Reunions: Discussion focuses on new roles of U.S. power

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A panel discussion on “The Role of American Power in a Complicated World” drew around 400 alumni to McCosh 50 on Friday as part of the University’s Reunions programming.

The discussion was moderated by Wilson School professor Anne-Marie Slaughter ’80, the former director of policy planning under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Participants included John Milton Cooper Jr. ’61, a biographer of Woodrow Wilson, Class of 1879, and professor emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Evans Revere GS ’94, a visiting lecturer at the Wilson School and a former acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, Daniel Christman GS ’69, the former superintendent of West Point, a Vietnam War veteran and a senior advisor at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and Blair Blackwell ’96, the director of private sector initiatives for the International Crisis Group.

Slaughter opened the discussion by highlighting unprecedented global problems, from pandemics to nuclear proliferation, that have arisen in the two decades since the fall of the Soviet Union despite the fact the country is still facing “the traditional world of global politics” including Iran and the recent Middle East revolutions.

Cooper agreed that the world is more complicated today, mainly due to the threat of nuclear weapons, and discussed the historical motivations and circumstances of American involvement in wars. “For us, as Americans, to reconcile the price in lives, price in blood, price in treasure to play this role in the world, we’ve [required] a big, strong threatening enemy to our security and, in some way, to our way of life,” Cooper said.

“After the fall of the Soviet Union, after the end of the Cold War, there was this sense of dread," he added. "There was no vision where we were going."

Cooper explained that some politicians have recently wanted to “demonize” China as the next enemy, which he described as a “really, really terrible” idea.

Revere, who served as a foreign service officer in China, agreed that “China is not, and should not, be the adversary.”

“If you look at the problems that we’re facing ... it’s very easy to see how much more easily soluble those issues are if we are working together as partners” with powers such as China, he added.

Revere added, however, that the United States should deepen its ties with China even while strengthening its alliances with allies in the region “just in case” the nations’ paths should diverge.

“The overall aim of U.S. policy continues to be the right one, which I think is stronger and closer and better ties between the two countries,” he said.

Slaughter then shifted the discussion to the specific role of non-state actors.

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“We typically think of [it] in terms of bad non-state actors,” such as extremists, pirates and criminal rings, she said. “The positive side is there are so many non-state actors that can help.”

Christman said that U.S. policy must capitalize on “smart power, [the] strategic synergy of defense, diplomacy and development.” He emphasized the importance of encouraging private investment and free trade agreements with volatile countries as a means of increasing stability and opportunity for people in countries such as Egypt and Pakistan.

He also discussed recent moves by the Pentagon and Congress to downsize the U.S. military, a process that, Christman said, requires a “strategic vision” about how to focus military resources — including weeding out outdated approaches.

“We can’t be preparing to fight the Battle of Midway ... all over again,” he added.

Blackwell also discussed the importance of the private sector, noting that “there’s no doubt, in speaking to peace and security ... [about] the need for the private sector.”

“More and more, and particularly in the past couple of years, we’re seeing that the private sector and donors want to have a two-way conversation,” Blackwell said. “Private groups without governmental affiliations or other interests can invest in institution building and conflict prevention in ways that single governments cannot,” she added.

Still, she cautioned, meaningful change can take a long time. “We are simply too impatient, and we are expecting change far too quickly,” she noted.

Later in the talk, Blackwell discussed her time as the acting deputy director of education for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s mission in Bosnia. She said the position made her realize the ways in which U.S. actions, which she termed “hypocritical,” can affect relief efforts.

“You can’t work on human rights when you’ve got Abu Ghraib going on,” she said. “People see right through it. And it makes it very difficult for those of us on the ground.”

The discussion then turned to more traditional foreign policy challenges, including North Korea’s persistence in developing nuclear weapons.

Revere, who explained that he recently met with a North Korean envoy in an “undisclosed location” in Germany, said that “the things that we have tried so far have unfortunately not been successful.”

“This is one of the toughest nuts that we have to crack,” he added.

Responding to an audience question, Revere noted that the goals of the Korean peninsula are very unclear.

“North Korea is the only Asian country I know that doesn’t think in the long term,” he said. “North Korea is all about, ‘How do we make it through breakfast tomorrow morning.’ ”

Revere added that, because of the government’s insistence on pursuing nuclear weapons, only a new North Korean government could change the situation.

“I’m not advocating a regime change,” he said. “I’m advocating a change in the regime.”

Cooper drew on his work as a Wilson historian to discuss what the former president would have done if faced with today’s problems.

“What he would do today is very much like what President Obama is doing,” Cooper said. “Obama is probably the one who’s most like him. Very thoughtful man, probably the most intellectual president we have had since Wilson.”

Several audience members said they found the lecture engaging.

“I thought they were fabulously well spoken and very informative,” Elise Ryan ’76 said of the panelists. “I learned a lot. It was fascinating.”

“The U.S. can’t do it all, and even within the U.S. it can’t be just about the government,” noted John Quilty ’61, who also attended the lecture.