Several people have commented to me on the possible incompatibility of pursuing both deep dialogue and policy recommendations in the same program. Their insight on the problem of policy formulation limiting discourse, and its corollary, divided opinions leading to watered down recommendations, does not fall on deaf ears.

Indeed, I have often discussed that issue in other settings, arguing that side of it when I thought it appropriate. For example, I have been on the board of the International Design Conference in Aspen for thirty years, and I insisted all along that we not advocate policy statements of any kind so that we could remain a critical conference capable of discussing any and all issues in depth. As an occasional guest at the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions, I have seen the power of carefully reported dialogue to affect public affairs, even if there were no recommendations. So I understand the issue, and the dilemma it poses.

Admittedly, the International Leadership Forum tries to straddle the dilemma, keeping a foot on both sides. That is, we recognize the constraints on dialogue that seeking policy recommendations can bring, and while we understand the need for unfettered discussion, we also appreciate the discipline on discussion that focusing on policy recommendations can bring. On one hand the danger is that we won’t go deep enough, but on the other hand we may wander far a field from the practical realities.

My feeling from the beginning of this program has been that this particular group, because you understand better than most the politics of decision making, would be energized by the challenge to take the next step in dialogue - going beyond identifying the issue, to suggesting what to do about it. I saw that as the product we would create. But published dialogue can be a potent product too.

The ILF is an experiment, and over the coming months we will discover just how limiting our initial approach might be. You can be sure that we would have no difficulty in redefining our program objectives to pursue only adequately reported dialogue, if that turns out to be the will of the group, or if our experience seems to point clearly in that direction. On this current shakedown cruise we are going to learn a lot about how the ILF will work best, and I know we will change many things as the program matures.

Please let us know your thoughts on this issue.

Douglas Strain and Hallock Hoffman for their financial support, not only to start the ILF conferences, but also to aid the ILF with its continuing operational costs.

Lisa Kimball and Susan Doherty of GroupJazz and Caucus Systems for their generosity and continuing support, guidance and troubleshooting for the ILF, making it possible for us to develop and conduct our programs.

Kip Winsett for his invaluable technical consultation and design assistance as our Webmaster.

Provost, Fielding Institute, leader in online distance education.

Inventor, CEO of Aerovironment, and #1 name on Esquire’s list of likely 21st Century innovators

or in the "Participants" section of the WBSI Caucus conferencing site.

Leadership & Information Technology (IT)

Begun on May 1, 2001

Reversing the Decline of Community

Begun on May 1, 2001

Oligarchic Control of Media

Begun on June 1, 2001

Go to the WBSI home page, select ‘International Leadership Forum’ from the left menu, and on the International Leadership Forum page, select ‘Policy Forums’ from the top bulleted menu.

For the rest of this month and next we will be completing the discussions in the forums now underway and extracting policy related suggestions toward the building of consensus on policy recommendations. We will first summarize them in the conference itself, and then survey the larger ILF membership for your reactions, both online and through regular mail. You may want to check the transcripts of the dialogues, now available on our website (see instructions in the box above) to give you a quick reading of what is going on. Then if you want to make a comment, you can do so by going to the conferencing site, the directions for which are on the laminated sheet you were sent earlier.

For our September forum we have the distinguished Berkeley criminologist Elliott Currie moderating a conference on "Criminal Justice and Human Rights in the 21^st Century". It promises to be a fascinating and important conversation.

In response to a number of comments, we plan to try running only one regular forum per month, rather than the multi-forum format we have been using. Single monthly forums allow for greater concentration of effort and thought, and do not pose such a daunting challenge to the late-joiner who would like to catch up quickly. Over the past two months, the three current forums have flourished, with hundreds of comments being posted. Check them out, and lend your voice to the dialogues. About one-third of the Fellows are now active participants in these forums.

Ray Alden has invited Fellows to join him in a Topical Issues discussion about Nanotechnology. For some background on this highly intriguing topic, I recommend seeking out the article "The Promise and Peril of Ultratiny Machines" by Jon Roland. (On the ILF page, go to Reference Center=>SIRS=>Quick Search tab=>type in keyword "Nanotechnology"=>click on Nanotechnology reference from Mar/Apr Futurist.) Dick Pollak’s Global Warming Link in the Topical Issues section attempts to create a viable WBSI-sponsored alternative to mass media coverage on the Internet. Can we provide a useful and credible site for people to learn about and debate the global warming issue? Give us the benefit of your thinking on this.

We are searching for the best dates to hold the annual meeting, sometime this fall or winter. It will be a Thursday night through Sunday morning event, and will feature outstanding keynote speakers and the dialogue leaders you have already met online, as well as those who will be guiding our online deliberations for the ensuing months, beginning those discussions at the meeting. In addition, of course, there will be dinners, picnics, and social events as well as ample opportunity to meet in small groups, gain expertise with the online ILF, discuss other issues of ILF growth, and in general move the development of our community forward. Remember, fall and winter are the best times to be in La Jolla. Plan to bring your spouses.

Don’t forget to post your thoughts, wishes and concerns in the Main Meeting Room on the ILF site. How do you want the ILF to run? What would improve participation? What topics should be addressed in the Forum discussions? How best can we move discussions into policy formulation? What innovations in computer technology can we incorporate into our operations to facilitate our efforts?