Great Decisions 2010
 Great Decisions is a discussion series of global issues shaping U.S. foreign policy and the world.
Programs will be presented at the Fond du Lac Public Library at 7 p.m. on three Tuesdays and one Wednesday evening in February. The programs are free and are held in the lower level meeting room of the library.
Following is a list of the programs, with sources for more background on the topics.
- Tuesday, February 2: U.S - China Security Relations
Professor Jason Borzak, Lawrence University
 China's influence is growing, along with its military expenditures. How will this growth affect China's relations with its neighbors and with the U.S.? Will China's expanding military and economic power affect traditional U.S. roles and U.S. alliances in East Asia? How will countries like Japan, South Korea and India respond?
Websites
China: A Country Study
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cntoc.html
China Reform Monitor
http://www.afpc.org/publication_listings/listBulletins/2
Portal to Asian Internet Resources
http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/PAIR/
Books
When China Rules the World: The End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order by Martin Jacques
What Does China Think? by Mark Leonard
- Monday, February 15: Russia & its Neighbors - CANCELED
Professor Clarence Davis, retired, Marian University
Russia's policy of maintaining a "sphere of influence" in former Soviet satellites has been challenged in recent years by movements against pro-Russia regimes. Russia has pushed back by cutting Ukraine's natural gas supply and intervening in Georgia's campaign in South Ossetia. Will Russia regain its traditional leadership role in the region?
Websites
Russia: A Country Study
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/rutoc.html
Russia Reform Monitor
http://www.afpc.org/publication_listings/listBulletins/1
Books
The Rise and Fall of Communism by Archie Brown
The New Cold War: Revolutions, Rigged Elections and Pipeline Politics by Mark Mackinnon
- Wednesday, February 17: Peacebuilding & Conflict Resolution
Wolfgang Schmidt, Chair, Governor’s Commission
on the United Nations
U.S. campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan have shown that military force alone cannot ensure peace in all conflicts. How can the U.S. successfully integrate the tools of peacebuilding into its statecraft? At what point do poverty, disease and climate change threaten national security? What role can
non-governmental actors play in supporting government-led efforts?
Websites
Council on Foreign Relations
http://www.cfr.org
U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee
http://foreign.senate.gov/
U.S. State Dept.
http://www.state.gov/
Books
Power Rules: How Common Sense Can Rescue American Foreign Policy by Leslie H. Gelb
The Inheritance: The World Obama
Confronts and the
Challenges to American Power by David E. Sanger
- Tuesday, February 23: Global Financial Crisis
Dr. Martin Farrell, Ripon College
The global financial crisis that began in late 2007 revealed major deficiencies in the regulation of markets and institutions, all of which came perilously close to collapse. Emergency measures to prevent a full collapse of the global financial system have led to mixed results. How will governments and the world community respond to this challenge?
Websites
Federal Reserve Bank the Financial Crisis Timeline of Events
http://timeline.stlouisfed.org/
The World Bank
http://www.worldbank.org/
Books
Making Sense of the Dollar: Exposing Dangerous Myths about Trade and Foreign Exchange by Marc Chandler
Superfusion: How China and America Became One Economy and Why the World’s Prosperity Depends on It by Zachary Karabell
Riches Among the Ruins: Adventures in the Dark Corners of the Global Economy by Robert P. Smith
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