World Affairs Council of Western Michigan Announces 2017 Great Decisions Global Discussions, Expansi

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - Jan. 19, 2017 - PRLog -- Discussions will take place Feb. 6 through April 3 and feature national scholars and experts – including Jack Segal, former National Security Council director for nonproliferation, and John Adams, former brigadier general of the U.S. Army – who will share their knowledge and hold stimulating discussions on foreign policy and global issues.

The series will also expand into Holland as Hope College strengthens its relationship with the World Affairs Council by offering the Great Decisions series to students and area residents free of charge.

"As our country faces the uncertainties of a new administration and continued upheaval around the world, it's more important than ever to equip ourselves with accurate information and informed opinions," said Dixie Anderson, executive director of the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan. "We are delighted to again welcome some of the leading experts on the most pressing global issues of our times to our 2017 Great Decisions  series.

"Our format allows people to draw close and gain a personal perspective on the most relevant issues of the day. As the longest-running discussion series in West Michigan, we make it possible to hear from an impressive group of scholars, researchers and policy makers without ever leaving Grand Rapids."

Anderson, who has helmed the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan for more than 20 years, was honored last fall by the Foreign Policy Association with the Foreign Policy Association Medal for her work to expand public knowledge of international affairs. Past recipients have included the late Walter Cronkite, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and other prominent educators, statesmen and economists.

Each of the eight presentations scheduled for 2017 will also feature an extensive question-answer session that allows speakers to present and then take questions from the audience. In Holland, discussions will be held at 1 p.m. at Graves Hall, 263 College Ave. on the Hope College campus. In Grand Rapids, discussions will be held at the Performing Arts Center at Aquinas College, 1700 Fulton Street SE at 6 p.m.

"Each Great Decisions speaker provides an extraordinary opportunity for Hope students and faculty to learn from an expert on a timely global issue," said John Knapp, president of Hope College. "We are also delighted to welcome the Holland community to these programs and to stream them online to other colleges and universities."

The series will feature:

Monday, Feb. 6: "Rx: Prescription for Latin America" Jason Beaubien, a National Public Radio correspondent, will review his diagnosis of the current global health issues, including those in Latin America. Beaubien has spent years covering Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean as well as filed stories on Mexico's brutal drug war, politics in Cuba and received a Peabody Award in 2015 for his team's coverage of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Monday, Feb. 13: "Choke Points: Global Water, Food and Energy Crises" Keith Schneider, from Circle of Blue, an environmental think tank based in Traverse City, and Liz Kirkwood, environmental lawyer who led the "Oil & Water Don't Mix" Campaign against the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline under the Mackinac straits, will lead a conversation about the challenges posed by significant water risks here in Michigan and beyond.

Monday, Feb. 20: "Nuclear Proliferation: New Worries" With thousands of nuclear warheads deployed and in storage around the world, it seems inevitable that nuclear bombs may fall into the wrong hands. Yet in the 75 years of the nuclear era, this hasn't happened. Why? Join Jack Segal, the former National Security Council director for nonproliferation, as he leads a discussion on the future of nuclear security.

Monday, Feb. 27: "South China Sea: Clash of Strategies" John Adams, retired brigadier general U.S. Army, shares his expertise and take on current U.S.-China relations. He will analyze Chinese actions in the South China Sea and elsewhere, exploring how they can be a roadmap for the United States response to this growing world power.

Monday, Mar. 13: "Afghanistan: Fight . . . or Run?" Ronald E. Neumann served as the U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2005 to 2007 and continues to make frequent trips to the region. He joins us to explain the complexity of Afghanistan and our country's role there. In his tenure as ambassador, he met with senior leaders, journalists, soldiers and business insiders, and possesses a depth of experience that can lead to a better understanding of this delicate situation.

Monday, Mar. 20: "Is it all Politics? Trade and U.S. Jobs" One needs to look no further than the past presidential election to understand the popular narrative: trade means that China wins at America's expense. But do the numbers support that conclusion? Jeremy Haft, Georgetown University professor and CEO of SafeSource Trading, assesses the rhetoric and the reality of global trade and U.S. jobs.

Monday, Mar. 27: "The E.U.: An Uncertain Future" John McCormick, professor of European Union Politics at the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, explores the future of the European Union as it faces Brexit, the Eurozone crisis and Syrian migration. McCormick will share his analysis in the context of rising populism around the world as well as growing criticism of immigration and globalization.

Monday, Apr. 3: "Shifts in the Sand: U.S.-Saudi Relations" Simon Henderson, Washington Institute for Near East Policy, will review the complicated relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia in the face of a Trump administration and the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.