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The Foreign Policy Association (formerly known as the League of Free Nations Association) is a non-profit organization founded in 1918 dedicated to inspiring the American public to learn more about the world. The Foreign Policy Association aims to spread global awareness and understanding of foreign policy issues. The organization's current President & CEO is Noel V. Lateef.


History

The FPA was founded in 1918 as the "League of Free Nations Association". Under the chairmanship of journalist
Paul Underwood Kellogg Paul Underwood Kellogg (September 30, 1879 – November 1, 1958) was an American journalist and social reformer. He died at 79 in New York on November 1, 1958. Life He was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, in 1879. After working as a journalist he mo ...
, it was formed by 41 Americans to support US President
Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
's efforts to achieve a just peace, with his speech and proposal of the
Fourteen Points U.S. President Woodrow Wilson The Fourteen Points was a statement of principles for peace that was to be used for peace negotiations in order to end World War I. The principles were outlined in a January 8, 1918 speech on war aims and peace terms ...
, which included the idea of a world organization, later to be called the
League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
. It was also to increase support for United States membership in the world body that was then being discussed and laid out in the
Versailles Treaty The Treaty of Versailles (french: Traité de Versailles; german: Versailler Vertrag, ) was the most important of the peace treaties of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 19 ...
and the
Paris Peace Conference, 1919 Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
, with the "Big Four" representatives dominating the many representatives of the nations formerly at war: President Woodrow Wilson of the US, Prime Minister
David Lloyd George David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1916 to 1922. He was a Liberal Party politician from Wales, known for leading the United Kingdom during ...
of the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, Premier
Georges Clemenceau Georges Benjamin Clemenceau (, also , ; 28 September 1841 – 24 November 1929) was a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909 and again from 1917 until 1920. A key figure of the Independent Radicals, he was a ...
of the
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
and Prime Minister
Vittorio Emanuele Orlando Vittorio Emanuele Orlando (19 May 1860 – 1 December 1952) was an Italian statesman, who served as the Prime Minister of Italy from October 1917 to June 1919. Orlando is best known for representing Italy in the 1919 Paris Peace Conference with h ...
of
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
following the
Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...
ending combat in
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. It also included future influential Americans from both sides of the political spectrum, John Foster Dulles and
Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...
. Following the failure of the
United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...
to ratify the Treaty and membership in the League during various debate sessions with votes taken in 1919 and early 1920, and also later through the results of the Presidential Election of 1920, it was later reconstituted in 1923 as the Foreign Policy Association. In 1938, a series of lectures on foreign policy solely for women called "Off the Record" was launched under the aegis of the FPA, which became a non-profit organization of its own with more than 500 members as of 2022. In the 1940s, headed by
Vera Micheles Dean Vera Micheles Dean (March 29, 1903 – October 10, 1972) was a Russian American political scientist. She was the head of research for the Foreign Policy Association, one of the leading think tanks of the 1940s and 1950s, where she became one of the ...
, the FPA was broadcasting New York City meetings and weekly talks on the program "The World Today" over the National Broadcasting Company's (NBC) radio network. Later, as the discussions among citizens spread, the FPA branches across America became the forerunners of the various independent membership councils with
World Affairs Councils of America The World Affairs Councils of America is a network of 93 autonomous and nonpartisan councils across 40 states. History The World Affairs Councils of America was founded in 1918. It is the largest nonprofit international affairs organization in ...
and foreign affairs or foreign policy councils founded in major large cities or regions of states in the 1950s and 60's, and some as late as the 1980s. The FPA's publications, ''"Foreign Policy Reports"'' (1925–1951), ''"Foreign Policy Bulletin"'' (1920–1961) and ''"Headline Series"'' (1935–present) provided analysis of foreign policy issues. In 1954, the FPAs launched its ''Great Decisions'' public education program on international affairs. In the 1960s, the forerunner of the FPA's ''"Citizen's Guide to U.S. Foreign Policy"'' was published. In the 1970s, ''Great Decisions'' opinion ballots were tabulated nationally for the first time. The Foreign Policy Association celebrated its 100th anniversary at a gala held at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...
in October 2018.


Media

The Foreign Policy Association distinguishes itself from other nonprofit educational and civic organizations in the field of international affairs by engaging the public through a variety of different media: Print, Internet and blogs, and television and DVDs.


Great Decisions Briefing Book

The
Great Decisions
' briefing book features analyses on issues of concern to U.S. policymakers today.


Great Decisions Television Series

The Foreign Policy Association also produces th
''Great Decisions''
series on
public television Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
. Great Decisions is produced by Executive Producer MacDara King
''Great Decision''
full episodes are also available on Netflix, Hulu, and iTunes. Narrated by
David Strathairn David Russell Strathairn (; born January 26, 1949) is an American actor. Known for his leading roles on stage and screen, he has often portrayed historical figures such as Edward R. Murrow, J. Robert Oppenheimer, William H. Seward, and John Do ...
, the series features eight half-hour documentaries providing background information and analyses and debate on issues of concern to US foreign policy-makers. The show was narrated by
Walter Cronkite Walter Leland Cronkite Jr. (November 4, 1916 – July 17, 2009) was an American broadcast journalist who served as anchorman for the ''CBS Evening News'' for 19 years (1962–1981). During the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the mo ...
. Former guests include
Secretary-General of the United Nations The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. The role of the secretary-g ...
Ban Ki-moon, Desmond Tutu,
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...
, and
Madeleine Albright Madeleine Jana Korbel Albright (born Marie Jana Korbelová; May 15, 1937 – March 23, 2022) was an American diplomat and political scientist who served as the 64th United States secretary of state from 1997 to 2001. A member of the Democratic ...
.


Foreignpolicyblogs.com

Launched in 2007 as part of the "Great Decision" Program, th
"Foreign Policy Blogs" network
is a network of global affairs commentary "blogs" comprising nearly 50 blogs on a wide variety of global issues ranging from US foreign policy to global feature films/movies. With the "Foreign Policy Blogs" network, the Foreign Policy Association brings to the public, discussion on global affairs to the internet. The "Foreign Policy Blogs" network is a production of the Foreign Policy Association but is staffed by professional contributors from journalism, academia, business, non-profits and think tanks.


Programming

The ''Great Decisions'' program, launched in 1954, the flagship educational program at the core of its outreach. The Foreign Policy Association organizes education programs such as th
''Great Decisions'' discussion groups
and workshops across the US and promotes the use of th

FPA's national network of volunteer coordinators help implementing the ''Great Decisions'' program by setting up discussion groups, seminars and public forums in which participants can meet, discuss the issues, and arrive at an informed opinion on each topic. To facilitate the programming, the FPA produces the weekly e-newsletters, "Great Decisions Online" and "Great Decisions in the Classroom", written for ''Great Decisions'' participants and educators. The organization makes a map of all the various discussion groups across the US available and encourages individuals to start groups of their own.


Teacher Training

Working to increase ''Great Decisions'' participation among high school students, FPA conducts outreach to hundreds of high school teachers from around the United States at meetings of th
National Council for the Social Studies
Through ''Great Decisions'' workshop presentations and exhibitor booths, educators can learn about FPA's programming and receive samples of the ''Great Decisions'' educational materials. In addition to the general outreach, the Foreign Policy Association organize

Here, secondary school teachers learn about the ''Great Decisions'' programming materials, and resources to explore ways to integrate ''Great Decisions'' in the classroom curricula.


Events

Since the launch of the luncheon series in the 1920s, the Foreign Policy Association has invited experts to discuss global affairs issues with the public. Aside from the recurrent annual events such as the Annual FPA Dinner, the "World Leadership Forum", and the "International Business Forum", it also organize

such as "Town Hall" meetings, lectures, luncheon discussions and open forums with world leaders and experts in the New York City metropolitan area.


References


External links


Official Website of the Foreign Policy Association
* Foreign Policy Association
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...
files, hosted at the
Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...
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{{Authority control Foreign policy and strategy think tanks in the United States Non-profit organizations based in New York City Organizations established in 1918 1918 establishments in the United States