Bereuter will give Thompson Forum lecture Sept. 14

Former Nebraska Congressman Doug Bereuter will give the first lecture in the 2009-10 E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln at 7 p.m. Sept. 14 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, 301 N. 12th St.

Bereuter's lecture, "China's Trade and Soft Power Relationships with Asia and the United States -- Reason to Worry?" will explore the United States' trade deficit with China, which is becoming more controversial as American manufacturing jobs are lost. Within that controversy lies the role of foreign investment in the production of Chinese exports. Couple that with China's increasing focus on enhancing its soft power -- often defined as the ability of a country to persuade others to do what it wants without force or coercion -- and concerns arise. Is increasing Chinese soft power a zero sum game for the United States? Is the Chinese model of economic growth and political stability increasingly attractive to the developing world? Bereuter will provide insights into these questions.

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. He joined the Asia Foundation in 2004 following his resignation as U.S. representative for Nebraska's first 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.

The theme of this year's forum series is "Encountering China." All lectures will be delivered in the Lied Center. They 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.

Thompson Forum lectures will be available live on the Web (www.unl.edu), Lincoln Time Warner 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 E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues has brought a diversity of opinions on international and public policy issues to UNL and the citizens of Nebraska, 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.

More information about the Thompson Forum is available at http://enthompson.unl.edu.