Conversations with History: Institute
of International Studies, UC Berkeley
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 Stuart E. Eizenstat, who is currently
head of the international trade and finance division of the law firm of Covington
and Burling. Before joining the firm, he was chief domestic policy advisor for
President Jimmy Carter. Under President Clinton, he served as U.S. Ambassador
to the European Union, undersecretary of commerce, undersecretary of state,
and deputy treasury secretary.
President
Clinton also assigned Mr. Eizenstat to be special representative of the president
and secretary of state, and the administration's leader on Holocaust-related
issues. He is the author of Imperfect Justice: Looted Assets, Slave Labor,
and the Unfinished Business of World War II.
- Background ... influence of parents
... education ... impact of the civil rights movement ... early involvement
in politics ... first confrontation with the Holocaust
- Politics and Law ... moving between
two worlds ... two different disciplines ... implementing through law while
thinking strategically ... skills required for policy and for law ... principle
and knowing when to compromise
- Working in the White House ...
conflicting interest groups ... long-term perspective ... case of the Holocaust
Museum ... case of the Iranian refugees ... assessing the Carter presidency
... contribution to human rights ... a letter from Sakharov ... comparing
Carter and Clinton
- The Changing U.S. Role in the World
... impact of globalization ... emergence of European Union ... integrating
former Soviet colonies
- Reparations and the Search for Imperfect
Justice ... property restitution for religious communities ... rectifying
moral wrongs of U.S. ... going in blind ... complexweb of injustices ... fusion
of politics and law ... Senator D'Amato ... microcosm of the problems of today's
world ... moral leadership of the United States ... democratization of foreign
policy and the role of NGOs ... implications for the future ... importance
of memory
- Conclusions ... preserving our
ideals in wartime ... conflict with the European Union ... working with allies
... advice to students ... the truth comes out



© Copyright 2003, Regents of the University of California
Photos by Jane Scherr.
Site questions: Email iis_webmgr at berkeley.edu.