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UID:f39f9bf4-eb93-4d95-83a0-3419a1ea24de@findlocal.community
DTSTAMP:20260911T175741Z
DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20260922T180000
DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20260922T200000
SUMMARY:The New Middle East
DESCRIPTION:At Charleston Library Society. The Middle East is undergoing 
 one of its most significant strategic realignments in decades. From Iran
  and regional proxy networks to shifting alliances\, emerging government
 s\, and renewed great-power competition\, the security landscape is chan
 ging rapidly. Drawing on her experience across intelligence\, humanitari
 an operations\, and regional engagement\, Spirit of America’s regional d
 irector for the Middle East and Central Asia\, Mary-Bell Ruiz\, joins us
  along with the World Affairs Council of Charleston to discuss how these
  dynamics are reshaping U.S. national security interests\, why local par
 tnerships matter more than ever\, and where the greatest opportunities—a
 nd challenges—lie for the region in the years ahead. This program is in 
 partnership with the World Affairs Council of Charleston. Purchase Ticke
 ts HERE! About Mary Bell-Ruiz Mary Bell-Ruiz is Spirit of America’s Regi
 onal Director for the Middle East and Central Asia. With more than 25 ye
 ars of leadership experience across defense\, intelligence\, diplomacy\,
  and humanitarian operations\, she leads the organization’s partnerships
  and programs across one of the world’s most complex and strategically i
 mportant regions. A retired U.S. Navy senior intelligence leader and Ara
 bic linguist\, Mary’s career has spanned war zones and diplomatic engage
 ments alike—from leading intelligence operations and managing multimilli
 on-dollar government programs to coordinating crisis response efforts in
  Iraq\, Jordan\, Afghanistan\, and across the broader Middle East. Befor
 e joining Spirit of America\, Mary founded and led Team Themis\, a human
 itarian nonprofit that provided emergency relocation\, security\, and su
 pport services to at-risk Afghan women and children. Under her leadershi
 p\, the organization grew from concept to more than $2.5 million in oper
 ational funding within two years\, directly supporting U.S. diplomatic a
 nd humanitarian objectives. Mary earned her bachelor’s degree in Interna
 tional Studies from Old Dominion University and is currently completing 
 a master’s degree in International Security at George Mason University. 
 About the World Affairs Council The World Affairs Council of Charleston 
 (WACC)\, formerly the Charleston Foreign Affairs Forum\, was founded in 
 the early 1980s as a nonprofit\, nonpartisan organization. The Council w
 orks to deepen our community’s global perspective through speaker progra
 ms\, discussion groups\, and educational experiences. The membership rep
 resents a cross-section of individuals from the business community\, aca
 demia\, government service\, and civic backgrounds. We welcome participa
 nts of all ages and from all backgrounds. The WACC is a 501(c)(3) organi
 zation and is a member of the World Affairs Councils of America\, a netw
 ork of 90+ independent\, nonpartisan councils across 40 states.\n\nTicke
 ts: https://charlestonlibrarysociety.org/event/the-new-middle-east/\n\nh
 ttps://findlocal.community/event/f39f9bf4-eb93-4d95-83a0-3419a1ea24de
LOCATION:Charleston Library Society\, 164 King St\, Charleston\, SC 29401
URL:https://findlocal.community/event/f39f9bf4-eb93-4d95-83a0-3419a1ea24d
 e
STATUS:CONFIRMED
SEQUENCE:0
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