Sarasota Institute of Lifetime Learning launched its 47th season on January 9 with its hard-hitting Global Issues series in Sarasota, Venice and Lakewood Ranch. Internationally acclaimed experts explore the challenges and dilemmas we face at home and around the world in this engaging series of lectures and lively conversations.
(Sarasota, Florida) Internationally renowned experts discuss a vast range of domestic and global issues as part of Sarasota Institute of Lifetime Learning’s (SILL) 2018 “Global Issues” series. The new season features 72 programs in Sarasota, Venice and Lakewood Ranch, and runs from January through March. Speakers will explore dozens of topics, including the opioid crisis, artificial intelligence, America’s volatile politics, and topical issues in China, Korea, Russia and the Middle East.
Upcoming lectures include:
Thursday, March 1: The Heroin/Opioid Epidemic and Prescription Drug Abuse with Peter Bensinger. Overdose deaths have skyrocketed because of higher purity and increased availability. Peter Bensinger will provide a historical perspective on drug abuse in America. He will focus on the present heroin and opioid epidemic and discuss the roles of source countries like Mexico, pharmaceutical manufacturers, drug distributors, pain clinics, hospitals, and the illegal market. Mr. Bensinger is a nationally recognized expert on drugs and alcohol in the workplace. He is currently senior consultant at BDA | Morneau Shepell, a provider of employee assistance programs, problem gambling services, and drug testing management. He also served as administrator of the United States Drug Enforcement Administration from 1976 to 1981. 10:30 a.m. at First Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., in Sarasota; and 7 p.m. at Cornerstone Church, 14306 Covenant Way, Lakewood Ranch.
Tuesday, March 6: Green Card Stories with Stephen Yale-Loehr. Immigration expert Prof. Stephen Yale-Loehr will put a human face on immigration, moving the debate beyond divisive politics and into the landscape of everyday America. He will look at individual cases to illustrate how immigrants are contributing to our nation today. Prof. Steve Yale-Loehr has practiced immigration law for over 30 years. He teaches at Cornell Law School as professor of immigration practice. He is also a non-resident Fellow at the Migration Policy Institute and chairs the asylum committee of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. 10:30 a.m. at First Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., in Sarasota; and 2:30 p.m. at the Venice Community Center, 326 S. Nokomis Ave., Venice.
Wednesday, March 7: Our Broken Immigration System and How to Fix it with Stephen Yale-Loehr. Immigration is at the forefront of U.S. politics. President Trump has called for building walls and imposing bans on Muslim immigrants. Does immigration help or hurt America? Immigration expert Prof. Stephen Yale-Loehr will explain why our current immigration system doesn’t work and what you can do to help fix it. Prof. Steve Yale-Loehr has practiced immigration law for over 30 years. He teaches at Cornell Law School as professor of immigration practice. He is also a non-resident Fellow at the Migration Policy Institute and chairs the asylum committee of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. 10:30 a.m. at First Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., in Sarasota.
Thursday, March 8: Climate Change and Stability in the Mid-East and N. Africa: Getting Hotter? With Robert Ford. The Middle East and North Africa face projections of temperature rise, diminished rainfall and sea level rise which could trigger domestic instability and wars between states over diminishing water resources. Amb. Robert Ford will discuss how countries in the region are likely to react to climate change pressures and how they might reduce them. Amb. Ford completed a 30-year career with the Peace Corps and the U.S. Department of State in 2014 and now teaches at Yale’s Jackson Institute for Global Studies. He was the U.S. Ambassador to Syria (2011-2014). In 2014, he received the Distinguished Service award, the State Department’s highest award. He received the Profile in Courage award in 2012 from the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston for his human rights work and a Presidential Honor award in 2012 for his stewardship of the American Embassy in Damascus during a crisis period. Amb. Ford was the U.S. Ambassador to Algeria (2006-2008) and served five years in Iraq, helping the Iraqis establish their permanent government through three rounds of elections. 10:30 a.m. at First Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., in Sarasota; and 7 p.m. at Cornerstone Church, 14306 Covenant Way, Lakewood Ranch.
Friday, March 9: Climate Change and Stability in the Mid-East and N. Africa: Getting Hotter? With Robert Ford. The Middle East and North Africa face projections of temperature rise, diminished rainfall and sea level rise which could trigger domestic instability and wars between states over diminishing water resources Amb. Ford completed a 30-year career with the Peace Corps and the U.S. Department of State in 2014 and now teaches at Yale’s Jackson Institute for Global Studies. He was the U.S. Ambassador to Syria (2011-2014). In 2014, he received the Distinguished Service award, the State Department’s highest award. He received the Profile in Courage award in 2012 from the John F. Kennedy Library in Boston for his human rights work and a Presidential Honor award in 2012 for his stewardship of the American Embassy in Damascus during a crisis period. Amb. Ford was the U.S. Ambassador to Algeria (2006-2008) and served five years in Iraq, helping the Iraqis establish their permanent government through three rounds of elections. 10 a.m. at the Venice Community Center, 326 S. Nokomis Ave., Venice.
Tuesday, March 13: How We Win with Farah Pandith. Farah Pandith will describe the challenging environment that has allowed extremist ideologies to propagate and garner adherents. Based on her experience in government and the private sector, she will describe how entrepreneurs, political visionaries, enlightened business leaders, and social media mavens can defeat this extremist threat. Farah Pandith is a diplomatic entrepreneur, foreign policy strategist and author. She is a world-leading expert and pioneer on how to halt extremist recruitment of Muslim youth. Appointed the first-ever special representative to Muslim communities in 2009, she served under both Secretary Clinton and Secretary John Kerry. In this role, she was responsible for engagement with Muslims around the world. She served as a political appointee in the George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Barack H. Obama administrations at the National Security Council, U.S. Agency for International Development and U.S. Department of State. 10:30 a.m. at First Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., in Sarasota; and 2:30 p.m. at the Venice Community Center, 326 S. Nokomis Ave., Venice.
Wednesday, March 14: Countering Violent Extremism During the Trump Administration with Farah Pandith. Farah Pandith has spent over a decade developing strategies to prevent and defend against the spread of extremist ideology. Ms. Pandith will analyze the programs under the Trump administration for countering violent extremist actions. Farah Pandith is a diplomatic entrepreneur, foreign policy strategist and author. She is a world-leading expert and pioneer on how to halt extremist recruitment of Muslim youth. Appointed the first-ever special representative to Muslim communities in 2009, she served under both Secretary Clinton and Secretary John Kerry. In this role, she was responsible for engagement with Muslims around the world. She served as a political appointee in the George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Barack H. Obama administrations at the National Security Council, U.S. Agency for International Development and U.S. Department of State. 10:30 a.m. at First Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., in Sarasota.
Thursday, March 15: Challenges for U.S. Middle East Policy with Dennis Ross. Amb. Dennis Ross will describe key challenges facing U.S. policy in the Middle East and the prospects for improving regional stability. His talk will draw on his experiences serving in high-level policy making roles in Democratic and Republican administrations. Amb. Dennis Ross is counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy since 2011. For more than 12 years, he played a leading role in shaping the Middle East peace process, dealing directly with all parties as the U.S. point man on the peace process in both the George H. W. Bush and Clinton administrations. He served two years as special assistant to President Obama for the Central Region, and a year as special advisor to Secretary of State Clinton. Prior to service as special Middle East coordinator, Amb. Ross was director of the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff. He played a prominent role in U.S. policy toward the former Soviet Union, the unification of Germany and its integration into NATO, arms control negotiations, and the 1991 Gulf War coalition. During the Reagan administration, he served as director of Near East and South Asian affairs on the National Security Council staff. 10:30 a.m. at First Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., in Sarasota; and 7 p.m. at Cornerstone Church, 14306 Covenant Way, Lakewood Ranch.
Friday, March 16: Challenges for U.S. Middle East Policy with Dennis Ross. Amb. Dennis Ross will describe key challenges facing U.S. policy in the Middle East and the prospects for improving regional stability. His talk will draw on his experiences serving in high-level policy making roles in Democratic and Republican administrations. Amb. Dennis Ross is counselor and William Davidson Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy since 2011. For more than 12 years, he played a leading role in shaping the Middle East peace process, dealing directly with all parties as the U.S. point man on the peace process in both the George H. W. Bush and Clinton administrations. He served two years as special assistant to President Obama for the Central Region, and a year as special advisor to Secretary of State Clinton. Prior to service as special Middle East coordinator, Amb. Ross was director of the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff. He played a prominent role in U.S. policy toward the former Soviet Union, the unification of Germany and its integration into NATO, arms control negotiations, and the 1991 Gulf War coalition. During the Reagan administration, he served as director of Near East and South Asian affairs on the National Security Council staff. 10 a.m. at the Venice Community Center, 326 S. Nokomis Ave., Venice.
Tuesday, March 20: Why and How Americans Should Think About Their Cybersecurity with Suzanne Spaulding. Americans rely on the internet in their personal, professional, and even civic lives. This dependency makes us vulnerable to cyber-attack. The attackers are states, criminals, and hacktavists. To act to mitigate risk, Suzanne Spaulding will suggest that the prudent response is to understand threats, our vulnerabilities, and the negative consequences. Spaulding is an attorney and an expert in the fields of domestic national security and global security. Her most recent national security assignment was Undersecretary, National Protection Directorate, Department of Homeland Security, where her responsibility included U.S. critical infrastructure protection. She retired from this position at the end of 2016. She is now in private law practice as a national security consultant, Principal of the Bingham Consulting Group. 10:30 a.m. at First Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., in Sarasota; and 2:30 p.m. at the Venice Community Center, 326 S. Nokomis Ave., Venice.
Wednesday, March 21: The Major Threats to U.S. Cybersecurity with Suzanne Spaulding. Criminals and countries increasingly target us with malicious cyber activity. Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran have demonstrated competence to further strategic objectives through cyber interference. This is a strategic global issue for the U.S. Suzanne Spaulding will describe the threat and ways to protect our strategic infrastructure and other interests. Spaulding is an attorney and an expert in the fields of domestic national security and global security. Her most recent national security assignment was Undersecretary, National Protection Directorate, Department of Homeland Security, where her responsibility included U.S. critical infrastructure protection. She retired from this position at the end of 2016. She is now in private law practice as a national security consultant, Principal of the Bingham Consulting Group. 10:30 a.m. at First Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., in Sarasota.
Thursday, March 22: American Strategy in a Time of Terrorism with Daniel Benjamin. The United States has greatly improved its homeland security and counterterrorism programs and has confronted ISIS on many fronts, yet polling shows Americans are more concerned about terrorism than any other foreign policy or security challenge. Amb. Daniel Benjamin examines what more we could or should do. Amb. Benjamin is the Norman E. McCulloch Jr. Director of the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding. Prior to joining the Dickey Center in 2012, Amb. Benjamin served as ambassador-at-large and coordinator for counterterrorism at the U.S. State Department where he was the principal advisor to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on counterterrorism. Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Amb. Benjamin was a senior fellow in Foreign Policy Studies and director of the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution. During more than five years on the National Security Council staff in the 1990s, Amb. Benjamin served as a foreign policy speechwriter and special assistant to President Bill Clinton and as director for transnational threats. 10:30 a.m. at First Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., in Sarasota; and 7 p.m. at Cornerstone Church, 14306 Covenant Way, Lakewood Ranch.
Friday, March 23: American Strategy in a Time of Terrorism with Daniel Benjamin. The United States has greatly improved its homeland security and counterterrorism programs and has confronted ISIS on many fronts, yet polling shows Americans are more concerned about terrorism than any other foreign policy or security challenge. Amb. Daniel Benjamin examines what more we could or should do. Amb. Benjamin is the Norman E. McCulloch Jr. Director of the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding. Prior to joining the Dickey Center in 2012, Amb. Benjamin served as ambassador-at-large and coordinator for counterterrorism at the U.S. State Department where he was the principal advisor to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on counterterrorism. Prior to joining the Obama Administration, Amb. Benjamin was a senior fellow in Foreign Policy Studies and director of the Center on the United States and Europe at the Brookings Institution. During more than five years on the National Security Council staff in the 1990s, Amb. Benjamin served as a foreign policy speechwriter and special assistant to President Bill Clinton and as director for transnational threats. 10 a.m. at the Venice Community Center, 326 S. Nokomis Ave., Venice.
Tuesday, March 27: Turkey’s Descent to Authoritarianism: Political Islam or the Corruption of Power? With Amberin Zaman. In Turkey, an Islamist party was repeatedly democratically elected to government. Ms. Amberin Zaman will discuss the effect its descent into authoritarianism has on Muslim political movements worldwide. Does it demonstrate the way for democracy to promote an Islamic agenda or, that unchallenged power corrupts, and political Islam is incompatible with pluralism and democracy? Amberin Zaman is a Turkish-Bangladeshi journalist who, since 1992, has covered Turkey for The Daily Telegraph, the Voice of America, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. She was most recently The Economist’s Turkey correspondent from 1999-2016. In 2016, Zaman became a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars where she focuses on Kurdish affairs. 10:30 a.m. at First Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., in Sarasota; and 2:30 p.m. at the Venice Community Center, 326 S. Nokomis Ave., Venice.
Wednesday, March 28: Kurdish Independence: A New Order in the Middle East? With Amberin Zaman. Ms. Amberin Zaman will analyze the impact of the Iraqi Kurdistan independence referendum on the political order in the near East. Will it sow further political confusion, instability and bloodshed? Will splitting away Sunni Kurds leave a mainly Shia Iraq prey to Iranian hegemony? Will it encourage Kurdish irredentism in Turkey, Syria and Iran? Amberin Zaman is a Turkish-Bangladeshi journalist who, since 1992, has covered Turkey for The Daily Telegraph, the Voice of America, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. She was most recently The Economist’s Turkey correspondent from 1999-2016. In 2016, Zaman became a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars where she focuses on Kurdish affairs. 10:30 a.m. at First Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., in Sarasota.
Thursday, March 29: Putin, Trump, and Clinton: What Happened and What’s Next? With Bob Barylski. Dr. Robert Barylski will present a realistic assessment of Putin’s foreign policy. Was Putin’s meddling in U.S. elections driven by resentment or part of a deliberate scheme to divide the Western alliance? What do we need to know about Russia’s substantial and growing Muslim population and Islamic factors in Russian domestic and foreign policy? Dr. Barylski is a retired associate professor in the Department of Government and International Relations at USF Sarasota and former Dean of the University. An expert on civil-military relations in Russia, he is the author of “The Soldier in Russian Politics 1988-1996: Duty, Dictatorship” and “Democracy under Gorbachev and Yeltsin.” 10:30 a.m. at First Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., in Sarasota; and 7 p.m. at Cornerstone Church, 14306 Covenant Way, Lakewood Ranch.
Friday, March 30: Putin, Trump, and Clinton: What Happened and What’s Next? With Bob Barylski. Dr. Robert Barylski will present a realistic assessment of Putin’s foreign policy. Was Putin’s meddling in U.S. elections driven by resentment or part of a deliberate scheme to divide the Western alliance? What do we need to know about Russia’s substantial and growing Muslim population and Islamic factors in Russian domestic and foreign policy? Dr. Barylski is a retired associate professor in the Department of Government and International Relations at USF Sarasota and former Dean of the University. An expert on civil-military relations in Russia, he is the author of “The Soldier in Russian Politics 1988-1996: Duty, Dictatorship” and “Democracy under Gorbachev and Yeltsin.” 10 a.m. at the Venice Community Center, 326 S. Nokomis Ave., Venice.
SILL’s Global Issues lectures are 40 to 50 minutes, followed by 30 minutes of audience questions. The lectures are Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 10:30 a.m., at First Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., in Sarasota; Tuesdays, 2:30 p.m., and Fridays, 10 a.m., at the Venice Community Center, 326 S Nokomis Ave., in Venice; and Thursdays at 7 p.m. at Cornerstone Church, 14306 Covenant Way in Lakewood Ranch. Doors open 40 minutes prior to the start of the lecture. Season subscriptions are $85 for a 12-lecture series. If seating is available, single lecture tickets are $10. To purchase subscriptions, or learn about the program in more detail visit www.sillsarasota.org. For more information, call 941-365-6404.
About the Sarasota Institute of Lifetime Learning
The Sarasota Institute of Lifetime Learning (SILL) is a non-profit organization that offers an expert lecture series to provide information on and discussion of the arts and contemporary global issues. SILL is guided by an all-volunteer board committed to modest pricing and enhanced outreach. Visit www.sillsarasota.org.