Florida International University Search State of the World 2021 highlights struggle for democracy around the globe Virtual, five-day event featured more than 100 global affairs and foreign policy experts February 9, 2021 at 11:30am It began with the pandemic, ended with climate change and covered nearly every top-of-mind global issue in between. FIU’s fourth State of the World was the largest and most comprehensive global affairs conference to date, featuring more than 100 speakers over five days touching on topics that spanned the globe from Africa, the Middle East, China and Russia to the United States, Latin America, Australia and Eurasia. “Because it was completely virtual due to the pandemic, this year’s State of the World gave students the chance to hear from even more of the leading thinkers, scholars, activists and policymakers than in prior years, said David J. Kramer, senior fellow at the Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs and lead organizer of the event.