Great Decisions (GD) promotes citizen awareness and discussion about timely foreign policy issues. Run by the Foreign Policy Association in New York, it is the oldest and largest grassroots educational program on world affairs of its kind in the country, with about 350,000 overall participants.

The purpose of Great Decisions is to educate citizens about issues of vital importance to American foreign policy, to provide them with the information to make informed decisions about the topics covered, and to enable them to participate in the foreign-policy process.

Great Decisions is one of the five Flagship Programs of the World Affairs Councils of America. A Flagship Program is one that is broadly supported throughout the council system and that builds the name and impact of the system and its councils.

Great Decisions celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2004. Councils around the country helped celebrate its tradition and history.

Each year eight topics are chosen by a panel and in-depth articles on each subject are prepared by experts. The articles go into the 100-page softbound Great Decisions briefing book that appears with new content every January.

Great Decisions is used by:
- 1000s of small discussion groups nationwide
- 45 participating world affairs councils
- 42 American Academy of University Women chapters
- 17 League of Women Voters chapters
- 124 Institutes for Learning and Retirement
- 1,100 college campuses
- 88 high schools.

Great Decisions is used in 880 US cities and is distributed in every state.

COUNCILS AND GREAT DECISIONS

World Affairs Councils use Great Decisions materials in many different ways. They use it for small discussion groups both in person and online, as the basis of public lecture series, to offer course credit to teachers and students in college and high school, and town hall style meetings.

GREAT DECISIONS TASK FORCE

The National Board created the Task Force in 2004, shortly after Great Decisions was designated a national Flagship Program. The goals of the Task Force are to help double the size of the Great Decisions program nationwide; expand the use of Great Decisions within the World Affairs Council System; adapt Great Decisions for 21st century use; and celebrate the 50th anniversary of the program across the country.

THE TOPICS

Each year a new set of 8 topics is addressed. The topics are chosen by a panel of experts and are written in a balanced and non-partisan style.

In 2007 the topics are: The Middle East, Climate Change, Mexico, Migration, South Africa, War Crimes, Central Asia, and Children.

In 2006 the topics were: UN Reform, Iran, Energy, Brazil, Human Rights, China & India, Turkey and Pandemics.

In 2005 the topics were: US Intelligence Reform; Putin's Second Term: A Scorecard for Russia' Outsourcing Jobs; US Dilemma; China: Economic Giant Emerges; Sudan and the War in Darfur; US and Global Poverty; US Challenges in Iraq and the Muslim World; and Freshwater and Foreign Policy: New Challenges.

In 2004 the topics were: The Media and Foreign Policy; Philippines: Dilemmas of Renewed Security Ties; Weapons of Mass Destruction: What Now After 9/11; Europe Today: A Triple Challenge;Muslim Diversity: Its Challenges to US Policy; US and Latin American Relations post-9/11;Middle East Political Reform; and Public Diplomacy and US Policy.

NATIONAL BALLOTING SYSTEM

Since 1954, opinion ballots for each topic have been included with Great Decisions to enable those interested to make their views known.

In each Great Decisions briefing book, there are two copies of opinion ballots per topic. These opinion ballots are completed by participants and sent to the FPA after they have read and discussed the topics presented in Great Decisions.

The results of the ballots are then analyzed by a polling expert and a National Opinion Ballot Report of the findings is published in October. This report is sent to the White House, the State Department, the Defense Department, members of Congress, and the media. The National Opinion Ballot Report was given to Colin Powell on national television at the National Conference 2003.

For more information about the Great Decisions Discussion Program visit the Foreign Policy Association.

OPERATIONS PAPER 20: RUNNING A GREAT DECISIONS PROGRAM

Any World Affairs Council Staff or Board member who would like a copy of Operations Paper 20 should log into this website to download a copy. Operations Paper 20 goes into more detail about Great Decisions and the various ways it can be used.