All  are invited to join the Great Decisions 2024 Program sponsored by the League. There will be nine meetings at 7:00 p.m. starting on January 23, 2024 held via Zoom, and continuing for the remaining 8 months on the 4th Tuesday each month.

  Participants who RSVP will receive the Zoom link by email.  Click to reserve your place!

This year LWV Washington County has decided to offer the Great Decisions program FREE to its members.

In 2024 we will once again ask participants to purchase their own study materials. They have been released in electronic form for readers (like Kindle or Nook, etc.) at a big cost savings ($35.00 plus shipping for paper vs. $24.99 for Kindle). 

• The links below for E-book versions of the briefing book will be provided soon! Click to follow the link to download from these providers: 
  Amazon/Kindle
  Apple Books
  Nook (Barnes and Noble)
  Rakuten Kobo
  Scribd
  Vivlio (EU); or
  
• To purchase a paper copy now.

GREAT DECISIONS 2024 TOPICS:

• Mideast Realignment

  The United States and Middle East are at a crossroads. In spite of a reduced presence in the Middle East, the U.S. still has significant national interests there and the area is a key arena for global power politics. Can the U.S. continue to defend its interests in the Middle East and globally with a lower level of military and political involvement, or should it recommit to a leading role in the region?

• Climate Technology & Competition

  Will the United States and China, with other powerful countries following suit, approach current and future climate initiatives with an increased commitment to trade protectionism and nationalism, by various measures including trade restrictions? Or could a growing spirit of international accord develop to confront the “common enemy” of climate change?

• Science Across Borders

  Scientific advances benefit from collaboration between researchers, but what happens when material, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) is controversial and important to a nation’s national security? Is there a middle ground between sharing information and denying access? How can we regulate cooperation?

• U.S.-China Trade Rivalry

  China’s economic rise and its current policies of increasing the role of the state in the economy have led some U.S. policymakers to seek to deny China access to U.S. technology and investment. This is seen as a necessary corrective to decades of predatory Chinese economic policies. Is this a wise strategy, and how effective can it be?

• NATO's Future

  Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has come under increased scrutiny, not because NATO troops are involved in the conflict, but because of its role in relations between Russia and its neighbors. Will expanding membership in NATO protect countries, or will it further provoke Russia?

• Understanding Indonesia

  Despite its large size, Indonesia remains virtually invisible to most Americans. But as one of the world’s largest democracies, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, and as an economic driver of ASEAN, why does it fly below the radar? What are current issues in U.S.-Indonesian relations, and what role can the country play in Asia?

• High Seas Treaty

  Areas of the seas beyond national jurisdiction comprise the high seas, which are facing a degradation of ecosystems due to climate change and the increase in human activities, such as shipping, overfishing, pollution, and deep-sea mining. The recently negotiated High Seas Treaty, also known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty, will attempt to address these issues. How difficult will it be to convince nations to participate?

• Pandemic Preparedness

  Looking back at the covid-19 pandemic, there are many lessons to take away in terms of domestic and international policies. Although this pandemic seems to have waned, how can we apply these lessons to future pandemics? Will countries cooperate, and will a consensus emerge on how to manage global health challenges?

Check out the Great Decisions web site at http://www.fpa.org/great_decisions/