Council hopes to broaden opportunities

Group gives Albuquerque a window to the world

An organization that has given Albuquerque residents a window to the world for nearly 70 years has changed its name and affiliation and hopes to broaden its reach.

Albuquerque Committee on Foreign Relations became the World Affairs Council of Albuquerque on July 1.

A key reason for the change was the chance to offer a more extensive range of programs to members, said program secretary Bob McGuire.

As the Committee on Foreign Relations, the organization started in Albuquerque in 1948. It was affiliated with the American Committees on Foreign Relations, which has 14 local chapters throughout the United States. Its programming consisted primarily of a speaker series held during a monthly dinner, where a scholar, diplomat or subject matter policy expert would talk about foreign relations.

The World Affairs Councils of America has about 90 chapters and offers members a weekly online newsletter with articles about international relations and foreign policy. There are also opportunities for conference calls with the authors, who will take questions from the participants. There are also themed travel opportunities, McGuire said.

The first program event of the World Affairs Council of Albuquerque will be a dinner Aug. 15. The featured speaker, Vicki Huddleston, will speak about Cuba. Huddleston is a career Foreign Service Officer with extensive experience in Cuba and Africa.

For information about the World Affairs Council of Albuquerque, call Bob McGuire at 281-1108, or email him at rsmcg@comcast.net.