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Elliott School Deans Offer Foreign Policy Advice to President-Elect Barack Obama

America in Transition: Foreign Policy Advice for the New President
Thursday, November 6, 2008

• Maurice A. East, Professor Emeritus of International Affairs and Political Science; former Dean, Elliott School of International Affairs (1985-1995)
• Harry Harding, University Professor of International Affairs; former Dean, Elliott School of International Affairs (1995-2005)
• Michael E. Brown, Dean, Elliott School of International Affairs
  
  Moderator:
  Diana B. Henriques, Senior Writer, The New York Times; Chairwoman, Elliott School's International Council

On November 4, Americans voted in what many consider to be one of the most important elections in recent history. Just two days later, Maurice A. East, Harry Harding, and Michael E. Brown, who collectively represent more than two decades of leadership of the Elliott School, offered some advice to President-elect Obama. The discussion, part of the Elliott School's U.S. Foreign Policy Priorities series, attracted more than 200 people, including students, faculty, staff, alumni, members of the policy community, media, and other distinguished guests.

East, who is professor emeritus of international affairs and political science and was dean of the Elliott School from 1985 to 1995, began by citing what he sees as a general reluctance by the American public to talk about difficult foreign policy issues. East said that most Americans see today's major foreign policy challenges—like the war in Iraq, terrorism, immigration, and globalization—as trade-offs that are "all very discomforting and not going to get easier or more comforting with the new president."

East stressed the importance of a "more humble" U.S. foreign policy. He said that many leaders from around the world – even Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez – are hoping to improve relations with the new administration. In that light, East recommended the United States focus on important issues that were relegated to the "back burner" in the wake of the September 11 attacks, like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Doha trade round, and climate change. East also said the United States should rebuild its reputation, though it need not lead on every action and instead should be willing to provide support to other regional leaders when needed.

"One of the great moments of my life would be when a regional or ad hoc coalition gets together—it's led by Japan or Germany or somebody else—they come to the United States and say, 'America, we need this and this to help us out on this situation,' and the United States comes back and says, 'Aye-aye sir. Here's the logistics, here's the intelligence, here's whatever is needed to help out,'" he said. "We're not leading; we're being someone who's part of the team."

Harding, university professor of international affairs and Elliott School dean from 1995 to 2005, echoed many of East's comments and argued the past eight to 10 years have seen a "hemorrhaging of American power on all three dimensions: military, economic, and so-called soft power." According to Harding, not only has America's military power been constrained and its international reputation tarnished as a result of the war on terror and the interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the present economic crisis has limited the government's fiscal resources and reduced the attractiveness of the American economic model. In order to succeed, Harding said, the United States needs to find an exit strategy out of Iraq and Afghanistan, rethink its national security strategy for the 21st century, increase the number of State Department officials who can authoritatively deal with foreign countries and issues, and on a larger scale, reconsider the role of government in promoting a competitive and prosperous economy. "We need more bandwidth inside our government if we are going to be the super power that we claim to be," Harding said.

Brown, who became dean of the Elliott School in 2005, addressed military security priorities, energy and environmental policy, and political issues. According to Brown, neither campaign paid enough attention to the threat of nuclear terrorism, which he called "the number one national security threat to the United States in 2009 and for the foreseeable future."

Brown also said that Russia's emerging muscular approach to the region and its lack of accounting of its nuclear materials are chief concerns. However, he said number one on his list of security priorities is Pakistan. "Iraq is important; Pakistan has nuclear weapons. Afghanistan is important; Pakistan has nuclear weapons. Osama bin Laden is important; Osama bin Laden's probably in Pakistan, and Pakistan has nuclear weapons," he reminded the audience. Brown said the new administration needs to help support the new government in Pakistan to ensure stability in that country.

Another important topic that has been neglected is energy security, which is still being considered in 20th century terms, Brown warned. He said the traditional U.S. paradigm for looking at energy security has focused on supply, in particular access to stable energy supplies and ending U.S. dependence on foreign sources of energy. Brown recommended the Obama administration also examine the financial repercussions of U.S. energy security, citing the billions of dollars the nation sends to adversaries and autocracies overseas. Overall, Brown said he remains optimistic since many of the problems that President-elect Obama faces are "self-inflicted policy mistakes" which can be corrected, although it may take years to do so.

Diana Henriques, a senior financial writer at The New York Times and chairwoman of the Elliott School's International Council, moderated the discussion and offered her own advice to the president: introduce the new treasury secretary to the markets as soon as possible and re-regulate financial markets in a smarter way. Henriques had just addressed the Elliott School community the previous day on media coverage of the financial crisis as part of the Distinguished Women in International Affairs series.

The Elliott School created the U.S. Foreign Policy Priorities series to offer foreign policy advice to the U.S. presidential candidates and to the President-elect during the transition in power. To date the series has hosted about a dozen events.