WKTV Staff
Are dictators getting smarter? Is there such a thing as diplomacy in the age of Twitter? Is American global leadership on the wane?
These and more important topics will be the focus of the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan’s 2018 Great Decisions global discussion series, a series which bring leaders in international theory and action to Grand Rapids for lectures.
Starting on Monday, Jan. 29 — with the lecture topic “Are Dictators Getting Smarter?: Media and Foreign Policy”, with William Dobson, chief international editor at National Public Radio — the series will offer two options to attend. There will be a daytime lecture, noon-1 p.m. at the Calvin College Recital Hall in the Covenant Fine Arts Center, and then 6-7:15 p.m. at the Aquinas College Performing Arts Center.
There is a $10 admission fee per discussion, with no reservations needed and free parking. A series pass is available for $65 for all eight programs, and pass holders can attend either session for each speaker.
In the discussion “Are Dictators Getting Smarter? …”, Dobson’s lecture is described in supplied material as: “Democracy has fallen on tough times. Authoritarian regimes in Russia, China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere are on the march, while the West seems to be taking a back seat. Are the world’s dictators getting more sophisticated in their repression? How do the world’s despots manipulate media to serve their own ends? In the age of Twitter and smart phones, can democracy keep up?”
Dobson, in addition to his work with NPR, is the author of The Dictator’s Learning Curve: Inside the Global Battle for Democracy, which examines the struggle between authoritarian regimes and the people who challenge them. He holds a law degree from Harvard Law School and a masters degree in East Asian Studies from Harvard University.
Discussions will continue through March 26.
“We call this edition of the Great Decisions series ‘Context for a Complex World’ because the amount of information coming our way these days is overwhelming,” Michael Van Denend, executive director of the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan, said in supplied material. “Through these presentations, we hope to help our community step back for a bit and ponder how we can engage thoughtfully in a complicated world.”
The Great Decisions format features a world-class expert leading each conversation, followed by an extensive question-answer session. The World Affairs Council is the local sponsor of these eight current foreign policy topics as determined by the New York City-based Foreign Policy Association. The Council has sponsored the series for more than 50 years.
The reminder of the 2018 series will feature:
Monday, Feb. 5: “China in the World: Conundrums of a Socialist Market Economy”, with Dr. Badrinath Rao, Associate Professor of Sociology and Asian Studies, Kettering University.
Monday, Feb. 12: “Trouble Brewing: Can the U.S. and Turkey Cooperate?”, with Dr. Sinan Ciddi, Director, Institute for Turkish Studies, Georgetown University.
Monday, Feb. 19: “The Right Bang for our Bucks: The U.S. Defense Budget”, with Dr. Stephanie Young, defense budget expert, RAND Corporation.
Monday, Feb. 26: “Is American Global Leadership Waning?”, with Dr. Amitav Acharya, UNESCO Chair in Transnational Challenges and Governance at the School of International Service, American University.
Monday, Mar. 12: “Putin, Russia, and the New Cold War?”, with Susan B. Glasser, Chief International Affairs Columnist, POLITICO and co-author of “Kremlin Rising: Vladimir Putin and the End of Revolution”.
Monday, Mar. 19: “South Africa at a Crossroads: Implications for U.S.-South Africa Relations”, with Desirée Cormier, Senior Director, Africa Practice, Albright Stonebridge Group (ASG).
Monday, Mar. 26: “Global Health: Equity, Ethics, and Eradication”, with Ambassador Mary Ann Peters (ret.), CEO, The Carter Center.
For more information on sessions, dates and times, as well as detailed information on speakers, visit worldmichigan.org .
