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Five talks scheduled for annual Great Decisions

Monday, January 25, 2021

The Office of International Programs coordinates the annual Great Decisions Lecture Series for the Charlotte community to discuss pressing foreign policy issues as selected by the Foreign Policy Association.

All lectures will be virtual and are scheduled from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. This year’s presentations are:

  • "Struggles Over the Melting Arctic," Wednesday, Feb. 3. Mark Kelso, professor, Department of Political Science and Sociology, Queens University, will speak about how because of climate change, large sheets of arctic ice are melting, exposing vast stores of natural gas and oil. With Russia and China already miles ahead with their Arctic strategies, can the U.S. catch up?
  • "China-Africa Relations, the Pandemic, and the Future of the Belt and Road Initiative," Wednesday, Feb. 10. Lina Benabdallah, assistant professor, Politics and International Affairs Department, Wake Forest University, will discuss how the Belt and Road Initiative opened up opportunities for African governments to cement their ties to China and transform decades of solidarity and friendship rhetoric into investments and development projects.
  • "The World Health Organization's Role in a Global Pandemic," Wednesday, Feb. 17. Michael Thompson, associate professor and associate chair, Department of Public Health Sciences, UNC Charlotte, addresses the historical context of global efforts during pandemics, focusing on the World Health Organization (WHO).
  • "The End of Globalization?" Wednesday, Feb. 24. Dale Smith, professor and chair, Department of Global Studies, UNC Charlotte, will explore the origins and impacts of globalization in order to have a better understanding of how it might evolve in the future.
  • "Brexit and the European Union," Wednesday, March 3, Joshua Miller, lecturer, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, UNC Charlotte, will address the topic.

Register online to receive the Zoom link to join the discussions; the registration form will close at noon on the date of each individual presentation.