The Great Decisons Foreign Policy Series, co-presented by the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan and a cadre of local academic institutions, features weekly presentations by various experts on world affairs. The series, now in it's second week, centered around a presentation by Dr. Stewart Patrick, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, this past Monday night.

The talk, titled A New World Order, was based primarily on Patrick's book, The Best Laid Plans:The Origins of American Multilateralism and the Dawn of the Cold War. Early in the presentation, Patrick defined the "New World Order" as a future where control is not ceded to the "one world government" that many fear, but rather a collection of powerful Institutions, such as The United Nations, the World Health Organization, and the World Monetary fund, among others. Stewart detailed the nature of these organizations, noting that their power and geographical coverage has changed significantly from the post-World War II environment in which most of these world organizations were conceived. Patrick believes that a "New World Order" where institutions like these hold the power have the potential to be more trusted by countries like China, India, Japan, South Korea, and Malaysia as they rise to greater prominence on the world stage.

The next speaker in the Great Decisions Foreign Policy Series will be Dr. Jackson Janes of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at Johns Hopkins Unversity. Janes will explore the role of contemporary Germany in the European Union. The lecture will be held on Monday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center at Aquinas College (1607 Robinson Road SE). Admission for the lecture is $5 for World Affairs Council members and students, and $10 for non-members.

For more information about the Great Decisions Foreign Policy Series, check out the World Affairs Council of Western Michigan website.