Great Decisions lecture series centers issues of U.S. foreign policy in an election year

The Great Decisions of Wayne County lecture series will return to The College of Wooster, consisting of three lectures and a film screening and discussion throughout the spring semester focused on “U.S. Foreign Policy in an Election Year.” All events are free and open to the public and will take place in Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center (525 E. University Street) at 7:30 p.m. 

Nina Jankowicz

The lecture series will begin Tuesday, Jan. 30, with a presentation by Nina Jankowicz, titled “Information, Disinformation, and the 2024 Election.” Jankowicz is the former executive director of the Disinformation Governance Board of the United States Department of Homeland Security. Before her time in politics, she took part in a Fulbright fellowship in Kyiv, Ukraine, and later served as a disinformation fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center. Jankowicz also spent time as the supervisor of the Russia and Belarus programs at the National Democratic Institute. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Russian and Political Science from Bryn Mawr College.  

Kirk Lippold

On Tuesday, Feb. 6, Kirk Lippold will discuss “Global Security Threats and U.S. Foreign Policy.” Lippold is a former U.S. Navy commander, having served from 1981 to 2007. He acted as the executive officer of the USS Shiloh, the operations officer of the U SS Arleigh Burke, and the division officer of the USS Yorktown and USS Fairfax County. Most notably, Lippold acted as commanding officer of the USS Cole from 1999 to 2001, and was present on Oct. 12, 2000, when the ship was attacked by al-Qaeda terrorists in Yemen. Following his retirement from the military, Lippold acted as a motivational speaker for the Keppler Speakers Bureau, vice president for military policy and strategic development of Phillip Stutts & Company, president of Lippold Strategies, and as an adjunct professor in the United States Naval Academy. 

Alex de Waal

The third event of the series, Tuesday, Feb. 13, will be presented by Alex de Waal, executive director of the World Peace Foundation at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and Ibra Sene, associate professor of history and department chair of global and international studies at Wooster. Their presentation will focus on the topic, “Can the U.S. Support Political Stability Abroad? Reflections on the State and Civil Society in East & West Africa.” de Waal acted as the chairman of the Mines Advisory Group from 1993 until 1998, which was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997 due to their contribution as a founding member of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). He set up two human rights organizations, African Rights and Justice Africa in 1993 and 1999, respectively. De Waal is also notable for his work in attempting to find a peaceful solution to the Second Sudanese Civil War and drawing attention to intersections between HIV/AIDS, poverty, and drought.  

Ibra Sene

Sene is also a co-founding member of the Dakar Institute of African Studies. Sene’s research primarily focuses on crime and punishment, education, and youth organization. He has contributed to An A-Z of African Studies on the Internet, a widely cited online guide to African Studies. Sene’s most recent publication, “The Prison of Saint-Louis: French Expansion, Social Control, and Early Development of the Penitentiary Institution in Senegal, 1834-1895” was a contribution to the 2019 book, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Saint-Louis, Senegal: Mirror Cities in the Atlantic World.

John Trainor ’16

The final event of the series on Wednesday, March 6, is a screening of the documentary Sound the Alarm, followed by a discussion with the director, John Trainor ’16. Trainor is a Wooster alumnus, having graduated in 2016 with a bachelor’s degree in history and film studies. First inspired by his Independent Study, the film focuses on the 1995 launching of a rocket from Norway that would falsely alert Russian forces of an incoming nuclear attack, leaving then president, Boris Yeltsin, with few minutes to decide how to react. Trainor currently works for his own consulting company in New York. 

The Great Decisions lecture series is a joint venture between The College of Wooster and the local Wooster community. It began in 1981 and has been run annually with the primary purpose of bringing experts to the region on various issues pertaining to foreign policy and international affairs. The goal is to contribute to the ongoing education of Wooster students and area residents alike. For more information, visit the Great Decisions website, or contact Matt Mariola at mmariola@wooster.edu.  

Photos: https://greatdecisionswayne.voices.wooster.edu/

Posted in News on January 25, 2024.