Author: Kirstin Kelley

“Our choice is simple: either we break the alliances or they will break us.” This is the parting thought Nomi Prins leaves us with in her latest book, All the Presidents’ Bankers, which explores 100 years of relationships between presidents and the Big Six bankers.

Image credit: Stephanie Murti

In 2008 and 2009, people around the world witnessed firsthand what being broken by the banking system could mean as millions lost their homes, livelihoods, incomes, and way of life with little warning. They were all victims of an unscrupulous relationship between Presidents, Treasury Secretaries, and banking executives over generations that overlooked the needs of the people in order to amass huge profits for themselves.

According to Prins, the future ramifications for continuing to deregulate the banking industry could be even more severe — but there is a solution. By instating policies that reflect the interests of the people over the interests of the banks and dissolving the unscrupulous relationship between those in control of the money and those in control of the laws, we can promote economic empowerment on an individual level, rather than leaving it exclusively in the realm of the already wealthy elite.

On Tuesday, September 23^rd at 6pm, author Nomi Prins, herself a former managing director for Goldman Sachs, will be joining The WIP at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Irvine Auditorium to talk about these alliances and what they mean for the rest of us. Prins left the banking industry after becoming disillusioned with policies that were out of sync with the needs of the very people they claimed to serve and now spends her time advocating for fairer banking policies and greater economic empowerment for individuals.

A short reception and book signing will follow.

See you there!

Kirstin Kelley is a graduate assistant at The WIP who is completing her master’s degree in Nonproliferation and Terrorism Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

On Thursday, July 24, The WIP and the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies will co-host Twitter chat “Women in Islam: Myth vs. Reality.” Join the conversation from 9:30 am – 10:30 am PDT on Twitter. #LocalVoicesTalk

Image credit: Stephanie Murti

The idea for “Women in Islam: Myth vs. Reality” was inspired by two CNS fellows from Pakistan – Maria Syed and Nidaa Shahid. Both fellows wrote this summer for The WIP addressing the common misperceptions in the West of women in Pakistan. After sharing the topic with CNS fellow Abdulmajeed Ibrahim of Nigeria, the topic grew to address common misperceptions in the West about Islam. The vision for this conversation is to engage Muslims and Non-Muslims to cultivate better cross-cultural understanding.

Please join us at 9:30 Thursday morning, July 24 using #LocalVoicesTalk

Bios of participants:

Maria Syed @SyedMarias – Maria Syed is currently a visiting fellow at James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, MIIS. She is a researcher at Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI), Pakistan and has over six years of research experience. Her areas of interest include Pakistan’s security and governance issues, political economy, The Middle East and North Africa region with special focus on The Arab Spring.

Nidaa Shahid @NidaaShahid – Nidaa Shahid is a visiting fellow at James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at MIIS. She is a Radio Journalist from Pakistan. She has been working for the Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) which is the official radio channel of Pakistan for the past five years. Apart from that she is also an MPhil Graduate in Defense and Strategic Studies with a focus on Media Studies, Information Warfare and Psychological Warfare.

Abdulmajeed Ibrahim @abdulmj1 – Abdulmajeed Ibrahim is a visiting fellow at James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, MIIS. He is a Regulatory Engineer at the Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA), Abuja. He has been working there for five years. He is experienced in Nuclear Security, Safeguards and Nonproliferation. His interests include Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament. He hopes for a World  free from Weapons of Mass Destruction.

The James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies @CNS_Updates – The James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies strives to combat the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by training the next generation of nonproliferation specialists and disseminating timely information and analysis. CNS at the Monterey Institute of International Studies is the largest nongovernmental organization in the United States devoted exclusively to research and training on nonproliferation issues.

The Women’s International Perspective @thewip – Based on the campus of the Monterey Institute of International Studies, The WIP is a global source for women’s perspectives. The WIP reports news, world opinion, and commentary through our Feature Articles, Byline Portal, Current Headlines and community blog. Our mission is to provide quality articles from the unique perspectives of women, accessible worldwide, and free to readers.