Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies Stanford University



Using intelligence to shape the future

"We spend $45 billion annually to reduce uncertainty, to help us combat threats to our nation, our people, and our security," said Payne Distinguished Lecturer Thomas Fingar in his third Payne lecture, devoted to anticipating the future--"not for purposes of prediction but for purposes of shaping it." Noting that strategic intelligence treats the future neither as "inevitable or immutable," Fingar employed real-life examples from his career in national intelligence to explore concrete ways intelligence can be used to move developments in a more positive direction. +VIDEO+ +AUDIO+ Audio & Video transcripts available +PDF+ paper available
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The fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years later

November 9, 2009 marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The historic event symbolizes the end of the Cold War, and 1989, for the Germans living there, marks a turning point that continues to shape their culture. Amir Eshel, professor of comparative literature and director of FSI's Forum on Contemporary Europe and history professor James Sheehan reflect on the legacy of this important anniversary


Alan Garber assesses what to expect from health reform

Entitlement programs, especially Medicare, pose the single gravest threat to our long-term financial future, Stanford Health Policy Director Alan Garber notes, with Medicare alone on a trajectory to consume 10 percent of the nation's output. Garber, a physician, economist, and professor of medicine, explores major cost savings proposals and the key features of the health reform plans now being debated in the U.S. Congress. +AUDIO+





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November 10, 2009

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