The Commonwealth December-January 2017-2018 by The Commonwealth Club of California

Commonwealth The

THE MAGAZINE OF THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB OF CALIFORNIA

DEC./JAN. 2017-2018

CAMPUS FREE SPEECH NICHOLAS DIRKS ON THE FIGHT OVER CONTROVERSIAL SPEECH AT U.S. UNIVERSITIES

CHARLES SYKES • DIANNE FEINSTEIN • JULIE LYTHCOTT-HAIMS JOHN YOO • COMMONWEALTH CLUB REVIEW/PREVIEW UPCOMING PROGRAMS Complete Guide $5.00; free for members | commonwealthclub.org

SEPTEMBER 7–16, 2018

Experience the best wines and regional dishes of northern Portugal and Spain’s Galicia with wine expert Jeremy Shaw. Sip port in Porto’s old town. Learn about vinho verde and alvarinho, and visit Pazo de Señorans, the makers of excellent albariños. Savor tapas in the pilgrimage town of Santiago de Compostela. Discover the Bom Jesus Monastery in Braga and take a boat ride on the Douro River. Visit the famous baroque library at Coimbra University and Tomar’s Templar Church. Enjoy a Lusitano horse demonstration, and enjoy a stay at the Neo-Manueline style Bussaco Palace Hotel. Conclude in Lisbon with a walking tour of the Alfama and dinner at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Cost: $5,495, per person, double occupancy

Brochure at commonwealthclub.org/travel | 415.597.6720 | travel@commonwealthclub.org CST: 2096889-40

INSIDE THIS ISSUE 4

A conservative’s critique of modern conservatism

News and insights from the Club.

SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN

EDITOR’S DESK

THE COMMONS

LETTERS

COMMONWEALTH CLUB REVIEW/PREVIEW

A new era at the 114-year-old cultural institution We take a colorful look at the past year and look ahead to 2018.

NICHOLAS DIRKS

Is free speech endangered on college campuses? Is hate speech free speech?

CHARLES SYKES

“Compromise isn’t a dirty word”

JOHN YOO: ROBOT WARFARE

Do drones and other high-tech weaponry make war less or more likely?

JULIE LYTHCOTT-HAIMS

The author navigates America’s racial divisions and communities herself and for her children

INSIGHT

Dr. Gloria C. Duffy President and CEO

Programs Program Information 35 Two-month Calendar 36 Program Listings 38 Late-breaking Events 497

December/January 2017-2018 Volume 111, No. 7

On the Cover

Universities and free speech. Public domain photo edited by James Meinerth

On this Page

Senator Dianne Feinstein Photo by Sarah Gonzalez

You cannot placate American Nazis. You cannot placate white supremacists; you cannot placate the KKK— and that was the mix [in Charlottesville]. To say, ‘Well, there are nice people on both sides’ was a lightning rod to dissent, and that’s what happened. DIANNE FEINSTEIN

EDITOR’S DESK

@cwclub youtube.com/commonwealthclub commonwealthclub.org

BUSINESS OFFICES

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VP, MEDIA & EDITORIAL

John Zipperer

DESIGNER

James Meinerth

DIGITAL ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Megan Turner

PHOTOGRAPHERS

James Meinerth Rikki Ward Sarah Gonzalez Shing Wong Russell Edwards Ed Ritger Pax Ahimsa Gethen

ADVERTISING INFORMATION

John Zipperer, Vice President of Media & Editorial, (415) 597-6715 jzipperer@commonwealthclub.org The Commonwealth (ISSN 0010-3349) is published bimonthly (6 times a year) by The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105. Periodicals postage paid at San Francisco, CA. Subscription rate $34 per year included in annual membership dues.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Commonwealth, The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105 Tel: (415) 597-6700 E-mail: feedback@commonwealthclub.org EDITORIAL TRANSCRIPT POLICY

The Commonwealth magazine covers a range of programs in each issue. Program transcripts and question-and-answer sessions are routinely condensed due to space limitations. Hear full-length recordings online at commonwealthclub. org/watch-listen, podcasts on Google Play and Apple iTunes, or contact Club oﬃces to buy a compact disc. Printed on recycled paper using soy-based ink.

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Michelle Meow photo courtesy “The Michelle Meow Show”

New Events, Old Controversies

n the past month, I have talked with journalists, Club members, Club donors, speakers, even former Club employees who came to get a look at our new building. Sooner or later, I end up talking about opportunities we will now have in our new building. By now, many of you have had an opportunity to visit 110 The Embarcadero. We have more space and more rooms here, great views and an incredible rooftop deck; we also have new neighbors and new community partners reaching out to us about working with us. As just one example, in November we launched a new weekly program at 10 a.m. on Thursdays featuring Michelle Meow. Meow is the president of SF Pride and a longtime TV and daily radio host of “The Michelle Meow Show,” covering issues of interest to LGBTQ audiences. She first got in touch with the Club about partnering on programs a few years ago, and together with our incredible Inforum division, she presented some powerful sold-out programs. Look for more of those in the future. In the meantime, if you are interested in a lively hour of interviews and conversations about issues of interest to LGBTQ audiences, please join us Thursday mornings when I co-host

her “Michelle Meow Show,” recorded right here at the Club. free speech for me ... I once had the pleasure of interviewing writer and free speech advocate Nat Hentoff, and he made his usual case for the widest possible application of the First Amendment. Hentoff died in early 2017, but he comes to my mind as we watch the fights—sometimes verbal, sometimes literally violent fights—over who is allowed to speak on our university campuses. On November 12, 1993, Hentoff addressed The Commonwealth Club on the subject: “Are There Any Limits to Free Speech?” He had just published a book, Free Speech for Me—But Not for Thee, and he spoke at a time when campuses were once again embroiled in controversy over free speech, speech codes and banning books. The discussion goes on (see page 12). And if you read this at the beginning of December, then don’t miss our December 4 program in San Francisco with Janet Napolitano and Erwin Chemerinsky: “A Conversation About Free Speech on Campus.” Keep talking. JOHN Z I P P E R E R VP, ME DIA & ED I T O RI AL

TALK OF THE CLUB

Left to right: Elizabeth Kolbert, Sam Altman, Al Franken

All Over the News

his issue, we present a roundup of just a portion of the news made at The Commonwealth Club in recent months—from the worlds of politics, business, science and tech.

Minding Your Own Business

From Mark Calvey, San Francisco Business Times: Richard Branson had plenty to say to a sold-out crowd in San Francisco, lamenting Alaska Airlines’ purchase of Virgin America and criticizing U.S. businesses’ vacation policies while offering a tip of the hat to companies finding their political voice on diversity and other issues. ... “When Virgin America got sold, I was really sad,” Branson said to applause at the Commonwealth Club of California event at the Castro Theater Oct. 14. “It’s strange that people buy companies — and they buy them because they’re so good — and then they start making changes.

Climate Aware

From Katie O’Reilly, Sierra magazine: Shortly after President George W. Bush withdrew the United States from the Kyoto Protocol, longtime New Yorker writer Elizabeth Kolbert decided it was time to get clear on the debate around global warming. . . . Her resulting three-part series in 2005, “The Climate of Man,” took readers to the front lines of climate change and became the basis of a seminal tome on the topic: Field Notes From a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change (2006). Field Notes galvanized conversations around climate action, policy, and research. It was also instrumental in creating Climate One, a San Francisco talk show aimed at engaging leaders from business, policy, advocacy, and academic circles in a conversation about stabilizing the earth’s climate and building a sustainable economy. (Founder Greg Dalton, a journalist, started Climate One after an interview with Kolbert prompted him to visit the Arctic and witness the changing climate for himself.)

Tech Leaders

From Tess Townsend, Recode: Sam Altman . . ., the president of influential Silicon Valley startup incubator Y Combinator, has been . . . prodding tech executives to run for governor of California and challenge Trump’s policies. “I think you’d be good at this,” he has told Silicon Valley leaders, whom he wouldn’t name. “You seem pretty bored at your job.” But this was just “like a few dinner conversations,” Altman told “Vice News Tonight” correspondent Nellie Bowles and a crowd of about 500 during a Thursday night forum at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. And none of the executives he mentioned it to expressed much interest.

Feinstein and Trump

From Willie Brown, San Francisco Chronicle: Sen. Dianne Feinstein . . . jammed a stick into a snake pit when she said in a Commonwealth Club appearance that there was little chance of President Trump being impeached, and that she hoped “he has the ability to learn and to change, and if he does he can be a good president.” Never mind that she also listed all her objections to both the president and his policies. Never mind that she’s certainly right about Trump’s impeachment chances, at least barring a Democratic landslide in 2018. From George Skelton, Los Angeles Times: The next day, Feinstein tried to explain. “I’ve been strongly critical of President Trump when I disagree on policy and with his behavior,” she said. “While I’m under no illusion that it’s likely to happen and will continue to oppose his policies, I want President Trump to change for the good of the country.”

A New California GOP?

From Michael Smollens, San Diego Union Tribune: The San Diego mayor last week gave a major speech on how to fix the Republican DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017-2018

LEADERSHIP OF THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB CLUB OFFICERS Board Chair Richard A. Rubin Vice Chair Evelyn S. Dilsaver Secretary Dr. Jaleh Daie Treasurer John R. Farmer President & CEO Dr. Gloria C. Duffy

BOARD OF GOVERNORS John F. Allen Carlo Almendral Courtland Alves Dan Ashley Massey J. Bambara Dr. Mary G. F. Bitterman** Harry E. Blount John L. Boland Michael R. Bracco

Maryles Casto** Mary B. Cranston** Susie Cranston Dr. Kerry P. Curtis Dorian Daley Alecia DeCoudreaux Lee Dutra Joseph I. Epstein* Jeffrey A. Farber Rev. Paul J. Fitzgerald, S.J. Dr. Carol A. Fleming Kirsten Garen Leslie Saul Garvin John Geschke Paul M. Ginsburg Hon. James C. Hormel Mary Huss Julie Kane John Leckrone Dr. Mary Marcy Frank C. Meerkamp Lenny Mendonca

Anna W.M. Mok Bruce Raabe Skip Rhodes (Past Board President) Bill Ring Martha Ryan George M. Scalise Lata Krishnan Shah Dr. Ruth A. Shapiro Charlotte Mailliard Shultz George D. Smith, Jr. James Strother Hon. Tad Taube Ellen O’Kane Tauscher Charles Travers Don Wen Dr. Colleen B. Wilcox Jed York Mark Zitter ADVISORY BOARD Karin Helene Bauer

Hon. William Bradley Dennise M. Carter Steven Falk Amy Gershoni Jacquelyn Hadley Heather Kitchen Amy McCombs Don J. McGrath Hon. William J. Perry Hon. Barbara Pivnicka Hon. Richard Pivnicka Ray Taliaferro Nancy Thompson

PAST BOARD CHAIRS AND PRESIDENTS Dr. Mary G. F. Bitterman ** Hon. Shirley Temple Black*† J. Dennis Bonney* John Busterud* Maryles Casto** Hon. Ming Chin* Mary B. Cranston**

Joseph I. Epstein * Dr. Joseph R. Fink * William German * Rose Guilbault** Claude B. Hutchison Jr. * Dr. Julius Krevans* Anna W.M. Mok** Richard Otter* Joseph Perrelli* Toni Rembe* Victor J. Revenko* Skip Rhodes* Renée Rubin * Robert Saldich** Connie Shapiro * Nelson Weller * Judith Wilbur * Dennis Wu* * Past President ** Past Chair † Deceased

TALK OF THE CLUB

Party and, by extension, the state itself at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. The treatise could have been called the Faulconer Plan because it basically told the GOP it needed to take up the issues and political approaches that he has embraced — or perhaps slip from irrelevance to extinction.

Al Gore Will Always Have Paris

Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times: Former Vice President Al Gore . . . was interviewed on stage during an event organized by the Commonwealth Club. California lawmakers just approved extending the cap-and-trade program, the centerpiece of the state’s global warming battle. Gore noted the victory for Gov. Jerry Brown. Gore said he was optimistic that the United States could meet its climate goals under the Paris accord, despite some research suggesting otherwise.

Returning to ‘the Funny’

From Minnesota Public Radio News: “Very often in satire you use literary tools like irony or hyperbole or even ambiguity,” [Senator Al] Franken [D-MN] said during a conversation at the Commonweath Club of California on July 6. “And sometimes you take those out, and you rob everything of its context and it looks horrible at the end.” From David Louie, KGO ABC 7 News: A capacity crowd of 574 Bay Area members and guests of The Commonwealth Club packed Mayer Theatre at Santa Clara University around noon Thursday to find out if he’s still a funny man or if his tenure in the U.S. Senate and the issues he must address has changed him. They found out he can be hilarious as well as serious.

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STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION

Publication title: The Commonwealth. ISSN: 0010-3349. Filing date: September 27, 2017. Issue Frequency: Bimonthly. Number of issues published annually: 6. Annual subscription price: $34. Complete mailing address of known office of publication: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105. Complete mailing address of headquarters or general business office of publisher: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105. Name and complete mailing address of publisher: The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105. Name and complete mailing address of editor: John Zipperer, The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105. Name and complete mailing address of managing editor: Megan Turner, The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105. Owner: The Commonwealth Club of California, 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105. Known bondholders, mortgages and other security holders: None. EXTENT AND NATURE OF CIRCULATION Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months: Total number of copies (net press run): 9,610. Paid/Requested Outside County Subscriptions: 8,975. Paid In-County Subscriptions: None. Sales Through Dealers and Carriers: None. Other Classes Mailed Through USPS: None. Total Paid Distribution: 8,975. Free Distribution by Mail: None. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail: 583. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution: 583. Total Distribution: 9,558. Copies not Distributed: 52. Total: 9,610. Percent paid and/or requested circulation: 93.90 percent. No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date (October/November 2015): Total number of copies (net press run): 8,380. Paid/Requested Outside County Subscriptions: 7,780. Paid InCounty Subscriptions: None. Sales Through Dealers and Carriers: None. Other Classes Mailed Through USPS: None. Total Paid Distribution: 7,780. Free Distribution by Mail: None. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution Outside the Mail: 550. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution: 550. Total Distribution: 8,330. Copies not Distributed: 50. Total: 8,380. Percent paid and/or requested circulation: 93.40 percent. I certify that the statements above are correct and complete. John Zipperer, Vice President of Media & Editorial, September 27, 2017.

REVIEW / PREVIEW

Photos by James Meinerth

nce the ribbons had been cut, the confetti dropped, the journalists’ cameras packed up and taken away, The Commonwealth Club was ready to get back to work. The high point of 2017 was almost certainly the September 12 grand opening celebrations at the Club’s new headquarters at 110 The Embarcadero. But this was a year that had many highlights, as the 114-year-old institution found itself as relevant as ever in exploring the most important issues and personalities of the day. Engaged In early 2017, something became very clear: People wanted to be engaged in discussing important issues. We saw that quite clearly in the record number of Commonwealth Club programs that were drawing sellout crowds. It was big programs and small programs,

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in Silicon Valley and Marin County and in San Francisco. Whether spurred by the end of a historic and contentious election season or by the Club’s visibility, the phenomenon of so many sold-out programs lasted all year, including our very first public program to take place at 110 The Embarcadero. With the increasing popularity of its programs, the Club expanded its media reach by live streaming more of its videos over YouTube and Facebook, adding sometimes thousands of viewers to the audience in our auditorium. In the News Dianne Feinstein, California’s long-serving U.S. senator, made big news when she discussed President Donald Trump. The Democratic senator has long been involved in cross-aisle negotiations and compromises. She differs greatly with the

Republican president on many issues, but she said he’s likely to serve out his term in office and therefore: “I just hope he has the ability to learn and to change. And if he does, he can be a good president. That’s my hope; I have my own personal feelings about it.” Those comments were enough to spark a chorus of condemnation from Trump opponents who thought she had gone soft on him. Was she saying that Trump would be a good president? Or was she making a political statement that would help her in her professional dealings with the Trump administration? Or was she just making an off-hand remark along the lines of “Who knows? Anything can happen?” You can read Senator Feinstein’s comments in the article this issue starting on page 21. Another U.S. senator, Minnesota’s Al Franken, came to the Club in July and talked about his political career and

The video of Al Franken’s “why I am a Democrat” comments at the Club has been viewed more than 12 million times. how he adjusted to being a senator after a successful career as a comedian (see the October/November Commonwealth). But when he gave an explanation of “why I am a Democrat,” he discussed how his wife’s family had been helped with education and other assistance to rise from having nothing to become middle-class, successful Americans. He choked up briefly as he concluded his story. But that wasn’t the end of it. The video clip of his “why I am a Democrat” explanation went viral, starting with tens of thousands of views on our YouTube page to

more than 12 million views on NowThis. But it wasn’t all Democrats this year. Outspoken author, attorney and young conservative Ben Shapiro spoke to a soldout Inforum program in April, sharing agreements and disagreements he has with the Republican Party and the president, as well as criticizing the reception he and his fellow conservatives get when they speak at college campuses. (For another view on that topic, see former UC Berkeley chancellor Nicholas Dirks on page 12.) Conservative political satirist P.J. O’Rourke had all kinds of unkind things

Previous page: The Embarcadero front door of our new headquarters on San Francisco’s waterfront. Above: The Taube Family Auditorium features reclaimed wood from the 110 The Embarcadero building, a state-of-the-art Meyers Sound system, a digital backdrop and side displays. Below, left to right: President and CEO Dr. Gloria Duffy answers questions from Club members about the new building; a full audience takes in a program; and program producers George Dobbins, Greg Dalton and Marisa Levine explain how they plan and produce the Club’s many programs.

to say about the state of national politics when he was in conversation at the Club with KPIX political analyst Melissa Caen in March. O’Rourke, making the latest of numerous appearances at the Club, was able to count on having an audience filled with Republicans, Democrats, Independents and just plain old humorlovers.

D E C E M B E R/J A N UA RY 2017-2018

It was a year of big programs with big speakers, including former Mexican president Vicente Fox, environmentalist Jane Goodall, President Obama’s health care advisor Ezekiel Emanuel (who actually spoke at the Club three times this year—once in January and twice in September), Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, popular science speaker Bill Nye, former Olympic athlete Caitlyn Jenner, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, “concussion doctor” Bennet Omalu, legendary musician Art Garfunkel, former Secretary of State George Shultz, Virgin mogul Richard Branson, and many others. Some of them created viral moments or spawned letters of protest or drew tears to people’s eyes or had legions of fans to fill up the seats and flood Twitter, but they all confirmed The Commonwealth Club in 2017 as a vital hub in civil discussions of local, regional, national and international import.

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Changemakers But even some programs featuring speakers whose names you might not know kept Club members and guests in the know in 2017. There might be few more challenging roles than being a women’s rights activist in the very conservative country of Saudi Arabia, where for years it has been illegal for women even to drive a car. Nonetheless, that’s what Manal al-Sharif became an outspoken advocate of women’s rights in Saudi Arabia. She had been arrested for the crime of “driving while female,” and in June she described her actions and goals to the Club’s Middle East Member-led Forum. (See an excerpt from that program in the previous issue of The Commonwealth.) In September, Saudi Arabia changed its policies and made it official: Women can drive. Former Democratic National Committe Chair Donna Brazile spoke to the Club in

early November. Her controversy started even before she got here; when excerpts from her new book were published online, they reignited the internal Democratic Party sniping between the Bernie Sanders wing and the Hillary Clinton wing. Other controversies came with former U.S. Justice Department lawyer John Yoo (see page 29), whose appearance at the Club was protested by people angry over his role in the George W. Bush administration’s legal justification for treatment of people captured in the war against terrorists. Caitlyn Jenner drew some protests from people who objected to her role as a transgender spokesperson when her life is so different from most other transgender people. On to 2018 The goal of The Commonwealth Club in 2018 is to continue drawing people to programs with interesting, provocative and intelligent speakers. Keep your eyes out

Whether it’s business, politics, history, health, science or literature—it will be happening at the Club. for speakers and programs that interest you. Check out the program listings for December and January starting on page 38. Whether it’s business, politics, history, health, science or literature—it will be happening at the Club. In addition to our many radio programs (We air weekly programs on KQED, KLIV, KALW, KRCB, TuneIn and 230 stations across the nation.), it will be even easier to catch a Club program to watch. Link TV is airing a batch of recent Commonwealth Club programs as part of a new series of issues-oriented, spokenword shows. High-definition videos of our programs can be viewed at any time

at youtube.com/commonwealthclub. We love to hear positive comments from Club members and guests after a program is over. Another source of pride for everyone involved with the Club is the speakaers who have visited, spoken to sold-out crowds, negotiated hundreds of attendees for book signings or meet and greets, participated in press conferences arranged by the Club, and then, before heading back home across the country, express not only gratitude but pleasant surprise at their experience here. Our move into 110 The Embarcadero might have been the highlight of a year of bright moments, but it is only the

Above, left to right: The Kaiser Permanente Rooftop Terrace has unobsructed views of the bay and the Bay Bridge; the terrace features open space and seating, as well as a growing garden. Below, left to right: People gather for an informational expo in the Hormel-Nguyen Lounge outside the second-floor auditorium; the Max Thelen Boardroom hosts staff meetings, discussion groups, business meetings and even small Club programs; and the rooftop has already been the site of receptions, meetings, cocktail parties and a wedding.

beginning of a new era at the Club. New members have been joining, wanting to take advantage of our new location and its unparalleled views. Companies, nonprofits and individuals have been planning private events at our new headquarters. We know that at the end of 2018, we will be looking back on a year of connecting people with each other, with thought leaders and with interesting ideas.

D E C E M B E R/J A N UA RY 2017-2018

NICHOLAS DIRKS Free Speech Under Fire at the University NICHOLAS DIRKS

Former Chancellor and Professor of History and Anthropology, UC Berkeley

DAVID DECOSSE

Director of Campus Ethics Programs, the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics—Moderator

What is the university’s role in accommodating free speech for provocateurs? How does it handle threats from the Left and the Right? From the October 2, 2017 program in Silicon Valley “Nicholas Dirks: Free Speech and the University Under Assault.”

Photo by Russell Edwards

he image was broadcast around the world. Berkeley was on fire again—this time alight because of the violent disruption caused by a brigade of anti-fascists intent on shutting down a speaking event by the Breitbart provocateur and troll Milo Yiannopoulos. Milo was coming to campus to speak as part of his year-long—and he called it this—Dangerous Faggot Tour, promising to insult students who were transgendered, undocumented, Muslim, feminist, or simply, and misleadingly, politically correct. Shortly after darkness fell on the California winter evening, 150 or so activists dressed in black—wearing masks, hats and donning backpacks—coalesced and marched up Bancroft Avenue toward Sproul Plaza. Sproul was the original scene of campus protest over speech 52 years before, and the space abutting the student union where Milo was due to speak a couple of hours later. Loosely named Antifa, the anonymous black bloc group set a fire in the middle of the street before entering the plaza, quickly dispersing into the crowd of students and others, some of whom were shouting and chanting, but all of whom were protesting peacefully. Within minutes, the Antifa activists, as if on command, began firing explosives as they broke through the barricades, using them to smash open the tall glass windows of the student union while setting fire to a propane-powered lamp that had been installed to light up the plaza. It was February 1, and Berkeley seemed to be in the eye of the political storm that had been gathering strength since the surprise nomination and then election of Donald Trump as president of the United States. Now, Milo Yiannopoulos had been invited by the Berkeley College Republicans following the playbook of other college Republican groups that had invited Milo for a nationwide college tour that had on occasion turned nasty and violent before. At the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UWM), Milo had mocked and identified a trans student who had protested the UWM locker-room policy. At the University of California, Davis, protests became so intense that the campus called off the event. And at the University of Washington in Seattle, just a short while before he came to Berkeley, there had been a shooting in which a demonstrator against

Milo had been seriously injured, though the reverse story was told by fake news. In the wake of all this unsettling news, a significant group of faculty and an even larger group of students called on the administration to cancel the event. There were indeed real reasons to be concerned about public safety. We were receiving threats from some on the Right who had promised to come to campus to ensure Milo’s appearance and from others on the Left who promised to come to shut it down, both promising to use whatever means would be necessary. Yet, of course, Berkeley is the iconic center for free speech, dating back to the famous Free Speech Movement of 1964. As a public university, in fact, we are now obligated to host speakers invited by legitimate campus groups regardless of their political beliefs. The canonical heckler’s veto sets a very high bar for preemptive cancellation of these invitations on the basis of generalized threats. So I decided that we were going to do everything possible, ourselves, to ensure that Milo would speak, including working with our police department to recruit backup support from other UC campuses, and deploy a well-developed plan to deal with the protests that we, at Berkeley, are somewhat familiar with. We were of course on the lookout for violence, but we were ready for it, or so we thought. Nothing though prepared us for the black bloc brigade, which succeeded brilliantly in its mission to shut down the event. Yiannopoulos had to be escorted out of the student union to ensure his safety, and the police had to disperse the crowd in an effort to prevent physical harm from happening to anyone in the building or on the plaza. The brigade caused major physical damage to the campus, cost us $100,000 just in repairs. And it caused even more damage to banks and other buildings, including a Starbucks, in the neighboring streets of the city of Berkeley. As the fire burned out and the black bloc group finally dispersed and left, we were relieved that no one was seriously hurt. I was relieved that they didn’t make good on their promise to come to the chancellor’s residence, which is what they were intent on doing. The Oakland Police Department either kept them from doing so, or perhaps they just, being outsiders, didn’t know the way. But whatever it was, no one was hurt. Thinking that we had avoided the worst of

possible outcomes, we nevertheless woke up the next morning to a tweet from President Trump, accusing Berkeley of suppressing free speech and threatening the loss of all federal funding. In truth, of course, we woke up to a new reality more generally. We worried that the status we had as the home of free speech made us a target either for a tweeted sleight of hand or for a new kind of violent assault on our college campus. Now, there hasn’t been a literal attack on the university in decades. I think the last time the campus looked like a war zone, to this extent anyway, was in the struggle over People’s Park back in 1969. But the university has in some figurative respects been under attack long before February 1. In recent years, politicians and members of the public had come increasingly to believe that the university is wasting public money, paying administrators and faculty far too much, charging too much for education all the while driving the new generation of students into unsustainable debt. ... I think the story here is not just about the university, it’s actually about our society. It’s about even the American dream and what it might, in fact, have for its future. There’s no doubt that public concern about certain things, including our commitment to the vitality of free speech and political debate on American college campuses, has legitimate causes. As one important recent index of this, the Heterodox Academy, established by Jonathan Haidt at NYU, has been strongly critical—both of the ideological uniformity of college campuses among faculty and of the preeminence of identity politics among students—leading to strong constituent support from both groups for safe spaces, speech codes, trigger warnings, bans on controversial speakers who threaten members of particular identity groups, and so on and so forth. The Columbia Professor Mark Lilla’s most recent book, which got a lot of press, argues that the politics behind identity politics is a dead end for progressivism. And yet these critiques, whether one likes them or not, certainly invite serious debate. Haidt and Lilla would see themselves as classic liberals on the Left. But they feed into the current round of attacks from the extreme Right, even as they also inspire strong reaction from many Left progressives who see the argument that we need more conservative DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017-2018

voices on college campuses or must critique movements—like that around Black Lives Matter, which is what Lilla does—as a way of negating the political progress of our last decades. Some faculty have recently suggested that the First Amendment itself needs reconsideration and revision, given the implicit but no less impactful violence of hate speech on our campuses. The militant anarchists of the Antifa movement have no interest in the First Amendment at all, seeing it and its defense in the language of the marketplace of ideas as the bedrock of an obsolete liberalism that has failed minorities, the poor, the dispossessed in favor of power elites—a capitalist system that is rigged—and, now increasingly, white supremacists and fascists. But as I recite these different antinomies, there’s a bit of crossover. Sometimes phrases we associate with one political side actually crop up on the other. Indeed, it is all the more difficult now to negotiate some of these issues in the time of Trump. We are all aware of what his campaign and election has licensed and how the dangers to students, whether Latino, African-American, DACA[ Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals], LGBTQ, both highlighted and made even more real. But I believe that the principles, both of free speech and of academic freedom, are in fact more important than ever before. I believe that the use of free speech has to both be defended, but it also has to be seen as a sword that is being used against the supposed hypocrisy of the university. [This], in turn, is part of this broader assault on the university, which is coming from multiple directions, but which is one that we

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have to address. Because too much of this critique—and it comes from a lot of different places—is on the idea of the university itself. It’s on the social functions of the university, which includes social mobility, inclusion of populations that have never been in college before, that have never seen themselves as college going. It includes the fundamental importance of the knowledge we teach and the knowledge that we make in universities. It attacks what is enlightened debate, and often substitutes for it just a kind of a theater of provocation. It attacks the principles of inclusion and diversity as well as, paradoxically, on genuinely open and critical debate. And it attacks the critical role of science and even expertise and public policy. And in the end, of course, [it] attacks intellectuals and serious thought leaders more generally. So this is the context in which we, I think, now operate. I have no easy answers. Part of the backdrop for these discussions is another kind of critique, which is one that I think we all have to take very seriously. That the university hasn’t changed enough, and in an era of disruption—and I don’t mean this kind of disruption—universities have tended to fall back and rest on their laurels. The current political challenges are not separable from the other kinds of concerns. I believe that what we have to do, as educators, as students, as faculty, as administrators and just as people concerned about the future of the university, is to find new ways to articulate, to advocate, to defend the very idea of the university while making sure that the reality of the university, at least as much of the time as possible, rises to meet the aspirations we hold as part of that great idea.

QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION WITH DAVID DECOSSE. DAVID DECOSSE: Thank you very much, Nick, for your very provocative remarks. ... So could you tell us a little about what the heck did happen up there in the last couple of weeks [in September]? NICHOLAS DIRKS: The idea of Free Speech Week was in part based or at least in part echoed the idea of free speech here, which is what my successor, Carol Christ, had proclaimed as her intention, during which she would stage different kinds of debates between speakers who disagree seriously with each and so on and so forth and work through some of the issues around free speech and open enquiry on Berkeley’s campus. But the Free Speech Week was not that. It was the idea of Milo Yiannopoulos, who was trying to reinvent himself after remarks he made on the radio that were released after he was in Berkeley in February. He was proclaiming that he was going to bring Ann Coulter, Steve Bannon, David Horowitz, Michael Cernovich, and all sorts of others. Now, in the case of Milo in the first instance back in February, he had been working with the Berkeley College Republicans. He had an invitation from the student group. It was a legitimate invitation. We had worked through all the regulations around what the student group has to do, forms they have to fill, securities they have to stand—standard practice for anybody inviting a speaker for a certain kind of audience at a certain time of the day or night. In that sense, it followed all the rules of the campus. Accordingly, I made the decision that, even though many students and faculty were upset about it, we weren’t

Photos by Pax Ahimsa Gethen

going to prevent him from coming. We were going to do everything we could to make sure the event would take place. This time, he worked with a very new and very small organization called the Berkeley Patriot, which [runs] a kind of periodic newspaper. It is run by a student who was trying to handle all the different kinds of things he had to deal with: demands from Milo about security; demands from Milo about allowing his bodyguards and private security to come on to campus; demands from Milo about basically controlling the time, place, and manner of his week and weekly parade of conservative speakers. It turned out, as was widely reported in the press, that most of the speakers that he was announcing weren’t going to come, had never been contacted about it or certainly didn’t intend to come. So on Friday evening, before Free Speech Week was supposed to begin on Saturday, the Berkeley Patriot called it off. They’ve now sued us as a university because they feel that we made life too difficult for them and did so in a way that was politically prejudiced. I can’t comment about suits and the like, but that’s the current state of play. But you all saw what happened, Milo came—he did what the press officer at Berkeley called the most expensive photo op in Berkeley’s history—came for his 15 minutes of fame, took pictures and left, and that was it. We nevertheless spent $800,000 last week to secure the campus, to arrange for public safety being kept because we had very credible threats coming both from extreme Right groups and from some of the extreme Left groups—by which I mean Antifa—that

they were going to come and possibly enact violence on the campus. DECOSSE: There’s many objections from students, often students of color and others, about hateful rhetoric on campus. At the same time, there’s a study I saw recently saying that a fifth of college students have no objection to a speaker who is offensive or harmful being shut down on campus. So what are the limits to hate speech on campus, if any, by outside speakers, by students? DIRKS: I’ve felt ever since I began doing academic administration that it was critical— and this was at Columbia before I came to Berkeley—to support students who would invite speakers and to support the right of those speakers to say what they had in mind. There were some cases, even at Columbia, where concerns were raised. There was a president of Iran back in 2007, [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad, who was invited to campus. We honored that invitation, and it was widely seen as a complete violation of the ethics of the university, since Ahmadinejad had called for the destruction of Israel and he denied the Holocaust. So there were serious protest around that, and it’s fair to say it left an impact on the university for years. But, again, you start censoring one person, one set of views, and it will come back to haunt you. I will confess that although I’ve had many student protests directed at me over the last few years, the first time I went to a president’s office, I wasn’t actually invited to that office. [Laughter.] Back in the day, we were very upset about the war in Vietnam and about civil rights and we wanted to have speakers. Stokely Carmichael, to a lot of people, was saying things that were unthinkable when

he was talking about black power. But the same kind of regulations that would keep Milo from coming, would have kept Stokely from coming. Where else, if not universities, can one actually have the theater of extreme ideas? Violence, of course, is another matter, and of course this is part of the constitutional debate: When does language become violent? We have over the last decades accorded more and more power to speech. We know that words can hurt people, and that’s one of the reasons that we try to educate members of our community about microaggressions of many different kinds. But the balance here is one in which—since hate speech is not actually against the law; it is constitutionally protected—we have to be very, I think, open about how we interpret what free speech means. And that does mean having debates that are very uncomfortable. Drew Faust, the president of Harvard, addressed this issue last spring. She [said] that, in her view, the commitment to free speech basically imposed a special burden on students from underrepresented backgrounds and minority communities. I think we would all agree that’s true, although the authors associated with Heterodox Academy have recently written a piece in which they’ve argued that that doesn’t necessarily hold true because, of course, it’s often the speech of minorities that, in the public square, will get censored. Jill Lepore in The New Yorker mentions the fact that Stokley Carmichael, when he came to Berkeley, said: “It’s absolutely critical that I speak here, because basically, if you get rid of free speech you get rid of a possibility that a black man like me can actually say what I’m thinking.” DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017-2018

Photos by James Meinerth

Charles

Sykes

A Conservative in the Wilderness CHARLES SYKES Author, How the Right Lost Its Mind; Commentator, MSNBC In conversation with

JOHN ZIPPERER Host, Week to Week Political Roundtable; Vice President of Media & Editorial, The Commonwealth Club

A leading conser vati ve laments the state of the Right and asks how it got to its current state. From the October 10, 2017 program in San Francisco, “Charles Sykes: How the Right Lost Its Mind.” JOHN ZIPPERER: When Senator Dianne Feinstein was at The Commonwealth Club recently, she said there could still be the possibility that Donald Trump could mature, that he could yet become a good president. [See page 21.] What’s your reaction to that? CHARLES SYKES: I disagree with her. With all due respect, I think Senator Feinstein was letting her optimism get ahead of the reality we are seeing here. Donald Trump is 70 years old. He’s not going to change. He’s not going to grow. He’s not showing any desire to grow or change. While I understand the desire to look for the best in everyone and the desire to look for possible grounds for future compromise reaching across party lines, I do think that part of their reality check is that Donald Trump is what he is. He has had numerous opportunities to grow. Today, even as we’re sitting here right now, the president of the United States— with all the crises around the world and facing the country—is taking to Twitter to mock the height of a U.S. senator. [Laughter.] Just try to grasp that. I remember what this felt like when I was in sixth grade on the playground, but we’re not on the playground. We’re talking about the president of the United States. So I understand that Senator Feinstein thinks that there’s a possibility that he could somehow become an effective president, but Donald Trump is not going to become anyone other than Donald Trump. ZIPPERER: Let’s go back a little bit and tell us how you came to this view of Donald Trump. Many people outside of Wisconsin became aware of your views during the Republican presidential primary, when Trump was a call-in guest to your [radio] show and had what became very quickly a very famous conversation with you. Take us back there and tell us what happened—and why he didn’t seem prepared for this. SYKES: Well, he wasn’t, and this is why I

was surprised. I had a show; we began every morning at 8:30, and my producer told me that Donald Trump was going to call in at 8:30. At 8:29, I didn’t think he was going to call in. I didn’t, because if he would have spent 10 seconds looking at my Twitter feed, he would’ve known that I was never-Trump. I had been talking about Donald Trump from the moment he came down the golden escalator and announced for president. I think I’d made my feelings manifestly clear. I think they showed up in the polls in Wisconsin. So I did not expect that he was going to call in. It’s interesting that you would ask me about that today when the president’s tweeting about the height of somebody, because the first thing I wanted to talk to him about was that he was putting out tweets that were mocking the appearance of his opponent’s wife. He was making fun of Ted Cruz’s wife’s looks, and I thought this was a good opportunity for him coming into Wisconsin, where we value certain levels of civility, to apologize for that or commit to stop doing it. One of the lines I used with him was, “You are running for the office once held by Abraham Lincoln, and is there some different level of behavior [expected of you]?” His response to me was, “Well, he started it,” which is actually how we got to the playground. I said, “Why are you mocking your opponents? Grown men don’t make fun of other men’s wives’ looks.” “Well, he started it.” I said, “That’s what I expect from the playground. You’re running for president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln’s job,” and it went downhill from there. [Laughter.] ZIPPERER: What was the reaction like from your listeners? Were they pleased to see you take him on—because again, they must have known your views—or was there blowback? SYKES: In Wisconsin, up until the middle of the year, I think you had a Republican Party that was willing to see Donald Trump for what he was. Up until that moment, I think they understood that there were so many other choices. We had a variety of candidates. [But there were] not as many by March 28. We were right before the Wisconsin primary. I think most listeners knew what to expect, even if Donald Trump didn’t. By the way, halfway through the interview I said, “When you called in, did you know that I was never-Trump?” And he said, “I did not know that.” But he was a good sport

about it, so I will give him credit for that. It was only later after he had secured the nomination that I think I was not in sync with the audience any longer. ZIPPERER: There was a big shift, not just with Wisconsin conservatives but nationally, when you got from the primary to a nominee. Explain what that was and what reaction did you see among other conservatives and among other conservative leaders. SYKES: I saw this in Wisconsin as well. I was very active in the conservative movement. I literally knew no elected official and not one other person that I respected who supported Donald Trump up until April. No one, no one in the party supported him. And yet somehow he was securing the nomination. From that moment on, I figured if you believe that he’s fundamentally unfit to be president, that he represented a repudiation of everything you believed, the people would stay there. This was naive on my part. I borrowed this line from Jonah Goldberg from National Review: It was like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, watching one person after another go, “Well, he’s the nominee. I have to support him; it’s a binary choice.” One after another they fell into line. One of things that I did in Wisconsin, we created a thing called The Right Women Awards, where I made it my personal project to encourage conservative women in politics. We honored, I would say, almost every significant policy maker, politician, leader, thinker in the state. By the end of this campaign, every single one of those women supported Donald Trump. What I saw happening was this incredible—I’m going to mix the metaphors here, so I apologize in advance—the gravitational pull of our tribal politics, how intense it is that even if you recognize all the character flaws, all of the other issues, it has become a binary choice—us versus them. No matter how awful Donald Trump was, Hillary Clinton was worse. She had been demonized for 20 years. It moved beyond partisan polarization into this tribalism. I watched as the party first was beaten, and then capitulated, and then acquiesced and then enabled Donald Trump. ZIPPERER: Someone in the audience asks: “Define what it means to be a conservative today. And what kind of conservative are you?” SYKES: The first question is much more complicated—what does it mean to be a conservative? I have no idea anymore, given DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017-2018

the era of Trump. [Laughter.] My brand of conservatism apparently was much smaller than I had imagined it to be, which would focus on limited government, individual freedom, free markets, constitutionalism, personal responsibility, a respect for traditional values—things like that, including civility. But also [it included] a certain tradition of respect for our democratic norms. It was commonsense based. It was reality-based; it was not based on alternative facts. It could be distinguished from crackpotism, the fever swamps of the Right—which I imagined were fringe elements, which turned out not to be as fringey as I had thought they were. ZIPPERER: In the 1980s and early 1990s, there was a lot of intellectual ferment among Republicans as a party and conservatives as a movement. A lot was being written; magazines were delving into ideas, arguing about ideas. That’s not the case anymore. When you’re talking about how the Right lost its mind, that’s part of what you’re referring to. SYKES: It’s very much part of what I was referring to. I might have had a somewhat distorted view, because I really thought that

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there was an intellectual renaissance among conservatives. You can trace this back to [William F.] Buckley and to people like Buckley in the 1960s, through the rise of George Will and Charles Krauthammer in the 1970s and beyond; publications like National Review and Commentary, when those ideas were taken very seriously. But as George Will [said when he] and I had a conversation as I was leaving my radio show, it turned out that we were a much smaller band of brothers and sisters than we thought. I think we had this intellectual veneer over a conservative movement that was a different set of values. ZIPPERER: Another person in the audience says, “Where do conservatives like you go, then?” Can you change the Republican Party back into what you wanted it to be? Do you look for a new home? Or do you—to steal from William Buckley—stand athwart history and say, “No! Stop!” SYKES: Well, we do stand athwart history once again. I describe myself as a contrarian conservative, but the reality is that guys like me—we’re in the wilderness. I knew after this election we were going to be in the wilderness. What I didn’t know was if it was

going to be a really, really small desert island [Laughter.]—with just a handful of us. I don’t know where we’re going. I don’t think there’s a moment at which Trump leaves and we return to the situation that was before. The damage that’s going to be done to the movement, to the culture and to our politics is going to last for a very, very long time. I don’t know what the future of the Republican Party is going to be. The party has shown itself to be more invertebrate than I would have expected. A Republican Party that was deeply conservative or that actually had fixed principles would never have nominated Donald Trump. A party without fixed principles or one that was open to the kind of nationalist nativism that he represents, would have nominated him. If there was going to be a third party, 2016 would have been the perfect opportunity. There would have been that moment where people would say, “Not Hillary, not Trump; give us another choice.” The fact that that didn’t happen makes me skeptical. The Republican Party needs either to be deeply reformed or replaced. ZIPPERER: You mentioned William F.

Buckley, the giant of conservatism in the 20th century. In your book you also recount the role he played cleaning up conservatism, going to the fringe and pushing it out. The John Birchers, the anti-Semites and such. Is there anyone who could do that today? SYKES: Apparently not. Back in the 1960s—this was a defining moment for the conservative movement— you [could] draw the line and say, “We may be anti-Communists, but the John Birch Society, the Ku Klux Klan are not part of our movement.” He excommunicated the Birchers in the way that on the Left the Democrats like the Americans for Democratic Action expelled the Communists from the movement. These were clarifying moments. But there are no more gatekeepers. There’s no one else with this kind of clout. There is no Buckley; there is no successor to Buckley. As a result, the crackpots, the extremists, the conspiracy theorists, the racists, the anti-Semites, the paranoid fringe folks, the people who had been pushed outside have now reentered the conservative movement. I think Trump and his campaign with a wink and a nod basically gave them a certain amount of traction. I

don’t know how they’re going to be expelled. ZIPPERER: Talk a bit about the role that’s played by what you call Right media, the populist media—the Steve Bannons, the Breitbarts, the InfoWars, WND.com and such. SYKES: That’s still playing out in real time right now. I tried to identify certain key moments where there’re key turning points. Are you familiar with the Drudge Report? It’s an aggregating website that is essentially the assignment editor for most conservative media. I would say that for the last 20 years, almost every conservative talk show host in America starts the day by looking at the Drudge Report. Sometime within the last decade, before probably 2009, Drudge started linking to Alex Jones and InfoWars. Alex Jones and InfoWars is not your garden-variety conspiracy theorist. This is a guy who’s not just a 9/11 truther, he will spread stories about the Sandy Hook massacre of all those children being staged false-flag events. He’s beyond the fringes of right-wing conspiracy thinking. Bizarre. There’s almost no crime that’s occurred that he does not have a conspiracy that either the government’s behind it or it’s a false flag, whatever, including

the Boston Marathon. So Drudge starts linking to him, which injects that kind of paranoid conspiracy theory into the bloodstream. Donald Trump comes onto the scene. Trump launches his campaign by pushing the Ur-conspiracy theory of his campaign, the birther theory—that the first African-American president of the United States was really not born in the United States. And [he] gets away with that, by the way. Donald Trump went on Alex Jones’ show. The week after he’s elected president of the United States, he calls Alex Jones and says, “Thank you for your support. I’ll come back on your show sometime.” So you’ve taken somebody who pedals the worst weapons-grade nutjob theories; they’re brought into the conservative media; they’re empowered and then play a role in a presidential campaign. That’s slightly separate from the Bannons and the Breitbarts. These guys are very heavily funded by the Mercer family. It’s not the Koch brothers anymore; it’s the Mercers, and they are weaponizing these groups. Breitbart sits at the middle of this right-wing ecosystem. It had a tremendous effect on pushing the DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017-2018

Republican Party—I won’t even say to the Right, but toward Trump. Changing the climate, beating up on Fox News to the point where they had to roll over. Some people would forget that Fox News was originally not necessarily pro-Trump. But Breitbart and others beat on them and beat on them that if you dissent from Trumpism, then you’re for open borders or you’re a RINO [Republican in name only]; you’re a sellout. Eventually, they came on board. But I think what we’re finding out now that even Donald Trump is discovering that he can’t control some of these forces that he’s released. Because, of course, now Bannon and Breitbart are out there targeting other Republicans, including criticizing the president. ZIPPERER: Do you like any of the policies that Trump is trying to implement? SYKES: This is the hard part for a contrarian conservative, because there will be moments where you agree with him on certain issues. I tend to agree with him on a lot of judicial issues. I did support his nomination for the Supreme Court of Neil Gorsuch, but I’m having a hard time understanding the policy-making procedures they’re going through on health care. I remember back in 2009 when Obamacare was being passed. The big mantra among conservatives was that it was being done too quickly. It was being rammed through. We didn’t know what was in it. That seems almost laughable now, since the Republicans were about to vote on a bill that had been released like, what, a day before? Nobody knows what was in the bill. But more important, nobody knows how it would affect things in the real world. There’s a reason why we have never unravelled a social program like that once it is been in place. Donald Trump does not care about policy. Donald Trump is a man without principle, without any curiosity about policy. I think

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he’s indifferent to the effects of his policies. He just wants a win. He just wants that signing ceremony where he can claim a win even if it means that millions of people’s lives will be disrupted, even if it will mean that there are unintended consequences. ZIPPERER: In the book you discuss your thoughts on populism and why it’s a dangerous thing, and also why specifically someone from your political point of view would see problems with it. Would you explain? SYKES: Part of it is, what does populism mean? Is populism acting in the public interest? Then it is clearly a good thing. Is populism playing on resentments in class warfare? Is it the desire that you know if we just want something we should be able to impose [it] on others? Part of that is understanding what the words mean. But my understanding of conservatism was that it was a careful balance—ordered liberty. It was suspicious of an authoritarian government, but it was also suspicious of populist insurgency, particularly of the hyper-nationalist, nativist brand. Again, are there populist elements that ought to be incorporated into our politics? Absolutely. Did we ignore too many Americans? I think that we did. Are some of those grievances legitimate? I think they are. We have to unpackage some of the legitimate grievances from the way they’re exploited. Simply because you have an irresponsible demagogue who exploits grievances doesn’t mean that there aren’t actual grievances. It doesn’t mean that we didn’t have a government and an “elite” that had gotten out of touch with how actual people live in the real world. ZIPPERER: Rate Donald Trump’s chances of being reelected in 2020. SYKES: Better than you think. Remember, you have to beat somebody with somebody. I hope that the Democrats recognize that this

is not a tap-in. In our politics, what did we see in 2016? The binary choice. I could certainly imagine a circumstance where the opposition overplays its hand. The president accomplishes nothing but runs against Hollywood, the liberal news media, plays these culturally divisive issues. You know why he’s doing the NFL stuff? This is like catnip to his base. It doesn’t matter whether he’s created any jobs or repealed Obamacare as long as he can divide the country on whether you stand or kneel for the national anthem. But also I really do think that if the Democrats nominate somebody who is too extreme that you’re going to see almost the exact same pattern of votes. Don’t underestimate all of the things we’ve been talking about—the divisions, the media ecosystem, the fact that Democrats have proven their ability to overplay their hand. Wisconsin was a Democratic state; it is now solidly Republican. [That’s] not because the Republicans there are necessarily brilliant. The Democrats and the Left overplayed their hand to the point where they alienated many people in the center. [Governor] Scott Walker was losing that collective bargaining fight up until very late in the game when the protesters would disrupt Special Olympics events, when they protested where his elderly parents lived; basically, there was a backlash. If there is that kind of overreach that causes a backlash for Trump, he could exploit that. Now the fact that his approval ratings are as terrible as they are might give you hope, but remember what his approval ratings were right before the election. This was an election in which basically 60 percent of the American public disliked him, recognized that he did not have the qualifications to be president, did not think that he was honest. Yet somehow he was elected.

Photos by Sarah Gonzalez

Dianne Feinstein

“Compromise Isn’t a Dirty Word” DIANNE FEINSTEIN

U.S. Senator (D-CA)

In conversation with the Honorable

ELLEN TAUSCHER

Former Representative, California’s 10th Congressional District; Former Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security; Member, Commonwealth Club’s Board of Governors

California’s senior senator discusses challenges abroad and President Trump at home. From the August 29, 2017 program “Senator Dianne Feinstein: A Co n v e r s a t i o n A b o u t America and the World.” ELLEN TAUSCHER: You’ve been known throughout your career for having a bipartisan approach to politics. This is one of our online constituent questions: “What are your secrets to working in a bipartisan way?” DIANNE FEINSTEIN: Well, look, we’re a two-party system essentially. We’re Republicans and Democrats, and the Congress is usually divided: Republicans, Democrats, of course there are Independents, and Independents generally choose to be with one party or the other in the Senate. What that means is: When you have a bill and you are either the chairman or the ranking member of the subcommittee or the committee, you have to sit down and work out difficult parts of that bill, which means you’ve got to be able to negotiate. You’ve got to be able to compromise, and compromise, ladies and gentlemen, isn’t a dirty word. Compromise is what moves this government forward. We won’t ever probably have a consensus, but we will have strong majorities. If those strong majorities are bipartisan, the decision stands much more strongly then if it is just the decision of one party, and then the next party comes into power and undoes that decision—which is now a good deal of what is going on with this president, spending his time trying to undo executive orders that President Obama put forward. So it’s not an easy time. I’ve been there 24 years. I’ve served under Republican presidents. I’ve served under Democratic presidents, but I could always count on a level of stability, on a level of comity. I remember travelling with George [W.] Bush out to a big fire in Southern California, and he came back and sat in the back of the plane, and we talked for two and a half hours on the way out, and I saw him go up and down the lines of firefighters exhausted. This was a big fire in subdivisions in the San Diego area, and I was so proud of him. Eleven

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hundred firefighters—he thanked them all. And you know, I’m proud—and I happen to be a Democrat, and he happens to be a Republican. That doesn’t always make a huge difference. It’s the heart of the man or woman; it’s the mind of the man or woman; it’s how much they want to get a project passed, a bill that they really believe in, a change that’s going to be made in this country, that you can sit down and negotiate it. This is what we have always done, and it works. The Tea Party came. If the Tea Party doesn’t get their way, then they’re not going to be for it. I just find that really so difficult to deal with, because of such big issues of war, peace. We’ve got North Korea, we’ve got Afghanistan, we’ve got the Middle East; plus we have health-care reform, we’ve got tax reform. And the only way you get there is by sitting down with the opposite party and working out the differences. TAUSCHER: Speaking of North Korea, one of our online constituents asked, “If you were president Trump”—we know you’re not—[Laughter.] FEINSTEIN: Thank you. TAUSCHER: “How would you handle the North Korea situation?” FEINSTEIN: Well, this is an interesting one. We have 28,000 troops at the DMZ on the South Korean side. Their families also are in Seoul. The North Koreans have 750,000 troops. If you stand at the demilitarized zone, which is a 25-minute drive from Seoul, you see a big, flat plain and mountains in the background. The 750,000 North Korean troops are behind those mountains. In those mountains are rocket, missile emplacements. They’ve been working on this for decades, and so here is the issue: This particular leader, Kim Jongun, has engaged in a missile development program far beyond what his father did, and these intercontinental ballistic missiles will one day—they will miniaturize a warhead. One day, they will solve the problem of reentry from space back. But we know they can hit about half of the United States, based on the trajectory that this last missile went up. We also know that they are hidden deep underground, and the difficulty is being able to get to them to disable them. Secretary Mattis came over, and we sat in the secure room in intelligence. He sort of took me through it and why there was really no military scenario. So what we have

to do is encourage them to negotiate. Now think about this: Do we really think we can isolate nations? And that they will do better or come around because we isolate them? I don’t think that’s right, and my experience has been that, whether that nation is Iran, whether that nation is North Korea, I would hope that we would be prepared to sit at a table in direct negotiations with the help of the Chinese. No more six-party talks, because they didn’t get anywhere. But [we need to] really put forward a proposal that could take North Korea out of this isolationism, bring it into the community of nations with certain standards that they would agree to follow, and then we can solve this problem. But if you shine a light at night, or if you look down at night on the two Koreas—the South is blooming with lights from the air; the North has no electricity. People don’t have adequate food. TAUSCHER: President Trump’s comments after the tragic events in Charlottesville were widely condemned. Can you talk to us about your reaction to them? FEINSTEIN: Charlottesville was something that I never thought would happen. I never thought we would see those lighted torches, the black uniforms walking through a very prominent university campus with an anti-Semitic screed on their lips. And then to see what happened the next day—I think [it’s] so terrible. The hatred between the people was so devastating to many of us that really believed we were beyond this racial discrimination, religious discrimination, hate, Ku Klux Klan, American Nazis, white supremacists. Fortunately, in the nine years I was mayor and the nine years I served in the Board of Supervisors here, this city is free of that. This city really appreciates different people, and different talents, and what they bring. So we are so lucky to live here. I think the president’s statement was that he tried to placate both sides. You cannot placate American Nazis. You cannot placate [Applause.]—you cannot placate white supremacists; you cannot placate the KKK— and that was the mix. To say, “Well, there are nice people on both sides” was a lightning rod to dissent, and that’s what happened. TAUSCHER: I have to ask one more timely question about the president tweeting his pardon for former Sheriff Joe Arpaio. I wanted

to know your reaction to that. FEINSTEIN: Well, I was mayor in the city when the first discussions of racial profiling took place. For police departments, this was a huge issue, an internal issue, because they believe they can look at people and they can make certain judgements based on how they look. I won’t go into it, because it’s all bad. But sometimes they’re right; more often they’re wrong, and it’s against the law. Arpaio, this sheriff, was just a terrible sheriff. And without even waiting for the court sentencing, a federal court to sentence this man, the president pardoned him, which in my view sent a message to police departments all over our country that racial profiling is okay, and ladies and gentlemen, it isn’t. So that was my concern about what he did. I just thought it was a stupid thing to do. TAUSCHER: You’re the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee and also a member of the Intelligence Committee. There are multiple investigations into what’s going on, what had happened in the 2016 election with the Russian interference, and now there’s also potential obstruction of justice. Can you just give us kind of a sense of the state of things and where you think things are going? FEINSTEIN: Well, I can give you a sense of the state of play, but that’s about it. The Intelligence Committee is doing work in the arena of intelligence, and the Judiciary

Committee—of which I am ranking member—is looking at the justice-related issues, and of course that would be obstruction of justice; it would be the issue of collusion with Russia. The chairman, Senator [Chuck] Grassley (R-IA), and I work well together. He is a very direct person, which I appreciate. He’s got a very good sense of what’s right and wrong, and I find he gives me a yes or a no, and I appreciate that. Doesn’t finesse—he says what he thinks, and I think that’s a very positive thing. So we have worked out a system where thousands of documents have now been collected. We have a staff. On the Democratic side, we are in the process of hiring a couple of investigators. And the staff will be conducting interviews—they’ve done one of one person. And they will be interviewing both Donald Trump Jr. as well as Mr. [Paul] Manafort, likely soon. Then we will have them before the full committee. And it’s important because they say they want to cooperate, and that means we have to be able to elicit information from them. And in this kind of a situation, if you lie, you commit a kind of perjury. You don’t have to take an oath, but if you lie in an official investigation, in an interview or before our committee, you’re in deep trouble. That’s what we are trying to do right now with our staff to see if we can gain certain information. TAUSCHER: Lots of good questions here. The Trump presidency has unleashed an

unprecedented wave of activism in the country with everyday Americans much more engaged with their elected officials. How have you and your office responded, and how do you as a senior senator of the largest state stay connected with your constituents? FEINSTEIN: In this past year, we have gotten 3 or 4 million calls, letters into our office. It’s double last year, so you’re right, the activism that’s out there is dramatic. I think what people need to do is make that activism consequential. I’ve been trying to figure out how to do it. I encourage people and particularly women to run for public office. Run for a school board, run for a city council, develop your expertise. Develop your credentials, so you can present yourself to the electorate as someone that’s really worthy of being a House member, being a U.S. senator, whatever it is. Start out that way, because we really need informed people that really care in government—not people who just see it politically, but really do want to solve the issues that are before us. Health care is an enormous kind of conundrum here, handled improperly by at least the party that is opposite to my party, and you can’t do a big bill. They can’t do tax reform, in my view, just with Republicans. They can’t do health-care reform just with Republicans. The big bills that affect everyone’s life, ladies and gentlemen, both political parties have to have a part of. And then the bill is generally going to be okay. DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017-2018

Substantial, okay—going to meet the needs of people as well as business or any other area of human endeavor. TAUSCHER: So, this is a real-life question from someone who has a real-life problem: “As a student, access to reliable transit affects me in an immediate and direct way. How can we fix BART, which has a pay-by-distance system, so it doesn’t disproportionately hurt people who can’t afford to live downtown?” FEINSTEIN: Yeah. This is a real problem. BART is jammed; BART is running at capacity. And BART isn’t able to have the funds that are necessary to do what BART has to do—let me just put it that way. And I think we need a second line, and I think that second line is going to have to get publicly financed through bonds one way or another. I think cities have a bonded indebtedness level, and we were always able to do anything under $10 million in terms of capital improvements we paid for out of the budget. But while I was mayor, and I don’t know if it’s still that way, anything above $10 million would go into a bond. We’ve got to fund BART so that it can really be the system that can carry lots of people in and out of this city. TAUSCHER: And be affordable for people such as students. FEINSTEIN: And be affordable for people. That’s exactly right. TAUSCHER: What are your views on the renegotiation of NAFTA? FEINSTEIN: Well, I voted against NAFTA. It was 1996, I think. And I’ll tell you, I didn’t believe it was a good deal for California. There was the great sucking sound of pushing things into Mexico, and I understand that for Mexico’s development to some extent. But there were California industries that were suffering, so I was one of the no votes at that time, and I believe it should be renegotiated now in the modern age, so to speak. I think we can create incentives to keep American manufacturing here. I really believe manufacturing matters. I really believe there are people that need production jobs and that we can do very well. I remember the joint venture between Toyota and General Motors and Fremont. That’s just where the Tesla plant is now, and Tesla is doing very well. They are manufacturing in California. I’m

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disappointed they’re making the batteries in Nevada, but we’ll give them that part of it as long as we keep the cars here. We really need to do some work to find out why—and some of it is some of our state laws. TAUSCHER: Speaking of taxes, an overhaul of the tax code is being considered by Congress. What do you think it should contain, and what should it avoid? FEINSTEIN: Boy. [Laughter.] Right now, it’s very hard for me. I think one might look at the corporate rate. I think that’s a fair thing to do to see that it’s regionalized and equalized. TAUSCHER: And competitive. FEINSTEIN: I think the upper 1 percent of our country does very well with the taxes as they are. Remember, I think when Ronald Reagan became president the tax rate was 75 percent for that 1 percent. TAUSCHER: That’s right. FEINSTEIN: And now what is it down to? TAUSCHER: 39.6. FEINSTEIN: 39 percent, and I think middle-income taxpayers—I think that’s where there really is hurt and where the tax dollars mean so much to the salvation of the family. And that’s really where we ought to go to find a better system than what we have. TAUSCHER: Here’s a political question: At what point do you think the Republican leaders will definitively turn against President Trump? [Laughter.] Criticize him publicly and urge his resignation or impeachment? FEINSTEIN: I’d really rather not comment. [Laughter.] However, I think you all know impeachment, and the House brings the impeachment and then the Senate sits as a court and votes. At the end, there’s a trial in front of the Senate. And [I’ve] kind of been there, done that. TAUSCHER: Yeah, we’ve both done that. FEINSTEIN: Not the greatest thing in the world, that’s for sure. Look, this man is going to be president, most likely for the rest of this term. I just hope he has the ability to learn and to change. And if he does, he can be a good president. That’s my hope; I have my own personal feelings about it. TAUSCHER: It seems to me that the Republican House members who are up in 2018—all 435 House members are up in ’18—it seems to me that they are the first ones that are going to realize that they’re going to be in jeopardy under his presidency. It

seems to me that that is the first opportunity for people to start to break from him. He’s effectively the president of his base right now. He is going to be in a position where he has influence over them because some of them are in states where he won. So it seems that the commentators are saying that’s when the president is going to find himself in a position of question with Republicans that are already elected in the House. That’s gonna be a tough time. Do you expect that Robert Mueller’s investigation— FEINSTEIN: Well, and the speaker [of the House] has taken a different road, particularly on the Arpaio pardon. The speaker has spoken out. When the speaker is of your party and he speaks out critically, I think that’s very important and significant. TAUSCHER: And he’s also picking fights with people like Mitch McConnell, to a certain extent John McCain, and others. FEINSTEIN: It’s terrible that he would do that, particularly to McCain because I will tell you all one thing, if you’re ever in a fight, John McCain is the person to be there with. We were in a fight on the torture report, and our torture report took six years to complete. What it showed is that we were torturing and that we shouldn’t have been. It was John McCain who changed the law in his Defense Authorization bill in the Armed Services Committee to prohibit torture. That was not [Applause.]—an easy thing to do. So I have a great respect for this. He really helped me, because I was under a lot of criticism for the report, which, to this day, not one fact has been shown to be wrong. And we had a lot of people look at it. It stood up, and it’s right, and it’s what we did. And when we do wrong, the greatness of America is: We don’t hide it. We admit it and we make the change.

SEPTEMBER 20â&#x20AC;&#x201C;OCTOBER 4, 2018

U.S. to TEHRAN Thursday, September 20 Depart the United States. TEHRAN Friday, September 21 Upon arrival, transfer to our hotel. Espinas Hotel

TEHRAN Saturday, September 22 Enjoy a full day of sightseeing in Tehran, concentrating on its excellent museums. Visit the Archaeological Museum with its fine collection including a stone capital of a winged lion from Susa. Explore the Golestan Palace (Palace of Flowers) and enjoy a private visit to a contemporary art gallery. Espinas Hotel (B,L,D)

TRIP DETAILS INCLUDED: Accommodation as per itinerary; meals as listed in the program; airport transfers if on the recommended flights; bottled water on the bus; all sightseeing in an air-conditioned coach; internal flights; all entrance fees and special events listed; full educational program and study leader; predeparture materials and reading list; local Iranian guide; professional tour manager who will accompany the group; gratuities for drivers, porters, restaurant and hotel staff for all group activities. DOES NOT INCLUDE: International airfare into and out of Iran (approximately $1,500); visa fees for Iran; excess luggage charges; medical expenses; trip insurance; items of a purely personal nature; gratuity to local Iranian guide. COST: $7,490 per person, double occupancy; $1,460 single supplement GROUP SIZE: Minimum 15, Maximum 25

TEHRAN Sunday, September 23 Head to northern Tehran to visit the Niavaran Palace and the Museum, the last home of Mohammad Reza Shah and his family. The complex boasts two palaces, a pavilion, Persian gardens, a museum and a smaller gallery. Continue on to Khomeini’s home, where one is allowed a glimpse of the dwelling. After lunch, visit the Iranian crown jewels stored in the basement vault of the Bank Melli Iran. Admire the world’s largest uncut diamond as well as the Peacock Throne. Espinas Hotel (B,L,D)

TEHRAN / YAZD Monday, September 24 Visit the Museum of Contemporary Art, which was designed by Kamran Diba using elements from traditional Persian architecture and is considered to be one of the most valuable collections of modern art outside of Europe and the United States. This afternoon, fly to Yazd, a major stop on the international caravan routes to Central Asia and India. Moshir Garden Hotel (B,L,D)

YAZD Tuesday, September 25 Visit the former home of the governor of the city to see and learn more about traditional Persian architecture and the badgers, wind towers ingeniously designed to catch a passing breeze. Explore the bazaar and enjoy a stroll through it before visiting the Water Museum. Stop at the Haj Khalifeh Ali Rahbar pastry shop opened in 1916 and the Amir Chakhmaq Complex with its perfectly proportioned sunken alcoves and tiles laid out in intricate patterns. Visit the Friday Mosque, the best-preserved 14th century mosque in Iran, and enjoy a walking tour through the covered streets of Yazd’s old quarter. Spend the balance of the afternoon concentrating on the Zoroastrian religion. Moshir Garden Hotel (B,L,D)

YAZD / SHIRAZ Wednesday, September 26 Head to a small village called Taft, where a large number of Zoroastrians still live. En route to Shiraz visit the site of Pasargad, where Cyrus the Great defeated Astyages the Mede in 550 B.C. and, according to tradition, decided to build the first Achaemenian capital on the site of his victory. Zandiyeh Hotel (B,L,D)

SHIRAZ Thursday, September 27 Visit the 19th century Eram Gardens built in a quadripartite Persian Paradise Garden structure. Head to the Fars Museum and then explore the citadel or Arg-eKarim Khan, built in 1766 using the best architects and artists and materials of the time. Stop at the “Pink Mosque” or Nasirol-Molk Mosque, which is the oldest and one of the most elegant mosques in southern Iran. Continue on to the tomb of Saadi, one of the major Persian poets of the time and known all over the world for the quality and depth of his social and moral thoughts in his writings. End the

day at the tomb of the celebrated poet Hafez, which is located in a small garden. Zandiyeh Hotel (B,L,D)

SHIRAZ / PERSEPOLIS Friday, September 28 Today we enjoy a full-day excursion to Persepolis, the ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire and one of the world’s most beautiful and spectacular archaeological sites. This palace city was built by craftsmen from around Darius’ vast empire. Superb bas-reliefs depict the flow of ritual processions. After eating lunch sitting in the shade of grape vines, visit Naghsh-e Rustam, which contains the carved tombs of four Achaemenid kings. Zandiyeh Hotel (B,L,D)

SHIRAZ / ISFAHAN Saturday, September 29 Drive to Isfahan, stopping en route for lunch. Upon arrival in Isfahan in the late afternoon, visit Hasht Behesht, which is located in the center of the Garden of Nightingales (the Bagh-e Bulbul), and is one of Isfahan’s two surviving Safavid pavilions.

ISFAHAN Monday, October 1 Visit the Friday Mosque with its tiled ivans, vaulted ceilings and lofty domes that display more than 800 years of Persian religious architecture. Admire some of the five bridges crossing the Zayenderud River and wander through the city’s fascinating Armenian quarter. We also visit Isfahan’s new Music Museum. Abbasi Hotel (B,L,D)

KASHAN Tuesday, October 2 Depart for Kashan, the epitome of everything that is typically Persian, from its mosques, caravanserais and stately gardens to its carpets, ceramics and delicate embroideries. Along the way stop at the historic village of Abyaneh, one of Iran’s oldest villages. Arrive for lunch, and then visit the Tabatabaei House, a traditional house built in the early 1880s, which is renowned for its mirror and stained glass work. Visit the historic Kashan Bazaar, the center of trade in the city for almost 800 years.

Abbasi Hotel (B,L,D)

Manouchehri Hotel (B,L,D)

ISFAHAN Sunday, September 30 Isfahan is perhaps the most beautiful of all Iranian cities. Visit the Palace of Forty Columns, a charming pavilion where the walls and ceilings are covered with frescoes and paintings. Walk to the Maidan-e Shah or Imam Square, the central focus of this fascinating city that never failed to inspire and awe European merchants and ambassadors to the Safavid court. Explore the Lotfallah Mosque, the Ali Qapu Palace and the towering portal of the Shah Mosque. After lunch, spend the afternoon exploring the bazaar and learning more about traditional crafts in Iran.

KASHAN / TEHRAN Wednesday, October 3 After breakfast drive to Tehran. We stop at the Tomb of Ayatollah Khomeini, which is the centerpiece of a complex that is planned to include a cultural and tourist center, a university for Islamic studies, a seminary and a shopping mall. Check in to our hotel, located very close to the airport. Enjoy a festive farewell dinner.

Abbasi Hotel (B,L,D)

Novotel Hotel (B,L,D)

TEHRAN TO U.S. Thursday, October 4 Depart Tehran for flights home. (B)

international

WHAT TO EXPECT Participants must be in very good health and able to keep up with an active group. In order to participate, one should be able to walk 1–2 miles per day comfortably, climb steep stairs without handrails or assistance and walk and stand for periods of two hours at a time. Fall is a lovely time to travel in Iran when temperatures range from 60–85 degrees Fahrenheit. The infrastructure in Iran is quite good, with modern roads and buses. Hotels are comfortable, with private bathrooms and air-conditioning. Food is freshly prepared and healthy. During the program, participants should be dressed modestly and women will be required to have their head covered while in public areas. Alcohol is not permitted in Iran. More details will be provided upon registering for the trip.

RESERVATION FORM

SEPTEMBER 20–OCTOBER 4, 2018

Name 1 Name 2 Address City/State/Zip

Home Phone

Cell phone

STUDY LEADER

Email Address Enclosed is a deposit of Enclosed is my check

($500 per person) for

Charge my deposit to my

Visa

spaces. MasterCard

CARD #

Expires

Authorized Cardholder Signature

Date

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Final payment must be by check. Please make checks payable to “Distant Horizons.” Do not write “Iran” on your check. Your deposit is fully refundable up until 14 days after receipt of your reservation form. A confirmation letter, full terms and conditions, reading list and a travel insurance application will be mailed to you upon receipt of your deposit.

ROOM ARRANGEMENTS Single Supplement Double Occupancy; I will be sharing a room with: I would prefer a roommate, but will pay the single supplement if one is not available.

TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS I/we wish to be booked on the suggested group flight from SFO I/we wish to be booked on a departing flight from: I/we will make travel arrangements to arrive in Tehran and depart from Isfahan

WE REQUIRE MEMBERSHIP IN THE COMMONWEALTH CLUB TO TRAVEL WITH US. PLEASE CHECK ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS: I am a current member of the Commonwealth Club. Please use the credit card information above to sign me up or renew my membership. I will visit commonwealthclub.org/membership to sign up for a membership. PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM ALONG WITH YOUR DEPOSIT TO: Commonwealth Club Travel 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco, CA 94105 You may also fax the form to 415.597.6729

Phone: (415) 597-6720 | Fax: (415) 597-6729 | travel@commonwealthclub.org Please note the State Department has had a Travel Warning for Iran since 1979. You can read this Travel Warning at https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings/iran-travel-warning.html. Our tour operator has operated many trips to Iran. The Commonwealth Club and our tour operator are closely monitoring the situation in Iran and will not operate the trip if the situation within the country becomes hostile or unsafe.

Dr. Emily Jane O’Dell is an assistant professor at Sultan Qaboos University in the Sultanate of Oman. Previously, she held the Whittlesey Chair of History & Archaeology at the American University of Beirut, and taught at Columbia University, Brown University and Harvard University—where she received an award for excellence in teaching. Emily completed her postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations and the Humanities Center. She received her Ph.D., MA, MFA and MA from Brown University, and an additional Masters in Central Asian Studies from Columbia University. Emily’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, Salon, Christian Science Monitor, Al Jazeera, NPR, and Huffington Post. Her recent academic publications touch upon Iranian cinema, Sufism, disability in Iran, Islamic law and archaeology. In 2009, she was invited to speak (in Persian) at the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran on Iranian and Tajik cultural and historical connections. For her field research and expertise on Islam, Sufism, cultural heritage and politics, Emily has been a State Department Critical Languages Fellow for Persian and Tajiki, Fulbright-Hays Fellow, Harvard Traveling Fellow (Iran), Edward A. Hewett Policy Fellow, American Councils Research Fellow, IREX Fellow, and Columbia Pepsico Fellow.

Photos by Shing Wong

John Yoo WAR WITH THE MACHINES

Will the spread of machine war make war more likely or less lethal? From the October 2, 2017 program in San Francisco, “John Yoo: War with the Machines.” JOHN YOO

Law Professor, UC Berkeley; Former Deputy Assistant U.S. Attorney General; Co-Author, Striking Power: How Cyber, Robots, and Space Weapons Change the Rules for War In conversation with

QUENTIN HARDY

Head of Editorial, Google Cloud JOHN YOO: We have a long-running discussion about: What is international law? Do nations follow it? But to the extent they do, it seems they follow it primarily when it comes to how they fight wars. You would think that this would be the area where they would follow the law the least. Cicero has a famous comment that when wars start, the laws end. But actually, we argue, that’s not been the case. There’s been a lot of principles throughout human history that have come forward in war and have limited how harsh

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and diﬃcult war can be. QUENTIN HARDY: In an extreme way, they’re sort of like statements about what we are not. We would not be the people who would do this. Or we stepped over that boundary and found something horrible. The great example would be the use of gas in World War I, which almost to a vanishing point, didn’t really get used in World War II. Instead, it was used on the people in the concentration camps. But for the people contesting the battle, that just vanished. But then other more problematic technologies came about. You seem to see the idea of the law of war under a peculiar kind of tension now. You also have an argument with things that happened in the 1970s around constraints placed on some nations. YOO: Yes. The laws of war, like law domestically, is the product of ideological combat. There are countries, like there are groups in our own society, that want to change the law to advance their own interests. What we saw after World War II was the great decolonization of the world, and so many more nations came to exist. They sought to rewrite the rules of war to remove the advantages that the Western countries had had, which were primarily technological in nature. One of the big changes occurred in 1977. There’s a new Geneva Convention that was written called the Additional Protocol to the Geneva Convention. That sought to give terrorists and freedom fighters the same protections as Western fighters. For that

reason, the United States actually refused to sign that treaty. We still are not a party to it. But that’s an example of the kind of changes that were going on. They were ideological in nature—to try to use law to rewrite the balance of power. HARDY: Were they, on a reciprocal level, expected to obey the rules of war? YOO: That was the diﬃcult thing, I think, for the treaty writers, and we’ve had [challenges with it] ever since. You can see it in the war on terror we have now. You can see it in the war between the British and the Irish and IRA. Or you can see it in the wars involving Israel, Palestine and Arab countries now. Even though you’re going to have different capabilities, different types of fighting, is everything supposed to be reciprocal? Should we require those who fight against us to follow the same rules? Our argument in the book is that I think the people who wrote the new Geneva Conventions tried to actually give the benefit of the doubt to the freedom fighter or the liberation [fighter], the non-state actors, to give them a kind of advantage in war, that we would not require them to follow the exact same rules that we did. And then technology places even more pressure on that difference. HARDY: Let’s talk about some of those new technologies. You cite three in particular. Run them down in order of importance. YOO: Our main argument is that the changes in technology that we’re seeing all around us in the economy, in daily life—robotics,

as we’re seeing the emergence of self-driving cars; obviously, the Internet information revolution, the broad use of information and analysis; and then space. One thing that is going on—you see it in SpaceX, for example—is the cost of launching satellites has fallen by 90 percent in the last decade. Just as those are causing lots of changes in our economy and society, which I think you at Google know, but these are all going to affect our militaries and our warfare, too, but with a big difference. Our argument is that, in the past, when new technology has come to war, it’s had the effect of making war more destructive, more harmful and less discriminate in the sense that civilians are the ones who are really suffering in war in the 20th century. New technologies, as far as we can tell, are going to [be], in a way that they are also having in the civilian economy, less harmful, more precise, less destructive. Which has not happened, really, in human history before. HARDY: So space war, and war by robot— or as we see them now, drones—and cyber war are three aspects of warfare that you seem to think can be utilized or controlled largely by large nation-state actors to kind of restore a system of order in the world that’s fragmenting right now under this turmoil of non-state actors that’s been underway since well before the ’70s. How would that take place? How can they control this? YOO: Our concern is that there are nations, governments and the United Nations, for example, and NGOs that are pressing for a ban on a lot of these technologies. You might have seen just two weeks ago Elon Musk and 100 tech CEOs called for a ban on the

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development of AI [artificial intelligence] and robotics in warfare. The main argument is that this is going to spread war too much. It’s going to be too easy and cheap. Our argument in response is that the big problem, actually—that we’re seeing now and we’re really seeing it in places like Iran and North Korea—is the threat of disorder is greater than the worry that countries are going to go to war too easily. So you’re going to see things more like Syria happen, I’m afraid, where the nations of the world take a hands-off attitude at first and let these crises get worse. Or Rwandas, where a very small detachment of Western troops could have stopped the killing of 900,000 people. If there is a barrier or reluctance to nations like the United States and other nations from stepping up and trying to prevent things like the Syrian Civil War, preventing things like Rwanda from happening, maybe these kind of technologies will make it easier to stop, as you said, the rise of disorder. HARDY: What is it about drones that people find objectionable, and how do you speak to that? YOO: There two kinds of arguments. One, I think, is a legitimate argument, and one, I think, is a little bit science-fictiony. I don’t know if that’s a word. The legitimate argument is drones make it cheap and easy to use force. We don’t have any of our own soldiers at risk. We saw this particularly in the Obama administration. You could be so precise in the way you use drones. You don’t worry about collateral damage the way we used to, because you can hit one building, or even hit one person. And you don’t kill a lot of civilians nearby;

you don’t destroy lots of buildings. So the argument is it’s just easy to press the button to use the drone all the time, rather than turning to diplomacy or sanctions or something first. The broader argument that is made by people like Elon Musk or Stephen Hawking or Steve Wozniak, one the founders of Apple, is that this is putting us on the road to losing our control and independence from the machines—that the robots are going to take over. They said that once we launch these weapons, once we launch artificial intelligence, we’re no longer going to be able to control it. They’re going to eventually take over our defense systems, and they’re going to start making decisions, not human beings. That, I think, is way far off, and I’ve not seen any proof that that would actually happen. But the argument that war becomes cheap and easy—that’s undeniable. I think we saw that for the last 10, 15 years actually. HARDY: There is a valid argument that the collateral damage is understated, and, in fact, frequently many people are killed because the targeting changes. You don’t meet on the field of war; you target them at home. But that’s part of the larger problems for many people, which is this is a form of assassination. This is not a form of war. Is that a legitimate objection? And how does war differ from assassination, anyway? Wasn’t World War II a large effort to kill one man in Berlin? YOO: The curious thing about the assassination argument is that if it were correct, then it would force you, instead, to use much more destructive weapons to try to achieve the same goal. So if it is legitimate to try to target Osama bin Laden, and you’re using drones or other high-tech weapons to do it,

why is it more immoral or more illegal to use a drone to launch a missile to try to hit that one rather than what we would have done in pre-drone days (which is launched a bombing run with manned bombers and destroyed a lot more buildings)? HARDY: Carpet bomb. YOO: So it’s the precision of it that makes people recoil at some level, but it’s the precision that is making casualties in war drop. HARDY: This is one of the interesting aspects of warfare in the last 50 or 60 years. World War II was sort of the greatest and most tragic expression of Napoleonic-style war. Big armies facing each other off, with this acceleration in the number killed. It just stopped working around the Korean War, and we’ve been in a 64-year truce with the North Koreans. We haven’t ever ended that war. And we don’t fight to take territory as much as sort of own an argument or control economic assets. It’s a new form of coercion that’s taking place. A strange but quite hopeful development, actually, is we value individual lives so much more than we used to, as well, at least the visible ones. The invisible ones seem to go in huge numbers, but if you look at—in Vietnam, we lost 220 Americans a week. Can you imagine that taking place now? At least on the U.S. side there’s so little appetite for a loss of life. [We’re] probably taking fewer lives on the other side, but the numbers get very squishy. The three fearsome technologies, if you will—chemical, nuclear and biological—are very anarchic forms of violence. Whereas you’re positing that the cyber, space and robotic ones are more precise, if you will, and

that’s the concern. YOO: Yeah. If you think about it, nuclear weapons are the most indiscriminate form of weapon. They don’t discriminate between combatants and civilians; they just destroy whole cities. So they’re a form of the old technology, and the way warfare and weapons had been advancing was in that direction. Then, these new weapons really, I think, turn it around in a different direction, in its precision. HARDY: Not to get too pessimistic about that, but part of the hazard is now the technologies and the kind of actors we are dealing with on the international stage, have really muddied things to a point where it’s hard to pass and discern where nation-state begins and ends and criminal or non-state actors take forth. Russian hackers affecting the U.S. election, or if a marginal ransomware attack from a Chinese military university injures the financial system. Is that a criminal act? Is that university hacking? Is that the Chinese military by proxy? How do we sort where things begin and end the way we used to? YOO: I completely agree there’s problems we’re confronting right now, for the last year or two. And we have not figured them out. Washington and others are very confused about how to treat something like a hacking attack from a state-sponsored organization, or even just a terrorist group. Is it act of war? Is it a crime? In the book, we argue why we’ve had success in things like weapons of mass destruction technology—so far [it] was deterrence. You see deterrence when offense is cheap and defense is expensive. So nuclear weapons are a great example. It’s very easy, cheap to

make nuclear weapons—almost impossible to construct a defense. Yet we’ve lived with the Soviet Union for 50 years without having a nuclear exchange because of deterrence. I think that’s what the solution is going to be to these vulnerabilities that you just mentioned. HARDY: [Reading audience question.] “How can you even call drone killing warfare? There is no war or battlefield. The U.S. is killing people as they are sleeping, attending wedding parties and funerals, having dinner with their families. This is simple and direct high-tech murder.” YOO: I think this is the hardest problem that came out of 9/11—it’s not really technology-driven if you think about it. It’s [really about] the nature of a conflict with a non-state actor? We are divided as a society about that; we have been ever since 9/11. If you think it is a war, then all those things you described are legitimate to do in war. It doesn’t matter whether it’s drones or an artillery strike. If someone is a member of the armed forces of the enemy, you’re allowed to attack them, whether they’re sleeping or not, right? If it’s crime, if we thought 9/11 was the start of just a big criminal conspiracy, well, you can’t kill suspects, you have to go out and arrest them. And so it doesn’t really have to do with the drones and the technology; it’s just the real problem is the fundamental nature of: Is it possible to have a war with a non-state actor? I would just add that our presidents of both parties now and the Congress and the courts have all agreed that 9/11 was a start of a war. If it is a start of a war, then those tactics are permissible. DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017-2018

JULIE LYTHCOTT-HAIMS

What It Means to Be Black and American

Photos by Rikki Ward

JULIE LYTHCOTT-HAIMS

Author, Real American and How to Raise an Adult In conversation with

LADORIS HAZZARD CORDELL

Judge (Ret.)

How much of our sense of race and nationality is selfdirected and how much is it imposed from without? From the October 16, 2017, Inforum program in San Francisco, “Julie LythcottHaims: What It Means to Be Black and American.” JULIE LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: I was born in Lagos, Nigeria to a British mom and an African-American dad, and we [moved] to Manhattan. LADORIS CORDELL: Julie, this a book about race. But this book also raises the question: Are you an American? The 2016 election made it clear that there isn’t universal agreement on what it means to be an American. A recent survey by the Democracy Fund found that across party lines—we’re talking just the two major parties—well over half the people surveyed agreed that respecting political institutions and laws, having citizenship, and accepting people of diverse backgrounds are essential to calling yourself an American. And the survey showed divides between parties. The most significant disagreements about who is an American centered on the importance of living in America for most of one’s life, being born in America and being a Christian. Among those surveyed, Trump supporters felt the strongest about these factors. So what, in your view, is a real American? LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: It’s a term that applies to all of us or none of us. I think it’s a fiction. I chose it because I was tired of those right-wing politicians saying, “Real Americans deserve this,” “Real Americans want that.” I knew they weren’t talking about us and many of us. And I thought, ... I’m a real

American, like shut up—stop trying to carve a line along racial lines and call yourselves “real Americans” and say the rest of us don’t belong. We are as entitled to be here as any of the rest of you. So stop it, okay? But I also use this term because of my slave ancestor Sylvie, who lived in Charleston, South Carolina in the late 1700s. She was raped by her master, and that act is the reason that I exist. She made me a real American. She was here on this soil. She was in Charleston, the harbor town through which one in two African slaves were brought. They didn’t consider her a human being, but she made me a real American. I try to channel Sojourner Truth in here: “Ain’t I a Woman?” Ain’t I a real American? My people go all the way back; my people built this country. We have not even begun to scratch the surface of what we owe African-Americans by way of recompense for all that has been done by us, against us. So I guess I’m trying to say—if I’m not a real American, nobody is, and I actually believe we all are. CORDELL: Do you think that most biracial individuals question their American-ness? Do you think they see themselves as real Americans? I know you can’t speak for all biracial people, but from your experience, do you think there is that questioning? LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: I need to mention my age: I’m about to be 50. [Applause.] Right, 50—I see you Gen X! [Laughter.] I acknowledge my age because times have changed. When I was born in 1967 to a black man and a white woman, there was no term biracial. Loving v. Virginia, declaring my parents’ marriage legal and invalidating laws in 17 states that said my parents should not marry, should not have sex and bear children—that was all happening around the time of my birth. So the population of mixed-race children began to grow as our parents’ unions became okay in the eyes of the American government and the various states. So now we have a burgeoning multiracial, mixed-race population, and I don’t pretend to know what their experience has been. I grew up in a time where to be me was to be odd, was to be exotic or to be treated like a zoo animal. What are you? She’s your mother? Where are you from? What is that hair? I was an oddity, and I think these days because of the multiplicity of intermixtures, the various intersectionalities, particularly in our community,

to be a mixed-race person today is to have a markedly different experience than I had coming up in the ’70s and early ’80s. I hope biracial or multiracial people today feel very American. It is a very American construct. We are the embodiment of, in some ways, America’s ideals about anyone can come here and anyone can be here, live freely and fall in love, and do what you will. People do what you will, and it ends up with mixed-raced people sometimes. I hope it’s easier for people today, and I think it is. CORDELL: You write beautifully and honestly about your relationship with your mom. Near the end of the book you write, and I quote, “It comes time to address things with my mother. She is 77, still strong, but more tired now. Still very self reliant and so frustrated when ready and still beautiful. In my kitchen one day, I speak to her pointedly with a voice of a woman, no longer afraid to confront her past, her accuser, her accused. How could you choose to live in Verona, [Wisconsin]? How dare you chide me for not having black friends when you raised me in an all-white town? She looks at me and begins to cry.” So what happened? Why did you confront your mom? Did you blame her for something, and if so, for what? And what has been your mom’s reaction to the book? LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: When I began drafting this book, my mother never said, “You didn’t have these experiences,” never said, “You shouldn’t write this book.” She said, “I’m happy for you that you have come to a place where you can contend with what your life has been like to date and that you’re writing about it.” I was yelling at my mom because as I came to terms with this upbringing; I was angry about some things. But I was yelling at my mom because my daddy has been gone for 22 years; I didn’t have the ability to interrogate him about any of this. My mom’s the parent who is still with us, so in some ways I took it all out on her when Daddy surely shouldered more than half of the responsibility because he was the man, in a fairly traditionally gendered marriage. He was the African-American parent, and he made a lot of those decisions. The decision about where to plunk me down for high school in an all-white town was his. Before he died, I just didn’t have the wherewithal to yell at him: “Why did you move me to an all-white town?” He said to me at one point, in high school, DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017-2018

“White boys will be your friend but never date you.” Well, my high school was 1,200 white people and me. But I couldn’t say to my beloved daddy, “Then, why did you move me here? Don’t I deserve love? Don’t I deserve to be in relationship?” Mom, unfortunately, being the parent who’s here and very much in my life, [had to answer the questions]. CORDELL: Your dad wasn’t too keen on your dating white boys. Did it seem hypocritical to you since he had married a white woman? So just tell us about your dad and about that if you can. LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: Daddy was born in 1918. He grew up in a different time. He grew up in [the] Jim Crow South, in Oklahoma. He had a very, very different experience from mine. ... He loved my mother and yet had really rigid views about whites and blacks. I think maybe he thought Mom was an anomaly among white folk. [Laughter.] I think he moved me to an all-white town because it was the nicer house and a school that they felt was right for me. They were trying to give me opportunity, and he had overlooked what that might do to my psychosocial development as an adolescent, not being around people who might be willing to date me or might be able to console me when [bad things] happened. CORDELL: Would he have applauded [Colin] Kaepernick for taking a knee? LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: He would and I do. Absolutely, yes, and he would’ve applauded Barack Obama. How I wished he had been alive to see Barack Obama elected president. LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: As much as I miss my daddy, there have been times—as Barack Obama became increasingly disrespected in pockets of white America, as Trump rose to power—there have been times when I’ve been grateful he did not live to see these backslides and these turns. He was of an era and of a generation where so much progress was made—and the thought of having to be in conversation with my daddy now about the state of things brings me to tears. CORDELL: So Julie, if we’d look at it just kind of superficially, you are half black and half white. Yet you write the following, “No, I was never white; I am not white because whites do not see, will never see me as one of them and because I

do not want to be.” So that means you’re black, right? So if you’re biracial—I’m confused, so unconfuse me. LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: Y’all have studied the one-drop rule? One of America’s earliest rules was that black is a stain, and whiteness is pure. If you have one drop of black blood, it went, you are black, and this is how they perpetuated the population of slaves. The slaves were raped by their masters and gave birth to lighter and lighter children; how to keep those children enslaved was to invent this one-drop rule. That rule goes all the way back in time, centuries and centuries ago, but the fact of it is with us today. When you are a black man trying to hail a cab, your cabby doesn’t know that you’ve got a white momma. If your skin is brown—my color brown and darker—you are treated as a black person in this country. The black experience is an experience of being second or third class in many respects in this country. The fact that you might have a white parent or a white grandparent or what have you, doesn’t have anything to do with how you’re treated when you walk into a store or walk down the street or you’re on an elevator, and so on. That is the reality of being a person of color, of being a browned-skin person in America. CORDELL: Your spouse, Dan, is white and Jewish; you have a biracial son and a biracial daughter. You write that your son Sawyer [has brown] skin. Have you and Dan had the talk with Sawyer? LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: So our beautiful son, Sawyer, and b e a u t iful daughter, Avery, are here—18-yearold, 16-yearold, yes. My husband, whom I

adore, who loved me and my black hair before I did—we’ve been together 30 years, and I’m grateful for you every day. Yes, we have had the talk with Sawyer. For those of you who may not know the talk is, the talk is what we parents of black children, particularly black boys, say to them to prepare them to go out into America, as they prepare to leave our homes and leave our neighborhoods, and move out beyond whatever cushion of safety that may feel to be. Particularly if we’re upper middle class and we live in communities where we think we’ve sort of passed into some status where they’re protected. We know, actually, that they’re not necessarily protected and safe in those communities—Trayvon Martin being the most excruciating recent example. So we have the talk, which is, “Hey son, sweetheart, you’re heading out tonight, want to remind you how to conduct yourself—if and when something goes down, if and when you’re in a car that gets pulled over, if and when you’re in a group where something has gone down.Those of you with darker skin may be regarded as the perpetrator, as the problem maker.” The excruciating aspect of this is we’re trying to teach them to be safe and smart and protect themselves. It flies in the face, though, of the other message we’re trying to send, which is you are beautiful and you matter and you belong here. CORDELL: That’s a hard thing to do, right? LYTHCOTT-HAIMS: It is an incredibly hard thing to do. I think that the part that, for me, brings anguish is their innocence is robbed so much earlier than I think the innocence of children generally is. Because, at some point, they move from being these adorable black and brown boys, to becoming thugs in some people’s eyes ... the racist narrative then attaches its hooks into them and says—presumed guilty, bad, thug, criminal, not deserving of mercy. ... CORDELL: I read Julie’s book three times to prepare for this interview—you need only read it once to have it change your life.

PROGRAMS The Commonwealth Club organizes more than 450 events every year on politics, the arts, media, literature, business and sports. Programs are held throughout the Bay Area in San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Marin County, and the East Bay. Standard programs are typically one hour long and frequently include panel discussions or speeches followed by a question and answer session. Many evening programs include a networking reception with wine. PROGRAM DIVISIONS

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DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017-2018

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SAT/SUNDAY SAT/SUN

1/2 2/3

6:30 pm Reza Aslan: Understanding God

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10 11

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5:30 pm 5:15 p.m.Off Blinding the Flash ofInto Couch: the the Obvious War 6:30Hearts for p.m. Ben and FrankMinds lin Circles 5:30 pm Janet FM Na6:30 p.m.and politano ChangeErwin makers: Movement Chemerinsky: A ConLeaders on versation About Civil Free Rights inon Speech anCampus Uncivil Time FM 7:45 p.m. The Future of America’s Political

6 pm (New Orleans, L.A.) The Seventh Annual Stephen H. Schneider Award 5:30 pm The Hello Girls: America’s First Women Soldiers 5:30 pm Week to Week Politics Roundtable and Holiday Social Hour

6 pm Socrates Café

5:30 10 a.m. pmChinatown Vignettes Walking and Postcards Tour from 6:30 p.m. Sallie Morocco Krawcheck: 6:30 pm Khizr The Khan: Power of Women, Hope and Sacrifice Work and Wallet 7 p.m. Gopi Kallayil: Brain, Body and Consciousness

5:30 pm Daniel Ellsberg: The Doomsday Machine

San Francisco

East/North Bay

6 pm America’s Role on the World Stage: A Conversation with NBC News and MSNBC 7 pm Michael Krasny in Marin: Oy, Does He Have Jokes for You

5:30 pm Deconstructing America’s High-Priced Health Care 5:30 pm Reading Californians Book Discussion 5:45 pm A Tale of Two Cities

Silicon Valley

1:45 pm Russian Hill Walking Tour 5:30 pm Physician Burnout: A Public Health Crisis

1:45 pm Waterfront Walking Tour

FM Free for members

5:30 pm Iliza Shlesinger: Comedy and Commentary

11:30 am Roots of Peace: Mines to Vines

FE Free for everyone

MO Members-only

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SAT/SUNDAY SAT/SUN

6/7

13/14

20/21

27/28

5:30 pm Pythagoras and the Search for Universal Harmony 5:30 pm Week to Week Politics Roundtable and Social Hour

5:30 pm Week to Week Politics Roundtable and Social Hour 6 pm Socrates Café 6:15 pm An Evening with MacArthur Fellows: Breaking Down Barriers to Stem Education

5 pm Middle East Forum Discussion 5:30 pm Grief and Loss: Finding Vitality and Joy Through The Heart of Sorrow 5:30 pm China’s Investments in the U.S. – Toxic or Tonic?

5:30 pm Harm to Home: A Refugee’s Journey to the Bay

5:30 pm Inside Private Prisions: An American Dilemma in the Age of Mass Incarceration

5:30 pm The Accidental President

5:30 pm Stalin: Waitng for Hitler 1929-1941

commonwealthclub.org/events

6 pm Ben Franklin Circles

6:30 pm Entrepreneur Joe Sanberg: Ensuring Everyone Who Works Can Achieve Life’s Basic Needs

5:30 pm Natural Approaches to Breast Cancer Prevention 5:30 pm Enemy of the State: How the Media are Evolving in a Fact-Free Environment

5:30 pm Niall Ferguson

1:45 pm San Francisco Architecture Walking Tour 5:30 pm In The Fields of the North 6 pm Is Silicon Valley As Green As It Claims?

5:30 pm Decarbonizing America’s Electricity Infrastructure 6 pm Leadership and Ethics 6:30 pm Patty Mccord: Building Culture

9:45 am Chinatown Walking Tour 5:30 pm The RainbowCircumnavigation: Stories from the First Openly Gay Man to Sail Around the World

11:30 am Network for Africa and Waging Peace: Helping Forgotten Victims of Violence

DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017-2018

For current prices, call 415.597.6705 or go to commonwealthclub.org

Reza Aslan: Understanding God 12/1

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1 SOLD OUT—REZA ASLAN: UNDERSTANDING GOD

Reza Aslan, Author, God: A Human History Kirk Hanson, Executive Director, the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics—Moderator

Who is God? According to Reza Aslan, our desire to humanize God is hardwired in our brains, making it a central feature of nearly every religious tradition. Regardless of our actions or beliefs, Aslan says the majority of us consider God to be a divine version of ourselves. We bestow upon God not just all that is good in human nature but also our greed, bigotry and violence. Whether you believe in one God, many gods or no God at all, Aslan’s work could transform the way you think about the role of the divine in our everyday lives. SILICON VALLEY • Location: Cubberley Theatre (near Montrose and Middlefield), 4000 Middlefield Rd., Palo Alto • Time: 6:30 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program, 8 p.m. book signing • Notes: Reza Aslan photo by Malin Fezehai

MONDAY, DECEMBER 4 OFF THE COUCH: INTO THE WAR FOR HEARTS AND MINDS

Budd MacKenzie, Humanitarian, Author Lt. Colonel Anthony Alfidii, Intelligence Officer, U.S. Army Reserve—Moderator

Budd MacKenzie will discuss his work with women, children and the needy in war-torn Afghanistan. He founded Trust in Education, a non-profit organization dedicated to building schools and improving tragic lives. Khaled Hosseini, MacKenzie’s friend and the author of The Kite Runner says, “He [MacKenzie] asks us to not forget that millions inside warwracked Afghanistan, especially children and women, remain marginalized, brutalized, and

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

Free Speech on Campus 12/4

in need of education, work, food, shelter.” Among other recognitions, MacKenzie was awarded the Unsung Heroes of Compassion award by the Dalai Lama in 2014. SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing • MLF: Middle East • Program organizer: Budd MacKenzie

JANET NAPOLITANO AND ERWIN CHEMERINSKY: A CONVERSATION ABOUT FREE SPEECH ON CAMPUS

Erwin Chemerinsky, Dean and Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law, UC Berkeley Law School; Co-Author, Free Speech on Campus In Conversation with Janet Napolitano, President, University of California; Former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security; Former Governor of Arizona

It seems hardly a week goes by without another controversy over free speech on college campuses. On one side, there are increased demands to censor hateful, disrespectful and bullying expression and to ensure an inclusive and nondiscriminatory learning environment. On the other side, traditional free speech advocates charge that recent demands for censorship coddle students and threaten free inquiry. In his new book, Free Speech on Campus, Dean Erwin Chemerinsky argues that campuses must provide supportive learning environments for an increasingly diverse student body but can never restrict the expression of ideas. Come for a spirited conversation about what constitutes free speech on campus and the implications for society at large. SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. book signing

Vignettes & Postcards from Morocco 12/5

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5 VIGNETTES AND POSTCARDS FROM MOROCCO

Erin Byrne, Travel Writer; Editor, Vignettes & Postcards from Morocco Jeff Greenwald, Author; Executive Director, EthicalTraveler.org James Michael Dorsey, Author, Explorer Anna Elkins, Travel Writer, Artist Christina Ammon, Travel Writer; Leader, Deep Travel Trips

Sit down at the Club and travel to Morocco with five award-winning travel writers who have collaborated with several other writers on Vignettes & Postcards from Morocco. Shake off the holiday blues as the chergui (desert wind) whips reality into fantasy, from Casablanca to Tangier, from Marrakech to the Sahara, from a rose festival in the countryside to a betrothal fair high in the Atlas Mountains, in alleyways and on rooftops, in the souks and on plains scattered with ruins. Come hear some of the 33 stories and poems, tales of quests and mysteries, of traditions and memory and wisdom, that seek the ancient and celebrate the exotic in Morocco. Vignettes & Postcards from Morocco is a Foreword Book of the Year finalist. SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing • MLF: Humanities • Program organizer: George Hammond

KHIZR KHAN: HOPE AND SACRIFICE

Khizr Khan, Author, An American Family: A Memoir of Hope and Sacrifice Judge LaDoris Cordell (Ret.), Chair, Santa Clara County Jail Commission—Moderator

One of the most memorable speeches from last year’s Democratic National Convention

For current prices, call 415.597.6705 or go to commonwealthclub.org

America’s Role on the World Stage: A Conversation with NBC News and MSNBC 12/6

was given by Gold Star parent Khizr Khan. With his wife Ghazala by his side, Khan spoke about equality, sacrifice and the ideals symbolized by the U.S. Constitution. Khan’s son Humayun Khan, a U.S. Army captain, was killed in the line of duty in Iraq and posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. “Like many immigrants, we came to this country empty-handed,” Khan said. “We believed in American democracy—that with hard word and the goodness of this country, we could share in and contribute to its blessings.” From his family’s move from Pakistan to becoming an American citizen, Khan shares his personal story of immigration, courage and patriotism.

SILICON VALLEY • Location: Schultz Hall, Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto • Time: 6:30 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program, 8 p.m. book signing • Notes: Khan photo copyright Edwin Tse; part of our Good Lit Series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6 AMERICA’S ROLE ON THE WORLD STAGE: A CONVERSATION WITH NBC NEWS AND MSNBC

Andrea Mitchell, Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, NBC News; Host, MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” —Moderator Panel: Jeremy Bash, Former Chief of Staff, Department of Defense and Central Intelligence Agency; Senior National Security Analyst, NBC News and MSNBC Amb. Michael McFaul, Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia; Contributor, NBC News and MSNBC Amb. Wendy Sherman, Former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs; Contributor, NBC News and MSNBC

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The national security experts and intelligence contributors of NBC News join Andrea Mitchell, NBC News chief foreign affairs correspondent and host of MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” for a panel discussion on the United States’ role on the global stage and position as a world leader in diplomatic scenarios. SAN FRANCISCO • Location: Marines’ Memorial Theatre, 609 Sutter St., 2nd floor, San Francisco • Time: 6 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program

MICHAEL KRASNY IN MARIN: OY, DOES HE HAVE JOKES FOR YOU

Michael Krasny, Host, “Forum”; Author, Let There Be Laughter: A Treasury of Great Jewish Humor and What It Means

Michael Krasny has been telling Jewish jokes since his bar mitzvah, and it’s been said he knows more of them than anyone on the planet. He has put together a compendium of Jewish jokes that packs the punches with hilarious riff after riff and also offers a window into Jewish culture. Let There Be Laughter borrows from traditional humor and Jewish comedy legends and new voices such as Jackie Mason, Mel Brooks, Joan Rivers, Larry David, Sarah Silverman, Jerry Seinfeld and Amy Schumer. With his background as a scholar and public radio host, Krasny also delves deep into Jewish themes, topics and forms of humor: chauvinism undercut by irony and self-mockery, the fear of losing cultural identity through assimilation, the importance of vocal inflection in joke telling, and calls to communal memory. Come ready to laugh. NORTH BAY • MARIN CONVERSATIONS PROGRAM • Location: Outdoor Art Club, One West Blithdale, Mill Valley • Time: 7 p.m. check-in and light hors d’oeuvres, 7:45–9 p.m. program • Notes: Cash bar available; this program is sponsored by Relevant Wealth Advisors and an anon-

ymous donor

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7

THE MICHELLE MEOW SHOW

Michelle Meow, Host, “The Michelle Meow Show”; President, SF Pride John Zipperer, Host, Week to Week Political Roundtable, The Commonwealth Club

SAN FRANCISCO • MICHELLE MEOW PROGRAM • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 9:45 a.m. check-in, 10 a.m. program

RUSSIAN HILL WALKING TOUR Join a more active Commonwealth Club neighborhood adventure! Russian Hill is a magical area with secret gardens and amazing views. Join Rick Evans for a “cardio hike” up hills and staircases and learn about the history of this neighborhood. See where great artists and architects lived and worked, and walk down residential streets where some of the most historically significant houses in the Bay Area are located.

SAN FRANCISCO • Location: Swensen’s Ice Cream, 1999 Hyde St., San Francisco • Time: 1:45 p.m. check-in, 2–4:30 p.m. walk • Notes: Take Muni (Bus 45) or a taxi; there is absolutely no parking on Russian Hill; please take a taxi or public transport; the tour ends about six blocks from Swensen’s Ice Cream, at the corner of Vallejo and Jones; it is an easy walk down to North Beach from there; there are steep hills and staircases; the tour is recommended for good walkers only; the tour operates rain or shine; limited to 20 participants; tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be sold at check-in DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017-2018

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Physician Burnout 12/7

PHYSICIAN BURNOUT: A PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS

Thomas Bodenheimer, M.D., Professor of Family and Community Medicine and Founding Director of the Center for Excellence in Primary Care, UC San Francisco Bridget Duffy, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, Vocera; Co-Founder, Experience Innovation Network David R. Strand, Operating Partner, Abundant Venture Partners Suvas Vajracharya, Ph.D., CEO, Lightning Bolt Solutions Inc.

Emotional exhaustion, loss of a purpose, risk of medical errors and a feeling of ineffectiveness. These are just a few symptoms a doctor may have when experiencing physician burnout. According to a study from the Department of Medicine Program on Physician Well-Being at Mayo Clinic, 54 percent of U.S. physicians had at least one symptom of professional burnout in 2014. Projections from the Department of Health and Human Services suggest that by 2020, the U.S. will face a shortage of 50,000 physicians. Physician burnout has a significant impact on organizational productivity, morale, costs and the quality of care being delivered. In fact, according to an article by Daniela Drake, M.D., MBA, 9 of 10 doctors discourage others from joining the profession, and 300 physicians commit suicide every year. The discussion from this esteemed panel will include the symptoms of physician burnout; how physician burnout affects patients, the doctor’s staff, colleagues, and the general health care system; and what to do about this major health care crisis. SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program • MLF: Health & Medicine • Program organizer: Patty James

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Iliza Shlesinger 12/8

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8 ILIZA SHLESINGER: COMEDY AND COMMENTARY

Iliza Shlesinger, Comedian, Netflix StandUp Specials: “Confirmed Kills,” “Freezing Hot” and “War Paint”; Creator and Host, “Truth & Iliza”; Creator and Star, “Forever 31”; Author, Girl Logic: The Genius and the Absurdity Alexis Pence, YouTube and Twitch Star, “LetsGetLexi”—Moderator

Iliza Shlesinger hit comedy gold when she became the only woman and youngest comedian to be named NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” in 2008, and she’s been on the rise ever since. She has starred in several hit Netflix comedy specials and is the creator and star of “Forever 31” on Hulu and the late-night show “Truth & Iliza” on Freeform. On all platforms, she provides a mix of feminism, social commentary, on-point voices and characters, and a fresh take on the comedy scene. Now, Shlesinger brings her signature wit to her new book, Girl Logic: The Genius and the Absurdity—we know it’ll be funny and insightful for both the men and women in the audience. Spend an evening with Iliza Shlesinger and get the inside scoop from one of comedy’s rising talents.

SAN FRANCISCO • INFORUM PROGRAM • Location: Marines’ Memorial Theatre, 609 Sutter St., San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:45 p.m. book signing

MONDAY, DECEMBER 11 THE SEVENTH ANNUAL STEPHEN H. SCHNEIDER AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CLIMATE SCIENCE COMMUNICATION

Michael Mann, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Meteorology, Penn State University Greg Dalton, Founder & Host, Climate One

Stephen H. Schneider Award 12/11

The seventh annual Stephen Schneider Award will be awarded to Michael Mann. According to Schneider Award juror Ben Santer, “Professor Mike Mann has been a world leader in scientific efforts to understand the natural variability of the climate system and to reconstruct global temperature variations over the past two millennia. This critically important work led to the famous ‘hockey-stick’ temperature reconstruction. The hockey stick provides compelling evidence for the emergence of a human-caused warming signal from the background noise of natural fluctuations in climate.” This year’s award ceremony will take place in New Orleans in December during the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union. Details about location will be announced soon. The award is underwritten by Tom R. Burns, Nora Machado and Michael Haas. LOUISIANA • CLIMATE ONE PROGRAM • Location: The Hilton New Orleans Riverside, 2 Poydras St., New Orleans • Time: 6 p.m. checkin, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. networking reception

THE HELLO GIRLS: AMERICA’S FIRST WOMEN SOLDIERS

Elizabeth Cobbs, Melbern G. Glasscock Professor of History, Texas A&M University; Research Fellow, Hoover Institution at Stanford University; Author, The Hello Girls: America’s First Women Soldiers

The Hello Girls tells the captivating story of America’s first women soldiers and their fight for equality. It details how these soldiers helped win World War I and earned women the right to vote. In 1918, the U.S. Army Signal Corps sent 223 women to France. They were masters of the latest technology: the telephone switch-

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America’s First Women Soldiers 12/11

board. General John Pershing, commander of the American Expeditionary Forces, demanded female “wire experts” when he discovered that inexperienced doughboys were unable to keep him connected with troops under fire. While suffragettes picketed the White House and President Woodrow Wilson struggled to persuade a segregationist Congress to give women of all races the vote, these competent and courageous young women swore the Army oath. In this program, Elizabeth Cobbs will also reveal how, after serving under fire on the front, the Hello Girls were dismissed without veteran’s benefits. They continued to fight hard for equal treatment until their work was finally recognized. SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing • MLF: Humanities • Program organizer: George Hammond

WEEK TO WEEK POLITICS ROUNDTABLE AND HOLIDAY SOCIAL HOUR 12/11/17

Carson Bruno, Assistant Dean for Admission and Program Relations, School of Public Policy, Pepperdine University; Author, California Realpolitik Newsletter Joe Garofoli, Senior Political Writer, San Francisco Chronicle Barbara Marshman, Editorial Pages Editor, Mercury News

Join us for our year-end Week to Week and members holiday social! It’s been a long year, and you deserve an opportunity to mingle with other Club members and guests, talk politics, and make good holiday cheer. During our political roundtable, we’ll discuss the biggest, most controversial and sometimes the surprising political issues with expert

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Daniel Ellsberg 12/12

America’s High-Priced Health Care 12/13

commentary by panelists who are smart, are civil and have a good sense of humor. Join our panelists for informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, audience discussion of the week’s events, and our live news quiz! And come early before the program to meet other smart and engaged individuals and discuss the news over snacks and wine at our holiday members social (open to all attendees).

hower administration for all-out nuclear war. Ellsberg will also discuss his fears that the Trump administration’s current policies will plunge the world’s great powers back into a costly arms race with the potential for global annihilation.

SAN FRANCISCO • WEEK TO WEEK PROGRAM • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. wine-and-snacks social, 6:30 p.m. program

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12 DANIEL ELLSBERG: THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE

Daniel Ellsberg, Senior Fellow, the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation; Author, The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner In Conversation with Dr. Gloria Duffy, President and CEO, The Commonwealth Club

In 1971, young defense analyst Daniel Ellsberg took on the Nixon administration, risking his career and freedom to leak the Pentagon Papers and show the world that the U.S. government had lied repeatedly about winning the war in Vietnam. Since then, Ellsberg has been a tireless activist for freedom of the press, whistleblowers’ rights and government accountability. Now, for the first time, Ellsberg is sharing his findings from his most ambitious project yet, The Doomsday Machine—a stunning insider’s tale of the American nuclear regime in the 1960s. Ellsberg will reveal the terrifying truth behind the American Cold War defense strategy, from the disturbingly large number of people with the ability to initiate a nuclear strike to the shocking plans developed by the Eisen-

SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. checkin, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. book signing • Notes: Ellsberg photo by Mark Costantini/San Francisco Chronicle

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 13 DECONSTRUCTING AMERICA’S HIGH-PRICED HEALTH CARE

Elisabeth Rosenthal, Editor-in-Chief, Kaiser Health News; Former Senior Writer, The New York Times; Author, An American Sickness: How Healthcare Became Big Business and How You Can Take It Back

The Seventh Annual Lundberg Institute Lecture focuses on how the U.S. health-care industry became big business. It is now by far the most expensive in the world, with prices for drugs, procedures and hospitalizations many times that of those in other developed countries—and generally without better care or results. Its evolution over the last three decades moved it from a caring endeavor to a financially driven system. Elisabeth Rosenthal will trace how commercial forces and interests insinuated themselves, step by step, so no one protested much. But we now live in a system where medical machinery comes with brochures on how to recoup return on investment (ROI), and ambulance companies as well as dialysis units are owned by venture capital firms. Still, while explaining ways to push back, Rosenthal’s ultimate message is one of optimism and hope. SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. netDECEMBER/JANUARY 2017-2018

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Dog Years, by Melissa Yancy 12/13 working reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing • MLF: Humanities • Program organizer: George Hammond • Notes: In association with the Lundberg Institute

READING CALIFORNIANS BOOK DISCUSSION: DOG YEARS, BY MELISSA YANCY Dog Years was the gold medal winner of The Commonwealth Club’s 2017 California Book Awards in the first fiction category. This novel is a collection of emotionally and morally complex stories, many of which take place in the world of medicine. These richly layered stories juxtapose the miracles of modern medicine against the inescapable frustrations of everyday life: awkward first dates, the indignities of air travel and overwhelming megastore cereal aisles. Melissa Yancy’s personal experience in the milieus of hospitals, medicine and family services infuse her narratives with a rare texture and gravity. Keenly observant, offering both sharp humor and humanity, these stories explore the ties that bind. SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program • MLF: Reading Californians Book Discussion • Program organizer: Betty Bullock

A TALE OF TWO CITIES: LEADERS FROM DETROIT AND SAN FRANCISCO DISCUSS HOW TO STRENGTHEN COMMUNITIES

Tonya Allen, CEO, the Skillman Foundation Fred Blackwell, CEO, the San Francisco Foundation Mina Kim, Anchor and Host, KQED—Moderator

San Francisco and Detroit are each home to highly diverse and vibrant communities with strong community leaders and anchor

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Roots of Peace: Mines to Vines 12/15

institutions, but they suffer from historic disinvestment and are in need of greater economic vitality, more investments, updated infrastructure and civic attention—especially for issues relating to children. In neighborhoods across these two geographies, community leaders, advocates and policymakers are seeking solutions and looking for equitable development strategies that can allow communities to thrive. In this forum, Fred Blackwell, CEO of the San Francisco Foundation, and Tonya Allen, CEO of Detroit’s Skillman Foundation, will discuss with KQED’s Mina Kim how they have attempted to tackle the enduring challenge of strengthening communities in their regions. What have they learned? What went well? What would they do differently? SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:45 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14 THE MICHELLE MEOW SHOW

Michelle Meow, Host, “The Michelle Meow Show”; President, SF Pride John Zipperer, Host, Week to Week Political Roundtable, The Commonwealth Club

SAN FRANCISCO • MICHELLE MEOW PROGRAM • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 9:45 a.m. check-in, 10 a.m. program

WATERFRONT WALKING TOUR Join Rick Evans for his new walking tour exploring the historic sites of the waterfront

neighborhood that surround Commonwealth Club headquarters. Hear the dynamic stories of the entrepreneurs, controversial artists and labor organizers who created this recently revitalized neighborhood. This tour will give you a lively overview of the historic significance of this neighborhood and a close look at the ongoing development. SAN FRANCISCO • Location: Boulevard Restaurant, 1 Mission St., San Francisco • Time: 1:45 p.m. check-in, 2-4:30 p.m. walk • Notes: The tour operates rain or shine; limited to 20 participants; tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be sold at check-in

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15 ROOTS OF PEACE: MINES TO VINES

Heidi Kuhn, CEO and Founder, Roots of Peace Michael Pappas, Executive Director, San Francisco Interfaith Council—Moderator

Twenty years ago, Heidi Kuhn, a former reporter for major media networks, founded Roots of Peace, a charity dedicated to removing the worldwide scourge of land mines and creating thriving farmland in countries dealing with and recovering from conflicts and economic instability. In Afghanistan, for example, over 5 million fruit trees have been planted. Kuhn, who has received numerous prestigious rewards, will discuss her work for Roots of Peace, an organization that turns seeds of terror into seeds of hope.

SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 11:30 a.m. checkin, noon program • MLF: Middle East • Program organizer: Celia Menczel

MONDAY, DECEMBER 18

SOCRATES CAFÉ One Monday evening of every month the Humanities Forum sponsors Socrates Café at The Commonwealth Club. Each meeting is

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Pythagoras and the Search for Universal Harmony 1/8

devoted to the discussion of a philosophical topic chosen at that meeting. The group’s facilitator, John Nyquist, invites participants to suggest topics, which are then voted on. The person who proposed the most popular topic is asked to briefly explain why she or he considers that topic interesting and important. An open discussion follows, and the meeting ends with a summary of the various perspectives participants expressed. Everyone is welcome to attend. SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30–8 p.m. program • MLF: Humanities • Program organizer: George Hammond

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 3 BEN FRANKLIN CIRCLES Join us monthly, every first Wednesday, for a 21st-century version of Ben Franklin’s mutual improvement club. One evening a week, for more than 40 years, the founding father discussed and debated with his friends the 13 virtues that he felt formed the basis for personal and civic improvement, a list he created when he was 20 years old. The virtues to which he aspired included justice, resolution and humility. (But don’t misunderstand Ben on that one—his explanation of humility was “imitate Jesus and Socrates.”) SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program • MLF: Humanities • Program organizer: George Hammond

THURSDAY, JANUARY 4 THE MICHELLE MEOW SHOW

Michelle Meow, Host, “The Michelle Meow Show”; President, SF Pride John Zipperer, Host, Week to Week Political Roundtable, The Commonwealth Club

Michelle Meow brings her long-running radio

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Harm to Home: A Refugee’s Journey to the Bay 10/17

program to The Commonwealth Club, each Thursday recording her program before a live audience. Each week, she will talk with fascinating—and often controversial—folks involved in timely issues affecting the LGBTQ audience.

SAN FRANCISCO • MICHELLE MEOW PROGRAM • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 9:45 a.m. check-in, 10 a.m. program

MONDAY, JANUARY 8 PYTHAGORAS AND THE SEARCH FOR UNIVERSAL HARMONY

Kayleen Asbo, Ph.D., Faculty Member of Mythological Studies, Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara; Faculty Member at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes, UC Berkeley, Dominican University and Sonoma State

Monday Night Philosophy revisits Pythagoras’s conception of harmonious order in the universe. While most of us are familiar with Pythagoras only through the theorem we imbibed as high school students, his place in history is far deeper and greater: first philosopher, hidden root of Platonic ideals, father of western music harmony, architect of medieval education, and demigod of myth and legend. In this multimedia presentation, learn how the Pythagorean search for underlying patterns in the cosmos shaped much of western civilization and has renewed relevance for us today.

SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. checkin, 6 p.m. program • Notes: In association with Humanities West

WEEK TO WEEK POLITICS ROUNDTABLE AND SOCIAL HOUR 1/8/18 Panelists TBA

Start your year with a free-for-members

Week to Week and social hour. We’ll preview what to expect in the new year, as well as discuss the biggest, most controversial and sometimes the surprising political issues with expert commentary by panelists who are smart, are civil and have a good sense of humor. Join our panelists for informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, audience discussion of the week’s events, and our live news quiz! And come early before the program to meet other smart and engaged individuals and discuss the news over snacks and wine at our holiday members social (open to all attendees).

SAN FRANCISCO • WEEK TO WEEK PROGRAM • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. wine-and-snacks social, 6:30 p.m. program

TUESDAY, JANUARY 9 HARM TO HOME: A REFUGEE’S JOURNEY TO THE BAY

Karen Ferguson, Ph.D., Executive Director for Northern California Offices, International Rescue Committee Valerie Kurka, Community Engagement Coordinator, Peace Corps Community for the Support of Refugees (Affiliate of Northern California Peace Corps Association)

The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is one of nine resettlement agencies in the United States. They currently resettle 15 percent of all refugees who come to the United States each year—totaling 2,800 just in Northern California in the past year. Karen Ferguson will discuss the Trump administration’s perspective on refugees, the work the IRC is doing in Northern California and how they expect that work to change. She will inform the audience about the resettlement process and which refugee populations we see most often in the Bay Area. The discussion DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017-2018

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Is Silicon Valley As Green As It Claims? 1/11

will also include refugee success stories as well as false rumors about one of the world’s most vulnerable populations. SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program • MLF: International Relations • Program organizer: Karen Keefer • Notes: In association with Northern California Peace Corps Association

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 10 ENTREPRENEUR JOE SANBERG: ENSURING EVERYONE WHO WORKS CAN ACHIEVE LIFE’S BASIC NEEDS

Joe Sanberg, Progressive Entrepreneur Lenny Mendonca, Director Emeritus, McKinsey and Company; Member, Commonwealth Club Board of Governors

Two of five Californians live in poverty or just above the poverty line. A staggering three out of four couldn’t weather an emergency expense of $700 or more. In these tough economic times, progressive entrepreneur Joe Sanberg hopes to create a future where everyone who works can afford life’s basic needs. This is why Sanberg has been the leading advocate for a California state earned income tax credit (CalEITC), a cash back tax refund that works in tandem with the federal EITC to ensure that all who work are able to afford life’s basic needs. After successfully advocating for the state-level credit to be adopted, Sanberg created the grassroots campaign CalEITC4Me to connect working Californians to $2 billion of state and federal credits since 2015. Last spring, his organization won a massive expansion of the credit so that three times more families—1.7 million—will be eligible to earn the credit. Sanberg is also co-founder of Aspiration.com, a socially conscious online financial firm that puts people and the planet first. In his advocacy and entrepreneurial pur-

THE COMMO N WE AL TH

suits, Sanberg focuses on keeping the dignity of the human experience central. Join an uplifting and time-sensitive conversation with Sanberg about how we advance public policies that address California’s economic crisis. SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:45 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program

THURSDAY, JANUARY 11 THE MICHELLE MEOW SHOW

Michelle Meow, Host, “The Michelle Meow Show”; President, SF Pride John Zipperer, Host, Week to Week Political Roundtable, The Commonwealth Club

Michelle Meow brings her long-running radio program to the Club, each Thursday recording her program before a live audience. She will talk with fascinating—and often controversial—folks involved in timely issues affecting the LGBTQ audience. SAN FRANCISCO • MICHELLE MEOW PRO-

GRAM • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 9:45 a.m. check-in, 10 a.m. program

SAN FRANCISCO ARCHITECTURE WALKING TOUR Explore San Francisco’s Financial District with historian Rick Evans and learn the history and stories behind some of our city’s remarkable structures, streets and public squares. Hear about the famous architects that influenced the building of San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake. Discover hard-to-find rooftop gardens, art deco lobbies, unique open spaces and historic landmarks. This is a tour for locals, with hidden gems you can only find on foot!

SAN FRANCISCO • Location: Galleria Park Hotel, 191 Sutter St., San Francisco • Time: 1:45 p.m.

check-in, 2-4:30 p.m. walk • Notes: The tour involves walking up and down stairs but covers less than one mile of walking in the Financial District; the tour operates rain or shine; Limited to 20 participants; tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be sold at check-in

IN THE FIELDS OF THE NORTH

Bruce Hamilton, Labor Activist, Photographer, Journalist José Padilla, Executive Director, California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA)

David Bacon has spent his life as a union organizer and activist focused on issues related to labor, immigration and international politics. In his landmark work of photojournalism, In the Fields of the North/En los campos del norte, he combines haunting photographs with the voices of migrant farmworkers, documenting the experiences of some of the hardest-working and most disenfranchised laborers in the country: the farmworkers responsible for making California “America’s breadbasket.” José Padilla will add to Bacon’s account of abuse, which also includes sexual abuse, in the labor contractor work system. He will comment on California Rural Legal Assistance’s (CRLA) role in fighting and winning against an almost feudal labor system in America’s fields. SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing • MLF: International Relations • Program organizer: Norma Walden

IS SILICON VALLEY AS GREEN AS IT CLAIMS?

Suzanne DiBianca, Executive Vice President of Corporate Relations and Chief Philanthropy Officer, Salesforce Lynelle Preston Cameron, President, CEO

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Network for Africa & Waging Peace 1/12

and Senior Director of Sustainability, Autodesk Foundation Greg Dalton, Founder and Host, Climate One Additional Speakers TBA

Tech companies are cleaning up their data centers and building shiny new buildings that sip water and energy. But are these companies really as green as they claim to be? How do we know they aren’t just greenwashing? Many tech and industrial companies have issued statements in support of the Paris climate agreement, but will they spend energy supporting something that seems so distant from their daily operations and bottom line? Sustainability officers also deal with other issues such as trying to build housing near jobs, getting people to those jobs in something other than single-occupant vehicles and handling the carbon impacts of the food served in their sumptuous company cafés. In making these changes, are companies able to infuse sustainable lifestyles into American culture? What other social issues are firing up tech companies in this new political context? SAN FRANCISCO • CLIMATE ONE PROGRAM • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. networking reception

FRIDAY, JANUARY 12 NETWORK FOR AFRICA AND WAGING PEACE: HELPING FORGOTTEN VICTIMS OF VIOLENCE

Rebecca Tinsley, Humanitarian; Lawyer; Author, When the Stars Fall to Earth

Rebecca Tinsley, who graduated from the London School of Economics and was a BBC reporter, became a humanitarian after reporting on the war in Darfur. She will discuss her work for Waging Peace, the first nongovernmental organization (NGO) she founded.

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Inside Private Prisons 1/16

She will also discuss Sudanese dissidents and her second NGO, Network for Africa, which helps forgotten survivors (e.g., former child soldiers in Uganda) as well as communities torn apart by war and genocide. She will sign copies of her novel, When the Stars Fell to Earth, which is centered around the conflict in Darfur. SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 11:30 a.m. checkin, noon program, 1 p.m. book signing • MLF: Middle East • Program organizer: Celia Menzcel

TUESDAY, JANUARY 16 INSIDE PRIVATE PRISONS: AN AMERICAN DILEMMA IN THE AGE OF MASS INCARCERATION

Lauren-Brooke Eisen, Senior Counsel, Brennan Center for Justice; Author, Inside Private Prisons: An American Dilemma in the Age of Mass Incarceration

When the tough-on-crime politics of the 1980s overcrowded state prisons, private companies saw potential profit in building and operating correctional facilities. Today, more than 100,000 of the 1.5 million incarcerated Americans are held in private prisons in 29 states and federal correctional facilities, with annual revenues of $5 billion. Lauren-Brooke Eisen’s work blends investigative reporting with quantitative and historical research to examine private prisons through the eyes of inmates, their families, correctional staff, policymakers, activists, Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees, undocumented immigrants, and the executives of America’s largest private prison corporations. Neither an endorsement nor a demonization, Eisen’s Inside Private Prisons details the complicated and perverse incentives rooted in the industry, from mandatory bed occupancy to

Breast Cancer Prevention 1/17

vested interests in mass incarceration. This book is a blueprint for policymakers to reform practices and for concerned citizens to understand our changing prison systems.

SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing • MLF: Humanities • Program organizer: George Hammond

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17 NATURAL APPROACHES TO BREAST CANCER PREVENTION

Christine Horner, M.D., FACS, Surgeon, Author, Natural Health Expert, Champion for Women’s Health

An unspoken fear haunts many women today—the fear that breast cancer is inevitable and that the clock is ticking. Everyone knows someone who has been affected. That’s because breast cancer has reached epidemic proportions in the United States. What can we do about it? The answer is: a lot. Research shows that breast cancer is a largely preventable disease. In this seminar, Christine Horner shares lifesaving information, including the many research-proven natural approaches—what to do and what not to do—that can dramatically protect against breast cancer and help women who have this disease improve their chances of surviving it. Horner spearheaded legislation in the 1990s that made it mandatory for insurance companies to pay for breast reconstruction following a mastectomy. Join us and learn over 30 different lifesaving dietary, supplemental and lifestyle choices proven to be highly effective against the development and progression of breast cancer. These same techniques also help protect against many other diseases and help one achieve and maintain excellent health. SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The EmbarDECEMBER/JANUARY 2017-2018

For current prices, call 415.597.6705 or go to commonwealthclub.org

Enemy of the State 1/17 cadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program • MLF: Health & Medicine • Program organizer: Adrea Brier

ENEMY OF THE STATE: HOW THE MEDIA ARE EVOLVING IN A FACT-FREE ENVIRONMENT Panelists TBA

Less than a month into his presidency, Donald Trump tweeted that the “fake news media is not my enemy. It is the enemy of the American people.” How does this rhetoric change the public’s trust in the media and the role journalism plays in a democratic society at a time when social media has changed the way we receive information? With misinformation and partisan content influencing public opinion, journalism is reimagining its role in what has become a fact-free, post-truth environment. According to a 2016 Gallup poll, only 32 percent of Americans felt “they have a great deal or fair amount of trust in the media.” The media are finding ways to adapt in this current environment while continuing to inform an increasingly divided audience. The San Francisco Foundation is bringing together the Bay Area’s leading journalists and social media professionals to discuss the convergence of journalism, social media and the news.

SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6 p.m. program • Notes: This event is the latest in the San Francisco Foundation’s series on People, Place and Power

THURSDAY, JANUARY 18 THE MICHELLE MEOW SHOW

Michelle Meow, Host, “The Michelle Meow Show”; President, SF Pride John Zipperer, Host, Week to Week Political

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Decarbonizing America’s Electricity Infastructure 1/18

Roundtable, The Commonwealth Club

Michelle Meow brings her long-running radio program to The Commonwealth Club, each Thursday recording her program before a live audience. Each week, she will talk with fascinating—and often controversial—folks involved in timely issues affecting the LGBTQ audience. SAN FRANCISCO • MICHELLE MEOW PROGRAM • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 9:45 a.m. check-in, 10 a.m. program

DECARBONIZING AMERICA’S ELECTRICITY INFRASTRUCTURE

Mason Willrich, Independent Energy Consultant; Author, Energy and World Politics and Non-Proliferation Treaty: Framework for Nuclear Arms Control

America’s electricity infrastructure is aging. Mason Willrich will describe the ownership and operation of this infrastructure and the web of state and federal policies that govern it. He will present a coherent national strategy for modernizing our infrastructure, including expansion of energy efficiency, wind, solar, nuclear and other carbon-free resources for power generation. SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program • MLF: Environment & Natural Resources • Program organizer: Ann Clark

DR. GLORIA DUFFY: GETTING THINGS DONE

Dr. Gloria Duffy, President and CEO, The Commonwealth Club

See website for details.

SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program

PATTY MCCORD: BUILDING CULTURE

Patty McCord, Former Chief Talent Officer, Netflix; Author, Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility Jenny Dearborn, Chief Learning Officer, SAP—Moderator

When it comes to recruiting, motivating and creating great teams, Patty McCord says most companies have it all wrong. She argues that the old standbys of corporate HR—annual performance reviews, retention plans, employee empowerment and engagement programs—often end up being a waste of time and resources. McCord was the chief talent officer at Netflix for 14 years and helped create the company’s culture deck. Since its posting, the culture deck has been viewed more than 15 million times. She draws on her experience and offers a different path for creating a culture of high performance and profitability.

SILICON VALLEY • Location: Schultz Hall, Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto • Time: 6:30 p.m. check-in, 7 p.m. program, 8 p.m. book signing

MONDAY JANUARY 22 WEEK TO WEEK POLITICS ROUNDTABLE AND SOCIAL HOUR 1/22/18 Panelists TBA

One year after Donald Trump’s inauguration, American politics is still in turmoil. We’ll discuss the biggest, most controversial and sometimes the surprising political issues with expert commentary by panelists who are smart, are civil and have a good sense of humor. Join our panelists for informative and engaging commentary on political and other

For current prices, call 415.597.6705 or go to commonwealthclub.org

The Accidental President 1/23

major news, audience discussion of the week’s events, and our live news quiz. And come early before the program to meet other smart and engaged individuals and discuss the news over snacks and wine at our holiday members social (open to all attendees).

SAN FRANCISCO • WEEK TO WEEK PROGRAM • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. wine-and-snacks social, 6:30 p.m. program

SOCRATES CAFÉ Each meeting is devoted to the discussion of a philosophical topic chosen at that meeting. The group’s facilitator, John Nyquist, invites participants to suggest topics, which are then voted on. The person who proposed the most popular topic is asked to briefly explain why she or he considers that topic interesting and important. An open discussion follows, and the meeting ends with a summary of the various perspectives participants expressed. SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 6 p.m. check-in, 6:30–8 p.m. program • MLF: Humanities • Program organizer: George Hammond

AN EVENING WITH MACARTHUR FELLOWS: BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS TO STEM EDUCATION

Deborah Bial, Founder and President, the Posse Foundation Jim Fruchterman, Founder and CEO, Benetech Additional Panelists TBA

Science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) jobs are projected to grow 17 percent between 2014 and 2024 compared to just 12 percent for non-STEM related fields. Many of those jobs will reside right here in Silicon Valley. That’s the good news. The bad news is that despite progress,

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Niall Ferguson 1/24

minorities, women and people with disabilities are still severely underrepresented in STEM-related fields. If the future of Silicon Valley relies on a STEM-educated workforce, what can we do today to ensure that our workforce is as diverse as possible tomorrow? Join us for a conversation with MacArthur Fellows who are actively involved in facilitating access to STEM education for core underrepresented populations. The panelists will discuss the barriers to STEM education and how to break them down. SV• Location: Schultz Hall, Oshman Family JCC, 3921 Fabian Way, Palo Alto • Time: 6:15 pm networking and check-in, 7 p.m. program

TUESDAY, JANUARY 23 THE ACCIDENTAL PRESIDENT

A.J. Baime, Author, The Accidental President: Harry S. Truman and the Four Months That Changed the World

A.J. Baime takes on the dramatic story of Harry Truman’s first four months in office, when, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance, the small-town farmer and haberdasher stepped into FDR’s shoes to take on Germany, Japan and Stalin. Heroes are often defined as ordinary characters who get thrust into extraordinary circumstances and, through courage and a dash of luck, cement their place in history. When Truman was chosen as vice president for his well-praised work ethic, good judgment and lack of enemies, he was still an obscure Missouri politician. But during the founding of the UN, the Potsdam Conference, the Manhattan Project, the Nazi surrender, the liberation of concentration camps and the decision to drop the atom bomb, Truman had to play both judge and jury. Tightly focused and meticulously researched using previously unavailable papers, Baime’s tale escorts

readers into the president’s situation room during these tumultuous 120 days.

SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing • MLF: Humanities • Program organizer: George Hammond • Notes: Part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24

NIALL FERGUSON

Niall Ferguson, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution, Author, The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook

From his views of Islam in the West to his assertion that the United States should once again become a colonial power, conservative historian Niall Ferguson has never shied away from challenging established views or offering provocative opinions. Ferguson is now posing a new challenge to the traditional orthodoxy of history. Many historians subscribe to the idea that history is driven by leaders and political elites, but Ferguson argues that networks of people, not individuals, are responsible for producing and promoting the great political, economic and philosophic ideas that have guided Western society from its humble origins to its present greatness. SAN FRANCISCO • Location: TBA • Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program, 7:30 p.m. book signing • Notes: Ferguson photo by Tom Barnes

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25 THE MICHELLE MEOW SHOW

Michelle Meow, Host, “The Michelle Meow Show”; President, SF Pride John Zipperer, Host, Week to Week Political DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017-2018

For current prices, call 415.597.6705 or go to commonwealthclub.org

Chinatown Walking Tour 1/25

Roundtable, The Commonwealth Club

Michelle Meow brings her long-running radio program to The Commonwealth Club, each Thursday recording her program before a live audience. She will talk with fascinating—and often controversial—folks involved in timely issues affecting the LGBTQ audience. SAN FRANCISCO • MICHELLE MEOW PROGRAM • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 9:45 a.m. check-in, 10 a.m. program

CHINATOWN WALKING TOUR Enjoy a Commonwealth Club neighborhood adventure. Join Rick Evans for a memorable midday walk and discover the history and mysteries of Chinatown. Explore colorful alleys and side streets. Visit a Taoist temple, an herbal store, the site of the first public school in the state and the famous Fortune Cookie Factory.

SAN FRANCISCO • Location: Starbucks, 359 Grant Ave., San Francisco • Time: 9:45 a.m. checkin, 10–12:30 p.m. walk • Notes: The temple visit requires walking up three flights of stairs; the tour operates rain or shine; limited to 12 participants; tickets must be purchased in advance and will not be sold at check-in

THE RAINBOW CIRCUMNAVIGATION: STORIES FROM THE FIRST OPENLY GAY MAN TO SAIL AROUND THE WORLD

Larry Jacobson, TEDx Speaker, Life Planning Coach, Author, The Boy Behind the Gate

Join six-time award-winning author, twotime TEDx speaker, executive and life planning coach Larry Jacobson, as he brings you on board the sailing vessel Julia for the ride of your life. With personal insight, wisdom and humor, Jacobson will share funny, scary and romantic stories from his six-year odyssey.

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He will answer questions such as: How were he and his openly gay crew received? Were there problems flying the rainbow flag all the way around the world? How did Jacobson deal with his fears? What scared him the most: pirates, storms, tsunamis or Texans? You’ll learn more about Jacobson’s method for managing fear, which he developed while at sea. Jacobson will also be signing his award-winning memoir, an Amazon No. 1 best seller, The Boy Behind the Gate. SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program • MLF: LGBT • Program organizer: Wes McGaughey

MONDAY, JANUARY 29 MIDDLE EAST FORUM DISCUSSION The Middle East Forum discussion group, which primarily covers the Middle East, North Africa and Afghanistan, has been meeting monthly for about 10 years. We are not a debate group. We discuss timely, cultural subjects in a civil atmosphere with respect for others and their opinions.

SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5 p.m. check-in, 5:30 p.m. program • MLF: Middle East • Program organizer: Celia Menczel

GRIEF AND LOSS: FINDING VITALITY AND JOY THROUGH THE HEART OF SORROW

Francis Weller, MFT, Psychotherapist; Writer; Soul Activist

Is there anyone that has not been touched by grief or loss? Few people are prepared to face the inevitable challenges that arise when sorrow enters our lives. Through lecture, poetry and conversation, this program will help people touch the wild edge of sorrow, learn to release grief and embrace the joys of living

The Rainbow Circumnavigation 1/25

lives fully. Many people often feel overwhelmed when grief confronts them, unable to digest sorrow. Weller will offer guidance on how to grieve in ways that are healing and life-giving. Living as we do, in a grief-phobic culture, we often submerge grief. People are then left disconnected from both the vitality of their lives and from other people we care about. This lecture will present ways to deal with grief. It will delve into the mysteries that surround grief and the hidden folds of meaning that are held within this difficult landscape. It will explore the ways in which grief deepens people’s capacity for compassion, the obstacles to grieving fully, and the necessity of community and ritual to help people express sorrows. Francis Weller is a master of synthesizing diverse streams of thought from psychology, anthropology, mythology, alchemy, indigenous cultures and poetic traditions. Author of The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief and The Threshold Between Loss and Revelation (with Rashani Réa), he has introduced the healing work of ritual to thousands of people. SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. checkin, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing • MLF: Health & Medicine • Program organizer: Adrea Brier

CHINA’S INVESTMENTS IN THE U.S.: TOXIC OR TONIC?

Pin Ni, President, Wanxiang America Corporation (a Wholly Owned U.S. Subsidiary of Wanxiang Group Company in Hangzhou, China) Yukon Huang, Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment; Former Country Director for China, World Bank George Koo, D.Sc., Former Vice Chairman, Committee of 100; Online Contributor, Asia

For current prices, call 415.597.6705 or go to commonwealthclub.org

China’s Investments in the U.S.: Toxic or Tonic? 1/29

Times—Moderator

Some pundits and politicians imply that investments from China are somehow not aboveboard and are detrimental to the U.S. economy. Most of the American public has likely not heard of Wanxiang America, even though this company has been investing in and acquiring U.S. companies since 1994 (mainly in the automotive parts and components sector), with the company’s annual revenue topping $4 billion. In January 2016, Pin Ni was honored as the most influential business person of the year by the China General Chamber of Commerce–U.S.A. Come hear a fascinating discussion about a company that serves as a case study, shedding light on the pros and cons of China’s monetary power in America. SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. check-in, 6:30 p.m. program • Notes: In association with the Committee of 100

TUESDAY, JANUARY 30 STALIN: WAITING FOR HITLER, 1929–1941

Stephen Kotkin, John P. Birkelund Professor in History and International Affairs, Princeton University; Fellow, Hoover Institution at Stanford University; Author, Stalin: Waiting for Hitler, 1929–1941

Pulitzer Prize finalist Stephen Kotkin continues his definitive biography of Stalin with a second volume, Stalin: Waiting for Hitler, 1929–1941, which covers collectivization and the Great Terror until the eve of the war with Hitler’s Germany. Once Stalin had achieved dictatorial power over the Soviet empire, he began transforming Russia’s vast peasant economy into a modern socialist one, using the most relentless campaign of shock indus-

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trialization the world had ever seen. This is the story of five-year plans, new factory towns and the integration of a huge system of penal labor into the larger economy. With the Great Depression throwing global capitalism into crisis, the New Soviet man looked like the man of the future. But as the shadows of the 1930s deepened, Stalin’s urgent transformations challenged the ambitions of Nazi Germany, and Hitler declared that communism was simply a global Judeo-Bolshevik conspiracy to bring the Slavic race to power. Stalin’s paranoia wreaked havoc on Soviet life and severely weakened its military leadership, diplomatic corps and intelligence apparatus. His 1939 pact with Hitler left the Soviet Union further unprepared for World War II. In just 12 years of power, Stalin had taken his country from a peasant economy to a formidable modern war machine. SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 5:30 p.m. networking reception, 6 p.m. program, 7 p.m. book signing • MLF: Humanities • Program organizer: George Hammond • Notes: Stephen Kotkin photo copyright Soyoung Lee; part of our Good Lit series, underwritten by the Bernard Osher Foundation

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1 THE MICHELLE MEOW SHOW

Michelle Meow, Host, “The Michelle Meow Show”; President, SF Pride John Zipperer, Host, Week to Week Political Roundtable, The Commonwealth Club

Stalin: Waiting for Hitler 1/30

sial—folks involved in timely issues affecting the LGBTQ audience. SAN FRANCISCO • MICHELLE MEOW PROGRAM • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: 9:45 a.m. check-in, 10 a.m. program

SILICON VALLEY READS 2018 NO MATTER WHAT: CARING, COPING, COMPASSION

Rachel Khong, Author, Goodbye, Vitamin Mark Lukach, Author, My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward Sal Pizarro, Columnist, The Mercury News— Moderator

Rachel Khong and Mark Lukach bring together the stories of two families that found renewed love and commitment after being thrust into caregiving roles. Khong’s novel chronicles the life of a young women who returns home to care for her father who has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Lukach’s memoir is about his wife’s experience with mental illness. Together, they look at the role of caregivers and how it often takes a community to tackle life’s most challenging situations.

SILICON VALLEY • Location: De Anza College, Visual and Arts Performing Center, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino • Time: 6:45 p.m. doors open, 7:30 p.m. program, 8:30 p.m. book signing • Notes: Presented by the Santa Clara County Library District, the San José Public Library, the Santa Clara County Office of Education and De Anza College

LATE-BREAKING PROGRAMS JANUARY 26: BANK OF AMERICA/ MERRILL LYNCH WALTER E. HOADLEY ECONOMIC FORECAST Panelists TBA

See website for details.

SAN FRANCISCO • Location: 110 The Embarcadero, San Francisco • Time: TBA DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017-2018

INSIGHT Getting Things Done

Dr. Gloria C. Duffy, President and CEO

any dramatic problems face the United States today, including what to do about Russia, North Korea, healthcare, immigration, gun violence and climate change. One of our most serious difficulties today is not just these challenges, but our inability to make progress in dealing with the issues. The process by which we have historically gotten things done in public policy and public life is not being effectively utilized today. In my experience, the values and ethics behind how we approach issues determines how effective we are in addressing them. In today’s environment, our society’s best values – such as mutual respect, collaboration, equity and reciprocity - are sometimes in disfavor. They are regarded by some people as dispensable, fuzzy-headed, naïve, too much trouble and not able to produce effective outcomes. Quite to the contrary, in my experience, making choices that represent a strong ethical stance is not just “right.” In the long run, approaches that are inclusive, and based on values such as empathy, respect, reciprocity and collaboration make good business, good policy, good strategy and lead to the most successful outcomes. Over the past 40 years, I’ve been fortunate to serve in leadership roles in some very challenging situations, ranging from local civic issues to national and international problems. In every case, I’ve found that the choices and approaches reflecting our best values have been the most successful. On the international front, “loose nukes” in the former Soviet Union was the most dramatic problem I’ve been involved in addressing. In 1991, when the Soviet Union broke up, nuclear weapons were left in four countries – Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan. This was dangerous, potentially leading to three new nuclear weapons states and the ability of terrorist groups to readily obtain material and technology for nuclear weapons due to lax control in these newly minted nations. To accomplish our goals of denuclearization of the three non-Russian countries and reduction and protection of the remaining nuclear weapons in Russia, there was a bi-partisan process in the US which designed and oversaw negotiations and assistance that led the former Soviet countries to dismantle their nuclear weapons. We engaged directly with the four countries involved, meeting their needs for assistance in dismantling the weapons. Over time, we were able to eliminate 2,650 Soviet missiles and bombers capable of delivering nuclear warheads to the US, to see over 11,000 Soviet nuclear warheads dismantled, to better secure the warheads that were allowed to remain in Russia under a previous arms control agreement, to destroy 2 million chemical artillery rounds in Russia with 5,400 metric tons of lethal chemicals, to eliminate an

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anthrax biological weapons facility in Russia, and to better protect Russia’s remaining nuclear material against terrorists. And so the threat to the US of three additional nuclear powers was prevented. It was the approach – bi-partisan, collaborative and preventive rather than reactive, partisan or confrontational – that led to success. Turning to the local front, in the Photo courtesy of Gloria Duffy 1970s and 1980s, a federal flood control project on the Guadalupe River in downtown San Jose, and relocation of homes and businesses for noise abatement near San Jose Airport, made 250 acres of prime land available in the downtown area. A commission held public hearings and engaged in a transparent decision process to determine that the best use for the land was a public park. And when a threatened lawsuit over environmental concerns could have halted the park project, a collaborative approach resolved the dispute and allowed the park to proceed. Today San Jose has the Guadalupe River Park, with diverse elements including bike and walking trails, ball fields, picnic areas, greenswards, areas of drought tolerant native grasses, a heritage rose garden of “old roses”, programs educating school kids about the ecology of the river, a historic orchard to educate on the agricultural past of the Valley prior to the technology industry and an area commemorating the Olympic skating champions from our region Peggy Fleming, Rudy Galindo, Kristy Yamaguchi and Brian Boitano. Dedication by the City of San Jose to the public interest, collaboration, respect for differing views and finding ways to bridge conflicts have been key to securing this important resource for one of the country’s most rapidly expanding urban areas. There are many more examples of how, on both the international and domestic fronts, our society has successfully solved problems by tapping our best values as a democratic society. So, when you hear leaders indicating that berating, confrontation, demeaning others, denying the viewpoints and interests of others and similar approaches are effective in solving the problems we face, don’t believe it. Mutual disrespect and mistrust in a society is a slippery slope down which lies an inability to solve our problems. And, considering the challenges we face with North Korea, Russia, climate change, immigration, healthcare and so many more problems, that is a slope we cannot afford to be on.

MONGOLIA

WITH A COUNTRY NAADAM FESTIVAL AUGUST 3-13, 2018 Ulaanbaatar • Hustaii • Kara Korum • Gobi

Learn during discussions and lectures with our study leader, Ambassador John Ordway. Listen to the mesmerizing sound of Mongolian throat-singing, and explore the Zanabazar Fine Arts Museum with a curator. Search for the elusive Przewalski horse, the last remaining breed of truly wild horse, in Hustai Nuruu National Park. Learn from a Mongolian paleontologist about the discovery of the first dinosaur eggs, those of an Oviraptor, discovered in 1922. Discover Erdene Zuu (Thousand Treasures) Monastery, built in 1586 from the stones of Genghis Khan’s ruined capital, Kara Korum. Witness a local country Naadam celebration, a tribute to the nomad’s strength, dexterity and marksmanship. Stay three nights in the Gobi Desert at the famous Three Camel Lodge. Optional 5-night extension to Siberia’s Irkutsk & Lake Baikal. Cost: $7,495 per person, double occupancy

Detailed brochure available at commonwealthclub.org/travel | 415.597.6720 | travel@commonwealthclub.org CST# 2096889-40

To purchase tickets:

The Commonwealth Club of California

visit commonwealthclub.org or call (415) 597-6705 or call (800) 847-7730

P.O. Box 194210 San Francisco, CA 94119

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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 5

Details on page 38

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6

KHIZR KHAN

AMERICA’S ROLE ON THE WORLD STAGE: A CONVERSATION WITH NBC NEWS

Khizr Khan, Author, An American Family: A Memoir of Hope and Sacrifice Judge LaDoris Cordell (Ret.), Chair, Santa Clara County Jail Commission—Moderator

Andrea Mitchell, Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, NBC News; Host, “Andrea Mitchell Reports”

One of the most memorable speeches from last year’s Democratic convention was given by Khizr Khan, who spoke about equality, sacrifice and the ideals symbolized by the U.S. Constitution. Khan’s son Humayun Khan, a U.S. Army captain, was killed in the line of duty in Iraq and posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. From his family’s move from Pakistan to becoming an U.S. citizen, Khan shares his personal story of immigration, courage and patriotism.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 8

Details on page 40

ILIZA SHLESINGER: COMEDY AND COMMENTARY Iliza Shlesinger, Comedian, Netflix Stand-Up Specials: “Confirmed Kills” and “War Paint”; Creator and Host, “Truth & Iliza”; Creator and Star, “Forever 31”; Author, Girl Logic: The Genius and the Absurdity Alexis Pence, YouTube and Twitch Star, “LetsGetLexi”—Moderator Iliza Shlesinger brings her signature wit to her new book, Girl Logic: The Genius and the Absurdity—we know it’ll be funny and insightful for men and women. Spend an evening with Shlesinger and get the inside scoop from one of comedy’s rising talents.

Details on page 39

Jeremy Bash, Former Chief of Staff, Department of Defense and CIA; Senior National Security Analyst, NBC News & MSNBC Michael McFaul, Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia; Contributor, NBC News & MSNBC Wendy Sherman, Former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs; Contributor, NBC News and MSNBC

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24

Details on page 47

AN EVENING WITH NIALL FERGUSON Niall Ferguson, Senior Fellow, Hoover Institution; Author, The Square and the Tower: Networks, Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook From his views of Islam in the West to his assertion that the United States should become a colonial power again, conservative historian Niall Ferguson has never shied away from offering provocative opinions. Now, Ferguson argues that networks of people, not individuals, are responsible for producing and promoting the great political, economic and philosophic ideas that have guided Western society from its humble origins to its present greatness.