No. 7 on the list, "Top Risks and Ethical Decisions, 2009," was so popular that on January 13, a similar panel will discuss "Top Risks" for 2010 (with live webcast).
1. The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World Niall Ferguson, Harvard University (video, audio, transcript) The economies of China and America are so entwined that neither can afford to let the other fail.
2. The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century George Friedman, Strategic Forecasting, Inc. (video, audio, transcript) Which nations will be the winners and losers? These predictions may surprise you.
3. Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery Siddharth Kara, Free the Slaves (video, audio, transcript) The biggest illegal business after drugs, sex slaves generated profits of $35.7 billion in 2007.
4. On Promoting Democracy Michael Walzer, Institute for Advanced Study (article) States are not the only, or even the most important, agents of regime change.
5. Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way for Africa Dambisa Moyo, Economic specialist, Sub-Saharan Africa (video, audio, transcript) Decades of international aid have only made things worse in Africa.
6. The Balance between Risk and Return Is Everybody's Business Ann Rutledge, R&R Consulting (article) Risk has shifted from corporations to individuals, and many ordinary Americans got burned.
7. Top Risks and Ethical Decisions, 2009 Ian Bremmer, Eurasia Group; Art Kleiner, Booz & Company; Michele Wucker, World Policy Institute; Thomas Stewart, Booz & Company (video, audio, transcript) This expert panel predicts risks for what they agree will be a very tough year.
8. The Crisis of Islamic Civilization Ali A. Allawi, former Iraq government official (video, audio, transcript) What caused the decline of Islamic civilization and how can it be revived? 9. The Crisis of American Foreign Policy: Wilsonianism in the Twenty-First Century Anne-Marie Slaughter, U.S. State Department (video, audio, transcript) Who's right, the neocons or the liberal internationalists?
10. Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? Michael Sandel, Harvard University (video, audio, transcript) A lively debate with the audience on what we owe to society.
