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FEBRUARY 9, 2008 - Talking to Our Enemies
Please
join BIAHC at the Bainbridge Public Library (1270 Madison Ave. N.) on
Saturday, February 9, from 9:30 – 11:00 a.m. for coffee, refreshments,
a 30-minute video, and a Great Decisions community discussion on this
timely issue.
Great Decisions is a nation-wide program of the Foreign Policy Association to broaden public involvement with the most important foreign policy issues facing the United States.
The 2008 series begins with Talking to Our Enemies on February 9.
Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has been living in a
new era of diplomacy. The world’s only “superpower” finds itself
dealing differently with both friends and enemies in the absence of a
major competing nation. How, in an age of terrorism and nuclear
proliferation, should American diplomats engage with countries like
Iran and North Korea? What approach should the U.S. take with groups
like Hamas and Hezbollah? How the U.S. deals with international
challenges also depends on how it engages with its allies, many of whom
refused to support the U.S. invasion of Iraq. What does the future hold
for U.S. foreign policy?
The February 9 program is part of the Bainbridge Branch Library’s month-long The Big Read,
a nationwide initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts designed
to restore reading to the center of American culture. Bainbridge Island
is reading Ray Bradbury’s 1953 science fiction classic, Fahrenheit 451,
which includes civic responsibility as one of its themes. At Talking to Our Enemies,
participants will have a chance to discuss this important topic at the
global level. More information about The Big Read is at the Kitsap
Regional Library website, www.krl.org.
While enjoying coffee and pastries, participants first view a 30-minute
Foreign Policy Association DVD of a conversation between two experts on
the topic to be discussed. To assist with advance preparation, please
review the relevant chapter of the Great Decisions briefing book, which
is available at the Bainbridge Public Library. Copies can also be
purchased from BIAHC for $15.
The remaining discussions are scheduled to take place at the library on February 23, March 8, March 22, April 5, April 19, May 3, and May 17. At
the end of each session, participants select the topic for the next
session. Anyone with a particular interest or expertise in a topic is
welcome to take on the role of moderator.
THE 2008 DISCUSSION TOPICS ARE:
- Talking to Our Enemies – Feb. 9
- European Union at 50 – Mar. 8
- Iraq End-Game (TBA)
- U.S. Defense & Security Policy (TBA)
- Latin America: Shift to the Left? (TBA)
- U.S. - China Trade Policy – Mar. 22
- Private Philanthropy (TBA)
Please contact BIAHC at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
to be added to the Great Decisions email list for updates on the topic schedule and to receive topic background information. More information about Great Decisions at the Library is here >>
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Suggested background readings for Talking to Our Enemies (February 9):
Great Decisions website: www.fpa.org
Diplomacy in the Age of Terror. Remarks
to the Pacific Council on International Policy, The American Academy of
Diplomacy. October 4, 2007, Los Angeles, California. Ambassador Chas.
W. Freeman, Jr. (USFS, Ret.) The U.S.-led war on terror is being fought
almost entirely devoid of a diplomatic front — and is instead heavily
dependent upon military might. In these remarks, Chas. Freeman details
how the United States can confront the very real dangers posed by
terrorists with global reach and their ideological base among the
world's Muslims, and how it can become as skilled at waging peace as it
is at waging war. Chas. W. Freeman, Jr. is a former U.S. Ambassador to
Saudi Arabia and Assistant Secretary of Defense for International
Security Affairs. He is also currently president of the Middle East
Policy Council.
www.mepc.org
Waving Goodbye to Hegemony. New York Times Magazine, January 27, 2008.
By Parag Khanna, a senior research fellow in the American Strategy
Program of the New America Foundation. This essay is adapted from his
book, The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order, to be published by Random House in March.
www.nytimes.com
The Problem of American Exceptionalism. Pew Research Center, May 2006.
Our values and attitudes may be misunderstood, but they have
consequences on the world scene. In an excerpt from their new book, America Against the World,
Pew Research Center President Andrew Kohut and journalist Bruce Stokes
examine the major factors, real and imagined, that contribute to the
global rise in anti-Americanism.
www.pewresearch.org
A New Realism: A Realistic and Principled Foreign Policy. Foreign Affairs, Jan/Feb. 2008.
By Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico and former candidate for the
Democratic presidential nomination. Summary: The United States needs a
foreign policy that is based on reality and is loyal to American
values. The next U.S. president needs to send a clear signal to the
world that America has turned the corner and will once again be a
leader rather than a unilateralist loner. Getting out of Iraq and
restoring our reputation are necessary first steps toward a new
strategy of U.S. global engagement and leadership. www.foreignaffairs.org
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