Global I.Q. Podcast

World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth

The World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth talks with some of the world's foremost thinkers, writers, and diplomats in this interview series. New episodes released weekly.

  1. 20h ago

    America at a Crossroads: Isolationism vs. Globalism

    Part 4 of 4 in the 2026 International Perspectives Series. For 75 years, NATO has anchored U.S. and European security. It has shaped how America projects power, deters threats, and works with its allies. Now the alliance faces new pressures: Shifting threats, disputes over burden-sharing, and deeper questions about America’s global role are all in play. Policymakers must weigh different paths forward, each with real stakes for national security, economic influence, and world order. We’ll look at why the balance between restraint and engagement matters, and what it could mean for America’s influence, security, and global partnerships in the years ahead. ABOUT THE SPEAKERS Jeffrey A. Engel is the David Gergen Director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University. A Senior Fellow of the John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies, and graduate of Cornell University, he additionally studied at St. Catherine’s College, Oxford University, and received his M.A. and Ph.D. in American history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, before serving as a John M. Olin Postdoctoral Fellow in International Security Studies at Yale University. David J. Kramer serves as the Executive Director of the George W. Bush Institute. Prior to joining the Bush Institute, he taught at Florida International University’s Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs, where he also was Senior Fellow in the Václav Havel Program for Human Rights and Diplomacy and Director for European and Eurasian Affairs. ABOUT THE MODERATOR Jess Koloini is the President and CEO of the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth. . . Do you believe in the importance of international education and connections? The nonprofit World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth is supported by gifts from people like you, who share our passion for engaging in dialogue on global affairs and building bridges of understanding. While the Council is not currently charging admission for virtual events, we ask you to please consider making a one-time or recurring gift to help us keep the conversation going through informative public programs and targeted events for students and teachers. Donate: https://www.dfwworld.org/donate

    America at a Crossroads: Isolationism vs. Globalism

  2. Sep 11

    25 Years Later: 9/11 and the World It Made

    On the morning of September 11, 2001, Andrew Card leaned down and whispered eleven words into the ear of President George W. Bush: “A second plane hit the second tower. America is under attack.” As White House Chief of Staff, Card was at the center of the most consequential crisis in modern American history – present in the room, on the plane, and at the table as the nation responded to the unthinkable. Twenty-five years later, join us for an extraordinary evening of reflection with Andrew Card. Drawing on his firsthand experience, Card will share what it was like to navigate those first hours and days, how American foreign policy and national security were reshaped in the aftermath, and what the past quarter century has revealed about resilience, leadership, and the enduring stakes of global engagement. ABOUT THE SPEAKER As chief of staff for President George W. Bush, assistant to the president/deputy chief of staff for President George H. W. Bush, and special assistant and director of intergovernmental affairs for President Reagan, Andrew H. Card, Jr. has been at the center of U.S. politics for decades. At President Bush’s side on September 11, 2001, Card was a unique witness to history on that fateful day and the years that followed. After leaving Washington, Andy Card led Franklin Pierce University as President until 2016, held academic leadership roles at Texas A&M University, chaired the National Endowment for Democracy, and served as CEO of The George & Barbara Bush Foundation. ABOUT THE MODERATOR Will Cain joined FOX News Channel in 2020 and currently serves as host of The Will Cain Show. He is also the host of the Will Cain Country podcast on FOX News Audio where he merges the worlds of news and sports, with a spotlight on listener interaction. From 2020 to 2025, Cain served as the co-host of FOX & Friends Weekend, FNC’s top-rated weekend morning show. In this capacity, he presented interviews with key newsmakers and figures including President Donald Trump, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and Barstool founder Dave Portnoy. . . Do you believe in the importance of international education and connections? The nonprofit World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth is supported by gifts from people like you, who share our passion for engaging in dialogue on global affairs and building bridges of understanding. While the Council is not currently charging admission for virtual events, we ask you to please consider making a one-time or recurring gift to help us keep the conversation going through informative public programs and targeted events for students and teachers. Donate: https://www.dfwworld.org/donate

    25 Years Later: 9/11 and the World It Made

  3. Jun 8

    Women in Power on the Global Stage

    From Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-wen to Barbados’s Mia Amor Mottley to Estonia’s Kaja Kallas, a new generation of women leaders has stepped into some of the most consequential roles in global politics – and faced some of the most complex challenges of our time. Linda Robinson, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and award-winning foreign policy journalist, will draw on the vivid stories behind her new book, Women in Power, and explore what these leaders’ experiences reveal about power, resilience, and the state of the world today. ABOUT THE SPEAKER Linda Robinson is senior fellow for women and foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations where she writes about women’s political and economic leadership, the relationship between gender equality and democracy, technology-facilitated violence, and current international affairs. Her book, Women in Power: Fighting for Democracy in an Age of Authoritarianism, spotlights the current cohort of women political leaders and tells the powerful stories of the women on the frontlines of the battle between democracy and authoritarianism. ABOUT THE MODERATOR Lee Cullum is host of CEO, KERA’s original monthly series of interviews with North Texas business leaders that airs on KERA television and radio. She is also a commentator for Morning Edition on KERA-FM and contributes columns to The Dallas Morning News. A veteran journalist, Lee was previously a commentator for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and All Things Considered on NPR. In addition, she was editor of the editorial page of the Dallas Times Herald and host of Conversations, a series on KERA with major newsmakers. Lee also worked as a reporter, on-air moderator, and executive producer of Newsroom on KERA. . . Do you believe in the importance of international education and connections? The nonprofit World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth is supported by gifts from people like you, who share our passion for engaging in dialogue on global affairs and building bridges of understanding. While the Council is not currently charging admission for virtual events, we ask you to please consider making a one-time or recurring gift to help us keep the conversation going through informative public programs and targeted events for students and teachers. Donate: www.dfwworld.org/donate

    Women in Power on the Global Stage

  4. Jun 1

    Sports Diplomacy: Is It an Effective Tool of Foreign Policy?

    Part 3 of 4 in the 2026 International Perspectives Series. Sports have become a growing part of international diplomacy. Governments now use athletics to shape how the world sees them, build influence, and advance their political goals – raising key questions about where sports end and foreign policy begins. With the FIFA World Cup approaching and Dallas set to be part of the global spotlight, the timing couldn’t be better to dig into these questions. Join us as we ask whether sports diplomacy actually works as a foreign policy tool – and what its growing role means for fans, cities, and global audiences. We’ll hear from a leading policy expert alongside a legendary Texas sports voice for a conversation that goes well beyond the game. ABOUT THE SPEAKER Kristian Coates Ulrichsen is the Fellow for the Middle East at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy. His research spans the political economy and international relations of the Gulf States and their changing position within the regional and global order. Coates Ulrichsen holds a PhD in History from the University of Cambridge and is the author of seven books about the Gulf States, including Insecure Gulf: The End of Certainty and the Transition to the Post-Oil Era, The United Arab Emirates: Power, Politics, and Policymaking, Qatar and the Gulf Crisis, Centers of Power in Arab Gulf States, and, most recently, Kingdom of Football: Saudi Arabia and the Remaking of World Soccer. Prior to joining the Baker Institute in 2013, Coates Ulrichsen co-directed the Kuwait Research Program at the London School of Economics for five years from 2008 and served as an Associate Fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs between 2012 and 2022. ABOUT THE MODERATOR Mac Engel has worked for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram for more than 20 years. He has covered the Texas Rangers, Dallas Stars, Dallas Mavericks, and Dallas Cowboys as a beat writer, as well as every major college in Texas. He has also covered multiple Rose Bowls, Cotton Bowls, Summer Olympics, and countless other major sports stories and events. In 2023, he was named one of the top sports columnists in the country by the nation’s most prestigious sports journalism organization, the Associated Press Sports Editors. . . Do you believe in the importance of international education and connections? The nonprofit World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth is supported by gifts from people like you, who share our passion for engaging in dialogue on global affairs and building bridges of understanding. While the Council is not currently charging admission for virtual events, we ask you to please consider making a one-time or recurring gift to help us keep the conversation going through informative public programs and targeted events for students and teachers. Donate: https://www.dfwworld.org/donate

    Sports Diplomacy: Is It an Effective Tool of Foreign Policy?

  5. May 13

    The Builder’s Mindset: How Gary Wojtaszek Turns Ideas Into Industries

    This is part 2 of the 2025 CEO Series. Gary Wojtaszek has spent his career turning bold ideas into billion-dollar businesses. He led CyrusOne’s rise into a $12 billion global data center company. He then founded RecNation, now the largest institutional RV and boat storage platform in the U.S. Time and again, he has built and scaled companies that redefine their industries. In this conversation, Gary will share what he’s learned along the way. He’ll talk about how to spot opportunity amid disruption, lead with agility, and sustain culture through rapid growth. It’s a candid look at what it takes to innovate, invest, and inspire in a business landscape that never stops changing. ABOUT THE SPEAKER Gary Wojtaszek is a seasoned executive with a proven track record of founding, scaling, and transforming companies across real estate, data centers, and technology. His career spans both public and private company leadership, from entrepreneurial startups and fast-growth platforms to global publicly traded enterprises. He has extensive private equity advisory and board governance experience, guiding organizations through IPOs, LBOs, restructurings, and high-growth phases. ABOUT THE MODERATOR Brendan McGuire is executive vice president and regional president for PNC Bank, North Texas. He is responsible for overseeing PNC’s lines of business, as well as all sponsorship, philanthropic, and branding efforts important to PNC’s national main street banking model in the region. . . Do you believe in the importance of international education and connections? The nonprofit World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth is supported by gifts from people like you, who share our passion for engaging in dialogue on global affairs and building bridges of understanding. While the Council is not currently charging admission for virtual events, we ask you to please consider making a one-time or recurring gift to help us keep the conversation going through informative public programs and targeted events for students and teachers. Donate: www.dfwworld.org/donate

    The Builder’s Mindset: How Gary Wojtaszek Turns Ideas Into Industries

  6. May 7

    The Human Cost of War: A Reporter’s Firsthand Perspective from Ukraine

    War is often described in impersonal ways – through moves and countermoves, land disputes, and troop movements. But as Jen Stout’s coverage of the war in Ukraine has shown, war is deeply personal; she’s reported from night trains and birthday parties, military hospitals and bunkers. She has compiled these stories into her debut book "Night Train to Odesa," which covers the human cost of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Join us for a journalist’s firsthand account of life in a conflict zone.

    The Human Cost of War: A Reporter’s Firsthand Perspective from Ukraine

  7. May 7

    The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt

    Featuring Author and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library Foundation Edward F. O’Keefe; moderated by Presidential Historian Talmage Boston.

    The Loves of Theodore Roosevelt

  8. May 7

    Power and Money: The Feud Between Presidents and Business Leaders

    It’s a universal truth that U.S. presidents need businessmen and businessmen need U.S. presidents. But competing interests have long made their relationship fraught, as explored by Tevi Troy in his latest book The Power and the Money: The Epic Clashes Between Commanders in Chief and Titans of Industry. Join us for a discussion of presidents’ battles with famed leaders in business from John D. Rockefeller to Mark Zuckerberg.

    Power and Money: The Feud Between Presidents and Business Leaders
See All (334)

4.6
out of 5
31 Ratings

About

The World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth talks with some of the world's foremost thinkers, writers, and diplomats in this interview series. New episodes released weekly.

Information

  • Creator
    World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2026
  • Episodes
    334
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Global I.Q. Podcast