Americans Discuss, Debate U.S. Foreign Policy Nationwide

by Michael Lucivero

While the U.S. economy will undoubtedly be the focus of the 2012 presidential campaign, another vital part of the national dialogue will concern U.S. foreign policy. Starting this month, over 1,000 Great Decisions discussion groups will begin meeting nationwide, and in the coming year, they will use Great Decisions materials to learn about and share their opinions on U.S. foreign policy and global affairs issues in their communities. As the Great Decisions discussion groups prepare for their meetings, some group leaders shared with us how their programs are coming together for 2012.

VIRGINIA ■ The Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Alexandria has a discussion group organized by Howard Soroos, winner of the 2011 Frank R. Cella Memorial Award. Howard expressed that while the array of topics will appeal to his group members, the topics on “Middle East realignment” and “Exit from Afghanistan & Iraq” will especially interest members because there are many with ties to the military.

The group has invited Thomas Pickering, former Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, to address the group on these two topics. The former ambassador, who lives in the area, has spoken to the Aldersgate Church group in prior years, as well.

DELAWARE ■ The League of Women Voters of Kent County group, led by Ellen Wasfi, meets monthly to discuss Great Decisions topics. The group keeps its format flexible, and for topics they find more complex, such as China or the global financial crisis, they will add a second session to discuss it.

In between meetings, Ellen keeps track of news by consulting traditional media sources, as well as alternative media so that she keeps her group updated about the topics. She feels that the varied perspective provided by alternative media sources makes the discussions especially lively because they offer new information on the topics and generate unique discussion points. She also creates a glossary of terms for each session and the group spends time defining key terms before the discussion.

CALIFORNIA ■ John Wilson, who leads the Napa Valley Great Decisions Seminar in St. Helena predicts that a topic on Mexico would be a “big seller in California”, and that a topic like “State of the Oceans” would especially appeal to both the environmentalists in his group and those who do not know as much about the topic. “FPA tries to bring to the forefront issues you wouldn’t normally consider, and this is one of them.”

As he began preparing for his 2012 program, it became apparent to John that there was a greater interest in Great Decisions. He attributed this to local publicity earned when his group won the Frank R. Cella Memorial Award last year. Enrollment in the group has doubled, leading to the creation of a second discussion group.

OKLAHOMA ■ In Tulsa, The Friends of the Tulsa City-County libraries coordinates several Great Decisions discussion groups, in a city where the program has existed for over 30 years. Discussion groups in Tulsa meet in churches, community centers, retirement communities and the homes of some of the participants.

Prior to the start of the Great Decisions season, a kickoff meeting is held, where all group leaders and some group participants attend to connect with area coordinators, meet one another and pick up their materials for their programs. Participants in the kickoff meeting have the opportunity to hear from a speaker on the topic of “Middle East realignment,” providing a preview of their discussions of the Great Decisions 2012 topic.

An added benefit of the Great Decisions discussions is that the groups continue to meet throughout the year to discuss local or state-wide issues. Their participation in Great Decisions has given them a forum to discuss and keep track of issues of local, national and international concern.