Barb Schaepe
SaddleBrooke Great Decisions started off the year with timely topics, excellent presentations, and spirited discussions. Meetings, which continue in March and April, occur on Mondays from 3 to 5 p.m. in the East Ballroom of the MountainView Clubhouse unless otherwise noted.
Great Decisions is America’s largest discussion program focused on world affairs. SaddleBrooke Great Decisions strives to serve as a catalyst for developing awareness, understanding, and informed opinion on U.S. foreign policy and global issues.
Our thanks to February presenters who led discussions on Climate Technology and Competition and U.S. and China Investment Strategies. Lockwood Carlson’s Feb. 19 presentation described clean energy options and their geopolitical implications. On Feb. 26, Boyd Bosma focused on whether it is a wise strategy to seek to deny China access to U.S. technology and investment as a corrective action to decades of predatory Chinese economic policies.
At these meetings, members watched a documentary film prepared by the Foreign Policy Association, listened to a presentation followed by a brief question and answer period, and then split up into small groups to discuss issues related to each meeting’s topic. Finally, each group reported the most pertinent takeaways gleaned from its discussion.
March meeting dates, topics, and discussion leaders were as follows:
March 4: Science Across Borders (Cooperation and Regulation). Darlene Carlson. 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?
March 11: Understanding Indonesia. George Kramer. 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?
The Great Decisions 2024 Briefing Book with readings on these topics is available for purchase through Tucson Great Decisions at tgda.org by clicking on “Materials.” The cost is $29 plus $5 shipping. This year the Great Decisions 2024 Briefing Book is not available to purchase on Kindle/Amazon. However, the digital version is available on platforms such as Apple Store, Nook, iBooks, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble. Prior to meetings, members are encouraged to read the Briefing Book summary for that meeting’s topic.
Membership in SaddleBrooke Great Decisions is $5 per person per year payable via check or cash at a meeting. Further information about SaddleBrooke Great Decisions is available at www.sbgreatdecisions.wordpress.com. Questions can be addressed to Sandy Epstein at [email protected], or phone Sherry Kaplan at 847-528-1968.