Friday, February 1, 2008
The next U.S. president is going to inherit a big pile of... well, you decide.
The International Law Society met yesterday to discuss the international implications of the 2008 elections.
Thomas Heilke, associate vice provost of international programs, said current economic and domestic situations were only small signs of international turmoil.
pullquote
Basically, if I ran my home the way the U.S. government runs this country, I would have been thrown in jail a long time ago.
- Thomas Heilke, associate vice provost of international programs
“Basically, if I ran my home the way the U.S. government runs this country,” Heilke said, “I would have been thrown in jail a long time ago.”
Heilke said that the next president was going to start his term with a war, a recession and a world that despised his country.
“Will a new president make a difference?” Heilke asked.
Heilke said the only way the next president could win the world back was with soft power: a concept the current administration rejected.
Soft power is persuading the rest of the world to the United States’ side by good will, making it want what the United States wants through respect. The United States uses hard power, Heilke said - violence.
“It is all about who has the biggest stick,” Heilke said. “And the big stick is expensive.”
But the rest of the world hates us, Heilke said, and in the midst of the recession, we are losing its trust as well.
“America is not seen as being willing to play along in the [international] sandbox,” Heilke said.
America has a reputation of avoiding international treaties, and its homeland security policies make it difficult for international students to get visas, he said.
Additionally, the United States’ willingness to take out more loans to make temporary fixes to long-term problems has made it less popular every day, he said.
Raj Bhala, international trade law professor, said the future of America’s place in the world was contingent on issues such as the free trade theory, global governance and the role of multilateral institutions.
Bhala said that students should look at whether the candidate looks at globalization as an opportunity with few risks or as a threat for job and trade loss.
Bhala suggested that every student voter should try to get a general education in economics, because whoever wins will personally affect their financial future.
Phil Schrodt, political science professor, said students needed to get a well-based understanding in the reality of the war.
Schrodt said to focus on the war not in terms of timetables, but in terms of safety.
“We have been lucky so far,” Schrodt said. “The number of possible targets in America is huge.”
He said while homeland security was doing well at hurting the world’s view of America, but homeland security was in no way prepared to deal with a major attack. He thinks the clock is ticking.
— Edited by Jessica Sain-Baird
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Comments
International Law Society discusses world politics
“Basically, if I ran my home the way the U.S. government runs this country,” Heilke said, “I would have been thrown in jail a long time ago.”
Since when did your neighbors harbor terrorists?
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