Pacific Council on International Policy

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Pacific Council Logo.jpg
Formation 1995
Type foreign policy membership organization
Location 801 S. Figueroa St., Suite 1130, Los Angeles, CA
President and CEO Jerrold D. Green
Co-Chairman Robert H. Tuttle
Co-Chairman Mickey Kantor
Website www.pacificcouncil.org

The Pacific Council on International Policy is a non-partisan membership-based organization focused on foreign policy. Founded in 1995 in partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations, the Pacific Council is a 501c(3) non-profit organization. It is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA. Its activities include speaking events, policy-focused task forces, and international fact-finding missions.[1]

Contents

Organization [edit]

The mission of the Pacific Council, as stated on its website, is to address global issues “by giving more effective voice to West Coast perspectives on them.”[2] To that end, the Council convenes speaking events, conference calls, international trips, and workshops for members based throughout the West Coast of the United States.[3]

The Council organizes an annual Members Weekend conference in Santa Monica, CA, which convenes “business, government, civic, and academic leaders from around the world to analyze and debate the most important global policy issues.”[4] Since 2010, it has also hosted an annual Spring Conference.

Membership [edit]

According to its website, “Excellence, insight, and impact are key components of Pacific Council membership. Membership is extended to select professionals engaged in business with international reach, experts in international policy, civic and political leaders, and qualified individuals interested in international affairs.”[5] New members are nominated by current members and approved by the Board of Directors. All members are required to pay an annual fee.

Leadership [edit]

Jerrold D. Green currently serves as the Pacific Council’s President and CEO.[6] Robert H. Tuttle, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, and Mickey Kantor, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative are Co-Chairmen of the Board of Directors, which also includes Susan McCaw, Antonia Hernández, Mel Levine, and Nicolas Berggruen, among others.[7] Abraham F. Lowenthal was the founding President of the Pacific Council.[8]

Prominent members of the Pacific Council Board of Directors have included Robert F. Erburu, former Chairman of the Times Mirror Co. and founding Board Chairman of the Pacific Council; former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, who followed Erburu as Board co-Chair; John Bryson, who served as co-Chair with Christopher and later Chair of the Pacific Council Board before his appointment as U.S. Secretary of Commerce; and former Utah Governor and U.S. Ambassador to China Jon M. Huntsman.[9]

Activities [edit]

The Pacific Council has hosted a number of influential speakers. Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean, at the time a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, unveiled his national security views in front of the Council in December 2003.[10] John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, addressed a number of foreign policy concerns in June 2006.[11] In May 2009, it hosted then-CIA Director Leon Panetta, who defended air strikes against al Qaeda in Pakistan, calling them “very effective.”[12] Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, General Stanley McChrystal, Joseph S. Nye, and Alec Ross were among the speakers that addressed the Pacific Council in 2011. In 2012, U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein, Huntsman, and World Bank President Robert Zoellick all spoke in front of the Council.[13]

Members also participate in international fact-finding missions, during which members meet with government officials and business leaders. At a 2011 meeting in Juba, South Sudan, members met with Vice President Riek Machar and discussed how the Council could support the country’s development and establishment of its independence.[14] In the same year, member delegations visited Afghanistan, China, and Australia. In 2012, a delegation visited Chile and Argentina. 2010 destinations included Iraq, Afghanistan, Guatemala, and France.[15]

The Pacific Council also organizes task forces to address international policy issues and make policy recommendations. Its U.S.-Mexico Border Security Task Force, led by former DEA Administrator and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert C. Bonner, recommended that the U.S. Congress and the Obama Administration renew a ban on assault weapons.[16] In 2010, its Climate Change Adaptation Task Force recommended that the state of California create a Climate Risk Council and reported the potential effects of climate change on the California coast.[17] Findings of the Latino Leadership Task Force will be released in August 2012.[18]

External links [edit]

Pacific Council Reports

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Mission & Governance". Pacific Council on International Policy. Retrieved 4 June 2012. 
  2. ^ "Mission & Governance". Pacific Council on International Policy. Retrieved 4 June 2012. 
  3. ^ "Membership Overview". Pacific Council on International Policy. Retrieved 4 June 2012. 
  4. ^ "Programs Overview". Pacific Council on International Policy. Retrieved 4 June 2012. 
  5. ^ "Membership Overview". Pacific Council on International Policy. Retrieved 4 June 2012. 
  6. ^ "Jerrold D. Green". USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism. Retrieved 4 June 2012. 
  7. ^ "Board of Directors". Pacific Council on International Policy. Retrieved 4 June 2012. 
  8. ^ "Abraham F. Lowenthal". USC School of International Relations. Retrieved 4 June 2012. 
  9. ^ "Board of Directors". Pacific Council on International Policy. Retrieved 4 June 2012. 
  10. ^ Wilgoren, Jodi and Randal C. Archibald (16 December 2003). "The 2004 Campaign: Democratic Contenders; Dean's Speech on Iraq Brings Rebuttals". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 May 2012. 
  11. ^ Leavey, Pamela (1 June 2006). "John Kerry Addresses Pacific Council on National Security". The Democratic Daily. Retrieved 30 May 2012. 
  12. ^ "U.S. airstrikes in Pakistan called 'very effectice'". CNN. 18 May 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2012. 
  13. ^ "Recent Programs". Pacific Council on International Policy. Retrieved 4 June 2012. 
  14. ^ "South Sudan: American Institute Expresses Support to Country". Sudan Tribune. 2 November 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2012. 
  15. ^ "International Trips & Country Dialogues". Pacific Council on International Policy. Retrieved 4 June 2012. 
  16. ^ Hsu, Spencer S. (13 November 2009). "U.S.-Mexico task force seeks renewed ban on assault weapons". The Washington Post. Retrieved 30 May 2012. 
  17. ^ Barringer, Felicity (22 November 2010). "For California, a Game Plan on Climate Change". Green: A Blog about Energy and The Environment, The New York Times. Retrieved 30 May 2012. 
  18. ^ "Current Task Forces". Pacific Council on International Policy. Retrieved 4 June 2012. 
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