The Blair community is excited to welcome back foreign policy and civil liberties expert Doug Bandow to Skeptics on Tuesday, February 17. At Blair, Mr. Bandow has spoken on a wide variety of timely domestic and foreign policy topics, including the war between Russia and Ukraine, combat in Gaza and the Middle East, modern diplomatic relations between the United States and China, and most recently, the conflicts in the Middle East.

At his upcoming event, Mr. Bandow plans to share his outlook on the current global landscape and how U.S. policy may shift under the Trump administration. He will try to address where he believes America is headed, how the rest of the world may respond and whether the current administration’s general approach is likely to endure or change. 

“Although specific policies could change along with future presidents and Congresses, it is difficult to imagine that Washington and its basic role, as well as global attitudes toward the United States, will return to the way they were before President Trump was elected, especially the second time,” said Mr. Bandow in a pre-event interview.

Having grown up on a U.S. Air Force base in the United Kingdom where his father served, Mr. Bandow has long steeped himself in foreign policy and government affairs. From assisting as a special assistant under the Reagan Administration to conducting work as a senior fellow for the Cato Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank, Mr. Bandow has curated an impressive portfolio. Additionally, he writes for leading publications including Fortune magazine, The National Interest, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Times. He comments regularly on major news networks. 
 
“I was interested in international affairs from a young age. The Vietnam War was going on during that time so I was fairly interested in that and also the 1972 election,” said Mr. Bandow. “I was involved in speech and debate and informed myself with my parents encouraging me to do that.”

Mr. Bandow holds a JD from Stanford University and has written several books, including Foreign Follies: America’s New Global Empire, The Korean Conundrum: America’s Troubled Relations with North and South Korea and Tripwire: Korea and U.S. Foreign Policy in a Changed World. He has challenged the Blair community with discussions of terrorism, drug legalization, ancient Chinese culture and the 2012 presidential election in past years. 

Mr. Bandow continues to visit Blair because of how invaluable he believes the Society of Skeptics program is. 
 
“There is endearing continuity to returning regularly to Blair. I’ve gotten to know teachers and administrators as well as students, and have been impressed at everyone’s commitment to education. As someone with a great interest in foreign affairs, I find it to be a special privilege to see and engage students from overseas, who sometimes live through policies that I can only attempt to explain. Having returned to Blair for years reinforces my belief that necessary change depends on rising generations. Which is one reason I hope to continue my annual visits, to meet and address new classes and students.

“I encourage students to learn and be involved, since they will be affected by these policies whatever they believe and do. Moreover, real change will require involvement by them and many others like them. However, I also encourage them to seek balance in their lives. Politics is an important calling, but it should not take over their lives.”

All are welcome to hear Mr. Bandow speak in the forum of the Chiang-Elghanayan Center next Tuesday at 7 p.m.

History of Skeptics
 
The Society of Skeptics was established as a forum for students and faculty to discuss and debate important global issues; it has grown to become one of the premier high school lecture series in the United States. Each week, speakers from the political, social, scientific, economic and literary arenas share their unique perspectives with students, who are encouraged to engage with presenters, asking questions and debating points of view.

The program, which is funded in part by the Class of 1968 Society of Skeptics Endowment Fund, is an outgrowth of the Blair International Society, begun in 1937. Forty years later, former history department chair Elliott Trommald, PhD, Hon. ’65, established the modern Skeptics program as a regular forum for student discussion and debate; history teacher Martin Miller, PhD, took over in the mid-1980s and molded the program into a weekly lecture series, one that has since continued without interruption. Under the tutelage of Dr. Miller and his successor, history department chair Jason Beck, Skeptics has featured a wide variety of speakers who are thought-provoking, engaging, accomplished in their respective fields and often controversial. For a listing of upcoming Skeptics programs, please visit Blair’s website.