As all good things must come to an end, this week marked the last meeting of the Summer Institute. To review all that we had learned over the past weeks, and prepare for meeting Ambassador Gene Cretz, we played a lively game of Jeopardy. Topics included Libya, World Leaders, Ambassador Cretz, former WAC speakers, News Round Up and … the Summer Institute.

Here are some of the clues (answers are at the bottom of the post):

  • Libya for $500: A former government official that defected, he is the leader of the National Transition Council.
  • World Affairs Council for $500: This is the year the World Affairs Council of Northern California was founded.
  • Arab Spring for $300: King Hamad of Bahrain called in soldiers from these two countries to help clamp down on protests.
  • World Leaders for $600: Elected to her post last month on the strength of a campaign forged on reconciliation and issues of poverty, her brother was driven from power in a 2006 military coup.
  • Summer Institute for $600: This speaker served as Howard Dean’s Domestic Policy Adviser and President Clinton’s Deputy Domestic Policy Adviser.
  • Past WAC Guests for $1000:  This US Senator gave a private address to Council members about her policy on Afghanistan in June 2011.

Inside Libya: Remarks with Ambassador Gene Cretz

After Jeopardy, the next big order of business was meeting with US Ambassador Gene Cretz before his public lecture at the Marine’s Memorial Association. Ambassador Cretz spoke to the students both about his experiences in the Foreign Service and being on the ground in Libya as well as his expertise on the country.

Students meeting with Ambassador Cretz

Students meeting with Ambassador Cretz

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s Summer Institute. It was quite an enjoyable summer and we look forward to seeing you all at future Council events!

Jeopardy answers: Mustafa Abdul Jalil, 1947, Saudi Arabia and UAE, Yingluck Shinawatra of Thailand, Jeremy Ben-Ami, Barbara Boxer. How did you do?