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How different the world looks in 2023. This lecture will track the reasons for the United States’ relative and absolute decline in power and leadership. It will analyze the many self-inflicted blows to American leadership—including two disastrous wars, reckless fiscal policies, and the crisis of US democracy—and ask the question of whether America can lead the world and whether it should.
The Galbraith lecture and fundraiser reception will kick off the 62-year-old WWAC’s new logo, website, and an exciting multi-year initiative “America 250: Examining America’s Identity and Leadership in a Changing World.” The suggested donation is $10 to attend the lecture (however, no one will be turned away for lack of funds). A reception will follow with a raffle offering valuable prizes from Brattleboro area businesses. WWAC’s events are financed by membership dues — $35 individual and $50 family annually, students free — please consider joining HERE.
Ambassador Galbraith’s lecture will encapsulate the trajectory of US power over the past several decades. American power was unparalleled at the end of the 20th Century; Democracy and its economy looked secure with record budget surpluses on track to eliminate the entire national debt by 2009. Russia, China, the EU, and other world powers seemed generally inclined to accept American leadership in support of a more cooperative world order. How different the world looks in 2023. This lecture will analyze the many self-inflicted blows to American leadership—including two disastrous wars, reckless fiscal policies, and the crisis of US democracy—and examine whether America can lead the world and whether it should. ‘Constitutional Wrangler’ and Prof. of Politics Meg Mott will introduce the Ambassador and put his lecture into the context of WWAC’s ‘America 250’ initiative examining American identity and leadership leading up to 2026.
Amb. Peter W. Galbraith’s 35-year career in public service includes serving as the first US Ambassador to Croatia, an Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations in Afghanistan in 2009, a Cabinet Member in East Timor’s first Transitional Government in 2000-2001, a Senior Professional Staff Member with the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and a Senator in his home state of Vermont. He is the author of two critically acclaimed books on the Iraq War, including the best-selling The End of Iraq: How American Incompetence Created A War Without End. Amb. Galbraith’s father, famed economist, and author John Kenneth Galbraith, was also a long-time WWAC member.
Moderator Meg Mott sees herself as a Constitutional “Wrangler”. Since the 2016 presidential election, Meg has turned her attention to improving public debate between progressives and conservatives. Her Debating Our Rights series focuses on the Bill of Rights and Reconstruction Amendments. Each presentation focuses on one Amendment, giving room to competing interpretations and encouraging audience members to jump into the debate. She recently joined the Vermont Speakers Bureau in order to move these conversations around the state.
