So Who's Running Things Now?
1/10/13
Speaker: Dr. Jerry Pubantz

Dr. Jerry Pubantz leads a discussion concerning the team of advisers and implementers surrounding the President whose views and personalities will critically shape U.S. foreign policy in 2013 and beyond.

Can Government Programs Reduce Poverty and Promote Opportunity?
1/24/13
Speaker: Dr. Ron Haskins

Dr. Ron Haskins will explore why it has been so difficult to reduce poverty and increase economic opportunity. The issues discussed include characteristics of successful programs, whether the political system can use evaluation as a basis for expanding successful programs and cutting failed programs, and whether government can afford new social programs.

China’s Political and Economic Transformation: The Road Ahead
1/31/13
Speaker: Dr. Jonathan Pollack

Dr. Jonathan Pollack will examine the major challenges shaping China’s political and economic future, and how the growth of Chinese power is transforming Asia and the Pacific as a whole. Will China be able to sustain its rapid advancement? What factors will determine the trajectories of China’s advance, and what might impede or interrupt its continued advance?

Islamism as the New Islam? Theological and Political Implications
2/7/13
Speaker: Hassan Mneimneh

Hassan Mneimneh, an expert on extremism in the Islamic world, will discuss the evolution of Islam as a religion and the impact of Islamism. He asks: Is Islam a great religion that’s been jijacked by extremists? He explains that Islam in the 21st century if considerably different from Islam of the 20th century.

Analyzing the Technologies of Tomorrow
2/21/13
Speaker: Martin Walker

Martin Walker notes that we know we have to re-engineer our energy, production and consumption systems. From seismic imaging to 3Dprinting; from the sensor revolution to e-learning; from nano to bio to mega-data; here’s how we are going to do it.

The Top Five Oil Producers of the World
2/28/13
Speaker: Amb. Molly Williamson

Amb. Molly Williamson will examine the top five (Saudi Arabia, Russia, the United States, Iran and China) oil producers, explore their different agendas, and review the foreign policy implications for the United States.

Can America and Iran co-exist in the Middle East?
3/14/13
Speaker: Dr. Trita Parsi

Dr. Trita Parsi maintains that there is a geopolitical contest between the U.S. and Iran whose roots precede the Iranian revolution. The fight is over pre-eminence in the Persian Gulf and the larger Middle East. On top of that, there is an ideological elementthat renders a solution even more difficult. The solution is to shred the zero-sum game as neither state can eliminate the other from the region.

Afghanistan: Prospects for the Future
3/27/13
Speaker: Dr. Tom Gouttierre

The West has intruded in Afghanistan several times over a period of nearly two centuries, often with good intentions, but has always failed to leave behind a more peaceful, non-hostile nation respectful of the human rights of all its citizens. Dr. Tom Goutierre considers: With the impending withdrawal of most "coalition" forces, will the Afghan government be capable of following through on the reforms imposed, some of which have been implemented but many of which remain incomplete or undone? And, if not, what will be the result for Afghanistan and the West?