In preparing for the upcoming visit to the Dunwoody campus of the Tuskegee Airmen on Wednesday, April 6; the Dunwoody History and Politics Club will view the PBS documentary “The Tuskegee Airmen” on Tuesday, April 5 at 1 PM in B 1602. Hope to see you there.
Showing posts with label Dunwoody History and Politics Club. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dunwoody History and Politics Club. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Dunwoody History and Politics Club--Truman and the Bomb
The Dunwoody History and Politics Club ... ponders whether or not the U.S. should have used nuclear weapons on Japan to end World War II. On Wednesday, April 1 at 11 AM in C 1100 (Dunwoody) we will view the remarkable documentary about J. Robert Oppenheimer and the making of the atomic bomb; then on Thursday, April 2 at 2 PM in A 2200 (Dunwoody) we will sponsor a student-ledmock trial on whether President Truman should have been tried for crimes against humanity due to his decisions to use nuclear weapons.
>Hope to see you there.
>Hope to see you there.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Foreign Service Officer Michael Varga speaks at Dunwoody
FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER MICHAEL VARGA SPEAKS
E 0360/Dunwoody 2 PM Monday, March 2
Michael Varga was a Foreign Service Officer from 1985 to 1996. His overseas assignments included Dubai, Damascus, Casablanca and Toronto. In Washington, he worked as an Economist in the Economic Bureau and as desk officer for Lebanon in the Near East Bureau. He was a Pearson Fellow at the World Trade Center Miami. Prior to the Foreign Service, Mr. Varga was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Chad.
U.S. should shape its policy for world, not just Iraq
By MICHAEL VARGA
Friday, January 30, 2009
“Hillary Clinton’s arrival as the 67th Secretary of State is an opportunity for the Obama administration to re-think the goals of today’s foreign service. Clinton inherits a mess unlike any we have seen since the United States had to wrestle with how to stop Hitler from attaining his domination of Europe.
The singular focus on the war on terror and the battle for a new Iraq after Saddam has created a U.S. Foreign Service that is so weighted toward one country that the U.S. has largely abandoned the role it needs to play on the world stage. Having built the largest embassy in the world in Baghdad, and staffed that monstrous entity, the Bush foreign policy fixated on Iraq. And the Foreign Service grudgingly went along with it, allowing embassies in many other nations to go understaffed.
When I was in the Foreign Service, I remember how diplomats from other nations were always anxious to hear what steps the United States was willing to take first before discussing what they might do. Everyone looks to the United States for leadership. But when our talking-points memos and our guidance from Washington were only about Iraq and al-Qaida, other nations eventually stopped listening to what we had to say.
Funding for the Foreign Service has to take a “big picture” approach that recognizes that for eight years so many diplomatic positions were abolished in other nations because of the gargantuan needs of Baghdad’s embassy.
We need more money committed to diplomacy in Asia, South America, Africa and other regions we’ve ignored. This is hard in a weak economy and mounting unemployment and deficits. But it is smart diplomacy to recognize that in the long term, rebuilding the U.S. diplomatic corps will pay rich dividends for this nation. When future crises arise in other parts of the world, rather than resorting to a military option we will have the expertise in our own embassies to tell us what is truly in the U.S. national interest.
Our departure from Iraq can be smooth, but there is going to be some chaos, violence and killing, no matter how or when we withdraw. We need to understand that the enmity built up over centuries among the Kurds, the Shia’ and the Sunnis will continue to cause repercussions as scores are settled for wrongs committed against so many prior generations.
When I was involved in Middle East peace talks after the Madrid conference of 1991, the chief of the Lebanese delegation used to reply to my nudges toward making confidence-building measures with Israel with the soft reply, “In due time, we’ll make peace. But only after the horrors we have endured have been addressed. We owe that to our ancestors.”
But the smart foreign-policy choice is to allow Iraq “to stand up,” so long promised by the Bush administration, so that we can “stand down.” Smart diplomacy calls for Iraq to no longer rely on U.S. troops for its stability. We can make that transition easier for Iraq by beefing up civilian assistance provided to Baghdad through the Foreign Service, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and funding non-governmental organizations.
Clinton needs to see that an Iraq-centric diplomatic corps only perpetuates the notion that we’ve drawn a line in the sand in Iraq, and nothing else matters as much. This is the mistake the last administration made. We should not repeat it. Our unique position on the world stage demands that we not.”
E 0360/Dunwoody 2 PM Monday, March 2
Michael Varga was a Foreign Service Officer from 1985 to 1996. His overseas assignments included Dubai, Damascus, Casablanca and Toronto. In Washington, he worked as an Economist in the Economic Bureau and as desk officer for Lebanon in the Near East Bureau. He was a Pearson Fellow at the World Trade Center Miami. Prior to the Foreign Service, Mr. Varga was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Chad.
U.S. should shape its policy for world, not just Iraq
By MICHAEL VARGA
Friday, January 30, 2009
“Hillary Clinton’s arrival as the 67th Secretary of State is an opportunity for the Obama administration to re-think the goals of today’s foreign service. Clinton inherits a mess unlike any we have seen since the United States had to wrestle with how to stop Hitler from attaining his domination of Europe.
The singular focus on the war on terror and the battle for a new Iraq after Saddam has created a U.S. Foreign Service that is so weighted toward one country that the U.S. has largely abandoned the role it needs to play on the world stage. Having built the largest embassy in the world in Baghdad, and staffed that monstrous entity, the Bush foreign policy fixated on Iraq. And the Foreign Service grudgingly went along with it, allowing embassies in many other nations to go understaffed.
When I was in the Foreign Service, I remember how diplomats from other nations were always anxious to hear what steps the United States was willing to take first before discussing what they might do. Everyone looks to the United States for leadership. But when our talking-points memos and our guidance from Washington were only about Iraq and al-Qaida, other nations eventually stopped listening to what we had to say.
Funding for the Foreign Service has to take a “big picture” approach that recognizes that for eight years so many diplomatic positions were abolished in other nations because of the gargantuan needs of Baghdad’s embassy.
We need more money committed to diplomacy in Asia, South America, Africa and other regions we’ve ignored. This is hard in a weak economy and mounting unemployment and deficits. But it is smart diplomacy to recognize that in the long term, rebuilding the U.S. diplomatic corps will pay rich dividends for this nation. When future crises arise in other parts of the world, rather than resorting to a military option we will have the expertise in our own embassies to tell us what is truly in the U.S. national interest.
Our departure from Iraq can be smooth, but there is going to be some chaos, violence and killing, no matter how or when we withdraw. We need to understand that the enmity built up over centuries among the Kurds, the Shia’ and the Sunnis will continue to cause repercussions as scores are settled for wrongs committed against so many prior generations.
When I was involved in Middle East peace talks after the Madrid conference of 1991, the chief of the Lebanese delegation used to reply to my nudges toward making confidence-building measures with Israel with the soft reply, “In due time, we’ll make peace. But only after the horrors we have endured have been addressed. We owe that to our ancestors.”
But the smart foreign-policy choice is to allow Iraq “to stand up,” so long promised by the Bush administration, so that we can “stand down.” Smart diplomacy calls for Iraq to no longer rely on U.S. troops for its stability. We can make that transition easier for Iraq by beefing up civilian assistance provided to Baghdad through the Foreign Service, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and funding non-governmental organizations.
Clinton needs to see that an Iraq-centric diplomatic corps only perpetuates the notion that we’ve drawn a line in the sand in Iraq, and nothing else matters as much. This is the mistake the last administration made. We should not repeat it. Our unique position on the world stage demands that we not.”
Thursday, February 19, 2009
History and Politics Club event
Michael Varga, a Foreign Service Officer from 1985 to 1996,
will speak in NE0360 at 2:00pm on Monday, March 2. He will discuss his work in
Lebanon, Chad, Dubai, Damascus, Casablanca and Toronto. We hope you will
encourage your good students who might be interested in asking questions to
someone who was worked on the diplomatic front to attend.
Sponsored by the Dunwoody History and Politics Club.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Dunwoody Politics and History Club Fall 2008
On Monday, November 17 beginning at 12:30 PM the Dunwoody History and Politics Club will view “Into the Wild” (a postmodern Thoreau) in Room 2200 of the Learning Resources Center.
On Wednesday, November 19 at 3:30 PM in E 0300 we will hear our newest Dunwoody historians speak on their research: Professor Dana Wiggins will speak on “From Countrypolitan to Neo-traditional: Gender, Race, Class, and Region in Female Country Music, 1980-1999” and Professor David Moon will discuss “Southern Baptists and Southern Honor: Negotiating Masculinity in the South.” Hope to see you there.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Dunwoody Politics and History Club
On Thursday, October 30 at 12:30 P.M. in A 2200 (Dunwoody) the Dunwoody History and Politics Club will sponsor Dunwoody poet and Humanities Professor Charles Fox thinking with us about “Truth in Punditry: How Poetry Can Save Us From the Experts.” He will be analyzing how politicians use language to craft “reality.”
Professor Fox will encourage the audience to make up their own poems about Campaign 2008…. ……
Professor Fox writes:
Nobel Prize winning poet Czeslaw Milosz says in his book The Witness of Poetry: “The poetic act changes with the amount of background reality embraced by the poet’s consciousness…So man constructs poetry out of the remnants found in the ruins.” Just like political pundits who twist and shape their arguments to maximize their candidates position, so too must poets carefully construct their poems. The difference, however, is that the shaping of a poem requires the difficult and unusual task of telling a truth which the poet may not know, or that the poet is not ready to speak. Poetry is an act of searching; it is not always the act of discovering. When we take the words of the pundits and shape them into poems, we sometimes find truths that none of us expected—truths that the pundits might not be willing to admit.
Hope to see you Thursday in A 2200 at 12:30 P.M.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Dunwoody Politics and History Club
Two opportunities this week for political engagement through film:
On Wednesday, October 22 Humanities Professor Paul Gaustad will lead us in discussion and viewing of “Bulworth” at 3:30 in C 1100 (Dunwoody) and on Thursday, October 23 at 3:30 in C 1100 (Dunwoody) we will view parts 3 and 4 of the “John Adams” series.
Hope to see you there.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Dunwoody Politics and History Club
The following opportunities are available at Dunwoody for the week of October 20 -24:
1) Mon. October 20 at 12:30 in C 1100……Dunwoody Library Professor Steve Koplan will lead us in a discussion of “The War Room” (about the innards of the Clinton campaign);
2) Tues. October 21 at 2:00 in C 1100…….Dunwoody students debate the merits and demerits of Obama and McCain
3) Wed. October 22 at 3:30 in C 1100…..Dr. Paul Gaustad leads us in a discussion of “Bulworth”
4) Thur. October 23 at 3:30 in C 1100….Parts 3 and 4 of “John Adams”
Hope to see you at any or all of these events.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Dunwoody Politics and History Club
The Dunwoody History and Politics Club will view the award winning John Adams documentary beginning on Monday, October 13 at 12:30 in C 1100 (Dunwoody); continuing on Thur. Oct. 23 at 3:30 in C 1100 (Dunwoody); and on Wed. Oct. 29 at Dunwoody Learning Resource Center 2200 at 2 PM. Hope to see you there.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Dunwoody Politics and History Club
The Dunwoody History and Politics Club will view the award winning John Adams documentary beginning on Monday, October 13 at 12:30 in C 1100 (Dunwoody); continuing on Thur. Oct. 23 at 3:30 in C 1100 (Dunwoody); and on Wed. Oct. 29 at Dunwoody Learning Resource Center 2200 at 2 PM. Hope to see you there.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Dunwoody Politics and History Club Fall 2008
As Campaign 2008 intensifies, the Dunwoody History and Politics Club invites you to its film series “
Hope to see you for viewing and discussing these classic films:
| Date and Time | Film | Leader of Discussion |
| Wed. Oct. 1 12:30 C-1100 Dunwoody | All the King’s Men (1949 version) | Randy Finley History/Dunwoody |
| Wed. Oct. 8 2:00 C-1100 Dunwoody | Wag the Dog | Thomas Graham History/Dunwoody |
| Wed. Oct. 15 11:00 AM C-1100 Dunwoody | Citizen Kane | Will Simson |
| Mon. Oct. 20 12:30 C-1100 Dunwoody | The War Room | Steve Koplan Library/Dunwoody |
| Wed. Oct. 22 3:30 C-1100 Dunwoody | Bulworth | Paul Gaustad Humanities/Dunwoody |
Dunwoody Politics and History Club
The Dunwoody History and Politics Club will view and discuss the 1949 classic “All the King’s Men” in C 1100 (Dunwoody) on Wednesday, October 1 at 12:30 as a part of its “Hollywood and Politics” Campaign 2008 series. Hope to see you there.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Dunwoody Politics and History Club
Professor Pamela Hecht, GPC alumni and business law instructor at Dunwoody, will present "How To Get Into Law School: A Practical Guide" on Tuesday, April 22 at 9:30 AM in C 1100 (Dunwoody). Sponsored by the Dunwoody History and Politics Club. Hope to see you there.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Dunwoody P and H Club
You are invited to the following end-of-the-year events sponsored by the Dunwoody History and Politics Club:
Wed. April 9: Viewing of "Fahrenheit 911": 2PM C 1100 (Dunwoody);
Tuesday April 15: Viewing of "In the Valley of Elah": 2 PM C 1100
(Dunwoody);
Tuesday April 22: Professor Pamela Hecht: "How To Get Into Law School: A
Practical Guide": 9:30 AM C 1100 (Dunwoody).
Hope to see you there.
Wed. April 9: Viewing of "Fahrenheit 911": 2PM C 1100 (Dunwoody);
Tuesday April 15: Viewing of "In the Valley of Elah": 2 PM C 1100
(Dunwoody);
Tuesday April 22: Professor Pamela Hecht: "How To Get Into Law School: A
Practical Guide": 9:30 AM C 1100 (Dunwoody).
Hope to see you there.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Glory--Dunwoody History and Politics Club
The Dunwoody History and Politics Club will view the classic movie "Glory"
(regarding the 54th Massachusetts Regiment in the Civil War) on Thursday, February 21 at 2 PM in C 1100 (Dunwoody). Hope to see you there.
(regarding the 54th Massachusetts Regiment in the Civil War) on Thursday, February 21 at 2 PM in C 1100 (Dunwoody). Hope to see you there.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Dunwoody Politics and History Club
The Dunwoody History and Politics Club will view the documentary "The Murder of Emmett Till" on Thursday, February 7 at 2 PM in C 1100 (Dunwoody). The film lasts one hour. Hope to see you there.
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