creek, with their advisor Eric Tanner, and they, of course, had a chance to meet with the General.

And, of course, we had a chance to meet with the General as well…

…and this was probably the biggest treat for Andrew.

On behalf of the LEAP center, thank you to the World Affairs Council for always hosting informative and enjoyable events, and to General Chun for taking the time to share your expertise about your country.

Dinner at Saigon USA Pho Grill

Our goal is always to reinforce the formal knowledge we receive from the presentation with some cultural learning in the form of food. While we couldn’t find Korean food in The Woodlands, we were able to stay close to Korea in a geographical sense, and we had an amazing dinner at Saigon USA pho & grill!

We started with an assortment of appetizers: Cheese puffs, steamed dumplings, and fried wontons. My favorite was the steamed dumplings, but all of the appetizers where amazing.

For entrées, some half of us chose Pho, and the other half chose meat and rice dishes.

Everyone loved their meals, and we left almost no room for dessert! Because Tuesday was Yvette’s birthday, Professor Yawn, let Yvette pick the dessert, and she chose Strawberry and Mango mochi. The mochi was plated beautifully, and everyone enjoyed the sweet treat!

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