Great Decisions 2024
Every year, the Foreign Policy Association sponsors a series of study topics called Great Decisions. Community groups around the country sponsor local lectures building on these topics. In Williamsburg, the Great Decisions lecture and discussion series is sponsored by the League of Women Voters. I attended this series last year, and just signed up to attend this year’s lectures. For eight Tuesday mornings, beginning on February 6 and ending on March 26, a hundred or so local residents will gather at our library auditorium to hear experts talk about a variety of topics. These are all identified by the Foreign Policy Association, which also provides a briefing book so that attendees can read up on the topics before the lectures and follow up on them after the lecture.
In February and March, I’ll write about each lecture in the week that it occurs. Today, I just want to provide you with an outline of the lecture series. (I’ve taken all of this information from the Williamsburg League of Women Voters website; the FPA website contains even more information about these topics.)
February 6: Understanding Indonesia:
Despite its large size, Indonesia remains virtually invisible to most Americans. But as one of the world’s largest democracies, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, and as an economic driver of ASEAN, why does it fly below the radar? What are current issues in U.S.-Indonesian relations, and what role can the country play in Asia?
Speaker: Robert Hefner is a professor in the Department of Anthropology and the Pardee School of Global Affairs at Boston University. His research in recent years has had two thematic and area foci: the politics and ethics of pluralist co-existence in the Muslim-majority world, including especially Indonesia and Malaysia; and second, social recognition and citizenship among Catholics, Muslims, and secular liberals in France and the United States. Hefner has published 21 edited or single-authored books, as well as seven major policy reports for the U.S. government and private foundations. Seven of his books have been translated into Indonesian and Malay; one has been published in Chinese.
February 13: NATO’s Future:
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has come under increased scrutiny, not because NATO troops are involved in the conflict, but because of its role in relations between Russia and its neighbors. Will expanding membership in NATO protect countries, or will it further provoke Russia?
Speaker: Lawrence Wilkerson is formerly the Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Government and Public Policy at the College of William & Mary. After an outstanding 31-year career in the US Army which included serving on the faculty of the U.S. Naval War College, as Director of the U.S. Marine Corps War College and as Special Assistant to General Powell when he was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Col. Wilkerson retired in 1997 and began working with General Powell. This led to his role as Powell’s Chief of Staff during the latter’s tenure as Secretary of State. He has been a frequent speaker for our Great Decisions program.
February 20: Science Across Borders:
Scientific advances benefit from collaboration between researchers, but what happens when material, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) is controversial and important to a nation’s national security? Is there a middle ground between sharing information and denying access? How can we regulate cooperation?
Speaker: David Bray is both a Distinguished Fellow and co-chair of the Alfred Lee Loomis Innovation Council at the non-partisan Henry L. Stimson Center. He is also a non-resident Distinguished Fellow with the Business Executives for National Security, and a CEO and transformation leader for different “under the radar” tech and data ventures seeking to get started in novel situations. Dr. Bray previously was the Executive Director for a bipartisan National Commission on R&D, provided non-partisan leadership as a federal agency Senior Executive, worked with the U.S. Navy and Marines on improving organizational adaptability, and aided U.S. Special Operation Command’s J5 Directorate on the challenges of countering disinformation online. He has received both the Joint Civilian Service Commendation Award and the National Intelligence Exceptional Achievement Medal. He accepted a leadership role in December 2019 to direct the successful bipartisan Commission on the Geopolitical Impacts of New Technologies and Data that included Senator Mark Warner, Senator Rob Portman, Rep. Suzan DelBene, and Rep. Michael McCaul.
February 27: Mideast Realignment:
The United States and the Middle East are at a crossroads. Despite a reduced presence in the Middle East, the U.S. still has significant national interests there and the area is a key arena for global power politics. Can the U.S. continue to defend its interests in the Middle East and globally with a lower level of military and political involvement, or should it recommit to a leading role in the region?
Speaker: Ellen Laipson is the director of the Masters in International Security degree program and the Center for Security Policy Studies in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. She joined Mason after a distinguished 25-year career in government and as president and CEO of the Stimson Center (2002-15). Laipson serves on several academic and other nongovernmental boards related to international security and diplomacy and is a columnist for worldpoliticsreview.com. Her last post in government was as vice chair of the National Intelligence Council (1997-2002). A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, she serves on the Advisory Councils of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy.
March 5: Pandemic Preparation:
Looking back at the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many lessons to take away in terms of domestic and international policies. Although this pandemic seems to have waned, how can we apply these lessons to future pandemics? Will countries cooperate, and will a consensus emerge on how to manage global health challenges?
Speaker: Julius Odhiambo is an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology at W&M where he teaches the Introduction to Global Health and Methods of Health Development. He earned his Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of KwaZulu Natal in Durban, South Africa. His research focuses on the application of spatial and spatial-temporal methods to better understand the geographical patterns of maternal and child health outcomes, assess their relationship with potential risk factors, identify clusters, and measure inequalities both at small-area resolution as well as at country scales.
March 12: Climate Technology and Competition:
Will the United States and China, with other powerful countries following suit, approach current and future climate initiatives with an increased commitment to trade protectionism and nationalism, by various measures including trade restrictions? Or could a growing spirit of international accord confront the “common enemy” of climate change?
Speaker: Larry Williams enjoyed a 33-year career as a military intelligence officer and Department of Defense civilian employee focusing on crisis management. He had assignments in Southeast Asia, Europe, and Greenland. He is a lifelong student of nature, weather, and climate with a BS degree in Forestry from North Carolina State University.
March 19: High Seas Treaty:
Areas of the seas beyond national jurisdiction comprise the high seas, which are facing the degradation of ecosystems due to climate change and the increase in human activities, such as shipping, overfishing, pollution, and deep-sea mining. The recently negotiated High Seas Treaty, also known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Treaty, will attempt to address these issues. How difficult will it be to convince nations to participate?
Speaker: Andrew Kirkpatrick is an Associate Professor at Christopher Newport University. He was the director of CNU's interdisciplinary Environmental Studies program from 2013-2022. He teaches courses such as Environmental Politics, International Organizations, European Politics, Comparative Politics, and International Relations while his research focuses on international environmental cooperation, compliance with international agreements, politics of resource use, international organizations, and political parties. He holds a PhD in political science from Emory University.
March 26: U.S. China Trade Rivalry:
China’s economic rise and its current policies of increasing the role of the state in the economy have led some U.S. policymakers to seek to deny China access to U.S. technology and investment. This is seen as a necessary corrective to decades of predatory Chinese economic policies. Is this a wise strategy, and how effective can it be?
Speaker: Frank Samolis is a Partner at the firm, Squires, Patton, Boggs where he serves as co-chair of International Trade Practice. He advises clients on international trade matters, including trade law, trade policy and legislation, and international trade negotiations. He also handles matters before the Office of the US Trade Representative and other US agencies as well as representing foreign sovereigns or foreign multinationals from Asia and other regions, in addition to US companies seeking expanded market access in major export markets.
Several of my friends will be attending this lecture series as well. I expect we’ll go out to lunch after the lecture at least a few times over these eight weeks. Programs like this are a great way to identify a group of people who share your interests; the connections made during this program carry on throughout the year in other groups and venues.
Great Decisions is America’s largest discussion program on world affairs. According to the Foreign Policy Association website, the program model involves reading the Great Decisions Briefing Book, watching the video series, and meeting in a Discussion Group to discuss the most critical global issues facing America today. Groups are formed in public libraries, retirement communities, academic settings, and faith-based organizations. A glance at the FPA website shows dozens of programs in every state. Check it out here to find a group near you.
The various local groups may organize things differently; the Williamsburg program, for example, brings speakers to the program rather than showing the videos, so it often presents the topics in a different order to meet the scheduling demands of the speakers. If you can’t find a group near you, the Williamsburg program will be offered in a hybrid model; all registrants will get the Zoom link so that even people who plan to attend in person can attend remotely if their situation changes. Here’s the link to the Williamsburg program if you want to follow up on this.
It's not a bad way to get smarter in the New Year.