Who: John Feffer
Date: January 19, 2023
Time: 5:30pm Reception | 6:00pm Presentation | 7:30pm Member Dinner
Cost: Free! No cost for members or non-members.
Location: Mystic/Noank Library (40 Library Street, Mystic, CT 06355)
John Feffer, Institute for Policy Studies, will speak on “Exceptionalism Is No Longer Exceptional” (venue to be determined): “Exceptionalism, until recently, seemed to be on its way out. The idea that a country was an exception to the rules governing global affairs ran counter to the mission of the United Nations, the principles enshrined in many human rights agreements, and the need for global cooperation in the face of threats like climate change and pandemic emergencies. True, a powerful country like the United States has continued to assert its unilateral right to, among other things, remain outside institutions like the International Criminal Court, while a small country like North Korea has refused to participate in many global initiatives, including most recently the distribution of COVID vaccines. But exceptionalism has now become even more widespread and can be traced in the Russian invasion of Ukraine, China’s more assertive foreign policy in Asia, and the Global North’s continued high rates of greenhouse-gas emissions. Has the very notion of an international community–namely, a shared consensus on moral principles and a joint commitment to deal with global threats–finally run its course?”
Link to John Feffer’s Bio at Institute for Policy Studies
MEMBERS ONLY