The Chairman of the Board for CGS, Gov. David Beasley, hosted the unscripted conversation with Middle East expert, Carl Medearis, and the New York Times best-selling author, Ted Dekker in conjunction with the release of Medearis and Dekker’s new book, “Tea with Hezbollah.” The men addressed a wide range of questions submitted by audience members via the Facebook fan page. They discussed common misconceptions between the East and the West, as well as the prejudices that prevent people from engaging in real relationship with one another.

For more information about “Why Do You Fear Me?” visit their website. You can also take part in the follow-up initiative, “I Will Be a Friend.”

• “Tourism: The South Carolina Experience”

• “Getting Ahead and Staying Ahead: Tourism Competitiveness for Sudan”

• “Tourism Planning in China: Sino-African Cooperation Perspective and Prospect”

• “Tourism in Sudan: A Marketing Perspective”

• “Communicating Destination Image Online: The Case of Sudan”

In addition to the conference, the delegation visited major tourism sites in Sudan and consulted with the Ministry of Tourism.

Read more about CGS international relations in the following articles:

Yemeni-American Relations Get a Boost from Economic Conference PDF

Conference of Yemen & Global Economy: Strategies for Growth PDF

Yemni-American Live Trade Meeting to be Organized, says Industry Minister PDF

As a consequence, the elite Tunisians and the largely American conference delegation they hosted, even three years later, no longer regard each other as potential or actual enemies divided by culture, religion, and the Atlantic. Now unafraid of each other and able to talk about anything – from trade barriers to tax climate to business deals, from our kids to our marriages to pop culture, from the Quran to the Bible to The Wealth of Nations – we now see each other as business allies and friends sharing a common humanity. CGS co-founder Henry Deneen relates an anecdote that captures the import of this kind of private outreach by Americans at a time of lethal tension: “On September 20, 2001 – just nine days after the 9/11 attacks – my wife and I met in Tunisia with local conference planners, including the President and Board Members of the Tunisian/American Chamber of Commerce. They were downcast, certain we had come to cancel the conference in light of the attacks. Once we assured them of our desire to move forward, our hosts told us, with great emotion, that they would never, ever forget us! That was a great moment, the kind of moment Gov. Beasley and I want to replicate over and over again throughout the world by means of CGS.”

For more initiatives in North Africa, click here.

Chick Fil-A in Southeast Asia? In October 2009, six owners and operators of the popular restaurant chain traveled to Asia to present three leadership conferences on SERVE principles. What is SERVE? Read on to see how CGS partnered with Chick Fil-A in Southeast Asia.

In October, 2009, CGS partnered with Chick Fil-A to present 6 SERVE Conferences in Southeast Asia.  These powerful training events featured executives from one of America’s most successful restaurant chains, which pioneered the SERVE leadership model. Each presenter offered practical, real world insights on how their five leadership practices lead to success.

SERVE Leadership Principles

See and shape the future

Engage and develop others

Reinvent Continuously

Value Results and Relationships

Embody the Values

The Conferences were designed to: 

• Educate and empower leaders to be more serving and less self-serving
• Create organization-wide awareness of what great leaders know and do
• Define leadership and recognize behaviors that great leaders demonstrate when serving those they lead
• Inspire managers who want to increase employee engagement and initiative
• Support a culture change that embraces an attitude of service to others

For more initiatives in Southeast Asia, click here.

• “Using Financial Principles in Small Business”

• “Developing an Effective Marketing Plan”

• “Effective Problem Solving”

• Crossing Cultures: A Dialogue in Appreciating Culture and Gaining Common Understanding”

For more initiatives in Southeast Asia, click here.