America in the Age of Globalization

Over the past half century, the United States has experienced an extraordinarily rapid integration into the global economy. International trade grew from less than 10 percent of the economy in the early 1960s to more than one-third today. Immigrants tripled from less than five percent of the U.S. population to nearly 14 percent. International investment and capital flows have similarly soared. These transformations created great opportunities and great disruptions. This session will look at how well the United States did in responding to the economic pressures created by globalization. Who gained and who lost? How, and with what consequences, did America’s political leadership respond?

Trade Agreements: From NAFTA to the WTO and Back Again

Donald Trump has called the NAFTA — the three-way trade pact among the U.S., Canada and Mexico — “the single worst trade deal ever.” In the election campaign, he promised to renegotiate the deal, and to crack down as well on China’s huge and growing trade surplus with the United States. On his first day in office, he pulled the United States out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal with Japan and 10 other Asia-Pacific nations. Trump’s stance on trade helped him carry many of the swing states that had been hit hardest by manufacturing job loss, including Pennsylvania, Ohio and Michigan. How and why did trade agreements become so controversial? What is happening with the renegotiation of NAFTA and possibly other trade agreements as well? Will Trump change the direction of U.S. trade policy, and what might the results be?

Immigration Wars: Why is a Nation of Immigrants so Divided on Immigration?

Immigration is central to American identity. We have long seen ourselves, in the words of John F. Kennedy’s 1958 book, as A Nation of Immigrants. Yet in recent decades immigration has become among the most controversial and difficult challenges facing the United States. The U.S. Congress twice failed — in 2007 and again in 2014 — to pass comprehensive immigration reform that would have overhauled the half century old selection system for immigrants, tightened the border, and offered a pathway to citizenship for nearly 11 million unauthorized immigrants in the country. Donald Trump campaigned on the promise of building a wall on the Mexican border to stop illegal immigration, and has embraced legislation that would cut legal immigration to the United States in half. Why did America become so divided on immigration, and what are the prospects for building a new consensus?

Adapting to Global Competition: Can the United States Do Better?

The growing integration of the United States into the world economy brought economic gains to many Americans, but disruptions to the lives of others. Technology has created similar disruption, and the pace of change is likely to accelerate. How can the United States do a better job in producing good jobs for more of its citizens, and at spreading the benefits of globalization, technology and economic growth more broadly among Americans? This final discussion will look at the challenges ahead and whether new and more effective responses are possible.
 

Big History of the North Sea, North Atlantic, and Scotland

The region through which we will sail on this cruise has a fascinating geological, biological and human history. This lecture offers a big history overview of the seas, mainland and islands of the region, from the role of plate tectonics, volcanic activity and Ice Age glaciation in shaping its unique geology, to the extraordinary flora and fauna that have adapted so superbly to the often-harsh environment of these northerly latitudes. The lecture also includes a ‘little big history’ of Scotland, and of the two Scottish ports we will visit on the cruise.

Iceland and the Vikings

In geological terms, Iceland is a young island, emerging out of the sea as a result of a series of volcanic eruptions only about 20 million years ago. For most of its history Iceland was uninhabited by humans, but that changed in the year 874 CE when Viking explorers from Norway and Britain discovered and quickly settled the island. This lecture unfolds the fascinating history of Iceland from its geological origins through to the twenty-first century, including its complex relations with neighboring Scandinavian nations. The lecture also introduces the Icelandic ports and their surrounding landscapes that we will visit over the next four days of the cruise.

Big History of the Faroe and Shetland Islands

The rugged Faroe Islands are renowned for their wild, wet, and windy weather. However, the proximity of the Gulf Stream keeps temperatures above freezing, and this has allowed humans to thrive there since the arrival of the first Viking settlers around 500 CE. Some 170 miles southeast of the Faroes lie the Shetland Islands, which were settled by humans almost 5,000 years before the Faroes. This lecture explores the fascinating history of both these remote island groups, and the ports of Runavik and Lerwick, including their roles in Viking history and their often tense relationship with Great Britain and the nations of Scandinavia.

A Little Big History of Denmark

For our final ‘at sea’ day before returning to Copenhagen, this lecture focuses on the rich history of Denmark, which was first populated by humans at least 12,000 years ago, at the waning of the last Ice Age. Its strategic geographical location between the North and Baltic Seas, and between Sweden and Germany, meant that Denmark would play a crucial role in the millennia that followed for control of the Baltic Sea. Queen Margrethe II has a lineage that can be traced back to Viking kings, making the Monarchy of Denmark the oldest in Europe. In this lecture we explore the long and rich history of Denmark, including its connections to Iceland and the Faroes, as we wrap up this series on the extraordinary Big History of the North Sea and North Atlantic Basin.
 

Lost in Translation

Recent U.S. Presidents as Diplomats in Chief have opened the Iron Curtain, spent the Peace Dividend, evoked Shock and Awe, and led from behind. Donald Trump’s bumptious style of personal diplomacy has made its mark on the world. Get Maureen Dowd’s and Carl Hulse’s assessment of President Trump’s diplomatic tactics. See what it’s like to be on the receiving end of a diplomacy-focused call from the 45th President as Mr. Hulse and Ms. Dowd read leaked transcripts from phone calls whose goal is establishing personal relationships and rapport with world leaders.

Celebrities I’ve Loved and Loathed

Join Maureen Dowd as she contemplates the opus of her celebrity interviews. Hear about how Paul Newman taught Dowd to peel cucumbers, the wonderful, weirdness of Al Pacino, what made interviewing Kevin Costner a challenge, why Clint Eastwood dissed Kevin Costner, and why Barack Obama told Ms. Dowd she was “irritating.” Straight from the interviewer, get a perspective on the approaches and preconceived notions that may shape and limit an interview’s impact. Join the incisive Maureen Dowd in a discussion on how art, reality, professionalism and human nature converge in her interview work.

Pressing Our Luck

Donald Trump’s raw publicity instincts and virtuoso social media skills have shaped his relationship with the press for decades. Adam Nagourney, Carl Hulse, and Maureen Dowd discuss the distinct symbiosis President Trump has cultivated with the press through his career. From public relations to poetry to prose, Dowd, Nagourney, and Hulse alert you to the patterns and purposes in Donald Trump’s and the American press’ mutual dependency.

Real World Journalism

Take a detour from analysis of the political scene to where the reportage rubber hits the road. You may picture a clearly mapped, dignified journalistic process. Survey the actual route with Maureen Dowd, Carl Hulse, and Adam Nagourney and learn about the nightmare deadlines, unpredictable interviewees, pratfalls and tactical retreats along the road to the published word.
 

Who’s in Charge of American Foreign Policy

Driven by the fight against terrorism, Congress has been steadily ceding power on international affairs to the White House since the Sept. 11 attacks. Now Congress is beginning to claw some international authority back from the Trump administration. The successful bipartisan effort to impose new sanctions on Russia over objections from the White House is just one example as lawmakers look to reassert themselves in a policy world where the White House traditionally holds considerable sway.

The Trump Mid-Terms

The mid-terms of November 2018 will serve as a referendum on President Trump as Democrats try to retake the House and hold their own or better their numbers in the Senate. A change in power in either chamber would represent a monumental shift in Washington while continued Republican control would represent a victory for the president and his Republican allies. First-term mid-terms are traditionally a danger zone for the party in power. Learn the prospects for each party from a political correspondent who has covered 16 congressional election cycles.

The New Washington

In the halls of power and in Washington’s social and cultural life, the Trump administration is putting its unique stamp on Washington. Trump allies are pushing the norms in the traditionally staid city in ways that will reverberate in the years ahead. How has this administration acted in ways different from those before and what will the consequences be for those who come after?

2020 on the Horizon

The next presidential election will be just two years away. Who are the top contenders emerging on the Democratic side and what is the state of play among Republicans? What should we expect from the final two years of the Trump administration’s first term and what are the president’s chances of winning a second one? Time to gaze into the crystal ball and forecast what is ahead.