Thinking Globally
Global Democracy.
It seems a bit daunting to think about the state of Global Democracy or to picture our own role in its preservation.
YouTube and the Nightly News show us tragedy and bravery around the world. It can all seem remote or overwhelming. We haven’t even broken up the petty dictatorship the Kansas GOP runs in Topeka.
Great Decisions program from FPA, 2025
The November election gives even more sense of loss ---- how much more will the autocrats of the world be emboldened now that the US has twice elected a President who seems to like their company?
But it is at this very moment that we need to look outside our counties and state and become a part of the global conversation. This article highlights some resources that can take you in that direction.
Foreign Policy Association & the Great Decisions program
The Foreign Policy Association in New York was founded over 100 years ago to serve as a catalyst for developing awareness and informed opinion among citizens on US foreign policy. It strives for a balanced, nonpartisan approach with citizen engagement. (on Facebook)
Great Decisions is described as “America's largest discussion program on world affairs.”
The program model involves reading the Great Decisions Briefing Book, watching the video series and meeting in a Discussion Group to discuss the the selected global issues.
The annual series finishes with a feedback step where participants provide their views back to the FPA. The program has been undertaken annually since 1954.
In 2025, the eight topics chosen for discussion:
American Foreign Policy at a Crossroads
U.S. Changing Leadership of the World Economy
U.S.-China Relations
India: Between China, the West, and the Global South
International Cooperation on Climate Change
The Future of NATO and European Security
AI and American National Security
American Foreign Policy in the Middle East: Taking Stock and Looking Ahead
A group of Kansas Democrats interested in global affairs is being formed to participate in the 2025 and 2026 Great Decisions program via Zoom. If you would be interested in joining, contact organizer Bill H.
National Democratic Institute (NDI)
NDI is a non-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental organization that works in partnership around the world to strengthen and safeguard democratic institutions. (Facebook & Wikipedia) NDI works with local partners to promote openness and accountability in government, build support for political and civic organizations and safeguard elections.
For just a sampling of its resources and stories:
• On the UN’s International Day of the Girl Child in 2024, NDI highlighted the civic and political leadership training program they developed for young women. “Politics became much clearer to me, and a lot closer than what I imagined … It's something that we experience every day, and that we are part of, it involves us,” said one Brazilian participant.
• In 2023, the NDI was awarded a medal by the President of Chile, Gabriel Boric, in recognition of its role in supporting the 1988 plebiscite that ended the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet and enabled the country’s return to democracy.
• In the article “Debunking 6 Myths About Democracy”, NDI tackles the myth “Supporting global democracy is an exercise in idealism, with little strategic value.” Far from it, writes NDI. “…ignoring the practical impact of democratic norms on global peace, security and development, and the growing force of popular attitudes in the highly networked, citizen-empowered 21st century, is willful strategic blindness.”
In 2022, former Senator Thomas Daschle (D-South Dakota) and current the Board Chair of NDI spoke on how democracy can continue to deliver for citizens amid rising authoritarian and other global crises.
Article by Bill H, a Kansas Democrat. Banner photo is the proposed cover of the FPA 2025 Great Decisions Guidebook.