The Red and Black

Issue date: 3/28/07 Section: News

Media Credit: SAM STEINBERG Lee Hamilton, co-chair of the Iraq Study Group and vice-chair of the 9/11 Commission, delivered the 102nd Sibley Lecture at The Chapel Tuesday

Media Credit: SAM STEINBERG Andrea Feminella, a sophomore in journalism, asks about testimony published in the 9/11 report during the Sibley Lecture.

The focus was on America's military might and diplomatic values during a lecture Tuesday afternoon at the Chapel.

Lee Hamilton, co-chair of the Iraq Study Group and former vice-chair of the 9/11 Commission, emphasized the presence of the United States around the world, but he also acknowledged that the U.S.'s power was finite and should be used responsibly.

"Hamilton is a leading voice on foreign affairs in Washington," said C. Donald Johnson, director of the Dean Rusk Center.

According to Johnson, Hamilton approaches issues in a bipartisan fashion and so he is highly respected.

In foreign policy, America cannot make a nation want what America wants for them, Hamilton said.

He also said, "We can't overthrow every terrorist in the world - (there's an) inability to bend the world to our will."

"Everywhere we turn, we see a diminishing of American power in the world," said Hamilton, citing Iran, the Persian Gulf and China.

Hamilton said countries around the world continue to look toward the United States for help and leadership.

"What do we do with all this power we've got?" Hamilton asked. "The United States is not omnipotent or omniscient," he said.

Hamilton recommended America consider the needs of other nations when making decisions along with a more multilateral position. He said he strongly encouraged increasing diplomacy.

"Our task is to apply American power pragmatically and judiciously," he said. "There must be clear rules about the rules of intervention and use of America's military abroad. Concerning military power, America must be honest and clear about what is attainable," Hamilton said.

He said problems will not be solved by military power alone and the processes of military engagement must be done with international legitimacy.

American interests in spreading democracy throughout the globe should be sensitive to others' needs, and the "decency of the American people must come forward," Hamilton said.

He also advised citizens to not be too dismissive of political affairs by passing the responsibility to policymakers, a group he said maintained a strong sense of elitism.

"There is a feeling that American people aren't able to master issues," Hamilton said. "The policymakers sometimes need a harness," he said, and it is a responsibility American citizens must take seriously.

This was the 102nd in the John A. Sibley lecture series held by the University's School of Law. Sibley is a 1911 University alumnus, and the lectures were established by the Charles Loridans Foundation of Atlanta. This year, the lecture also commemorates the Dean Rusk Center's 30th Anniversary.

"There is a quality of speakers this series brings to our campus," said Rebecca Hanner White, law professor at the University.

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