Increase your awareness of global issues during this eight-week discussion series.

GCIV serves as the statewide coordinator for the Foreign Policy Association’s (FPA) Great Decisions program by helping facilitate discussion groups and lecture series that give participants the opportunity to expand their understanding of world affairs.

Topics change annually, are based on the Foreign Policy Association’s nonpartisan briefing book and highlight eight of the current most thought-provoking foreign policy challenges facing Americans.


2024 Dunwoody Virtual Great Decisions Lecture Series

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The 2024 Dunwoody Great Decisions Lecture Series presented in partnership with the Atlanta Global Studies Center will take place virtually every Thursday at 7:00 PM February 1 – March 21, 2024.

There is a fee to register for the virtual lecture series, and registration is required to receive the event link. Click here or the button below to register.

GCIV is sold out of 2024 Great Decisions briefing books. Purchase 2024 Great Decisions briefing books directly from the Foreign Policy Association.

GCIV membership at the Attaché level or above are eligible for complimentary registration for the 2024 Dunwoody Great Decisions Lecture Series. Please click here or the register button above (select the Current Member RSVP) to confirm your participation.

Speakers for the 2024 Dunwoody Great Decisions Lecture Series are listed by lecture date on the GCIV calendar

2024 Great Decisions Topics

Mideast Realignment

The United States and Middle East are at a crossroads. In spite of a reduced presence in the Middle East, the U.S. still has significant national interests there and the area is a key arena for global power politics. Can the U.S. continue to defend its interests in the Middle East and globally with a lower level of military and political involvement, or should it recommit to a leading role in the region?

Climate Technology & Competition

Will the United States and China, with other powerful countries following suit, approach current and future climate initiatives with an increased commitment to trade protectionism and nationalism, by various measures including trade restrictions? Or could a growing spirit of international accord
develop to confront the “common enemy” of climate change?

Science Across Borders

Scientific advances benefit from collaboration between researchers, but what happens when material, such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) is controversial and important to a nation’s national security? Is there a middle ground between sharing information and denying access? How can we regulate cooperation?

U.S.-China Trade Rivalry

China’s economic rise and its current policies of increasing the role of the state in the economy have led some U.S. policymakers to seek to deny China access to U.S. technology and investment. This is seen as a necessary corrective to decades of predatory Chinese economic policies. Is this a wise strategy, and
how effective can it be?

NATO’s Future

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has come under increased scrutiny, not because NATO troops are involved in the conflict, but because of its role in relations between Russia and its neighbors. Will expanding membership in NATO protect countries, or will it further provoke Russia?

Understanding Indonesia

Despite its large size, Indonesia remains virtually invisible to most Americans. But as one of the world’s largest democracies, the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, and as an economic driver of ASEAN, why does it fly below the radar? What are current issues in U.S.-Indonesian relations, and what role
can the country play in Asia?

High Seas Treaty

Areas of the seas beyond national jurisdiction comprise the high seas, which face a degradation of ecosystems due to climate change and the increase in human activities, such as shipping, overfishing, pollution, and deep-sea mining. The recently negotiated High Seas Treaty, also known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction treaty, will attempt to address these issues. How difficult will it be to convince nations to participate?

Pandemic Preparation

Looking back at the Covid-19 pandemic, there are many lessons to take away in terms of domestic and international policies. Although this pandemic seems to have waned, how can we apply these lessons to future pandemics? Will countries cooperate, and will a consensus emerge on how to manage global
health challenges?