In Summer and Fall 2025, the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council launched the Big Questions, Tough Answers: Confronting 2025 series, a timely set of programs exploring urgent global and national challenges through diverse, international lenses. Over the course of four in-person events, expert speakers examined critical topics including healthcare, immigration, economic inequality, and democratic governance.
Each program brought together local community members, students, and thought leaders to confront complex issues shaping our world—asking not only what is happening, but why, and what can be done. From examining growing distrust in healthcare systems to discussing presidential power and democratic decline, this series aimed to foster informed dialogue and public engagement at the intersection of the local and the global.
The Big Questions series was complemented by additional cultural and educational programs throughout the season, including film screenings, community potlucks, and guest speakers from international organizations and universities. Together, these events supported ICFRC’s mission to promote global understanding and civic participation in Iowa City.
What is Causing the Increasing Distrust in Healthcare?
Friday, September 26
Iowa City Senior Center
This conversation explored the erosion of trust in healthcare systems, examining how colonial legacies, political movements, and the marginalization of traditional knowledge have shaped public perception and access. Drawing on experiences from Iowa and the Caribbean, the discussion uplifted the role of cultural wisdom and community healing practices in bridging gaps and restoring trust.
Speakers:
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Dr. Jeanine Abrons is a clinical associate professor at the University of Iowa and co-director of the UI Mobile Clinic. She specializes in global and community health, with experience in over 20 countries.
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Chief Lorenzo Sanford is the elected leader of the Kalinago people of Dominica and a prominent advocate for indigenous knowledge, cultural preservation, and youth leadership in the Caribbean.
Is the United States a Nation of Immigrants or a Deportation Nation?
Friday, October 3
Iowa City Public Library
This event examined the long and often overlooked history of deportation in the U.S., challenging the popular narrative of the country as a “nation of immigrants.” Speakers traced the human and political costs of mass expulsion, the legal frameworks enabling it, and the resistance movements that have shaped immigrant rights.
Speakers:
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Dr. Adam Goodman is a historian at the University of Illinois Chicago and author of The Deportation Machine. His work focuses on immigration policy, race, and Latinx history.
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Dr. Lina-Maria Murillo is a feminist historian and professor at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in reproductive justice, U.S.-Mexico borderlands, and Latina/o/x studies.
What are the Costs of Widespread Economic Inequality?
Wednesday, October 29
Iowa City Public Library
This program tackled the global rise of income and wealth inequality and its consequences for social cohesion, development, and political stability. The discussion focused on historical trends, policy decisions, and potential solutions within reach—emphasizing inequality as a political, not inevitable, outcome.
Speakers:
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Dr. Augusto Lopez-Claros is an international economist and Executive Director of the Global Governance Forum. He has held leadership roles at the World Bank and World Economic Forum.
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Dr. Todd Knoop is a professor at Cornell College whose research focuses on macroeconomic theory, monetary policy, and inequality. He is the author of Bigger Pies and Just Deserts.
How Does Too Much Presidential Power Endanger Democracy?
Friday, November 14
University of Iowa Old Capitol Museum
This timely program investigated the growing concentration of executive power and its role in democratic backsliding globally. Using examples from Hungary, Turkey, and Poland, the speaker offered insights on how legal theories like the “unitary executive” threaten democratic institutions and what the U.S. can learn from the erosion of checks and balances abroad.
Speaker:
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Dr. David Driesen is a constitutional law scholar at Syracuse University and author of The Specter of Dictatorship. His work examines the legal enablers of executive overreach and democratic decline.
