Dr. Mark Williams, our CIC-VI branch president, will kickoff the New Year with a very newsworthy and important topic for Canadians and peoples around the world.

Covid occurred with the rules-based international order eroding. The Great Influenza was born into a world on fire. Less than a month into the closures caused by Covid in early 2020, Richard Haass, President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations presciently said, “Covid-19 will not so much change the basic direction of world history as accelerate it.” Covid and the Great Influenza physically suffocated people, just as it figuratively stole oxygen from international cooperation. These two pandemics show how crises accelerates the course of history, affects both the balance of power and the legitimacy of political authority, and in their aftermath, leaving a world that is more anarchic, volatile, discontented, and dangerous environment for Canada and the globe.

Through small group dialogue the event invites participants to reflect on how we might learn from these experiences and advocate for protecting democracy and the rules-based international order.

About our Speaker:

Dr. Mark S Williams is a Professor of Political Studies and Global Studies at VIU and an Instructor of Political Science at UBC. He is also the current President of the Vancouver Island Branch of the Canadian International Council. He is the editor of “The Politics of the Asia-Pacific: Triumphs, Challenges, and Threats,” published by the University of Toronto Press.

Cost: $30 each. Includes a complimentary glass of wine or beer and appetizers. For special dietary or seating requirements email vancouverisland@thecic.org.

Tickets: email vancouverisland@thecic.org.