Sarasota Institute of Lifetime Learning launched its 47th season in January 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:
Tuesday, March 27: “Global Trade, Containerization and the Panama Canal” with Richard Wainio. The Container Revolution and the use of a metal box to transport trade on a massive scale has fundamentally altered global trade and international relations. Richard Wainio, a former senior economist for the Panama Canal and former director of the Port of Tampa, will describe the developments focusing on the recent expansion of the Panama Canal, changes in transportation patterns and the impact on U.S. ports, the Port of Tampa and Florida trade. 10:30 a.m. at First Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., in Sarasota.
Wednesday, March 28: “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.
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.