World Affairs delving into Las Vegas

Caitlin Hudgins

Friday, June 11, 2004 | 5:10 a.m.

"Asian Art NOW 2004" art exhibit, through June 20 at the Las Vegas Art Museum, 9800 W. Sahara Ave. For time and ticket information, call (702) 360-8000.

"Reggae in the Desert" music festival 6 p.m. to midnight today at the Clark County Amphitheater, tickets $15 in advance, $20 at the door. For information, call 455-8200.

"A Comedy in Spanish," Spanish-language play from Colombia, 7 p.m. July 17 at the Winchester Community Center, 3130 S. McLeod Drive, tickets $3 adults, $1 children. For information, call 455-7340.

Las Vegas is already an international tourist destination with people flocking to the area's casinos in record numbers. The city also draws people from all over to work in the resort industry.

But a newly formed group hopes to give Las Vegans a chance to look at the world from a different perspective.

The Las Vegas World Affairs Council was launched last month as a non-partisan, nonprofit group promoting and funding internationally focused events.

Executive Director Benjamin Duchek says this is a good time to start a group that takes a serious look at world issues, especially because the presidential election is focused so heavily on U.S. foreign policy, given the war in Iraq.

"There is increasingly more interest in international issues, especially with the (presidential) election coming up," Duchek said. "With the election, we want to give people a better understanding of different world events."

Las Vegas' standing as a tourist destination is an asset to the group, the council's chairman, Ronald Morse, said. It should help draw well-regarded speakers here.

"Las Vegas is a major airport hub, so stopping here is no big deal," Morse said.

The Las Vegas council hopes initially to piggyback on the events of some of the more established of the 80 groups affiliated with the World Affairs Councils of America.

"It's nicely positioned to pick up the activities of other councils," Morse said.

The national organization sponsors more than 2,500 events annually, including seminars, outreach programs and educational opportunities, all of which help the council reach its goal of "expanding public understanding of international issues."

Already the local group has had some success.

In March the Las Vegas council sponsored a panel discussion at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on Russian democracy, which drew 50 people, an impressive number on a Sunday night, Duchek said. It came a day before a lecture at UNLV by former Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev.

The council plans to sponsor an ambassador series, in which leaders from around the globe would come to Las Vegas to speak about foreign affairs.

In the meantime, the Las Vegas council is spotlighting local events that have international interest, such as "Asian Art NOW 2004," an exhibit that runs through June 20 where the group last week had a reception; "Reggae in the Desert," a concert that takes place tonight at the Clark County Amphitheater; and "A Comedy in Spanish," a play that will be held on July 17 at the Winchester Cultural Center Theater.

The group is also helping to publicize the Summer Advanced Gifted Education Academy, a three-week intensive program at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for talented high school students who may earn college credit. Classes will be offered July 19 through Aug. 6 in social studies and humanities and include topics such as "U.S. Women in the 20th Century" and "France and America from World War II to Today."

To further support student interest in international issues, the council will sponsor an Academic World Quest competition this fall in Clark County high schools to give one team the chance to travel to Washington, D.C., to compete at the national level.

The council has launched a Web site, lvwac.org, and plans to publish a quarterly journal of opinion articles on world affairs.

"There aren't a lot of different opinions available in Las Vegas," Duchek said. "We want to give people the intelligence to make informed decisions."

Morse and Duchek realize it won't be easy to build the group's membership.

"Las Vegas has no deep international tradition, so it will be an uphill climb," Morse said.

But he looks to the large number of retirees in Las Vegas who might have previously been involved with large businesses, the government or the Peace Corps -- or even seniors who just enjoy international travel -- who could provide the council with a a pool of possible recruits.

"There is a hunger for this kind of thing," Morse said. "Las Vegas has reached a point where this organization is possible and essential."

In addition, he said, tourism draws professionals from all over the world to Las Vegas to visit, and many come back to live.

"It may seem like there is no big demand," Morse said, "but there is a real market for this kind of thing."