The Durango Great Decisions International Affairs Discussion Program, now in its 20th year, will begin its 2022 schedule on January 25 at the Durango Public Library, with a facilitator-led discussion on the topic “Russia.”
Great Decisions meets every other week thereafter, for a total of nine sessions, usually on Tuesdays, from 11:45am to 1:45pm, at the library. Programs are free of charge and open to the public.
Russia and the United States have many areas of conflict and some possible areas of mutual interest. Arms control, Russian interference in U.S. elections and support of cyberattacks, the status of Ukraine, and the fate of opposition politicians in Russia all continue to be concerning.
How will the new administration in Washington approach these issues?
Facilitator: Paul DeBell
Paul DeBell is an assistant professor of political science at Fort Lewis College (FLC). His teaching and research interests span political psychology and comparative politics, with particular focus on democratic governance, post-communist politics, the psychology of political division and the role of emotions in political behavior. He has studied and lived in Russia and Hungary, and his dissertation analyzed the link between populist outrage, polarization and the decline in democratic governance in Hungary.
Timely international affairs discussion topics are suggested annually by the Foreign Policy Association, which prepares a briefing book, a teacher’s guide and a DVD on the nine topics. The DVD on the current topic is often shown at each Durango discussion session.
Briefing books on the 2022 topics, until sold out, can be ordered for $25 from Susan McGinness, 756 East 6th Ave., Durango, CO 81301. Include your check made out to LPLWV and your physical address, email address and phone number. Once these books are all reserved, books may be ordered from the Foreign Policy Association at www.fpa.org or (800) 477-5836 or from online retailers. The library keeps one copy on reserve.
Attendees should be vaccinated against COVID and should wear a mask. Individual students are welcome. The Great Decisions program is sponsored by the library, AAUW and the La Plata County League of Women Voters (LPLWV ). In 2019, programs were attended by over 75 thoughtful community members and almost as many attended each Zoom session in 2021.
In summary, the 2022 Great Decisions program is as follows (note: The topics are in a different order from those in the briefing book and the last program is on a Thursday, not a Tuesday):
- Russia, Jan. 25
- Climate Change, Feb. 8
- Drug Policy in Latin America, Feb. 22
- Outer Space, March 8
- Biden’s Agenda, March 22
- Topic: Myanmar and ASEAN, April 5
- Demographics, April 19
- Industrial Policy, May 3
- Quad Alliance, May 12
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