After a recent trip to North Korea, New York Times reporter Nick Kristof asserted that war between the U.S. and North Korea is much closer than we may be willing to imagine. The streets and the people of Pyongyang are full of anti-American propaganda. North Korea not only has nuclear weapons but has been developing intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of delivering them to the US mainland.

Recognizing the importance of our better understanding the issues surrounding this crisis, Louis Sell and Winslow Myers will discuss “North Korea: Challenges and Prospects” on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 1:30 p.m. in the Porter Room at the Skidompha Library in Damariscotta. They will address such questions as: Is war inevitable? What are the motivations of Kim Jung UN’s nuclear program? What are the best strategies for war prevention? This event is free. All are welcome.

Louis Sell has had a 28-year career in the U.S. Foreign Service, including six years at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow dealing in various aspects of U.S.-Soviet relations. He was present and witnessed the collapse of the USSR and its aftermath which he wrote about in his book, “From Washington to Moscow: US-Soviet Relations and the Collapse of the USSR,” published in 2016. It formed the basis for his very popular Coastal Senior College course in which he shared his first hand experiences living through that time. Sell also spent eight years serving in Yugoslavia. After the breakup of that country, he was present at the Dayton Peace Conference and participated in the first year of implementation of the Dayton accords. He helped found the American University in Kosovo which opened its doors in October 2003. Sell is an adjunct professor at the University of Maine at Farmington and lives with his family in a 200-year-old farm house in Whitefield, where he also serves as a member of the volunteer fire department.

In 1985 Winslow Myers began 25 years of volunteering for Beyond War, an international peace organization that was based in Palo Alto, California. He served as their coordinator for Central Massachusetts and later joined their board. He has led hundreds of seminars for adults on changing citizen thinking about war. In 2009 Myers published a book outlining the Beyond War’s philosophy, “Living Beyond War: a Citizen’s Guide.” He has written over 130 opinion editorials on various themes connected to war prevention. Presently he serves on the Advisory Board of the War Prevention Initiative, a non-profit in Portland, Oregon. Retiring to Maine after a 40-year career teaching art and art history, Myers taught a course based on his book for Coastal Senior College, which evolved into the ongoing Coastal Senior College discussion group “The Challenge of Change.” He now also serves on the board of CSC.

This event is sponsored by Coastal Senior College.