Foreign policy citizens forum to be held at WFU

Each forum, which will feature a different discussion topic led by a Wake Forest expert, is free and open to the public. Forums will take place on Thursdays at 7 p.m. at the locations specified below.

The Great Decisions Series is a national foreign policy education program sponsored by the Foreign Policy Association (FPA), a non-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental educational organization that strives to educate Americans about the significant international issues that influence their lives.

The first lecture will be held March 17 in Scales Fine Arts Center, Room A102. The topic will be “U.S. Challenges in Iraq and in the Muslim World” and will be led by Charles Kennedy, professor of political science. The forum will address issues such as how the war in Iraq and its new government will impact the Middle East and how the new Iraq will relate to its neighbors and regional partners.

On March 24, Wei-chin Lee, professor of political science, will lead a discussion titled “China: Economic Giant Emerges” that will focus on China’s rapid economic growth and its impact on the ecosystem, patterns of global trade and resource distribution. The lecture will be held in Scales Fine Arts Center, Room A102.

“Putin’s Second Term: A Scorecard for Russia” is the topic for the March 31 lecture. Helga Welsh, associate professor of political science, will lead the discussion. During the forum, Welsh will discuss the consequences of Putin’s economic and political reforms, particularly the challenges of terrorism, arrested democratic development and Russia’s struggling economy. The lecture will be held in Scales Fine Arts Center, Room M306.

Associate Professor of Economics Robert Whaples will introduce the fourth Great Decisions Series topic, “Outsourcing Jobs: U.S. Dilemma,” on April 7 in Scales Fine Arts Center, Room M306. Whaples will address the potential threats and effects of outsourcing in the context of contemporary globalization.

The fifth lecture, scheduled for April 14, will feature Yomi Durotoye, senior lecturer in the political science department and the Center for International Studies, who will discuss “Sudan and the War in Darfur.” This forum will focus on the conflict in Darfur, its humanitarian crisis and the roles of the international community as well as the U.S. in resolving the conflict. The lecture will be held in Scales Fine Arts Center, Room M306.

In the final lecture of the series on April 21, Sylvain Boko, associate professor of economics, will address “The U.S. and Global Poverty.” Critics have argued that high debt owed by poor countries to rich countries has widened the gap between these countries and that the U.S. is not doing enough to help the economic recovery effort in poor countries. This forum will focus on what can be done to narrow the global poverty gap. The lecture will be held in Scales Fine Arts Center, Room A102.

For more information about the Great Decisions Series, contact Yomi Durotoye, series coordinator, at 336-758-1910.