MAPLEWOOD, NJ — It was Eva Samo’s milestone 100th birthday and she celebrated by giving a gift to the South Orange–Maplewood community: an insightful preview of what’s ahead, worldwide, a presentation made by Ralph Buultjens, a leading analyst of global affairs who is also a longtime personal friend.
Already well-known to South Orange–Maplewood Adult School audiences as he has been a frequent lecturer at the Adult School for many years, Buultjens is a professor at New York University, fellow at the University of Cambridge and well-known media commentator. Speaking via Zoom at the Winchester Gardens celebration — which concluded with birthday cake and candles — Buultjens shared his overview of “The Post-Pandemic World” and teased his Adult School students with the question, “Can America remain No. 1?”
It’s a question with numerous answers, and Buultjens examined them country by country. Among his observations: World focus is inexorably shifting from the West to the East. The United States must pay closer attention to what’s happening in Canada, as the two countries share a 5,525-mile border. Germany, which he said was “awful in the first half of the 20th century,” is now the undisputed leader of Europe. Japan is an important ally that “balances” China.
“The real danger to America is internal. We are our own worst enemy,” he said.
A driving force in the community for many years, Eva Samo and her late husband Harvey Samo created their eponymous lecture series as an annual highlight on the Adult School calendar. For other classes and events, both virtual and in-person, visit www.somadultschool.org.
Photos Courtesy of SOMAS
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