Conversations with History: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

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This interview is part of the Institute's "Conversations with History" series, and uses Internet technology to share with the public Berkeley's distinction as a global forum for ideas.

Welcome to a Conversation with History. I'm Harry Kreisler of the Institute of International Studies. Our guest today is Ambassador Princeton Lyman, who is the former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria and to South Africa. He was Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations in the Clinton administration. Princeton Lyman is currently Director of the Interdependence Initiative at the Aspen Institute, a project coordinating the efforts of advocacy, business, and humanitarian groups to cope with the tensions created by contemporary globalization. He is author of the book Partner to History, which recounts his experience in South Africa during the transition from Apartheid to democracy.

1. Background ... influence of parents ... education ... choice of government service
2. Government Service ... foreign aid eclipsed by war ... skills of diplomacy ... abroad and at home ... theory versus practice ... impact of Vietnam war ... government's self-deception ... impact of the sixties ... insider versus outsider
3. U.S. Foreign Policy ... exceptionalism and unilateralism ... importance of getting Congress's approval ... political misreading of public opinion ... compromise and pressure in the case of UN arrears
4. Public Opinion ... different perspectives of elites and general public ... teaching elites to speak in the language of the public ... the dominance of the negative in the press ... failure of leadership and vision
5. State Power and Globalization ... giving up autarchy... functional versus regional issues ... conducting bilateral relations in a multilateral context ... importance of nongovernmental actors and civil society ... continuing importance of state power ... necessity for multilateral solutions ... implications of 9/11 ... integration and fragmentation ... democratization
6. Conclusion ... dvice to students ... humanitarian concerns ... responsibility gravitates to those with the best ideas ... bringing balance to the table

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