SILL’s Global Issues Series Continues

February 16, 2024 – Sarasota

Sarasota Institute of Lifetime Learning’s (SILL) hard-hitting “Global Issues” series runs through March 29 at locations in Sarasota, Venice and Lakewood Ranch and features 24 internationally renowned experts discussing a vast range of domestic and global issues. February’s lectures feature front-page issues examined by leading speakers, including Carla Koppell, vice dean for the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and managing director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, who will discuss strategies to mitigate conflicts and promote peace and prosperity; Roya Hakakian, an Iranian American author and member of the Council on Foreign Relations, who explores the women’s rights movement in Iran; and Dennis Ross, the William Davidson Distinguished Fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, who will examine how countries, notably Israel, are adjusting and what that portends for the region, for U.S. interests and shared values, and for our global competitors. (See attached release.)

Upcoming February lectures:

• Tuesday, February 13, and Wednesday, February 14: The War on Terror Twenty Years Later: Are We Safer Now? With Bruce Hoffman. Are we safer today from terrorism than we were on September 11, 2001? If bin Laden were alive today, what would he say? Bruce Hoffman answers both questions through an assessment of the two decades America has spent fighting terrorism including the effect of new laws and new agencies. He will also evaluate whether the United States is better prepared and equipped to counterterrorism today than it was on 9/11. February 13: At First United Methodist Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota; 10:30 a.m.; and Venice Community Center, 326 S Nokomis Ave., Venice; 2:30 p.m. February 14: At Cornerstone Church, 14306 Covenant Way, Lakewood Ranch; 11 a.m.
• Thursday, February 15 and Friday, February 16: Me Worry? – Non-Traditional Threats to Global Security with Carla Koppell. Global travel, communication, and technology bring benefits and threats to humankind. Environmental degradation, public health crises, population dynamics, refugees, inequality, suppression of women and minorities, cyber manipulation — all impact conflicts and challenge global stability. Carla Koppell discusses strategies to mitigate conflicts and promote peace and prosperity. February 15: At First United Methodist Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota; 10:30 a.m.; and At Cornerstone Church, 14306 Covenant Way, Lakewood Ranch; 5 p.m. February 16: At Venice Community Center, 326 S Nokomis Ave., Venice; 10 a.m.

• Tuesday, February 20, and Wednesday, February 21: Iran: The Women’s Rights Moment with Roya Hakakian. When a 22-year-old Iranian woman came to Tehran to visit relatives, she was arrested for nothing more than hair peeking out of her headscarf. Beaten while in custody, she later died. Roya Hakakian will discuss why, while others have suffered a similar fate, this particular murder sparked the largest movement in Iran in 44 years. February 20: At First United Methodist Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota; 10:30 a.m.; and Venice Community Center, 326 S Nokomis Ave., Venice; 2:30 p.m. February 21: At Cornerstone Church, 14306 Covenant Way, Lakewood Ranch; 11 a.m.
• Thursday, February 22, and Friday, February 23: Adapting to the Ebb of U.S. Middle East Focus and Influence with Dennis Ross. As America devotes less attention and resources to the Middle East and its friends and Allies there, regional relations shift. Amb. Dennis Ross will examine how countries, notably Israel, are adjusting and what that portends for the region, for U.S. interests and shared values, and for our global competitors. February 22: At First United Methodist Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota; 10:30 a.m.; and At Cornerstone Church, 14306 Covenant Way, Lakewood Ranch; 5 p.m. February 23: At Venice Community Center, 326 S Nokomis Ave., Venice; 10 a.m.
• Tuesday, February 27, and Wednesday, February 28: Outsmarting and Containing Putin: The Ukraine Trap with Robert Barylski. Putin lost the peace which ended the first phase in Ukraine’s war of independence. No major country, not even China, formally recognized his gains. The U.S. invested heavily in building Ukraine’s ability to defend itself. Putin knew time was not on his side and attacked massively in February 2022. Dr. Robert Barylski will explain where we are now and what comes next. February 27: At First United Methodist Church, 104 S. Pineapple Ave., Sarasota; 10:30 a.m.; and Venice Community Center, 326 S Nokomis Ave., Venice; 2:30 p.m. February 28: At Cornerstone Church, 14306 Covenant Way, Lakewood Ranch; 11 a.m.