Dean lays out foreign policy vision

Wilson School Dean Anne-Marie Slaughter '80 outlined her vision for the future of U.S. foreign policy yesterday, arguing that the current methods for addressing global issues are outdated and need to be adapted to the new millennium.

"We're stuck in this 20th century mentality where you create an institution, ratify a treaty and enforce rules," she said to the crowd gathered at Whig Hall to see her accept the Whig-Clio Distinguished Service Award. "We need to start solving global problems from the ground up as opposed to the top down. We need to train the local police chiefs, the municipal officials, the people on the ground. That's where the problems are, and that's where they have to be attacked."

Slaughter used the speech to highlight the work done by the nonpartisan Princeton Project on National Security (PPNS), which released a report on 21st century national security in September.

Though she did not focus specifically on the war in Iraq, Slaughter stressed that the United States should reshape its policies on the use of military force. "We need to make foreign policy with our heads rather than our fists," she said. "I think this is advice Washington could stand to take at the moment."

She encouraged greater use of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which was established in 2002 as a tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. "We don't use, but we should use, our ability to go after individuals. And the way to do that is through the International Criminal Court."

Slaughter said that action on the part of the ICC would be more widely supported around the world than unilateral military action.

"A warrant from the ICC is a legal document to go get a person, using force if necessary," she said. "This is a better approach than to bomb, attack and invade. It's not targeted assassinations; [it is] using an international legal system."

Slaughter said nuclear proliferation, instability in the Middle East, global pandemics, integrating China and India into the world community, globalization inequality and energy security were the project's chief concerns.

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"We face a wide range of problems and at any given moment, one of these threats is up in the air," she said. "We have to be prepared to answer them all at once. We have to prioritize some above others at any given moment, but we have to be able to respond to all of them all the time."

Slaughter lamented the fact that the recommendations of the PPNS have received a lukewarm reception in the nation's capital. "The first response I get in D.C. is always 'absolutely,' " she explained. "Then they say, 'but that'll never sell politically.' They say it's much more effective to focus on a big threat with a big solution, that our approach is too complicated."

Slaughter spent the second half of her speech discussing how national security problems can be confronted and managed.

"The problems we face are truly global in scope," she said. "We have to create institutions that allow us to answer a problem the moment it hits. We have to build the capacity for a rapid and effective response."

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She said the United States should ally with other countries when tackling security threats.

"We need partners," she said. "We need more than just bilateral agreements or working with a 'coalition of the willing.' We need global partners, but we also have to focus on regional partners as well."

Slaughter suggested that the United States work with, and in some cases behind, other nations rather than taking a lead role.

"We need to lead from behind," Slaughter said. "We need to let others take the visible lead as we play an important role behind the scenes. We need to help build the capacity in African countries and in Latin American and Asian countries as well."

After the speech, Whig-Clio co-president Aaron Spolin '08 presented Slaughter with the Distinguished Service Award, whose earlier recipients include Maryland Governor Bob Ehrlich '79 and former Secretary of State James Baker '52.

"We gave her this award for her commitment to public service, her inspiration for Princeton students and her outstanding achievements as a policy leader," Spolin said. "What she said today was not just broad strokes, but specific policy recommendations. Even though we see her on campus every day, we need to remember she is training people here at Princeton to go into the nation's service."