The Walpolean

One Week from Today!

“Great Decisions” Welcomes Stapleton Roy as Moderator

The “Great Decisions” discussion group will meet again on Monday, May 12, at 6:00 p.m. in the Walpole Town Library. Our topic is “U.S.- China Relations in Tense Times,” and we are most fortunate to again have Career Ambassador Stapleton Roy join us via Zoom to moderate the discussion. (Career Ambassador is the highest rank in the U.S. Foreign Service.) 

Stapleton Roy began his diplomatic career in 1956 and rose to become a three-time United States Ambassador, serving in Singapore, the People’s Republic of China, and Indonesia. Subsequently he joined the Kissinger Institute on China and the United States at the Wilson Center in Washington. He was a Trustee of the Asia Foundation and the Carnegie Endowment for Peace. I assure you that a conversation with “Stape” is delightful and unforgettable, his depth of understanding is unparalleled – this is a rare opportunity not to be missed!

The relevant reading from the Foreign Policy Association is “Competition, Cold War, or Conflict? Navigating U.S.- China Relations in Tense Times,” by Thomas J. Christensen, which is available at the Walpole Library. A copy of this article can be emailed to you upon request by contacting Jane Malmberg, Library Director: jmalmberg@walpoletownlibrary.org 

All are welcome at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, May 12, in the Hubbard Meeting Room, Walpole Town Library. We begin with a Master Class video prepared by the Foreign Policy Association which cannot be shown over Zoom. Those of you joining via Zoom, please join at 6:30 p.m. For the Zoom link, please contact Jane Malmberg in advance of the meeting.

“Great Decisions” 

Our Public Forum Resumes on Monday, April 14

“America at a Global Crossroads”

“America at a Global Crossroads”— our next “Great Decisions” public forum — will be moderated by Adrian Basora, former United States Ambassador to Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. This discussion will be on Monday, April 14, 6:00 p.m., in the Walpole Town Library, and promises to be a timely and illuminating analysis of what we now might describe as “American Foreign Policy in the Crosshairs.”

We are grateful to have Adrian Basora – trustee of the Foreign Policy Research Institute and member of the Council on Foreign Relations – to guide us through this uncharted territory.. During his 33 years in the U.S. Foreign Service, Adrian served in former Soviet Bloc countries and worked on programs supporting their transition to democracy.

The Foreign Policy Association’s article by G. John Ikenberry, “America at a Global Crossroads,” is available at the library.  Writing in November 2024, following the election, Ikenberry describes three strategic choices for American foreign policy. The America First agenda of Trump’s administration has already broken with liberal internationalism, challenging rules-based, multilateral cooperation and traditional alliances. What are the dangers and advantages this nationalism poses for our future security? A copy of the relevant article can be emailed to you upon request by contacting Jane Malmberg, Library Director: jmalmberg@walpoletownlibrary.org 

All are welcome to join at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, April 14, in the Hubbard Meeting Room, Walpole Town Library, or via Zoom. We begin with a Master Class video prepared by the Foreign Policy Association which cannot be shown over Zoom. So those of you joining via Zoom, please join at 6:20 p.m. For the Zoom link, please contact Jane Malmberg in advance of the meeting: jmalmberg@walpoletownlibrary.org

Sue Kibbe

Great News from “Great Decisions”

Stapleton Roy Joins Us Again! – One Week from Today

Stapleton Roy will lead our expedition into Indonesia, exploring its complicated history, unique geography, ethnic diversity and present foreign policy. After serving as our Ambassador in China and Singapore, Stapleton Roy was United States Ambassador to Indonesia from 1996 – 1999. Ambassador Roy was stationed in Jakarta during the tumultuous end of Suharto’s presidency, amid an economic crisis, student demonstrations, riots and outbursts of violence. 

“Stape” will be joining us via Zoom, which is an option for anyone (contact Jane Malmberg for the Zoom link) or you are welcome to attend in person on Monday, October 21, at 6:00 p.m. in the Walpole Town Library. This discussion with one of our preeminent experts on Southeast Asia, whose breadth and depth of knowledge is unsurpassed, is a rare opportunity.

The relevant reading from the Foreign Policy Association is “Invisible Indonesia” by Charles Sullivan. For a copy of this article and/or the meeting’s Zoom link, please contact Library Director Jane Malmberg at jmalmberg@walpoletownlibrary.org

Please note: For those joining via Zoom, please wait until 6:20 to join, as we will be viewing the “Master Class” from the Foreign Policy Institute for the first twenty minutes in the library.