Conversations with History: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

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Transnational Legal Process and World Order: Conversation with Harold Hongju Koh, Gerard C. and Bernice Latrobe Smith Professor of International Law at Yale, October 3, 2003, by Harry Kreisler

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 Professor Harold Hongju Koh, who is the Gerard C. and Bernice Latrobe Smith Professor of International Law at Yale. He has served as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor in the State Department from 1998 to 2001. book coverHis publications include Deliberative Democracy and Human Rights, with Ronald C. Slye, and The National Security Constitution: Sharing Power after the Iran-Contra Affair.

  1. Background ... influence of parents ... bicultural ... education ... mentors
  2. Government Service ... first jobs ... suing, then working for, the Clinton administration ... dictatorship vs. democracy ... theory versus practice ... bridging the gap ... focus on how law affects political decisions
  3. International Law and U.S. Foreign Policy
    4. internalizing norms ... norm-based internationalism ... choices after 9/11 ... goals as assistant secretary ... four principles ... briefing Colin Powell ... failure of Clinton administration in Rwanda ... taking a principled stand
  4. Foreign Policy Since 9/11 ... radical discontinuity ... shift to freedom from fear ... the "exoskeleton" of the rule of law ... lessons from Iran - Contra affair ... changing tide ... power-sharing model for foreign policy ... relevance of soft power for rebuilding Iraq ... foreign policy response: Bosnia vs. Iraq ... failure of the Congress on Iraq
  5. U.S. Policy Toward North Korea ... framework of agreement with Kim Jong-Il ... effects of "axis of evil" accusation ... lost opportunity for Korean reunification
  6. Conclusion ... academic in government ... pragmatic idealism ... transnational process like medicine ... bringing down the walls of injustice

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