Great Conversations 2026
Great Decisions 2026
In partnership with the Foreign Policy Association, the JES is hosting its 'Great Decisions'. This course invites participants to dive into critical, global issues with national- and local-level implications. Diane Chido, political science professor, national security expert, and JES Scholar-in-Residence, and Christine Riehl, a former Foreign Service Officer and JES Scholar-in-Residence, guide the eight-session course, sections of which are being offered at noon and 3 p.m. beginning Thursday, Feb. 26. Course sections will meet the second and fourth Thursdays of the month, concluding Thursday, June 11.
This year's topics include: America and the World: Trump 2.0 Foreign Policy; Trump Tariffs and the Future of the World Economy; U.S.-China Relations; Ruptured Alliances and the Risk of Nuclear Proliferation; Ukraine and the Future of European Security; Multilateral Institutions in a Changing World Order; U.S. Engagement of Africa; The Future of Human Rights and International Law.
Registrations will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis. And registration in each section is limited.
Cost: $100 (includes materials)
Diane Chido, M.S., is founder of Erie-based research firm, DC Analytics, and a former faculty instructor with the Mercyhurst University Department of Intelligence Studies. Recently returned from a three-year contract as the Security and Intelligence Policy Advisor to the U.S. Army’s Peace Keeping and Stability Operations Institute (PKSOI), she looks forward to applying her 25-plus years of expertise in supporting post-conflict and fragile societies to Erie’s current challenges. She has published and lectured widely on security, intelligence, socio-cultural and economic development topics and possesses an M.S. in Applied Intelligence Analysis and an M.A. in Russian Language.
