JAMES CITY COUNTY — The Great Decisions lecture series, sponsored by the League of Women Voters-Williamsburg Area, is set to begin Feb. 3 at Williamsburg Unitarian Universalists.
The series will continue on Tuesday mornings throughout February and March.
“We are excited to be in the WUU for 2026! The staff has been so welcoming, and it really checks all the boxes for our needs: large and spacious with a big area for gathering for coffee and cookies prior to the lectures and plenty of parking!” said Great Decisions co-chair Abra Smith. “However, we will continue to offer a Zoom option. For each session, registrants can choose whether to participate via Zoom or in person by coming to the Williamsburg Unitarian Universalists.”
The League of Women Voters said co-chair Dennis Litalien is excited about the lineup of speakers.
“We are excited to begin the 2026 season with a presentation on ‘America and the World: Trump 2.0 Foreign Policy’ by Dr. Michael Butler,” Litalien said. “Our foreign policy has shifted a great deal since Trump was elected, so it’s important to hear what Dr. Butler has to say.”
Butler is a history professor at William & Mary and a popular lecturer with the Osher Institute.
“WOW! How current and interesting a topic. Clearly exiting over 80 years of multilateral diplomacy, what is Trump’s 2.0 foreign policy: might makes right, spheres of influence, replacing of old allies with new, or just going it alone?” League member Rich Watkins said. “What better person to help us comprehend what’s happening than Michael Butler, a practitioner and scholar of U.S. foreign policy?”
After a 30-year career as a U.S. diplomat, Butler is now in his 13th year teaching at W&M, leading its “History and the Diplomat” project and receiving a faculty award for Teaching Excellence, according to the League of Women Voters.
The following week’s topic will be U.S and China relations, and the speaker will be Professor Eric Brown of the Global Research Institute at William and Mary.
