This photograph was taken by member Robb Evans.
Great Decisions
Great Decisions – Fall 2025
Great Decisions is a discussion forum that follows a curriculum developed by the Foreign Policy
Association (www.fpa.org). The program is supported by the Great Decisions program materials which
presents basic information on each topic. Participants read the topical section for that week, then come
to the sessions to discuss their various points of view with one another. Active participation is
encouraged, but not required.
This fall we will have 4 sessions using the Great Decisions materials and 2 open discussions on current
events – with the topics chosen by the participants. In an age where our political discourse has become
more polarized, Great Decisions provides an excellent opportunity for open, fair, objective discussions -
and helps the participants understand multiple perspectives on these topics.
All of these topics are currently in the news – so discussions can facilitate our roles as informed citizens
and voters!
Here are the fall topics (as described by FPA):
October 9 - International Cooperation on Climate Change
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?
October 23 - The Future of NATO and European Security
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?
October 30 – Open Discussion
Topics chosen by participants.
November 6 - AI and American National Security
The AI revolution is the leading edge of a larger high-tech revolution which promises to transform the
world. Experts argue that international cooperation is needed to expand the opportunities these new
technologies hold while protecting societies from their dangers. What are the key policy debates in this
area, and what are the opportunities and limits on global AI rules of the road? How will the AI revolution
impact American national security? What are its policy options to secure the benefits of AI and guard
against its dangers?
November 13 - American Foreign Policy in the Middle East: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead
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?
November 20 – Open Discussion
Topics chosen by participants
"Knowledge is a process of piling up facts; wisdom lies in their simplification." ~~ Martin H. Fischer