Great Decisions Returns Monthly March-September 2025

2025 Topics, Speakers, and Dates

For many years, UMSL Global and the World Affairs Council of St. Louis have teamed up to participate in the Foreign Policy Association’s Great Decisions program, America’s largest discussion program on world affairs. In this program, experts with the Foreign Policy Association choose a number of discussion topics related to the most critical global issues facing America. We invite subject matter experts in those topics to share their insights and opinions with us, which, in turn, engages our community in conversations about foreign policy issues facing the United States and the world.

U.S.-China Relations: March 5th, 2025

Our first topic of the 2025 Great Decisions Speaker Series will be “Competition, Cold War, or Conflict? Navigating U.S.-China Relations in Tense Times.” Regardless of political affiliation, there is one thing people in Washington D.C. can actually agree on: the United States is in a strategic competition with a rising China that poses a range of economic, political, and military security challenges.

We will be joined by Dr. Haitao Li, Professor, Department Chair, and Founding Director of the Laboratory of Advanced Supply Chain Analytics at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Wednesday March 5th, 2025, 1:00- 2:00 PM  Central Online
Watch the Recording Here

 

The Growing Impact of the Indian and Indian-American Community in St. Louis: April 2nd, 2025

 

The Indian and Indian-American community in St. Louis is experiencing remarkable growth, contributing significantly to the region’s cultural, economic, and social landscape. With a rich history of immigration and a thriving presence in various sectors, including technology, healthcare, education, and business, this community is not only expanding in numbers but also in influence. As St. Louis continues to diversify, the Indian and Indian-American population is playing an increasingly vital role in shaping the city’s identity, fostering cross-cultural exchange, and strengthening the local economy. This talk will explore the vibrant contributions, challenges, and future potential of this dynamic community in the heart of the Midwest.

The session will be led by Sneha Chembayil Rajan, PhD, Legislative Liaison in The St. Louis County Executive’s Office and former Indian Outreach Consultant at the Mosaic Project. With a background in both Government and International Affairs, Dr. Rajan brings a unique perspective on how the Indian and Indian-American communities are influencing local policies, fostering cross-cultural dialogue, and driving positive change in St. Louis.

Speaker: Sneha Rajan
Wednesday April 2nd, 2025, 1:00- 2:00 PM  Central Online
Register Here

 

International Cooperation on Climate Change: May 14th, 2025

beth martin from midwestclimatesummit.wustl.edu

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?

We will be joined by Beth Martin, a Teaching Professor in Environmental Studies and a scholar in the Center for the Environment at Washington University in St. Louis. She serves as the co-focal point for the Research and Independent Constituency to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and is regarded as an expert in the UNFCCC process. She provides guidance to researchers worldwide who want to engage with the UNFCCC and herself focuses on transparency and observer engagement in multilateral environmental agreement (MEA) processes with a focus on climate change.

Speaker: Beth Martin
Wednesday May 14th, 2025, 1:00- 2:00 PM  Central Online
Register Here

 

The Future of NATO and European Security: June 4th, 2025

Luke Coffey | Hudson Institute
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?
Luke Coffey is a senior fellow at Hudson Institute. His work at Hudson analyzes national security and foreign policy, with a focus on Europe, Eurasia, NATO, and transatlantic relations. Mr. Coffey was previously director of the Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies at the Heritage Foundation from 2015 to 2022, in which role he oversaw and managed a team covering most of Heritage’s foreign policy and international affairs work. From 2012 to 2015, he was the Margaret Thatcher fellow at Heritage, focusing on relations between the United States and the United Kingdom and on the role of NATO and the European Union in transatlantic and Eurasian security. Before joining Heritage, Mr. Coffey served at the UK Ministry of Defense as senior special adviser to then-British Defense Secretary Liam Fox. He was the first non-UK citizen appointed to this position by the prime minister to provide advice to senior British ministers. Among his duties was helping shape British defense policy in relation to transatlantic security, NATO, the Middle-East, and Afghanistan.
Wednesday June 4th, 2025, 1:00- 2:00 PM  Central Online
Register Here

 

U.S. Changing Leadership of the World Economy: July 9th, 2025

Under President Biden, the U.S. has advanced new ideas about trade, technology, industrial policy, competition with China, and the organization of the world economy. For most of the postwar era, the U.S. has tied its global leadership to cooperative agendas aimed at creating a more open-world trading system, but that has apparently come to an end. What are America’s options and opportunities as a leader of the world economy? How will America’s “foreign policy for the middle class” and strategic competition with China impact its leadership role? How can the postwar rules and institutions of the world economy be made safe for economic nationalism and great power competition?
We will be joined by Christopher Neely, Senior Policy Advisor, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Chris Neely has worked as an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis since receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Iowa in 1993. Neely conducts empirical research in international financial markets. This research has focused on financial volatility, unconventional monetary policy, and market efficiency. He has published in leading academic journals, including the Journal of Economic Literature, the Journal of International Economics and the Journal of Econometrics and is or has been an associate, visiting and/or co-editor at many journals, including the Journal of Money, Credit and Banking and the Journal of Banking and Finance. While working at the Fed, Neely has taught economics and finance as an instructor, adjunct or visiting professor at several universities, including the University of Iowa, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis University, the University of Missouri at St. Louis and the University of Hawaii.
Wednesday July 9th, 2025, 1:00- 2:00 PM  Central Online
Register Here

 

AI and American National Security: August 2025

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?
Speaker information and date coming soon. 

 

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Great Decisions is sponsored by the Council and UMSL Global

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UMSL Global promotes understanding of peoples & cultures through international & multicultural programming, study abroad & exchange opportunities, as well as by providing international experiences for UMSL students and the community. UMSL Global is committed to supporting student, campus, & community learning through a wide range of initiatives designed to internationalize the campus and to ensure that students graduate with the international competence they will need to function in a world that is increasingly globalized.

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