Panel Discussion on the Twentieth Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall

Thursday, November 12, 2009
Stern Center, Great Room, 7:00 p.m.

When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, the world watched and celebrated. After the jubilation subsided, questions and concerns arose as to the global and European political, social, and cultural consequences of this major event. A panel of three experts will discuss how this historical event transformed our view of Germany, Europe, and the world.

Panelists
Andrew Wolff, moderator, Political Science Department, Dickinson College
Jana Simon, journalist and writer, Die Zeit newspaper in Berlin
Wolfgang Muller, German Department, Dickinson College
Alan Stolberg, European Studies, U.S. Army War College

Co-sponsored by the Department of History, the Max Kade Foundation and Betty R. ’58 and Dan Churchill.

Topical Background
For nearly thirty years, the Berlin Wall symbolized the Cold War’s division of communist East Germany from democratic West Germany and the larger divide of Eastern from Western Europe. First erected in August of 1961 by the Soviet-occupied German Democratic Republic (GDR), the wall was built to prevent East Germans from immigrating to West Germany, which offered more economic freedom and personal independence. Over the years, Read more

Test Screening of the Documentary

Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Stern Center, Great Room, 7:00 p.m.

Colby is a feature-length documentary on the life of legendary spymaster and CIA Director William Colby, told through the eyes of his Emmy-Award-winning filmmaker son, Carl and Colby’s wife Barbara. The films tells the story of the consummate American soldier and spy who always followed orders and took on the toughest assignments until the President ordered him to “stonewall” Congress and CIA’s past and he refused. The story reveals why for once he could not obey an order.

Carl Colby will be available to answer questions at the end of the presentation.

Audience members will be asked to fill out a brief questionnaire at the conclusion of the screening. Read more

A Panel Discussion

Thursday, October 22, 2009
Stern Center, Great Room, 7:30 p.m.

In late 2008, many analysts referred to the downturn of the U.S. economy as the worst crisis since the Great Depression. A panel of experts affiliated with Dickinson College will assess the rationale and effectiveness of government policies implemented over the past year as a response to the downturn and will speculate about the future prospects for the U.S. economy.

Information about the Panelists
Chris Rugaber ’90 is a reporter & economics writer for The Associated Press, the largest and oldest news agency in America. He graduated from Dickinson College and received a master’s degree in political science from American University.
Mark Burgess ’81 is currently the CFO from Graham Packaging in York, PA. Prior to joining Graham, Mr. Burgess served as president and CEO, as well as CFO, of Anchor Glass Container Corporation. He holds a B.A. in economics from Dickinson College and an M.B.A. from the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University.
Michele Mahoney Richardson ’85 is the managing director at Babson Capital Management. Babson Capital Management serves as an investment advisor or financier to a broad range of institutional investors in the U.S. Read more

Panel Discussion on the
Twentieth Anniversary of the
Fall of the Berlin Wall

Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Stern Center, Great Room, 7:00 p.m.

For close to thirty years a wall separated East from West Berlin. Members of Dickinson College and the broader community who experienced life in Berlin during this time will discuss how the period’s experiences affected their personal and professional lives.

Panelists
Bernard Griffard, professor of strategic logistics, Center for Strategic Leadership, U.S. Army War College
Axel Hildebrandt, assistant professor of German, Moravian College
Richard Lacquement, professor of military strategy, Department of National Security and Strategy, U.S. Army War College
Susan Myers, professor of distance education, Department of Distance Education, U.S. Army War College
R. Craig Nation, director of Eurasian studies, Department of National Security and Strategy, U.S. Army War College
Antje Pfannkuchen, instructor in German, Dickinson College
Sarah McGaughey (Moderator), assistant professor of German, Dickinson College

Topical Background
Following World War II, the Allied Powers divided Germany into four occupation zones. In 1949, the Soviet Union declared its occupation zone the German Democratic Republic (GDR), which quickly became known as East Germany. Over the next decade, hundreds of thousands of Read more

Representative of Brave New Films

Subaltern-ate Media: Brave New Films’ ‘trickle up theory’ of Mass-roots Communications

Friday, October 16, 2009
The Weiss Center, Rubendall Recital Hall, 11:30 a.m.

The Clarke Forum and the Literature/Film Association are sponsoring a presentation by Myra Donnelley of Brave New Films. Brave New Films is perhaps best known for “Walmart,” which played on campus a couple of years ago; they have also produced “Sick for Profit” and “Move On: the Movie.” Their most recent film, “Rethink Afghanistan,” just opened in New York.

Brave New Films has pioneered video activism in all manner of venues on the internet as well as in movie theaters. As The Nation reports, the organization “has created a quick-strike capability that challenges corporate media with the truth and empowers political action nationwide.” Read more

Metzger-Conway Fellow, Warburg Professor International Relations, Simmons College

Pflaum Lecture

Confronting Africa’s Anguish

Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Stern Center, Great Room, 7:00 p.m.
(Part of The Clarke Forum’s “Leadership in an Age of Uncertainty” series)

Co-sponsored by the Department of History and Betty R. ’58 and Dan Churchill.

Africa has been afflicted with brutal, prolonged conflicts that capture our attention, but almost incomprehensibly resist negotiated resolutions. Examining common elements in the origins and nature of these conflicts can give us insight into their intractability, suggest paths to peace, provide criteria for effective international interventions, and reveal lessons for preventing recurring conflicts.

Topical Background
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, European powers established a significant colonial presence in Africa. This ‘scramble for Africa,’ which peaked just before World War I, divided the continent and its resources into political partitions. Europeans often justified African colonialism as “the White Man’s Burden,” an obligation to “civilize” the peoples of Africa. By 1905, African soil was almost completely controlled by European governments.

As a result of colonialism and imperialism, Africa has suffered long term effects, such as the loss of important natural resources, economic devastation, cultural confusion, geopolitical division, and political subjugation.

Decolonization began Read more

Film Producer and Director

The Colby Project

Friday, October 9, 2009
Stern Center, Great Room, 3:30 p.m.

Carl Colby, an Emmy Award winning documentary filmmaker, will discuss his soon-to-be-released feature-length documentary film on his late father, William E. Colby, a lifelong CIA officer and former director of the CIA. The film uncovers the truths behind the myths of the life of an American spy and the consequences of leading such a secret life on his nation and his family.

Topical Background
The CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency, or CIA, was created in the aftermath of World War II to fulfill the country’s need for a permanent, centralized source of intelligence. Under President Truman’s National Security Act of 1947, the CIA was charged with coordinating the nation’s intelligence activities, analyzing intelligence that affected national security, and performing other duties and functions as needed. The Act also created a Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) to head the Intelligence Community and serve as the president’s principal intelligence adviser.

William Colby
William Colby began his career during World War II serving in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the CIA’s precursor. After the OSS’s disbandment, he joined the newly created CIA. Prior to and Read more