Barb Schaepe
SaddleBrooke Great Decisions is an affiliate of the Foreign Policy Association’s Great Decisions discussion program, which is America’s largest discussion program on world affairs. The Foreign Policy Association is a 100-plus-year-old organization whose mission is to serve as a catalyst for developing awareness, understanding, and informed opinion on U.S. foreign policy and global issues. Through balanced, nonpartisan programs and publications, the Foreign Policy Association encourages citizens to participate in the foreign policy process.
SaddleBrooke Great Decisions’ 2025 program will begin in January and run through April. Meetings are held on Mondays from 3 to 5 p.m. in the MountainView East Ballroom, typically twice each month. Exact dates, topics, and presenters are expected to be finalized and communicated in November.
At SaddleBrooke Great Decisions meetings, members watch a documentary film produced by the Foreign Policy Association, with context and additional information provided by a Great Decisions member. This is followed by a brief question and answer period, small group discussions on issues related to each meeting’s topic, and, finally, a summary by each group of the most pertinent takeaways gleaned from its discussion. Prior to meetings, members can read an overview of key issues in the briefing book published by the Foreign Policy Association.
2025 Great Decisions topics are as follows:
• American Foreign Policy at a Crossroads
• U.S. Changing Leadership of the World Economy
• U.S.–China Relations
• International Cooperation on Climate Change
• The Future of NATO and European Security
• AI and American National Security
• India: Between China, the West, and the Global South
• After Gaza: American Policy in the Middle East
Further information about SaddleBrooke Great Decisions is available at www.sbgreatdecisions.wordpress.com. The Foreign Policy Association website www.fpa.org includes information about its mission and this year’s topics.