Haass talks in convocation series

Vice President and Director of Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution Richard Haass OC '73 spoke at Finney Chapel Wednesday night. His lecture was the second in the 1999-2000 convocation series, which is devoted to views of the future of the United States.

A prominent member of the Bush administration, Haass delivered an articulate speech to a somewhat hostile audience. He was introduced by President Nancy Dye as a man "deeply involved in the making of American politics who has been involved with presidential affairs." Haass, she said, was one of the prime movers within the White House during the Persian Gulf War, and was intimately involved with American policy-making.

After another brief introduction by Lee Fisher OC '73, President of the Center for Families and Children in Cleveland, Haass took the floor and announced that he would answer the question, "will the 21st century be an American century?"

Haass said that "[We] have the power, we have the potential to make the 21st century an American century. We could well fall short."

The secret to continued success in the next century, said Haass, will be to pursue diplomacy and global trade with the same vigor that the U.S. has in the past 50 years. Open trading, he argued, is a means of achieving prosperity and peace throughout the world. He also said that Americans must also discourage conflict between foreign powers, particularly those possessing weapons of mass destruction. Finally, according to him, the U.S. must improve the quality of life both domestically and around the World.

Haass identified several problems that might hinder global stability, including Japan's lack of a national identity, a weakened Russian state, conflict in the Indian peninsula, an emerging China and a prolonged Asian economic crisis. Not only are there problems with specific countries, there are also universal threats such as environmental destruction, terrorism, drugs and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Suggesting that America move from reactive policy-making to a more proactive approach, he said, "We can no longer have a foreign policy that's against. We must have a foreign policy that is for."

Haass cautioned that there are several risks in becoming more involved in international politics. For instance, the U.S. must avoid 'over-reaching', as he put it, for fear of overloading our political system. He recognizes the need for multi-lateral involvement. In particular, he opposes the use of sanctions without global accord.

The biggest danger, he warned, is not doing enough. Haass reinforced the importance of foreign policy in America's political agenda. He advises continued cooperation with multinational bodies.

Perhaps the most dramatic moment came when several daring students unfurled a banner from the balcony reading, "I am an imperialist I practice random acts of genocide," in a failed attempt to distract the speaker, Haass remained poised and unflustered, continuing his speech without interruption.

Haass concluded by declaring it everybody's responsibility to devote more effort to foreign policy, from the President down to the individual citizen. He then fielded questions from the audience, candidly responding to several harsh criticisms of his dialogue.