Great Decisions: Organized Crime in the Americas with Robert Scarlett

Thank you for your interest in our Great Decisions programming. We have 3 Great Decisions opportunities for you to finish out the 2026 year. 

1. To kickstart the Great Decisions 2027 series, we will be hosting a kickoff Great Decisions event on Monday, November 9 from 4pm to 5:30pm in room 348 at the Edina Community Center. This is the course you are registering for here. We have been given a sneak peek at the topics and can confirm that Robert Scarlett will be presenting on the topic of Organized Crime in the Americas. The official topic list will be released in the fall, but we have been assured that this is one of the topics for 2027. You can follow the FPA here: The Foreign Policy Association

Organized crime in the Americas has become a sprawling and multifaceted transnational activity, unfolding on many fronts — drug smuggling, human trafficking, illegal mining, cybercrime, money laundering, private militaries, narco-violence, and so forth. Behind this activity are weak political institutions in countries across the Americas, manifest in corruption and poorly functioning legal and law enforcement systems, both within countries and between them. The transnational character of this problem calls out for policy coordination between the United States and its hemispheric neighbors. How might countries in the Western Hemisphere increase their cooperation in addressing these complex problems? What are America’s foreign policy choices? This essay will explore how U.S. drug policy intersects with diplomacy and border security in Latin America and what strategies might reduce cartel power without undermining the fragile governments we partner with.

Robert Scarlett's areas of expertise are:

Rob Scarlett currently serves as Senior Advisor to Clearwater Biologic, LLC, and brings extensive experience as a senior executive for various manufacturing companies. Through Hunter Scarlett Consulting, which he founded in 1999 after co-authoring a book on global business, he directs start-ups across the US and Latin America. Fluent in four languages, he spent much of the past 50 years working throughout Latin America, where he closely tracked China's growing economic influence in the region. A Carleton College graduate, his career reflects a deep involvement in international commerce, trade, and business strategy. In the community, he serves in leadership roles for Global Minnesota, the Venn Foundation, the Brazil-Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, and AVEKA Group, Inc.

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2. Great Decisions Coffee Hour at Brim Cafe and Coffee Space is limited.

As we impatiently await the release of the Foreign Policy Association's Great Decisions topics for 2027, we would like to encourage you to sign up for our Great Decisions Coffee Hour events that will take place at Brim Cafe and Coffee in Edina. You can register for these more intimate foreign policy gatherings lead by our Global Minnesota speakers here: 
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3. Lastly, what better way to round out the year 2026 than to have Anne Linnee present the year in review. On December 7 from 4pm to 5:30pm you will have the distinct opportunity of attending Foreign Policy: A Year in Review with Anne Linnee. This FREE event is a great way to understand what just happened as we prepare for 2027.

You can register here: Foreign Policy: A Year in Review with Anne Linnee

This is a great opportunity for youth who are involved in World Quest or Model UN. 16+ may attend alone. 
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The Great Decisions 
program provides background information and policy options for the eight most critical issues facing America each year and serves as the focal text for discussion groups across the country. The Great Decisions program was created by The Foreign Policy Association.  The mission of the Foreign Policy Association today, as it has been for over 100 years, is to serve as a catalyst for developing awareness, understanding, and informed opinion on U.S. foreign policy and global issues. Through its balanced, nonpartisan programs and publications, the FPA encourages citizens to participate in the foreign policy process.

Edina Community Ed's Great Decisions programming is co-sponsored by Global Minnesota and Edina Community Ed and funded by the Edina Friends of the Library.