Our History
2016
In early November of 2016, board member Jay Ogilvy and advisor Xiao Qiang represented Track Two in Hong Kong. The purpose of the visit was threefold: to advance relationships formed at previous conferences held at Esalen; to identify potential new participants in order to expand the North Pacific Rim network; and to gain greater understanding of key issues in the rapidly changing region. They met with Bao Pu, publisher and founder, and Renee Chiang, publisher and English editor, of New Century Press, a publishing house known for its memoirs, and historical and political titles. Ogilvy and Qiang also met with Isaac Mao, a Chinese venture capitalist, software architect, and social media researcher. They met with Chen Ping, a media mogul in Hong Kong, whose book will bear a Foreword by Jay Ogilvy. Ogilvy and Qiang spent their last evening with Bao Pu, Chiang, and Mao, several journalists, and the local chair of Amnesty International. During their time in Hong Kong, they were able to witness the increasingly heavy hand of Beijing being protested by demonstrations in the streets.
The International Abrahamic Network (IAN) core group met at Esalen Institute to strengthen established relationships and to introduce influential organizations and individuals into our network. The conference theme was How Can Citizen Diplomacy Fill the Gaps During a Time of Failed Leadership. Participants included experts from Iran, Iraq, Palestine, Israel and the United States who presented their recent citizen diplomacy efforts that included film, broadcast, social media and people to people efforts in the Abrahamic community world-wide.
Because TRACK TWO/Esalen were instrumental in bringing Boris Yeltsin to the United States for the first time, we plan to honor the friendship between our two countries when Yeltsin was president. Meetings are planned in Russia in the fall of 2016 at the Yeltsin Center in Moscow and the Yeltsin Museum/Library in Ekaterinburg. This is the first Russian presidential library in Russia’s history. These gatherings will bring the story of the Russia-USA relationship during that time to a new generation as a model of the friendship that is possible when our two nations cooperate.Accomplishments for this project as well as those of other TRACKTWO/Esalen collaborations can be viewed on this website and on the website for Esalen - Center for Theory and Research.