St. Petersburg Conference on World Affairs to explore ‘ties that bind us’

Those seeking to expand their understanding of the intersection between global and local issues will once again have the chance to gain valuable insights from experts in government, military, technology and academia at the annual St. Petersburg Conference on World Affairs.

The conference returns Feb. 11-13. The event first started in 2013 and is presented by St. Petersburg in the World, Inc., a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Dozens of speakers will bring their insight and expertise to the conference through panels, presentations and fireside chats. The goal of the conference is to ​​offer St. Petersburg a forum for international experts to educate, engage and empower members of the local community and worldwide via a live stream of the event.

This year’s conference theme is “The Ties That Bind Us.” Lynne Platt, the conference board’s vice president, said the experts who plan the conference focus on creating an environment for diplomatic discussions and examinations of our national and global political climate. 

“This is in our DNA,” Platt said. “At the conference, we promote civil discourse and we are nonpartisan. We work to find experts in different areas, and we’re very fortunate to have tapped into some pretty experienced people.”

Topics for this year’s panel discussions include: 

• Allies & Alliances
• Expertise: Data, Facts and Policymaking
• How International Journalists View U.S. Foreign Policy
• International Trade, Business and Prosperity
• Regional Developments and Challenges in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Western Hemisphere
• Future Strategists: Student Panel

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Joanne Wagner (left), retired officer in United States Foreign Service, listens to Dr. Heide Castaneda, anthropologist and professor at USF, speak during a presentation on crossing borders at the 2022 St. Petersburg Conference on World Affairs. Screengrab.

Platt spent 24 years with the U.S. Foreign Service, retiring in 2018 as a minister-counselor. She expressed excitement for the conference’s keynote speaker, Ambassador Stuart E. Eizenstat.

“Ambassador Eizenstat is very well known in the annals of public service and has worked in a number of different key leadership positions in government, going all the way back to the Carter administration,” Platt said. “We asked him to keynote based on his most recent book called The Art of Diplomacy, where he looked at a number of key negotiations that changed the direction of the world.”

Another featured speaker at this year’s conference is Frank Langfitt, from National Public Radio (NPR). As a roving national correspondent, Landfitt covers stories about democracy, economics, politics and culture. The conference will culminate in an author talk with General (Ret.) Frank McKenzie, author of The Melting Point: High Command and War in the 21st Century.

This year’s panels and fireside chats will be held Feb. 12 and 13 at the University of South Florida (USF) St. Petersburg campus. In partnership with USF World, the keynote address will be held at the Palladium Theater, Feb. 11 at 5:30 p.m. 

This is the second year the conference will be hosted in partnership with USF’s Global and National Security Institute, which works with leaders and experts from external academia, government and the private sector to provide actionable solutions to 21st-century security policy and technology challenges for decision-makers at the local, state, national and global levels.

Platt also noted that the conference was recently accepted into the World Affairs Councils of America, a nonprofit with a mission of supporting, strengthening and representing a national network of more than 90 nonpartisan organizations.

“We just got in at the end of November, so, beginning next year, we’ll continue to have the conference, but it’ll be now with a little bit of reinforcement by virtue of us becoming a member of this network,” Platt said.

She added that having a conference of this caliber in the Sunshine City draws in academics, experts and enthusiasts that bring fresh ideas, cultural exchanges and enriching experiences for the attendees.

“If you can’t get to Davos, if you can’t get to the Munich Security Conference, come to St Pete and get high-quality discussions on interesting international issues, and be able to do it in your local community,” Platt added. “You don’t have to get on an airplane.”

General admission tickets for the conference or the livestream are $25 per person. Students can attend the conference for free when they register with a university email address. Registration is available online at worldaffairsconference.org/register. 

The St. Petersburg Group, which has an ownership stake in the Catalyst, operates the St. Petersburg Conference on World Affairs.