Vlora Konushevci is a poet, translator, and essayist from Kosovo whose work spans the literary, cultural, and linguistic bridges of the Balkan region. She is the author of the acclaimed poetry collection Lavdi Vetes, a bold exploration of selfhood and identity. As editor and translator, she has curated two notable bilingual anthologies Poetry Without Borders (Albanian-Serbian), which fosters dialogue across historical divides, and Magma (Albanian-English), introducing Albanian voices to a broader international readership. She also published a short-story collection Martesat, valixhet dhe ngarkesat e tjera (Marriages, suitcases and other burdens) in 2025, a spare, unsentimental portrait of post-war Kosovo. With quiet irony and tight, clear prose, Konushevci turns departures, waiting rooms, and half-open doors into acts of witness and stubborn survival. Her poetry and translations have appeared in a range of respected literary journals including The Common, Songs of Eretz, and European Literature Network.

Konushevci has received multiple literary awards for her original work and is a respected voice in Kosova's cultural press. Beyond her creative contributions, she serves as a certified translator for both national and international institutions, playing a key role in intercultural communication and diplomacy. Her participation in this program is made possible through the generous support of the University of lowa's Office of the Vice President for Research and the Graduate College.

Presented in partnership with Oaknoll.

For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org. To watch other ICFRC programs, please view our extensive collection at citychannel4.com/icfrc.

Anni Fjord, a Danish nurse with over 45 years of experience working in both Denmark and international crisis zones, shares insights from her extensive career with Médecins Sans Frontiéres (MSF), or Doctors Without Borders.

Her presentation explores the diverse roles and challenges faced by medical professionals in the field, including responding to natural disasters and conflict zones, collaborating with local health workers, and leading international teams under pressure. Anni will also reflect briefly on her recent 2025 mission to Gaza, offering a glimpse into the realities of delivering healthcare in one of the world's most complex humanitarian environments.

For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org. To watch other ICFRC programs, please view our extensive collection at citychannel4.com/icfrc.

The 100-mile-wide Taiwan Strait, which separates the small democratic island of Taiwan from the People's Republic of China, has emerged as one of the world's most volatile geopolitical flashpoints. As tensions between China and the United States continue to rise, the risk of conflict-either deliberate or accidental-has become a subject of serious concern.

China views Taiwan as a breakaway province and has not ruled out the use of force to assert control. President Xi Jinping has directed the People's Liberation Army to be ready for a possible invasion of Taiwan by 2027. Meanwhile, the United States continues its long-standing "One China" policy, accompanied by a deliberately vague stance of "Strategic Ambiguity" -- a posture that has left key questions about American military intervention unanswered. Former President Biden publicly declared that the U.S. would defend Taiwan in the event of an attack, though those remarks were later tempered by his staff.

Adding to the stakes, Taiwan plays an outsized role in the global economy: a single Taiwanese company manufactures over 90% of the world's most advanced microchips-components that power everything from smartphones to artificial intelligence systems.

This presentation examines the underlying interests of the United States, China, and Taiwan; the potential pathways to conflict; and the far-reaching consequences for global security, diplomacy, and technology.

Featured speaker: Ron McMullen
Ambassador Ronald McMullen is a career diplomat with over 30 years of service as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer. He has lived, worked, or traveled in more than 100 countries and brings a wealth of global experience to discussions of international relations, diplomacy, and strategic conflict.

Known for his captivating storytelling and deep insight, Ambassador McMullen brings global complexity into focus and makes the most pressing international issues accessible and compelling for public audiences. He is a native of Northwood, lowa, and holds a doctorate in political science from the University of lowa.

Presented in partnership with Oaknoll.

For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org. To watch other ICFRC programs, please view our extensive collection at citychannel4.com/icfrc.

Since 2007, Frontier Co-op's Well Earth program has been the foundation of the co-op's responsible sourcing efforts, fostering long-term relationships with suppliers around the world. In this program, speakers share how the Norway, Iowa-based company ensures the long-term sustainability of its supply chain by investing in their partners and communities at origin to improve their social and environmental impact.

Presented in partnership with Frontier Co-op and 100 Grannies.

For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org. To watch other ICFRC programs, please view our extensive collection at citychannel4.com/icfrc.

Despite all the caveats about how much we do not know about the records practices of authoritarian governments, it is clear that they directly affect archives in a number of distinct ways: greatly increasing the production of some documentation; creating political climates that lead to self-censorship and, therefore, lack of records creation, withholding the release of current records, and tightly controlled access to archives. The continued public unmasking of authoritarian practices by journalists and researchers create important resources for those committed to a freer, more open view of the past.

For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org. To watch other ICFRC programs, please view our extensive collection at citychannel4.com/icfrc.

Researchers, sovereign tribal communities, and women farmland-owners will discuss how they are collaborating to foster climate resilience through the newly established Central Midwest Climate Opportunities and Learning Team (CM CO-Learn), funded by the NOAA Climate Adaptation Partnerships program, that supports Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri. This panel brings together a tribal community member, a woman farmland owner, and several project researchers to share what they are learning from each other, what tangible climate-wise action is underway, and how these strategies participate in global efforts to adapt to a changing climate.

For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org. To watch other ICFRC programs, please view our extensive collection at citychannel4.com/icfrc.

An inspiring panel discussion exploring the intersection of sustainability and design with Keith Porter (Stanley Center for Peace and Security), Sally Obernolte (Neumann Monson Architects), and Deb Schoelerman (Unitarian Universalist Society-Coralville). Together, they delve into the transformative role of sustainable building practices in addressing climate change. Highlights include a closer look at Stanley's International Living Building Challenge-certified facility and how people interact with these transformative green spaces.

For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org. To watch other ICFRC programs, please view our extensive collection at citychannel4.com/icfrc.

A new immigrant and refugee welcome center is opening in Polk County in 2025. The hub for refugees and immigrants, which has been designed with community input to create an inclusive environment, will feature professionals who provide confidential and sensitive spaces, services related to employment, housing and education, and transition programs for new Iowans living in the capitol. Mak Suceska, the Center's Manager of Operations, and Stephanie Moris, Director of the Refugee Alliance of Central Iowa, will share more about this first-of-its-kind hub in Iowa and the county's plans for supporting its foreign-born population, the largest growing demographic in the state.

For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org. To watch other ICFRC programs, please view our extensive collection at citychannel4.com/icfrc.

Historically, industrialized countries have created our climate crisis but have yet to take responsibility for the development dilemmas associated with climate change. The solutions proposed at the international level have largely prioritized technical fixes, including new cooking technologies and carbon credit accounting. Highlighting perspectives from below -- the lives and livelihoods of marginalized people -- illuminates several problems with these approaches.

Using feminist and anthropological methods to study biomass stoves and efforts to improve them in India, Dr. Khandelwal identifies problems related to carbon market solutions and their associated power dynamics to shed new light on the nexus of cooking technologies, biomass-based livelihoods, gender, and climate change and to expand the kinds of solutions we imagine as possible.

For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org. To watch other ICFRC programs, please view our extensive collection at citychannel4.com/icfrc.

Will China or the US lead the way in the Fourth Industrial Revolution?

To answer this question, leading thinkers and policymakers in both countries draw lessons from past technology-driven power transitions that center the moment of innovation -- the eureka moment that sparks astonishing technological feats.

In this talk, focused on his new book, Technology and the Rise of the Great Powers, Jeffrey Ding, PhD offers a different explanation of how technological revolutions affect competition among great powers. Rather than focusing on which state was the first to introduce major innovations, he investigates why some states were more successful than others at adapting and embracing general-purpose technologies at scale.

Presented by the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council in partnership with University of Iowa Departments of Political Science and Center for Asian and Pacific Studies.

For more information about the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council, visit icfrc.org. To watch other ICFRC programs, please view our extensive collection at citychannel4.com/icfrc.