703Z Fall 2026 Great Decisions

703Z  Great Decisions 
Eight sessions
Moderators: Bob Heyer, Terri Feldmayer, Charles Feldmayer
Tuesdays, 11:50—1:15, Sept. 22—Nov. 10
Class limit: 30
Great Decisions is America's largest discussion program on world affairs. OLLI members who sign up for this class will read an essay from the Great Decisions Briefing Book 2026, available for purchase ($35 from FPA.org). We will begin each class with a video reviewing the topic at hand. Then the fun begins. We discuss the most critical global issues facing America today. And lucky us, in this term, we’ll cover seven of the eight important topics before or on Midterm Election Day. Topics listed below include:
1) Debating America's Global Role: America First (Trump 2.0 vs Liberal Internationalism, general set-up since post WWII);
2) The End of an Era: Trump's Tariffs in Historical Perspective;
3) U.S./China Relations in the New Trump Era;
4) Third Nuclear Age: Trump, The International Order and the Bomb;
5) Ukraine and the Future of International Security;
6) Multilateral Institutions in a Changing World Order;
7) U.S. Engagement with Africa;
8) The Future of Human Rights and International Law in a Divided World.
You can see from this list of topics that they are dynamic and ever changing. They are the same topics we discussed during the spring term and will be updated as required.
Bob Heyer joined OLLI in 2017, volunteers on many committees, and is co-chair of the OLLI Walk & Talk club. His career included 20 years flying from aircraft carriers during the Vietnam War. Bob spent 35 years in the Naval Air Systems Command and was an engineer and support contractor involving aircraft design conception to retirement of US Navy, USMC, USAF, and international tactical aircraft and weapons systems. Bob graduated from Duke University and has a graduate degree from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. 
Terri Feldmayer is a longtime member of OLLI. She has worked on a variety of committees and projects and served on the Board of Directors over the years.  She also helped to coordinate a well-received course on the book, Caste by Isabelle Wilkerson. She taught in Fairfax County Public Schools for a number of years and has a long-standing passion for history, politics, and international and foreign affairs.
Charles “Chick” Feldmayer has been an OLLI member since 2018. His career includes 30 years in the U.S. Army, 25 years as a lobbyist, and three years as a nonprofit director. He has taught and lectured at Northwestern State University, City College of Chicago, and Strayer University.