PARTNERS FOR GLOBAL CHANGE: What's the latest buzz on treaties in limbo?

Partners for Global Change
Teleconference Call:

May 9th, 2009
1 - 2 pm Eastern

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Listen to the Call:

Playlist:

Introduction
Caitlyn Antrim Interview on Law of the Sea - pt1
Caitlyn Antrim Interview - pt2 with Q&A
More Q&A
Caitlyn Antrim Interview - pt3
Nukes Update with Don Kraus
Laura Henrick on the Parters Project - Facebook.com
Laura Henrick on the Partners Project - Meetup.com

Speakers:

John Isaacs, Executive Director, Council for a Livable World

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John Isaacs is the Executive Director of the Council for a Livable World where his work focuses on national security issues in Congress, Iraq, missile defense, and nuclear weapons.

Isaacs is one of the leaders of the nation's arms control community and has long been an expert on the workings of Congress. He has represented the Council on Capitol Hill since 1978. Isaacs previously served as a Legislative Assistant on foreign affairs to Representative Stephen Solarz (D-NY), a Legislative Representative on foreign policy and defense budget for Americans for Democratic Action, and a Foreign Service Officer in Vietnam.

Isaacs has published articles in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Atlanta Journal, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Christian Science Monitor, Nuclear Times, Arms Control Today, American Journal of Public Health, and Technology Review.

Isaacs holds a B.A. from Dartmouth College and an M.A. from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

Caitlyn Antrim, Executive Director, Rule of Law Committee for the Oceans

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Caitlyn Antrim is the Executive Director of the Rule of Law Committee for the Oceans, a committee of experts in international law and policy for the oceans. Representing the Committee, she provides education and outreach regarding the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and the benefits of the convention to US and global interests. She is presently applying law of the sea in a pragmatic approach to issues and interests related to the warming Arctic.

Ms. Antrim has a long career addressing national and international issues related to oceanic, continental and polar resources and to the national policies and international regimes that affect their development and conservation. She has directed major projects for the American Academy of Diplomacy and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and served as Project Officer for the National Materials Advisory Board of the National Academy of Sciences.

In government, Ms. Antrim served as a Deputy US Representative to the Third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea, Senior Analyst and Project Director at the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, Policy Analyst in the Office of the Secretary of Commerce and an officer in the US Navy.

Antrim’s publications range from resource, economic and policy assessments of minerals on land and on the deep ocean floor to the theory of international regimes and international systems for dispute settlement. Venues for her publications include the GWU International Law Review, The Diplomatic Record published by Georgetown University, Columbia University’s Journal of International Affairs, Ocean Development and International Law Journal, and Sea Technology Magazine. She has also contributed chapters of books on Negotiating International Regimes (lessons from the UN Conference on Environment and Development), The Law of the Sea (examining key provisions of the LOS Convention) and Diplomacy Games (examining the characteristics of models that make them useful to diplomats).

Antrim conducted her undergraduate and graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1971 she earned the degree of SBME and she earned the professional degree of Environmental Engineer in 1977. In addition to her academic credentials, she was designated a Distinguished Naval Graduate by the US Navyfor her work in the NROTC programs at MIT and Harvard University.

Don Kraus, CEO, Citizens for Global Solutions

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Don Kraus is the Chief Executive Officer of Citizens for Global Solutions and co-chair of the Partnership for Effective Peacekeeping (PEP), an NGO working group. Previously, Don served as the Executive Vice President at Citizens for Global Solutions, where he directed the Government Relations Department and the Political Action Committee. He has also served as the Executive Director of the Campaign for UN Reform (CUNR) and its affiliated political action committee, CUNR PAC.

An expert in building U.S. legislative and government support for the UN, Don brings his considerable enthusiasm and drive to lobbying and electioneering. Don compiles the Global Solution Report Card, an annual assessment of congressional voting records. He has been quoted in the NY Times, the Washington Times, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and many other publications. He has been interviewed on CNN, BBC, NPR, and many other radio and TV shows. Don is also the past president emeritus of the Center for UN Reform Education, a UN reform think tank. He currently serves on the advisory board of the United Nations Association, National Capitol Area.

May/June Project:

Online Engagement Through Social Networking Sites

The United States has a population of 303.8 million people and 220.1 million of them use the internet. So if you don't already, it's time for you and your chapter to get on the web and establish an online presence! In addition to creating a basic web page for your chapter (which we highly recommend you do and can help you with), we are asking you to engage in some online social networking. The two sites we are going to focus on are Facebook and Meetup.com.

1. Facebook.com

Sign up: if you are not already a facebook user, sign up! Simply visit Facebook.com and sign up is quick, free, and easy. We have provided some more detailed instructions on the separate "How-To for Facebook" download, and Facebook also guides you through the process of creating a profile, choosing what "network" you would like to join (could be a business network, city network, school network, or all three) and setting your privacy levels. You don't want to make yourself impossible to find, by the way - otherwise, what's the point? But you can set up your profile so that only "friends" can see your photos and comments.
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"Become a Fan" of Citizens for Global Solutions Group and Page: Invite others to join. Once you have created a profile for yourself, use the search box on the upper right hand side of the page to locate "Citizens for Global Solutions." Our Group and Page will show up from the search - join both by clicking on the link, then clicking on "join group" (group) or "become a fan" (page). Once you join these, it will be published on all of your friends' homepages and help garner more interest! Additionally, you can click "invite people to join" on the group page and "suggest to friends" on the fan page and that will send a message promoting our sites to everyone you target.
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Create a Group for your Chapter: when you conducted your initial search for "Citizens for Global Solutions," you may have noticed just a few spots below our National site that the Chicago Chapter has created their own group as well! Take a look at their group page and see how useful it is for them to promote discussion and events, as well as post other updates. To create a group page for your chapter, click on the link at the top of the group page (any group page) that describes what type of group it is - in our case, "Advocacy Organization." This will take you to a search result page displaying all the advocacy organizations on facebook, and most importantly, you will see at the top right hand corner "Create a New Group." Click there and follow the instructions to create your own chapter page and start inviting your friends to join!

2. Meetup.com

Sign up: visit meetup.com and click "sign up" in the upper right hand corner to register to use the site for free. Once you are registered, you can find your "profile" on the upper right hand side and edit your location, bio, photos and what kind of meetups you are interested in. This is also where you can keep track of the various meetup groups you have joined - click on the "meetup groups" tab. We have provided a separate "How-To for Meetup" download that goes into greater detail.
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Search for like-minded groups in your area: to search for groups already meeting in your community, click on "Find a Meetup Group" at the top of the page. You will have the option of naming the keywords you want to search for, and the distance you are willing to travel. Your keywords for the search may include "foreign policy," "global warming," "darfur," or anything having to do with our issues. When you find a group that interests you, click on the link and you will be taken to the group's meetup page, which will describe what they're all about, how often they meet, where, and when their next meeting is. You can also see who the other members are and how they rate the group, which may make you feel more comfortable before you attend your first meeting!
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Attend a meeting: what we really want you to do is join a meetup group and attend a meeting. When you find a group you like, click the red "join us" button and you will be added the group's email list and updated whenever a new meeting is scheduled. Then RSVP for the meeting and go! The goal is for you to make new contacts in your town who are interested in the same issues you are. When you attend the meeting, hopefully you can bring up some of the things you have been working toward, such as ratification of the Law of the Sea and signing of the Rome Statute, and you will not only be educating others on these important topics, but hopefully recruiting new members for your chapter and building new bridges for collaboration.
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Decide if you want to start a chapter group: there is a fee associated with starting your own chapter meetup group and it is up to your chapter to decide if you want to devote $12 a month to use this tool. If you are having regular events (at least one per month) and struggling with low attendance, this may be a good idea for you as long as someone in the chapter is willing to keep the page updated.

Again, please refer to our separate downloads on facebook and meetup for more detailed instructions and contact us if you have more questions. We are very happy to help you get set up on these sites as we think the results will be incredibly positive - the more people we can reach out to and educate on the importance of multilateral global engagement, the farther we will be able to advance our cause. Not only can you set up and update your pages on these sites within minutes and from within your own home, but all this advertising is FREE!

If you are feeling extra active this month, you may also consider lobbying your Senators for the Law of the Sea. The last Partners project was to lobby for the ICC and we were really pleased at how many chapters participated. As we expect the Law of the Sea to come up again for possible ratification in June, now would be a great time to call up those contacts you've made at the local office of your Senator, and ask for another meeting. More information and resources on Law of the Sea can be found on our web site at globalsolutions.org/issues/unclos.

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+ Download a "how-to" for Facebook

+ Download a "how-to" for Meetup

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