TIME: 1:00 - 2:00 PM

LOCATION: Meadowood's Greenhouse on the circle drive

PRECAUTIONS: Please wear a mask. One person at a time. 

SIGN UP & PICK UP: Your Great Decisions 2021 Briefing Book at Meadowood front circle - look for the Great Decisions desk.

COST: Cost of series, including book, will be $25. Cash OR write a check payable to Kate Kroll.

Date: The date is the second (2nd) Tuesday of the month.  

• Tuesday, January 12, 2021: Registration Day
• Tuesday, March 9, 2021
• Tuesday, April 13, 2021
• Tuesday, May 11, 2021
• Tuesday, June 8, 2021
• Tuesday, September 14, 2021
• Tuesday, October 12, 2021
• Tuesday, November 9, 2021
• Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Time: 1:00-2:30 pm by Zoom*. 

* Zoom link will be provided when each program is confirmed.  

Topic Blurbs: **These topic blurbs are in alphabetical order only, and NOT in order of presentation date.** 

• Brexit: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead  (Blurb by Harris LaTeef) - March 9th, 2021.

With the “Brexit transition period” coming to an end this year, the United Kingdom will formally leave the European Union at the start of 2021. With negotiations between the two entities continuing to stall, what does the future of Europe and the UK look like? Will the UK survive a possible Scottish vote to leave? Who will step up and take command of Europe now that Angela Merkel is out of the spotlight?

• China and Africa  (Blurb by Cobus van Staden) - June 8th, 2021.

The Covid-19 crisis has put a massive strain on what was growing a positive economic and political relationship between China and the continent of Africa. As Chinese President Xi Jinping’s centerpiece “Belt and Road initiative” continues to expand Chinese power, the response to the spread of Covid-19, as well as the African government’s growing debt to China, has seen pushback. What are some of the growing economic and political issues between China and Africa? 

• The Coldest War: Toward a Return to Great Power Competition in the Arctic?  (Blurb by Stephanie Pezard) - September 14th, 2021.

U.S. President Donald Trump left many scratching their heads when it was rumored that he was looking to purchase the large island nation of Greenland from Denmark. While any potential deal seems highly unlikely, the event shows the changing opinion within the U.S. government toward engagement with the Arctic region. Because of climate change, large sheets of arctic ice are melting, exposing vast stores of natural gas and oil. With Russia and China already miles ahead with their Arctic strategies, can the U.S. catch up?

• The End of Globalization?  (Blurb by Anne O. Krueger) - November 9th, 2021

As the United States enters another election season, the merits and drawbacks of globalization are again being debated by the presidential candidates. With the passing of the Brexit vote and Donald Trump’s America First doctrine, protectionist policies have become more prevalent, challenging globalization. What is globalization and how will it be affected by protectionist trade policies? How will the United States and the world be affected by such policies? Is globalization really at an end, or in need of a refresh?

• The Future of Persian Gulf Security  (Blurb by Lawrence G. Potter) - May 11th, 2021.

The Persian Gulf remains tense as the rivalry between the regional powers of Saudi Arabia and Iran continues. Tensions escalated in early 2020 as the United States began to intervene in the Gulf, launching an airstrike that killed two Iranian military commanders. What are the historical influences that have led to these tensions? What role, if any, should the United States play? Is using military force a viable foreign policy option for 2021 and beyond?

• Global Supply Chains and  U.S.National Security  (Blurb by Jonathan Chanis) - April 13th, 2021.

The shutdown of global supply chains due to the Covid-19 pandemic brought to the fore an issue with the high level of global economic interdependence: what happens when one country is the main source for an item, say face masks, and then can no longer supply the item? Countries suddenly unable to meet the demand for certain supplies are faced with growing calls for economic nationalism. What are some of the lasting effects that the pandemic could have on global supply chains and trade? How would this affect national security?

• The Two Koreas  (Blurb by Scott A. Snyder) - October 12th, 2021.

The Korean Peninsula is facing a defining era. Attempts by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump to repair the rift between North and South have lost any momentum as Pyongyang continues to test long-range missiles for its nuclear weapons program. As the rift between the U.S. and China grows further, South Korea may end up in the middle of the two superpowers. What does the future hold for the U.S. relationship with the ROK?

• The World Health Organization’s Response to COVID-19  (Blurb by Mara Pillinger) - December 14th, 2021.

The Covid-19 pandemic has thrust the World Health Organization (WHO) into the limelight, for better and for worse. While some of the Trump administration’s criticism of the organization is unfair, the response to the early stages of the pandemic left many experts wanting more from the WHO. What is the WHO’s role in responding to international pandemics? What can be done to improve the WHO’s response to future global health crises?

Time: Tuesday, March 9, 2021. Join Zoom 12:45–1:00 pm; Program 1:00-2:30 pm. 

Topic: Brexit: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead

Speaker: Timothy Hellwig, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science, Academic Director of the IU Europe Gateway, and previously the Director of the Institute for European Studies, IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. 

Zoom Link: https://iu.zoom.us/j/87124181325

Introduction: With the “Brexit transition period” coming to an end this year, the United Kingdom will formally leave the European Union at the start of 2021. With negotiations between the two entities continuing to stall, what does the future of Europe and the UK look like? Will the UK survive a possible Scottish vote to leave? Who will step up and take command of Europe now that Angela Merkel is out of the spotlight?

Check Detailed Information Here.

Time: Tuesday, April 13, 2021. Join Zoom 12:45–1:00 pm; Program 1:00-2:30 pm. 

Topic: Global Supply Chains and National Security

Zoom Link: https://iu.zoom.us/j/87054588760

Introduction: The shutdown of global supply chains due to the Covid-19 pandemic brought to the fore an issue with the high level of global economic interdependence: what happens when one country is the main source for an item, say face masks, and then can no longer supply the item? Countries suddenly unable to meet the demand for certain supplies are faced with growing calls for economic nationalism. What are some of the lasting effects that the pandemic could have on global supply chains and trade? How would this affect national security?

Check Detailed Information Here

Time: Tuesday, May 11, 2021. Join Zoom 12:45–1:00 pm; Program 1:00-2:30 pm. 

Topic: The Future of Persian Gulf Security 

Speaker: Ambassador Feisal Istrabadi, Founding Director of the IU Center for the Study of the Middle East, Title VI National Resource Center, Professor of the Practice of International Law and Diplomacy in the Maurer School of Law and the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. 

Zoom Link: https://iu.zoom.us/j/86227297909 

Introduction: The Persian Gulf remains tense as the rivalry between the regional powers of Saudi Arabia and Iran continues. Tensions escalated in early 2020 as the United States began to intervene in the Gulf, launching an airstrike that killed two Iranian military commanders. What are the historical influences that have led to these tensions? What role, if any, should the United States play? Is using military force a viable foreign policy option for 2021 and beyond?

Check Detailed Information Here.

Time: Tuesday, June 8th, 2021. Join Zoom 12:45–1:00 pm; Program 1:00-2:30 pm. 

Topic: China and Africa 

Speaker: Anita Plummer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Department of African Studies, Howard University, Washington, DC. 

Zoom Link: https://iu.zoom.us/j/86011520012 

Introduction: The Covid-19 crisis has put a massive strain on what was growing a positive economic and political relationship between China and the continent of Africa. As Chinese President Xi Jinping’s centerpiece “Belt and Road initiative” continues to expand Chinese power, the response to the spread of Covid-19, as well as the African government’s growing debt to China, has seen pushback. What are some of the growing economic and political issues between China and Africa? 

Check Detailed Information Here.

Time: Tuesday, September 14, 2021. Join Zoom 12:45–1:00 pm; Program 1:00-2:30 pm. 

Topic: The Coldest War: Toward a Return to Great Power Competition in the Arctic?

Speaker: Justyna Zajac, Ph.D., is Professor of Practice in European Security Studies in the Departments of International Studies (IU Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies) and Political Science (College of Arts and Sciences). Dr. Zajac is a Full Professor at the University of Warsaw, Poland. 

Zoom Link: https://iu.zoom.us/j/87067824970 

Introduction: U.S. President Donald Trump left many scratching their heads when it was rumored that he was looking to purchase the large island nation of Greenland from Denmark. While any potential deal seems highly unlikely, the event shows the changing opinion within the U.S. government toward engagement with the Arctic region. Because of climate change, large sheets of arctic ice are melting, exposing vast stores of natural gas and oil. With Russia and China already miles ahead with their Arctic strategies, can the U.S. catch up?

Check Detailed Information Here.

Time: Tuesday, October 12, 2021. Join Zoom 12:45–1:00 pm; Program 1:00-2:30 pm. 

Topic: The Two Koreas

Speaker: Sean Kim, Ph.D., is a Professor in the History Department at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg. He teaches courses on East Asian, world, and U.S. history. Dr. Kim’s research focuses on the religious history of modern Korea, in particular the rise of Protestant Christianity. He is also interested in the topics of the Korean war, popular religion, and colonialism.

Zoom Link: https://iu.zoom.us/j/81930844955

Introduction: The Korean Peninsula is facing a defining era. Attempts by South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump to repair the rift between North and South have lost any momentum as Pyongyang continues to test long-range missiles for its nuclear weapons program. As the rift between the U.S. and China grows further, South Korea may end up in the middle of the two superpowers. What does the future hold for the U.S. relationship with the ROK?

Check Detailed Information Here.

Time: Tuesday, November 9, 2021. Join Zoom 12:45–1:00 pm; Program 1:00-2:30 pm. 

Topic: The End of Globalization?

Speaker: Ore Koren, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the IU Department of Political Science, specializing in international relations and methodology. Dr. Koren was a fellow at the Dickey Center at Dartmouth College and a Jennings Randolph Peace Scholar at the United States Institute of Peace. Within international relations, his research has involved innovative approaches to studying the causes of civil conflict, with an emphasis on how environmental pressures and global institutions shape patterns of political violence. More recently, he began exploring linkages between zoonotic diseases and global meat production. 

Zoom Link: https://iu.zoom.us/j/82130592764 

Introduction: As the United States enters another election season, the merits and drawbacks of globalization are again being debated by the presidential candidates. With the passing of the Brexit vote and Donald Trump’s America First doctrine, protectionist policies have become more prevalent, challenging globalization. What is globalization and how will it be affected by protectionist trade policies? How will the United States and the world be affected by such policies? Is globalization really at an end, or in need of a refresh?

Check Detailed Information Here.

Time: Tuesday, December 14, 2021. Join Zoom 12:45–1:00 pm; Program 1:00-2:30 pm. 

Topic: The World Health Organization’s Response to COVID-19

Speaker: Ana Isabel Bento, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington. Trained at Imperial College London, Dr. Bento is a disease ecologist with a focus on ecology and evolution of infectious diseases. She is a member of the World Health Organization’s Technical Advisory Groups for Covid-19 and for Schools, as well as a member of the Epi-core of the Big Ten Covid-19 Cardiac Registry.

Zoom Link: https://iu.zoom.us/j/81863706736

Introduction: The Covid-19 pandemic has thrust the World Health Organization (WHO) into the limelight, for better and for worse. While some of the Trump administration’s criticism of the organization is unfair, the response to the early stages of the pandemic left many experts wanting more from the WHO. What is the WHO’s role in responding to international pandemics? What can be done to improve the WHO’s response to future global health crises?

Check Detailed Information Here.