Time:  Yummy Cafe is open for dinner at 4:00 p.m.  However, those who attend the lecture will most likely arrive around 5:00 p.m.  If you wish to join CIR members in the party room, plan to arrive around 5:00 p.m.

The owner of Yummy Café, Donald Chang, has agreed to make a charitable donation to CIR of 10% of all CIR food and beverage orders on this evening.  So, gather your friends, whether CIR members or not, join us in the party room at Yummy’s and enjoy fine Asian cuisine prepared by Donald with the knowledge that a portion of every dollar you spend will support CIR programs!

Be sure to mention that you are from CIR when you order!

To make a reservation for this evening, please call the CIR office: 982-4931.  Walk-ins accommodated as space allows.  Dinner served from 4:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Bill Stewart

Topic: Foreign Policy in an Election Year: Republican Candidates Grapple with President Barack Obama and the President’s Reduction in the Armed Forces

Location: Bishop’s Lodge Ranch Resort & Spa
1297 Bishop’s Lodge Rd.

Cost: $26 CIR Members; $32 Non-members and Guests

Reservation Deadline: Tuesday, February 7

Bill Stewart writes a weekly column on politics and foreign affairs for the Santa Fe New Mexican. In the 1960s, he was a U.S. Foreign Service Officer serving in India, Washington and Vietnam. He joined Time Magazine in 1971 as a correspondent and writer. For the next 20 years, he was Bureau Chief or correspondent in India, Japan, the Middle East (based in Beirut) and Southeast Asia (based in Hong Kong).

You may purchase tickets here by clicking on the title of this posting to bring up the ticketing feature that will appear below or by calling the office at 982-4931.  When purchasing tickets, be sure to give us the names of attendees.  Your name(s) will be added to the list of attendees; no tickets will be issued.  Note that through CIR’s Student Outreach Support program, interested students and teachers are invited to attend World Affairs Discussion events for free.  You can donate to the fund that pays for these guests by ordering Student Outreach Support at the bottom of the Shopping Cart.

Speakers: Dr. Candace Kaye and Captain Barry N. Kaye (Retired)

Topic:  The Children of Khan: A Twenty-Year Perspective of Mongolia

Location: Tipton Hall, Santa Fe University of Art & Design, 1600 St. Michael’s Drive

Once a Soviet satellite state ruled by the communist Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party (MPRP), Mongolia underwent a democratic transformation in 1990 after public demonstrations for political pluralism led to the resignation of the MPRP government and a parliamentary democracy under new constitutional rules adopted in 1992.

Twenty years later, the people of Mongolia continue to meet the many challenges of (a) rediscovering their national identity as descendants of Genghis Khan after being ruled by Manchuria, China and Russia for over three hundred years, (b) understanding the reality of a democratic society within an independent, sovereign republic situated between Russia and China, and (c) succeeding in the building a strong economy that includes a strong mining sector potential.

The discussion will be divided into three topics: 1. Children of Genghis Khan, 2. Democracy in Mongolia, 3. The Wolf Economy.

Dr. Candace Kaye (2010-2011 United States Fulbright Teaching and Research Scholar to Mongolia, current consultant to the Ministry of Education of Mongolia, and Open Society International Scholar/Mentor for Mongolia) was the United States Information Agency liaison between the United States Embassy in Beijing and the U.S. Embassy in Ulaan Baatar. She supported Mongolian citizens in their travel as country representatives to the United States to investigate specific processes within a democracy: financial, elective and public media. This initial introduction to Mongolia has motivated her to continue to study, write and present on the country’s energetic dedication to the preservation of transmission of cultural values as the nation continues to interpret democracy.

Captain Barry N. Kaye (Retired, United States Navy) served at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China as Naval Attaché and was a diplomatic courier to Mongolia.

After the event, join other CIR members or friends for dinner at the Yummy Cafe. (See Posting)

You may purchase tickets here by clicking on the title of this posting to bring up the ticketing feature that will appear below or by calling the office at 982-4931. When purchasing tickets, be sure to give us the names of attendees. Your name(s) will be added to the list of attendees; no tickets will be issued.

CIR Spring Tour to Southwest France

15 Days/14 Nights

$3195 per person in double occupancy, including breakfasts and dinners.  Single supplement is $675

The CIR travel committee has put together a fabulous tour to one of the most fascinating parts of France. The trip is scheduled to begin in Toulouse on May 15. The price is based on a group of 16 people in a private van with English-speaking guide. Hotels are all of high quality, 3* or 4*, and several are part of the prestigious Logis de France group. We provided the hotel websites so that you can look at them in more detail. Most have English versions.

Dinners are included for 12 of the 14 nights. You can be sure that these will be high-quality French dinners, with plenty of fois de gras and duck dishes. You are not likely to lose weight on this trip.

All breakfasts are included.

As good CIR members, you have been following the saga of the Euro. The present price of the trip is based on the present value of the Euro, as of today it is around $1.35. If there is a large change up or down the cost of the trip could change, in other words it could get somewhat more or less expensive. A huge run up of the Euro is probably unlikely however .

In the event that we do not reach 16 people the price of the trip will increase, but not too steeply.

May 15 Auch

Arrive in Toulouse. You will be met at the airport and taken to the first stop on the tour, the beautiful city of Auch, around 45 miles away. The rest of the day is free to relax and get over jetlag. Dinner at the hotel Hotel de France.

May 16 Auch

Visit the Auch Cathedral, a Unesco World Heritage Site. Drive to St. Puy and visit the Chateau de Monluc and a tasting of their famous Pousse-Rapiere Armignac-based appertif. Then drive to the medieval town of Condom with its many historical monuments. After that, visit two more famous medieval towns–Larresingle and Forces. Dinner and night at Hotel de France.

May 17 Siorac in Perigord

Leaving Auch, stop at the old town of Lectoure. Then more medieval towns–Monpazier and Villefranche de Perigord. Space does not permit any detailed description of all these and towns to be visited, but we can say that each dates from medieval times or earlier and that each has attractions making it worthy of our attention. Dinner and overnight at the Relais du Perigord.

May 18 Siorac

After breakfast depart for the secularly located of Beyrac, high on the Dordogne River. Two more beautiful old towns follow–Roque Ggeac and Domme. These villages are all located on mountain tops in seemingly impossible settings. Optional activites include a visit to the Chateau of Josephine Baker and/or a boat trip on the river. (Optional activities mentioned here and below incur an extra cost, usually $7-10 per person.) Dinner and overnight at Relais du Perigord.

May 19 Rocamadour

Today some of the most notable sites of the area are visited. These include the Grotto of Lascoux, where the pre-historic wall paintings have been recreated. The day also includes a visit to another famous Dordogne town, Sarlat. Dinner and overnight at Hotel Les Eclargies.

May 20 Rocamadour

This is a free day in Rocamadour, during which you can walk around this spectacular vertical town.

May 21 Cahors

After breakfast visit two of the most beautiful towns in France, Carennac and Loubressac. There is an optional visit to the well-known Grotto of Padirac. Ovenight at La Chartreuse, a Logis de France hotel. Dinner on your own.

May 22 Cahors

After seeing something of Cahors, visit the Roman town of Gaillac, a place famous for its wines. Enjoy a wine tasting at the Chateau of Langrezette. Dinner and overnight at La Cartreuse.

May 23 Albi

Visit another town set along a river and on a mountainside, St Cyr Laopie. Stopping at some more medieval towns on the way, arrive at beautiful Cordes sur Ciel, again a mountainous town. Continue on to Albi. Dinner and overnight at Hotel du Grand St Antoine.

May 24 Albi

A guided tour of Albi, with its impressive cathedral, a unescao World Heritage site. Also, the Toulouse Latrec Museum. Albi was his home city and it has the largest collection of his works in the world. Dinner and Overnight at Hotel du Grand St Antoine.

May 25 Floure de Minervois

Visits to even more beautiful towns such as Mazamet and Minerve, and ending up at the village of Floure. On the way, climb up to the 4 mountaintop castles of Lastours. These castels look like something out of a fairytale setting. Dinner and overnight at the 4* Chaeau de Floure.

May 26 Quillan

After breakfast, travel through the scenic mountainous area of Corbieres. Visit the Chateau de Termes, a Cathar castle. Just in case you are weak on the background of the Cathar castles (here is a website you can have a look at). Then stop at the even more spectacular Cathar castles of Queribus and Peyreperteuse. Time may not allow for visiting all of these. It will depend on how long the visits last. There will be some uphill walking as well. Dinner and overnight at Hotel la Chaumiere in Quillan.

May 27 Quillan

There is a lot more to see in this region. We are leaving this day open for now until the itinerary is decided. We may consult the group about how they want to spend this day, given the many choices. Dinner and overnight at Hotel La Chaumiere.

May 28 Toulouse

On the way stop at the old city of Foix, with its chateau. Upon arrival in Toulouse you will be free to explore the old parts of this interesting city. Overnight at Hotel Mercure Wilson.

May 29

After breakfast, transfer to the airport for your flights.

Not included in cost of the trip:

International airfare
Drinks at dinner
Tips
Entrance to some sites

For further information write or call Steve Kutay, CIR travel chairman:

505-995-9816
skutay@comcast.net

The Forum, Santa Fe University of Art & Design, 1600 St. Michael’s Drive

Lecture Title: Saudi Arabia – A Problematic Ally?

Speaker: Toby Jones

Saudi Arabia is the world’s major oil producer, which means that the U.S., being highly dependent on foreign oil, is highly dependent on Saudi Arabia. But the Kingdom is a conservative absolute monarchy that fosters radical Islam around the world. With the current unrest in the Arab World can Saudi Arabia remain stable? What if not? What will result?

Toby Jones is a historian of the modern Middle East. His interests are varied. Jones’s scholarship focuses primarily on the political intersections between science, technology, the environment, knowledge production, and the state formation, war, and Islamism. Before joining the history department at Rutgers University, Jones taught at Swarthmore College. During the 2008-2009 he was a fellow at Princeton University’s Oil, Energy and the Middle East project. From 2004 to early 2006 he worked as the political analyst of the Persian Gulf for the International Crisis Group where he wrote about political reform and sectarianism.

Jones is author of Desert Kingdom: How Oil and Water Forged Modern Saudi Arabia, forthcoming in the fall 2010 with Harvard University Press. He is currently working on a new book project America’s Oil Wars also to be published by Harvard University Press. Jones has published articles in The International Journal of Middle East Studies, Middle East Report, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy’s online magazine, the Arab Reform Bulletin, Strategic Insights, and the CTC Sentinel.

He has presented his work at the annual meetings of the Middle East Studies Association, the American Historical Association, the Society for the History of Technology, the International Studies Association, and the American Political Science Association. He also presented his research and political analysis at Cornell University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, New York University, Princeton University, Syracuse University, The College of New Jersey, and Yale University.

At Rutgers Jones teaches courses on the Arab-Israeli Conflict, the modern Middle East, oil, the environment in the Middle East, and war and revolution in Iran and Iraq.

You may purchase tickets using Paypal by clicking on the title of this posting to bring up the ticketing feature that will appear below or by calling the office at 982-4931.  When purchasing tickets, be sure to give us the names of attendees.  Your name(s) will be added to the list of attendees; no tickets will be issued.