The lecture series “Crossroads: Ideas for a New Century” will resume on Friday, Feb. 20, 7:30 p.m. at Orcas Center. Professor Joseph Massey, founding director of the Center for International Business at the Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth College, will speak on “The Dragon and the Elephant: China, India, and Global Economic Leadership in the 21st Century.”

In the space of just a single generation, Professor Massey notes, “China has roared onto the world economic stage” with the highest sustained growth rate since the industrial revolution began, and the country will likely overtake the United States as the world’s largest economy within the next few decades. But by mid-century, says Massey, India will be the world’s most populous (and largest English-speaking) nation.

What is the likely impact of this rivalry on the global economy, and on American prospects for continued preeminence? Professor Massey will draw on his extensive experience in the world of international trade to assess the relative advantages of both China and India, the constraints facing each, and the ways in which their competition may play out in the next few years.

The Crossroads series is sponsored by the Friends of the Orcas Island Library in cooperation with Orcas Island Public Library, with generous support from the Sir Francis Bacon Foundation, the Daniel and Margaret Carper Foundation, the Orcas Island Community Foundation, Orcas Center, and individual contributors at the door. Tickets are available at Darvill’s Bookstore and the Orcas Library at no cost. Contributions at the door are greatly appreciated.