'Encountering China' is theme of 2009-10 Thompson Forum at UNL

Former Nebraska Congressman Doug Bereuter will give the first lecture Sept. 14 in the 2009-10 E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The year's theme is "Encountering China" and all lectures will be presented in the Lied Center for Performing Arts, 301 N. 12th St.

Both an ancient civilization and a rising power, China presents some of the most complex questions facing the world today. Although China is home to one-fifth of the world's population, most Americans know remarkably little about its culture, heritage and growing role in world events. China's rise is one of the transformative events of our time, as well as one of the most important challenges facing U.S. foreign and economic policy. This year's lineup of speakers will explore topics ranging from China in cyberspace to China's role in Africa and the impact of trade with China on U.S. workers.

Bereuter's Sept. 14 lecture, "China's Trade and Soft Power Relationships with Asia and the United States -- Reason to Worry?" will begin at 7 p.m. As president and CEO of The Asia Foundation, Bereuter oversees an organization with 17 offices across Asia focused on improving civil society, women's empowerment, economic reform and development, and international relations. Bereuter joined The Asia Foundation in 2004 following his resignation as congressman representing Nebraska's 1st District, a position he held for 26 years. While in Congress, he co-founded the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, and chaired a task force on the transition of Hong Kong and the House delegation to the 40-country NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

Other lecturers in the forum's season are Kaiser Kuo, a technology expert and former writer for Time and TimeAsia; Susan Shirk, director of the University of California's Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, and a professor at UC-San Diego's Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies; investigative journalist Richard Behar; former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel; and Rob Gifford, National Public Radio correspondent.

All Thompson Forum lectures are free and open to the public, but all events are ticketed. Tickets are free and guarantee a reserved seat. Those interested may reserve Thompson Forum tickets for fall-semester lectures by contacting the Lied Center at (402) 472-4747 or (800) 432-3231. Tickets may also be picked up in person, or ordered by downloading a form from the Thompson Forum Web site, http://enthompson.unl.edu. For many lectures, tickets are available at the door, but requesting tickets in advance is recommended. Tickets for spring-semester lectures will be available beginning Jan.11.

Other 2009-10 Thompson Forum speakers and dates are:

: Tuesday, Oct. 6, 7 p.m. His lecture, "Shouting Across the Chasm: Chinese and American Netizens Clash in Cyberspace," is the Lewis E. Harris Lecture on Public Policy. Born in the United States to Chinese parents, Kuo lives in China and identifies equally as American and Chinese. Formerly director of digital strategy for the Beijing office of a global advertising agency, Kuo has worked as a technology and business writer for publications such as Time, TimeAsia, and the China Economic Review. Using the Internet as a starting point, Kuo's lecture will delve into a number of issues at the heart of disagreements on the people-to-people level. Kuo co-founded China's most famous rock band, Tang Dynasty, and continues to be active in the Chinese music scene.

Susan Shirk: Thursday, Nov. 12, 7 p.m., "China: Fragile Superpower." Once a sleeping giant, China today is the world's fastest growing economy -- a dramatic turnaround that alarms many westerners. Shirk's 2007 book of the same title explored the troubling paradox faced by China's leaders: the more developed and prosperous the country becomes, the more insecure and threatened they feel. Shirk, a former deputy assistant secretary of state responsible for China, knows many of today's Chinese rulers personally and has studied them for three decades. In her lecture, she will give an update on the state of China's internal politics and the fears that motivate its leaders.

Richard Behar: Tuesday, Jan. 26, 7 p.m., "China in Africa: The New Scramble?" Behar has garnered 20 journalism awards over a career spanning 25 years. He was called "one of the most dogged of our watchdogs" by the late syndicated columnist Jack Anderson. Behar spent nine years with Fortune magazine, preceded by six years at Time and six years at Forbes. Prior to that, he was a stringer/researcher at the New York Times. Behar has also done assignments for the BBC, CNN, FoxNews.com, Fast Company, and PBS.

The Charles and Linda Wilson Dialogue on Domestic Issues will be in late February or early March at a date to be determined this fall. In "China Rising: Good or Bad News for U.S. Workers, Consumers and Investors?" former U.S. senator from Nebraska Chuck Hagel and a senior-level Chinese diplomat will discuss the complex relationship between the United States and China and its effects on the citizens of both countries..

Rob Gifford: Thursday, April 1, 7 p.m., "China Road: A Journey into the Future of a Rising Power." NPR's London correspondent, Gifford previously served as NPR's China correspondent from 1999 to 2005. He holds degrees in Chinese studies from Durham University (United Kingdom) and regional studies (East Asia) from Harvard University. He has spent much of the last 20 years living in and reporting on the rise of China. In his recent book, "China Road," he records a two-month journey along Route 312, which runs 3,000 miles from east to west, through the factory towns and coastal areas, through the rural heart of China, then into the Gobi Desert, where it merges with the old Silk Road. The highway witnesses every part of the social and economic revolution that is turning China upside down.

Thompson Forum lectures will be available live on the Web (www.unl.edu), Lincoln TimeWarner Cable Channel 21, NETSAT 104, UNL campus Channel 8 and UNL's KRNU radio (90.3 FM). Live satellite broadcasts and follow-up discussion will be available in Scottsbluff, North Platte, Kearney, Wayne, Columbus and Omaha.

For 21 years, the Thompson Forum has brought a diversity of opinions on international and public policy issues to UNL and the citizens of Nebraska in order to promote understanding and to encourage debate. The forum features forceful speakers who are committed to the issues they address, and seeks balance over the range of programs rather than in each presentation. The forum does not endorse the views of the individual speakers, nor limit their freedom to express their points of view. The Thompson Forum is a cooperative project of the Cooper Foundation, the Lied Center and UNL. In 1990, the series was named in honor of E.N. "Jack" Thompson (1913-2002,) a 1933 graduate of the University of Nebraska, who served as president of the Cooper Foundation from 1964 to 1990 and as its chairman from 1990 until his death.

For more information visit the Thompson Forum Web site.