Great Decisions at the Library - 2025
Great Decisions at the Library  2025
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We've selected five of this year's eight Great Decisions topics for in-person discussions at the Bainbridge Public Library. 

February 2, 2025  |  2PM - 3:30PM  |  Free. Light refreshments. Donations appreciated

American Foreign Policy at a Crossroads

Moderator: Historian and journalist Daniel Bessner

This program will explore the contours of the U.S. foreign policy debate as it plays out in a world of multiple and escalating crises and domestic polarization.

Moderator: Historian and journalist Daniel Bessner is currently the Anne H. H. and Kenneth B. Pyle Associate Professor in American Foreign Policy at the U.W. Jackson School of International Studies. He previously held the Joff Hanauer Honors Professorship in Western Civilization and is also a Non-Resident Fellow at the Quincy Institute of Responsible Statecraft, an Associate of the Alameda Institute, and a Contributing Editor at Jacobin. In 2019-2020, he served as a foreign policy advisor to Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign; in 2024, for unclear reasons, the Russian government sanctioned him. (Joining us via Zoom.)

Suggested Readings:
What Trump's Win Means for the World's Most Pressing Problems. Washington Post, Nov. 9, 2024.
The American Global Order Could End. The Atlantic Nov. 9, 2024.
Transition 2025: Events Will Test Donald Trump's Foreign Policy Promises. Council on Foreign Relations, Dec. 13, 2024.

February 9, 2025  |  2PM - 3:30PM  |  Free. Light refreshments. Donations appreciated

After Gaza: American Foreign Policy in the Middle East

Moderator: David Fenner, affiliate professor of Islam and Middle Eastern studies at the U.W. Jackson School of International Studies

The war in Gaza has brought the region to a crossroads. What are the possible outcomes of the war, and how might the United States use its influence to shape a long-term settlement that leaves both Israel and the Palestinians in a better position? How might Arab states in the wider region be brought into a settlement? What are America's interests in the Middle East and how can it advance them? 

March 9, 2025  |  2PM - 3:30PM  |  Free. Light refreshments. Donations appreciated

The Future of NATO and European Security

Moderator: John Koenig, retired Deputy Permanent Representative to the U.S. Mission at NATO

European security is more uncertain than it has been for decades. Putin's Russia has launched a war with Ukraine on its doorstep, and America's uncertain role as leader of NATO and security provider has been called into question with the failure of Congress to pass supplemental military support for Ukraine. What are Europe's options, and how might developments on both sides of Western Europe - in Ukraine and across the Atlantic - impact its choices? What are America's stakes in NATO and Europe's strategic dilemmas?

March 16, 2025  |  2PM - 3:30PM  |  Free. Light refreshments. Donations appreciated

India: Between China, the West, and the Global South

Moderator: Sunila Kale, professor of South Asia Studies and International Affairs at the U.W. Jackson School of International Studies

India is an emerging major power in world affairs, occupying a pivotal position between China, the United States, and the Global South. Its population size, economy, and geopolitical location ensure that it will be an influential voice in debates and political struggles over global order. What are India's choices and opportunities for regional and global leadership? How will it maneuver between China and the United States, and what is its role as a voice of the Global South? What opportunities exist for Washington to work with India? 

2PM - 3:30PM  |  Free. Light refreshments. Donations appreciated

International Cooperation on Climate Change

Moderator TBA

The 2015 Paris Agreement established a UN-sponsored framework for negotiations on climate change and global warming. In subsequent COP meetings, experts and political leaders have come together seeking common cause for this growing global crisis. What is the future of these efforts, and what have they yielded? What is the U.S. role in fostering cooperation on climate change? In a divided country, what are the possible futures for American policy leadership?

More details soon!

Kathleen Thorne
Martha Bayley
Cindy Harrison
Ki Kilcher
Co-Coordinators
GREAT DECISIONS AT THE LIBRARY
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Now in its eighteenth year, Great Decisions at the Library is part of a nation-wide, non-partisan program of the Foreign Policy Association intended to broaden public involvement in foreign affairs. While enjoying light refreshments, participants first view a 30-minute Foreign Policy Association film on the topic under consideration and then engage in a discussion lead by an informed moderator.

Copies of the Great Decisions Briefing Book can be purchased from the Foreign Policy Association. A copy is available for reading at the Bainbridge Public Library Information Desk.

Great Decisions at the Library is sponsored by the Bainbridge Public Library with funding support from the Bainbridge Island Friends of the Library and a generous donation in memory of Louise Brody Weissman.