The Channel City Club
now including the Committee on Foreign Relations
Santa Barbara’s Window on the World
CCC
The Channel City Club was founded in 1946 in Santa Barbara, California, to provide the community with a local venue for outstanding experts on state, national, and international issues.
CFR
The Committee on Foreign Relations promotes foreign relations dialogue through
lecture-discussions.
Upcoming Event
David Ruffley
Former Member of Parliament (18 years)
Topic: Britain and the US post-Brexit
April 24, 2024
3:00 PM PDT
University Club of Santa Barbara
After graduating with a degree in Law at Queens’ College, Cambridge University, David Ruffley practiced at the global law firm, Clifford Chance in the City of London.
He was appointed as a Cabinet Special Adviser to the Home Secretary during John Major’s Government where he advised on crime, policing and counter-terrorism. He subsequently became the Senior Special Adviser to the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer advising on the Budget and the European Single Currency.
In 1997 he was elected as a Conservative Member of Parliament for Bury St Edmunds where he served until 2015. During that time, he served successively as shadow Treasury Whip, Minister for Welfare, and Minister for Policing and Counter-Terrorism.
He was also elected to the UK Parliament’s highest-ranking committee, the Treasury Select Committee. In this capacity he had statutory responsibility for oversight of Government policy on the 2008 banking crash, Brexit, tax reform, and the Bank of England’s conduct of monetary policy.
He is an alumnus of the US State Department’s International Visitor Leadership Program on Trade and Commerce.
Most recently he advised the Boris Johnson Government on administrative reform as well as the benefits to the UK of leaving the European Union.
Registration Requested by Saturday, April 20th
Thanks to
Chris Lancashire
for sponsoring this program!
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The current role of Naval Special Warfare (NSW) in Great Power Competition, Counter-Terrorism (CT) and Crisis Response
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Hostage Politics in International Relations
Hugh T. Dugan is an international affairs practitioner and scholar having served in the diplomatic corps, senior executive service, academia, and media for 38 years
Let's Fiesta!
El Presidente David Bolton welcomed CCC/CFR members and guests as we celebrated the 99th year of Santa Barbara’s Old Spanish Days Fiesta at the Carriage & Western Art Museum
Fiesta honors and and preserves Santa Barbara’s history, spirit, culture, heritage, and traditions
An Invitation to Membership
Please join us for your first CCC luncheon program at the member price.
Please contact us for more information.
Just to right of flag, Brooks Firestone, CCC/CFR presiding; John Blankenship, Co-Founder PCVF, Sheriff Bill Brown, Bd. Membe PCVF; and Cadet Daniel Keefe, UCSB ROTC Surfrider Battalion, leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Photo credit: Drew Wakefield
In Partnership with Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation
Just to right of flag, Brooks Firestone, CCC/CFR presiding; John Blankenship, Co-Founder PCVF, Sheriff Bill Brown, Bd. Membe PCVF; and Cadet Daniel Keefe, UCSB ROTC Surfrider Battalion, leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Photo credit: Drew Wakefield