TCCL News & Events

The Great Decisions foreign policy discussion series invites you to discuss how remote global challenges increasingly are becoming domestic challenges affecting our lives.

A kickoff is planned Jan. 23, 2:30 p.m., in Central Library, Aaronson Auditorium, Fourth Street and Denver Avenue.

Tulsa attorney Jesse V. Pilgrim will kick off the series by speaking about the caucuses where he has worked in the past.  Pilgrim has specialized in election systems and the development of legislation intended to facilitate ethnic reconciliation and political pluralism in countries emerging from civil war or ethnic conflict.

You can sign up for a discussion group or purchase an optional $14 briefing booklet at the opening program.  The briefing booklet presents articles analyzing each of the topics.  Great Decisions discussion groups will focus on these eight topics:

1. Rebuilding Haiti – The January 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti struck a country already suffering from widespread poverty and underemployment.  Did this natural disaster inadvertently provide an opportunity for reassessment and planning a new Haiti?
2. U.S. National Security – U.S. security priorities have expanded in the 21st century to include waging war in Iraq and Afghanistan, tightening border security, pursuing cyberthreats, halting nuclear proliferation and attempting to snuff out homegrown terrorism.  In what ways will this agenda shape the American way of life in the future?
3. Horn of Africa – Since the early 1990s, the U.S. has monitored the Horn of Africa due to instability, weak governments and regional rivalries fueling terrorism.  How does the U.S. protect national interests while mitigating the dangerous conditions in the region?
4. Responding to the Financial Crisis – As an immediate response to the financial crisis of 2007-08, governments around the world stepped in to bail out banks deemed “too big to fail.”  Is it possible to ensure that future crises do not occur?
5. Germany Ascendant – Germany has emerged as a dominant economic and political power in Europe, setting the tone for dealing with Russia, Eastern Europe and Iran.  How important is it for U.S. interests to enhance relations with Germany, and how should the U.S. react if those interests fail to align?
6. Sanctions and Nonproliferation – Sanctions were created to curb nations in violation of international law, especially agreements concerning nuclear nonproliferation.  Is there any chance sanctions can curtail North Korea and Iran from continuing to develop nuclear weapons?
7. The Caucasus – The countries and regions of the Caucasus all have strong national identities but have long lived in the shadow of their larger neighbors: Russia, Iran and Turkey.  How do the region’s energy resources play into its relations with the outside world?
8. Global Governance – International cooperation subjects political leaders to an ongoing test: balancing national needs with a commitment to building a durable international order.  What economic, social, political and security concerns are currently on the agendas of intergovernmental bodies, and what is the future U.S. role?
   
   

Great Decisions is sponsored nationally by the Foreign Policy Association and locally by the Friends of the Tulsa City-County Libraries.

For more information on Great Decisions, call 549-7408, or visit the library’s webpage, www.tulsalibrary.org.