Great Decisions 2021 Starts with the end of Brexit

Last Wednesday night, Professor Michael Nelson presented about the years long painful soap opera that is Brexit to a group of students, professors, and community members. This Great Decisions Lecture however was different from the 40 years previous. Professor Nelson, instead of giving his presentation in front of a standing room only crowd taking up the entirety of the CSB moot court room, gave his presentation in front of his laptop from his living room, to a handful of professors, students, and community members over Zoom. Despite the lower-than-average numbers in attendance and the medium the lecture was held over, a fascinating lecture was still given and an engaging conversation about European politics, the politics of language, and migration in modern Europe was joined.

Great Decisions is a lecture series on a number of topics taken from the Great Decisions magazine, published by the Foreign Policy Association in the interest of spreading awareness of and conversation about America’s foreign policy decisions among American citizens. Monmouth College is now in its 41st year of Great Decisions lectures; with the lecture series this year covering topics such as the developing international struggle for control over the arctic, the relationship between China and Africa, the current situation on the Korean peninsula, security issues in the Persian Gulf, and an explanation of the World Health Organization and its role. These lectures will be given, and discussions led by professors Petra Kuppinger, Michael Nelson, Michelle Damian, Jessica Vivian, and former State Department diplomat Mietek Boduszynski.

Great Decisions lectures will be held every Wednesday night at 7:30pm until March 17th . As a student who has attended every single Great Decisions lecture that it has been possible for me to attend, I cannot recommend it enough to my fellow students. No matter what your major is or what level of interest or knowledge you may have regarding the topic of international policy, I can guarantee you that you will find Great Decisions to be a rewarding and edifying experience.

Joe Doner - Staff Writer