BIRMINGHAM COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN REL ATIONS
3 OFFICE PARK CIRCLE, BIRMINGHAM, AL 35223 www.birminghamcommitteeonforeignrelati

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Organizations Filed Purposes: TO CREATE A BIRMINGHAM WHERE ALL CITIZENS ARE EDUCATED AND ENGAGED ON INTERNATIONAL ISSUES.

DUE TO COVID 19, THIS PAST YEAR THE BIRMINGHAM COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN RELATIONS HAS MODIFIED IN PERSON MEETINGS TO VIRTUAL MEETINGS. THE COMMITTEE HOSTED THE FOLLOWING EXPERTS IN BIRMINGHAM IN EARLY 2020: AMBASSADOR RICK BARTON AND NPR MIDDLE EAST EDITOR LARRY KAPLOW. ILLUSTRATIVE OF THE EFFORTS, BCFR MAKES TO ELEVATE AND SHOWCASE BIRMINGHAM TO ALL VISITORS, AMB BARTON BENEFITED FROM THE FOLLOWING HIGH-TOUCH, CURATED ITINERARY: AIRPORT RECEPTION BY BCFR CHAIR KALI MCNUTT, FOLLOWED BY A DINNER WITH THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE BIRMINGHAM CIVIL RIGHTS INSTITUTE, A BREAKFAST WITH THE DIRECTOR OF UAB'S INSTITUTE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS, AND A PRIVATE TOUR OF THE BIRMINGHAM MUSEUM OF ART LED BY THE BMA'S CHIEF CURATOR (AMB BARTON'S MOTHER WAS A CELEBRATED ARTIST). THIS WAS IN ADDITION TO THE BCFR-LED PUBLIC BOOK DISCUSSION OF THE AMBASSADOR'S NEW BOOK "PEACE WORKS:AMERICA'S UNIFYING ROLE IN A TURBULENT WORLD" WHERE AMB BARTON WAS INTERVIEWED BY KALI MCNUTT AT THE HARBERT CENTER. THE QUICK 24 HOUR TRIP CONCLUDED WITH AMB BARTON BEING INTERVIEWED BY ALABAMA NEWSCENTER'S MICHAEL TOMBERLIN. WHEN THE PANDEMIC FORCED THE BCFR TO HOST ALL-VIRTUAL MEETINGS, THE COMMITTEE NOT ONLY PIVOTED QUICKLY, BUT TOOK ADVANTAGE OF THE OPPORTUNITY TO HOST MORE FREQUENT EVENTS WITH SPEAKERS FROM FURTHER AFIELD THAN THE USUAL WASHINGTON, D.C. THE COMMITTEE WAS ALSO ABLE TO MAKE ALL EVENTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC FREE AND OPEN TO ALL. THE COMMITTEE HELD ALMOST WEEKLY ZOOM DISCUSSIONS WITH EXPERTS, JOURNALISTS, DIPLOMATS, AND HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS BASED IN TBILISI, PRAGUE, BERLIN, SHANGHAI, BIRMINGHAM, AND D.C. ADDITIONAL BCFR SPEAKERS FOR 2020 INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING: RAY DALIO, BRIDGEWATER; KEN JARRETT, ALBRIGHT STONEBRIDGE GROUP; BRITISH CONSUL GENERAL ANDREW STAUNTON; BAKHTI NISHANOV, INTERNATIONAL REPUBLICAN INSTITUTE; JAMIE FLY, GERMAN MARSHALL FUND; HARRY TAMRAZIAN, RFE/RL'S ARMENIAN SERVICE; ILKIN MAMMADOV, RFE/RL'S AZERBAIJANI SERVICE; MARTINS ZVANERS, RFE/RL; AMBASSADOR BATU KUTELIA ATLANTIC COUNCIL OF GEORGIA;JUDD DEVERMONT, CSIS; ERIC FARNSWORTH, AS/COA. BCFR MEMBERS AND GUEST PARTICIPANTS BENEFITED FROM THOUGHTFUL AND INCREDIBLY TIMELY MODULES WHICH PROVIDED IN-DEPTH LEARNING: OCTOBER WAS FOCUSED ON EURASIA-FROM THE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT TO RUSSIA'S MEDDLING IN GEORGIA, TO THE ONGOING PROTESTS IN KYRGYZSTAN AND BELARUS. OTHER LEARNING MODULES FOCUSED ON PRESS FREEDOM, BREXIT, AND ELECTIONS AROUND THE WORLD-FROM SHAM ELECTIONS IN VENEZUELA TO LESSER-KNOWN ELECTIONS ACROSS AFRICA. THE BCFR SAW MEMBERSHIP GROW AND ATTENDANCE GROW WEEK AFTER WEEK-OUR ZOOM PARTICIPANTS WERE LOCATED LITERALLY ALL OVER THE WORLD. AS BCFR CONTINUES TO GROW IN NAME RECOGNITION AND INFLUENCE, THE COMMITTEE'S MEMBERSHIP RANKS BECOME MORE DIVERSE IN TERMS OF BACKGROUND, AGE, EXPERIENCE, RACE, AND VIEWPOINT. WE LOOK FORWARD TO ENSURING FUTURE PROGRAMMING IS BENEFICIAL TO ALL MEMBERS AND THE CITY OF BIRMINGHAM AS A WHOLE. 100% OF ALL BCFR PROGRAMMING WAS CONCEIVED, COORDINATED, AND EXECUTED BY THE BCFR.

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