Description: Great Decisions is the nation's oldest, most
popular program of citizen education in world affairs.
The common purpose is to help members become
informed, involved, and to understand how world events
affect their daily lives. The University Women's Club
in cooperation with the Foreign Policy Association,
IU's Center for the Study of Global Change, and
Meadowood will offer the following programs for the
2011-2012 year. Meetings will be held in the Terrace
Room at Meadowood at 1:15 p.m. on the 2nd Tuesday
of the month (September through May). The cost of the
series is $15.00 which includes a book of readings.
Those interested in purchasing a booklet before then
should contact Donna
Become a fan of Great Decisions on Facebook. Stay up to date with program updates and news on current Great Decisions topics.
Our mission is to educate Americans about significant issues that have an impact on our lives.
2012
The time to purchase the books. It will be Wednesday, January 11 at 1:15 p.m. - 3:00 p.m in the Terrace Room at Meadowood.
The cost of the series is $15.00 which includes the booklet.
2012Topics
Feb. 14 Middle East realignment
March 6 Promoting democracy
April 10 Mexico
May 8 Cybersecurity
Sept. 11 Exit from Afghanistan & Iraq
Oct. 9 State of the oceans
Nov.13 Indonesia
Dec. 4 Energy geopolitics
Feb. 14 Middle East realignment
After the Arab Spring
Synopsis:
Following decades of repression and autocratic rule, uprisings in North Africa and throughout the Arab world have upended the status quo−ushering in a new political era now known as the 'Arab Spring' or 'Arab Awakening.' How will this revolutionary moment affect American objectives in the Middle East? After the Arab Spring.
Guests:
Mona Eltahawy, Columnist and international public speaker on Arab and Muslim issues
Shadi Hamid, Director of Research, Brookings Doha Center
Featuring:
Madeleine Albright, Former Secretary of State; Carl Gershman, President, National Endowment for Democracy; General Michael Hayden, Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency and Former Director, National Security Agency; Robert Malley, Middle East and North Africa Program Director, International Crisis Group; Marina Ottaway, Senior Associate, Middle East Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Gideon Rose, Editor, Foreign Affairs; Shibley Telhami, Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development, University of Maryland
March 6 Promoting democracy
Shining City on a Hill: Exporting Democracy
Synopsis:
Democracy promotion has long been a stated goal of U.S. foreign policy. But following the grass-roots uprisings in North Africa and the Middle East, can democracy really be exported?
Guests: John Glenn, Policy Director, U.S. Global Leadership Coalition
Ted Piccone, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of Foreign Policy, Brookings Institution
Featuring: Thomas Carothers, Vice President for Studies, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Dr. Paula Dobriansky, Former Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, Robert Gallucci, President, MacArthur Foundation, Carl Gershman, President, National Endowment for Democracy, Stephen Hadley, Former National Security Advisor, David Sanger, Chief Washington Correspondent, The New York Times, Dr. Paul Williams, President and Founder, Public International Law &Policy Group
April 10 Mexico
Beyond the Border: The U.S. and Mexico
Synopsis: Relations between the U.S. and Mexico have been tense for decades, now even more because of a violent drug war along the border. But drugs aren't the only thing Americans buy from Mexico. It's also the largest provider of oil, a critical trading partner and a source of much needed labor in the U.S. How best can the two countries confront troublesome border issues while fostering greater economic and cultural ties?
Guests:
Dr. Vanda Felbab-Brown, Foreign Policy and 21st Century Defense Initiative Fellow, Brookings Institution
Andrew Selee, Director, Mexico Institute, Woodrow Wilson Center
Featuring:
Michael Chertoff, Former Secretary of Homeland Security, Jeffrey Davidow, Former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, Sean Goforth, Professor of International Political Economy, Coastal Carolina University, Julia Preston, National Immigration Correspondent, The New York Times, Ambassador Arturo Sarukhan, Mexican Ambassador to the United States, Arturo Valenzuela, Director, Center for Latin American Studies, Georgetown University
May 8 Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity: Defense in the Digital Age
Synopsis: Hackers from Bulgaria to Beijing have infiltrated government networks, military installments and the private sector at an alarming rate in recent years. As governments and industry seek to bolster their defensive – and offensive – capabilities, is the U.S. at risk?
Guests:
Susan Landau, Visiting Scholar, Department of Computer Science, Harvard Univeristy
Martin Libicki, Senior Management Scientist, RAND Corporation
Featuring:
Stewart Baker, Partner, Steptoe & Johnson LLP, Senator Ben Cardin, Democrat, Maryland, Michael Chertoff, Former Secretary of Homeland Security, Stephen Hadley, Former National Security Advisor, General Michael Hayden, Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency and Former Director, National Security Agency, Dr. John Nagl, President, Center for a New American Security, David Sanger, Chief Washington Correspondent, The New York Times
Sept. 11 Exit from Afghanistan & Iraq
Drawdown: Exit from Iraq and Afghanistan
Synopsis:
A decade of heavy American military engagement in both Afghanistan and Iraq is slated to wind down in 2012 under the Obama administration. Extrication will not be easy. Do these countries still pose a threat to the U.S., and what's the return on the American investment in blood and treasure?
Guests:
Dr. Nora Bensahel, Deputy Director of Studies and Senior Fellow, Center for a New American Security
Michael Knights, Lafer Fellow, Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Featuring: Robert Gallucci, President, MacArthur Foundation, Celeste Ward Gventer, Associate Director, Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law, Stephen Hadley, Former National Security Advisor, General Michael Hayden, Former Director, Central Intelligence Agency and Former Director, National Security Agency, Lawrence Korb, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress, Daniel Markey, Senior Fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia, Council on Foreign Relations, Dr. John Nagl, President, Center for a New American Security, Michael O'Hanlon, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution, Martha Raddatz, Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent, ABC News, Gideon Rose, Editor, Foreign Affairs, David Sanger, Chief Washington Correspondent, The New York Times
Oct. 9 State of the oceans
Living Planet: State of the Seas
Synopsis: Declining fish populations. Coral erosion. Polluted waters. The human impact on the world's oceans has scientists and other observers alarmed around the globe. A look at the health of the world's seas.
Guests:
David Helvarg, President, Blue Frontier Campaign Carl Safina, President & Founder, Blue Ocean Institute
Featuring: Susan Avery, President and Director, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Senator Ben Cardin, Democrat, Maryland, Paul Collier, Author, The Plundered Planet, Vikki Spruill, President and CEO, Ocean Conservancy, Paul Williams, President and Founder, Public International Law & Policy Group
Nov.13 Indonesia
Inside Indonesia
Synopsis: Indonesia was the childhood home of President Barack Obama. It's also the world's most populous Muslim country, a secular democracy and an economic rising star. What challenges does Indonesia - a former dictatorship – face in the region and the world, and what is the state of U.S.-Indonesian relations today?
Guests: Sadanand Dhume, Resident Fellow, the American Enterprise Institute and South Asia Columnist, Wall Street Journal Walter Lohman, Director, Asian Studies Center, The Heritage Foundation
Featuring: Endy Bayuni, Former Editor in Chief, The Jakarta Post, Ambassador Dino Patti Djalal, Indonesian Ambassador to the U.S., Ambassador Stapleton Roy, Former U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia
Dec. 4 Energy geopolitics
Energy and Geopolitics
Synopsis: With declining global oil reserves and fierce competition for commodities, minerals and other natural resources, the race among countries to secure energy supplies has heated up. Who's ahead in the competition for the world's natural resources, and what does this mean for the U.S.?
Guests: David Goldwyn, President and Founder, Goldwyn Global Strategies Frank Verrastro, Senior Vice President and Director of the Energy and National Security Program, Center for Strategic and International Studies
Featuring:
Paul Collier, Author, The Plundered Planet, Stephen Hadley, Former National Security Advisor, Michael Levi, David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow for Energy and the Environment, CFR, Robert McNally, Founder and President, The Rapidan Group
.jpg)