Research institutes monitor more than 110 ongoing armed conflicts. Some started recently, while others have lasted for more than 50 years. Some are fights between nations, and others are internal civil wars or criminal enterprises. Many exact huge death tolls and all result in human tragedy and create the flight of millions of refugees. 

This lecture will discuss current world conflicts and explain how they relate to our safety and security in the United States and why the next big conflict might be in the United States.

Dr. Michael Baker recently retired from a 40+ year career in general, vascular and trauma surgery. He also served 30 years in the uniform of his country and retired from the Navy with the rank of rear admiral. He served and has numerous kudos, including 3 Legion of Merit Awards, the Combat Action Ribbon and the River/Coastal Patrol Officer-in-Charge warfare pin. He currently teaches history, political science, and military affairs for the Osher LifeLong Learning (OLLI) Programs at UC Berkeley, Dominican University, Cal State University East Bay and Cal State Channel Islands—and is on the Board of Governors of the newly combined Commonwealth Club World Affairs of California. He has published more than 90 articles in peer-reviewed journals.