By Kate Hill

Staff Writer

On Feb. 6, the “Great Decisions 2020” discussion group will meet at the Cazenovia Public Library for its first session of the year.

Sponsored by the League of Women Voters (LWV) of Cazenovia, the community discussions focus on topics related to U.S. foreign policy.

The group will meet for eight consecutive weeks on Thursdays at 1 p.m. in the Library Community Room.

Great Decisions is America’s largest discussion program on world affairs.

The approximately 1.5 hour discussions are guided by a series of questions listed at the end of each topic presentation in the Foreign Policy Association’s (FPA) “Great Decisions 2020” Briefing Book. Prior to each conversation, groups watch a 20-minute FPA video on the week’s topic.

Briefing booklets are available for $21 through the library.

Founded in 1918, the FPA is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring Americans to learn more about the world. Through its nonpartisan programs and publications, the FPA encourages citizens to participate in the foreign policy process.

According to the organization’s website, the Great Decisions program provides background information and policy options for the eight most critical issues facing America each year.

The 2020 topics are “Climate Change and the Global Order;” “India and Pakistan;” “Red Sea Security;” “Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking;” “U.S. Relations with the Northern Triangle;” “China’s Road into Latin America;” “The Philippines and the U.S.;” and “Artificial Intelligence and Data.”

“I participate in Great Decisions because it helps me to stay better informed about world events and it offers an excellent platform for the exchange of opinions in a bipartisan environment,” said Chuck Amos, a regular discussion participant. “The DVD presentation before each meeting combined with the reading material provide for a well-informed discussion on each weekly topic. The topics are always on issues of current interest.”

Cazenovia resident Wendy Taylor started the local Great Decisions discussion program in 1990.

“I had lived in Lockport, New York before moving to Cazenovia, and I was a member of the Lockport LWV, which sponsored Great Decisions [there],” said Taylor.

Prior to relocating to the library, Cazenovia’s discussion group met at the Gothic Cottage for many years, and then at Saint James Catholic Church.

According to Taylor, standout topics from last year included “U.S. State Department and American Diplomacy,” “The United States and Mexico: Partnership Tested,” and “Refugees and Global Migration.”

This year, Taylor is particularly looking forward to the discussions on climate change and China in Latin America.

“Discussions on foreign policy are important to gain a better understanding of global topics affecting Americans’ role in the world and policymakers’ responses,” said Taylor. “Global challenges have increasingly become domestic challenges in the remotest parts of the world, affecting our lives in myriad ways with more movement across national boundaries than ever before.”

For more information, visit fpa.org/great_decisions.

To register, call or text Wendy Taylor at 315-440-4111 or email [email protected].