Public Affairs

Overview

Public Affairs hosted speakers who are prominent people in the world of international affairs, from acclaimed authors, to Nobel laureates, to high-ranking UN officials.

FEB 27, 2002 Transcript

Countering Terrorism: Is the UN Playing Its Proper Role?

What is the role of the UN in countering the threat of terrorism? Sir Jeremy Greenstock discusses the newly founded Counter-Terrorism Committee and the challenges ...

Strategy: The Logic of War and Peace by Edward Luttwak

FEB 13, 2002 Transcript

Strategy: The Logic of War and Peace

The use of precision-guided weapons is a "revolution in military affairs," claims Edward Luttwak. They immediately shifted the focus in warfare from "hitting something" to "...

Multilateralism and U.S. Foreign Policy: Ambivalent Engagement by Forman and Patrick

FEB 5, 2002 Transcript

Multilateralism and U.S. Foreign Policy: Ambivalent Engagement

After analyzing a number of specific global policy issues, Forman and Patrick advise that when dealing with transnational challenges, "unilateralism is neither wise nor sustainable."

FEB 4, 2002 Transcript

Afghanistan: The Challenges of Post-Conflict Assistance

The international community should look to Rwanda for lessons in post-conflict assistance that apply to Afghanistan, argues Johnson. Also, profound knowledge of local conditions ...

Rethinking Europe

JAN 31, 2002 Transcript

Rethinking Europe's Future

With the end of the Cold War Europe is once again at a great historical watershed, says David Calleo in this discussion of the history ...

Can Asians Think? Understanding the Divide Between East and West

JAN 24, 2002 Transcript

Can Asians Think? Understanding the Divide Between East and West

The world is nearing the end of a 500-year cycle of Western-dominated history that began with European colonization, says Mahbubani. The end of the Cold ...

The Graves Are Not Yet Full: Race, Tribe and Power in the Heart of Africa by Bill Berkeley

JAN 15, 2002 Transcript

The Graves Are Not Yet Full: Race, Tribe and Power in the Heart of Africa

Tyrannical leaders in modern-day Africa create and stoke ethnic conflict so they can "divide and rule," according to Bill Berkeley. The absence of legitimate institutions ...

Warrior Politics: Why Leadership Demands a Pagan Ethos

JAN 10, 2002 Transcript

Warrior Politics: Why Leadership Demands a Pagan Ethos

The teachings of ancient Greek, Roman and Chinese philosophers are relevant in today's foreign policy environment because every current and future challenge to civilization has ...

Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia

DEC 17, 2001 Transcript

Behind the Headlines: Afghanistan, Central Asia and the Rise of Militant Islam

Central Asia will remain precariously unstable until the repressive governments are forced to reform, asserts Pakistani journalist Ahmed Rashid. There is reason for optimism, he ...

DEC 12, 2001 Transcript

The Secret Strength of American Foreign Policy

Many have accused the United States of being negligent in the area of foreign policy, yet, according to Walter Russell Mead, almost no other country ...