Great Decisions Global Discussions 2019
Tuesdays, 12-1 p.m.: Live webcast at Dogwood Center for Performing Arts
4734 S. Campus Ct. in Fremont – Main Stage Auditorium
March 12: “Life after the Arab Uprisings and the Islamic State”
Rania Abouzeid, author of No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria
Beirut-based award-winning journalist Rania Abouzeid has covered the Middle East and South Asia for well over fifteen years. She has covered events in Syria, from inside Syria, since 2011, despite being banned from entering the country and placed on the “wanted lists” of several intelligence directorates in Damascus.
Her first book, No Turning Back, recently listed by The New York Times as a Notable Book of 2018 and by the Financial Times as one of the Best Books of 2018, explains the tragedy of Syria’s war through the “dramatic stories of four young people seeking safety and freedom.” Listen as Abouzeid shares her ground-level take on a region roiled by the aftermath of the Arab uprisings and the rise and fall – but not disappearance – of the Islamic State group.
March 19: “Global Cyber Threats”
Peter Jolliffe, FBI
As U.S. companies and academic institutions seek further global interaction and integration, they capitalize on opportunities to grow international trade, and to share ideas and culture. With these new opportunities are inherent risks, from the loss of intellectual property to illicit foreign influence. With an ever-growing level of connectedness, it is imperative to understand the motivations of foreign competitors, the objectives of foreign nations, and the means by which they could target U.S. institutions. Only then can we begin to construct a holistic defense to the threat. Special Agent Peter Jolliffe, who has worked for the Bureau for the last decade, will outline cyber risks and the work being done to minimize them.
March 26: “Mexico and the U.S.: The Economic Ties that Bind”
Carlos Capistran, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Mexico City
The U.S. and Mexico have a long, intertwined history, with both countries prominently featured in each other’s politics, economic policies, and history. Yet the relationship has been strained over the years. With new leadership in both countries, what does the future hold for this bilateral relationship? Carlos Capistran is the director and head of Canada and Mexico economics at Bank of America, and a frequent media commentator on finance and macroeconomics. He’ll reflect on the ways Mexico and the U.S. fit into a larger North American system and how we can develop policies that allow each country to thrive.
Visit: https://www.worldmichigan.org/greatdecisions2019
