Join us for Great Decisions 2024. Weekly discussions on a variety of current events and topics. Brought to you by the Foreign Policy Association, League of Women Voters, AAUW and the Tyler Public Library.
New day and time!!!! Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. beginning February 15th.
February 15th: Mideast Realignment By Marc Lynch
Discussion leader: Stephen Stine (TJC)
The United States and Middle East are at a crossroads. In spite of 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?
February 22nd: U.S. -China trade rivalry By Jonathan Chanis
Discussion leader: Jeffrey Crean (TJC)
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?
February 29th: Pandemic preparedness By Carolyn Reynolds
Discussion Leader: Sharon Kyser (TJC)
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?
March 7: Understanding Indonesia By Charles Sullivan
Discussion Leader: Arthur Smith (TJC)
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-majoritynation, 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?
Break for Spring Break!
March 21: Science across borders By Mila Rosenthal
Discussion Leader: Cullin Davis
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?
March 28th: NATO’s future By Sarwar Kashmeri
Discussion leader: Alyssa White (Tyler High School)
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?
April 4th: High Seas Treaty FPA Editors
Discussion leader Jamie Bitzenhofer (TJC)
Areas of the seas beyond national jurisdiction comprise the high seas, which are facing a 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?
April 11: Climate Technology and Competition By Bud Ward
Discussion Leader: TBD
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 develop to confront the “common enemy” of climate change?