As the 2014 Chautauqua Institution season continues, Fareed Zakaria, the respected analyst and host of “Fareed Zakaria GPS” on CNN, leads off Week Eight programming that will demonstrate the interconnectedness of the global society. Expert lecturers will take us to different areas of the world, illuminating issues that rarely receive serious attention from American media, politicians and audiences. The morning lectures, “Chautauqua’s Global Public Square,” will take place at 10:45 a.m. from Monday to Friday in the Amphitheater, while the afternoon Interfaith Lecture Series, “Chautauqua’s Global Religious Public Square,” follows at 2 p.m. in the Hall of Philosophy.
Morning Lecture Series
Ideas and opinions are exchanged in an open, challenging atmosphere, and Chautauqua’s knowledgeable audiences have the opportunity to participate in Q-and-A sessions at the conclusion of the lectures. This week highlights five noteworthy thought-leaders:
Kicking off the week on Monday is Zakaria, who also serves as columnist for The Washington Post and will join The Atlantic and Quartz as contributing editor in September. Widely respected for his ability to spot global economic and political trends, his writing — on subjects ranging from globalization and emerging markets to the Middle East and America’s role in the world — reaches millions of readers weekly.
Speaking Tuesday is Annie Griffiths, one of the first women photographers to work for National Geographic. Griffiths has photographed in more than 100 countries during her career. She is also founder and executive director of Ripple Effect, a collective of photojournalists who are documenting the programs that help poor women deal with the effects of climate change.
Deborah Bräutigam, who has been writing about China, Africa, state-building, governance and foreign aid for more than 20 years, will share remarks on Thursday. Currently professor of international development and comparative politics and director of the International Development Program at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, her most recent book is The Dragon’s Gift: The Real Story of China in Africa.
Wrapping up the week on Friday is Robin Wright, who has reported from more than 140 countries on six continents for The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Time, The Atlantic, The Sunday Times of London, CBS News, Foreign Affairs and many others. She has covered a dozen wars and several revolutions. Wright currently serves as a joint fellow between the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Afternoon Interfaith Lecture Series
In a week illustrating the interconnectedness of the global community, each day we will focus on a different part of the world in which religion either can or does play a role in addressing challenges or creating conflict. Renowned religious leaders will shine a light into these pivotal areas of global interest and influence.
Monday lecturer Ori Z. Soltes teaches theology, philosophy and art history at Georgetown University. He has taught across diverse disciplines for many years and spent a lifetime wrestling with questions that resonate through the history of the human experience. His dynamic teaching and writing reflect a broad series of interests and a unique ability to combine them in ways that are thought-provoking and intellectually exciting.
Speaking Tuesday is Karen Armstrong. Armstrong is called upon by governments, universities and church and secular organizations alike to educate about the world’s religions and to inform regarding their place in the modern world. Her newest book, Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence, will be available in the fall.
Geshe Lobsang Tenzin Negi, Wednesday’s lecturer, is the co-founder and director of the Emory-Tibet Partnership, a multi-dimensional initiative founded in 1998 to bring together the foremost contributions of the Western scholastic tradition and the Tibetan Buddhist sciences of mind and healing. He is the founder and spiritual director of Drepung Loseling Monastery in Atlanta, serving as co-director of both the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative and the Emory Collaborative for Contemplative Studies.
Thursday’s lecturer is Michael Anthony Battle, senior adviser to the African Bureau of the U.S. State Departments for the first Summit of African Heads of State and Government hosted in the United States by a U.S. president. Prior to this assignment Ambassador Battle served as the U.S. ambassador to the African Union, a multilateral continental body with 54 African nations as members.
Wrapping up on Friday, is John Esposito, professor of religion and international affairs and of Islamic studies at Georgetown University. Esposito is founding director of the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding in the Walsh School of Foreign Service. Esposito has served as consultant to the U.S. Department of State and other agencies, European and Asian governments, corporations, universities, and the media worldwide.
Evening Arts Performances
Setting off lectures and discussions, Chautauqua Institution present a variety of arts programming to please all ages. Chautauqua Theater Company opens its production of The Tempest at 6 p.m. Saturday with performances all week in Bratton Theater. The show is the company’s last of the season.
The Music School Festival Orchestra caps its season at 8:15 p.m. Monday in the Amphitheater.
On Tuesday, the Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet, located in Jamestown, is the area’s premier school for classical ballet training, grace the floor of Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall with a program of classical and contemporary dance.
The Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra performs at 8:15 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday in the Amphitheater. The guest conductor for both concerts, Christof Perick, is a candidate for the CSO’s permanent music director position. Renowned pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk gives an evening recital at 8:15 p.m. Wednesday, and pop star Engelbert Humperdinck takes the Amphitheater stage at 8:15 p.m. Friday to cap the week.
The Chautauquan Daily 
