The conference on ‘everything conceivable’
The 71st Conference on World Affairs featured roughly 200 panels, events and speakers.
Some of the world’s foremost thinkers, artists and decision-makers such as Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Hope Solo and Mike Reiss spoke at this year’s conference.
were available for dozens of events through the week.
In 1948, some of the world’s foremost politicians, economists, doctors and thinkers held what was intended as a one-time conference at to discuss the creation of the United Nations. Fast-forward 71 years, the Conference on World Affairs is now a “must attend” event for many of today’s top luminaries and people who want to know where the world is headed.
This year’s Conference on World Affairs featured Sen. Amy Klobuchar, soccer star Hope Solo, The Simpsons writer Mike Reiss, journalists, filmmakers and designers from all over the world.
The conference saw five days of roughly 200 panels, speeches and performances, all free and open to the public. Attendees had the chance to ask questions via the CWA app, and, for those who couldn’t join in person, many sessions were livestreamed.
From aliens and genetics to the 2020 election, ’s Brainwaves podcast had the chance to talk with some of this year’s featured CWA speakers on how they are thinking through tomorrow.
The original conference was so popular, Howard Higman, a sociology professor, was able to make it into an annual event. Since its inception, the Conference on World Affairs has welcomed Eleanor Roosevelt, film critic Roger Ebert, and hundreds of other speakers. You can listen to those speeches, view photographs and even old programs via the conference’s archives.