Upcoming Sundays
This Sunday, May 17:
Service at 10:30 am
Photo: Foreign Affairs Magazine
World Order and the End of Rising Powers
The world order is changing: it is now a closed club of aging incumbents (e.g. the U.S. and Russia), circled by middle powers, developing countries and failed states.Over the long run this situation may spare the world the ruinous cycle of rising powers ... which often ended in war (e.g. Athens/Sparta, the Napoleonic Wars, Japan and Germany in WW II.)
Where are we today? Countries that were rich and powerful in 1980 remain so today while most of the poor have remained poor. Between 1850 and 1949 five new great powers stormed onto the scene but in the past 75 years since. only China has. And it may be the last. There are no other rising world powers on the horizon - thus, the age of rising powers is ending. This will bring profound changes to the world.
The world order is changing: it is now a closed club of aging incumbents (e.g. the U.S. and Russia), circled by middle powers, developing countries and failed states.Over the long run this situation may spare the world the ruinous cycle of rising powers ... which often ended in war (e.g. Athens/Sparta, the Napoleonic Wars, Japan and Germany in WW II.)
Where are we today? Countries that were rich and powerful in 1980 remain so today while most of the poor have remained poor. Between 1850 and 1949 five new great powers stormed onto the scene but in the past 75 years since. only China has. And it may be the last. There are no other rising world powers on the horizon - thus, the age of rising powers is ending. This will bring profound changes to the world.
Dr. Michael Beckley
What will the future bring? Forecasting an answer to this question is perilous. Demography can be measured; e.g. If China's elderly (now 300 million) formed a country if would be the world's fourth largest and fastest growing). But technology and politics often surprise. Today's certainties may look naive a few years from now. What can be said is that for two and a half centuries, global politics was driven by the rise of great powers and the forces that made such ascents possible are now receding. The familiar struggle between living and dying powers is winding down, and another story, its outlines still obscure, is beginning to unfold. Join us for this fascinating presentation and discussion.
Sermon by Dr. Michael Beckley (via zoom)
DR. MICHAEL BECKLEY is Associate Professor of Political Science at Tufts University, a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Director of the Asia Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, and Moynihan Public Scholar at the City College of New York. His article on which this presentation is based recently appeared in Foreign Affairs Magazine.
Sermon by Dr. Michael Beckley (via zoom)
DR. MICHAEL BECKLEY is Associate Professor of Political Science at Tufts University, a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Director of the Asia Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, and Moynihan Public Scholar at the City College of New York. His article on which this presentation is based recently appeared in Foreign Affairs Magazine.
Children's Program at 10:30 am:
The children begin their Sunday in Friendship Hall with their families. After the opening hymn and chalice lighting they are sung off to the Egret room for supervised play with toys, books, crayons etc.
Read more about our Youth Religious Education program...
Read more about our Youth Religious Education program...
Coffee and Conversations at 11:30 am:
Enjoy coffee and other refreshments as you converse with old friends and make new ones.
Please note that all members are invited to stay after our coffee social time and hear what your UUFF Congregational Leadership Committee is discussing, and how you can be a part of our many needs and goals. Contact office for the zoom link.
Please note that all members are invited to stay after our coffee social time and hear what your UUFF Congregational Leadership Committee is discussing, and how you can be a part of our many needs and goals. Contact office for the zoom link.
CLC meets after Coffee and Conversations:
The monthly Congregational Leadership Council meeting will be held after the service and coffee social. If you would like to attend by Zoom, contact the office for the Zoom link, agenda and minutes of prior meetings.
Closed Captioning of Zoom is Available
If closed captions would help you access our Zoom meetings, you can enable this feature for yourself. Anyone can have this feature, free. Just go to
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/207279736-Closed-captioning-and-live-transcription
to learn more. We hope this will increase accessibility and participation in Zoom meetings.
If closed captions would help you access our Zoom meetings, you can enable this feature for yourself. Anyone can have this feature, free. Just go to
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/207279736-Closed-captioning-and-live-transcription
to learn more. We hope this will increase accessibility and participation in Zoom meetings.