LIVE EVENTS

Center for Contemporary Arts Santa Fe
1050 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe
Friday, January 23, 2026
4:45 pm – 6:30 pm (appetizers & mocktails at 4:45 pm/talk begins at 5:15 pm)
$25 members/$40 non-members

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, join us for a timely talk featuring Ambassador Robert Holleyman. With decades of experience at the highest levels of government and industry, Ambassador Holleyman will offer a clear, nonpartisan perspective on where U.S. trade policy stands today and where it may be headed, examining how tariff decisions affect American leadership, global relationships, national security, and everyday economic life.

The conversation will focus on how expanded tariffs and trade remedies are being used by the U.S. for revenue generation, trade negotiations and in national security. The discussion will include a look at Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump, a consolidated Supreme Court case that could significantly reshape U.S. trade authority. At issue is whether the President may rely on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)—a Cold War–era emergency statute that does not explicitly authorize tariffs—to impose sweeping trade measures without Congress. Lower courts ruled that the 2025 emergency tariffs exceeded presidential authority, and with the Supreme Court having heard arguments in November, a decision expected in early to mid-2026 could redefine the constitutional separation of powers in trade policy.

Following Senate confirmation in 2014, Holleyman served until 2017 as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative with the rank of Ambassador. He was responsible for U.S. trade negotiations with Asia and global trade policy for services, investment, intellectual property and innovation. He was earlier an appointed member of the U.S. Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations. As CEO of the Business Software Alliance from 1990-2013, he led global policy and market access initiatives for the software industry across 65 countries. Having served in the three branches of government, he is widely regarded as one of the nation’s leading voices on the courts, Congress and presidential authority over trade policy and tariffs. 

REGISTER HERE

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Center for Contemporary Arts Santa Fe
1050 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
4:45 pm – 6:30 pm (doors open at 4:45 pm/talk begins at 5:15 pm)
$25 members/$40 non-members

Join us as Ambassador Gavin discusses how the world’s youngest population is reshaping global politics and why the United States should pay attention. 

Africa is undergoing a profound transformation driven by a historic youth demographic surge, with median ages in many countries now below twenty. This shift—combined with rapid urbanization, expanded digital connectivity, and growing rejection of outdated political narratives—is amplifying the political influence of young people across the continent. 

Gavin argues these forces will lead to greater political volatility: more frequent challenges to incumbents, shorter honeymoon periods for new leaders, and increased experimentation with different forms of governance and external partnerships. Her book traces rising dissatisfaction and demand for change as a unifying political thread among Africa’s youth, signaling a sharp break from two decades of stagnation and major implications for global powers competing for influence in the region
Michelle D. Gavin is the Ralph Bunche senior fellow for Africa policy studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). She has over twenty-five years of experience in international affairs in government and non-profit roles. She was formerly the managing director of The Africa Center, a multidisciplinary institution dedicated to increasing understanding of contemporary Africa. From 2011 to 2014 she was the U.S. ambassador to Botswana and served concurrently as the U.S. representative to the Southern African Development Community.

“Michelle Gavin combines a policymaker’s view, a traveler’s curiosity, and an abiding empathy. She has written the rare book that blends together deep research, high-level experience, and a capacity to look at the world through the eyes of young people. The Age of Change is filled with rich detail about Africa’s emerging importance, its ongoing challenges, and the youth who will inevitably shape the future of the continent and the wider world. Read this book if you want to understand African politics and the internal and external forces remaking it.”
– Ben Rhodes, Former Deputy National Security Advisor of the United States

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VIRTUAL EVENTS

William D. Hartung on WORLD NOW with JIM FALK
Trillion Dollar War Machine: The Cost of American Military Spending

Wednesday, January 21, 2026, 5:00 pm MDT
FREE ZOOM WEBINAR, Registration required below.

The U.S. spends nearly a trillion dollars on its military each year, making up 40% of the world’s military spending. Is this spending really keeping America safe?

Bill Hartung, author and senior fellow at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, argues that not only is this spending not keeping America safe, but it is endangering both the U.S. and the world at large.

On January 21^st, Hartung joins WorldNow with Jim Falk to reveal how the American military industrial complex operates, its key players – from Hollywood and Silicon Valley to lobbyists and the Pentagon’s top contractors – and how we can secure America’s future and prosperity by re-envisioning America’s trillion-dollar war machine.

REGISTER HERE

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International Visitor Leadership Program Forecast

We look forward to receiving many new groups of international visitor leaders in 2026!

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