Jonathan Clarke Interview: Conversations with History; Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley
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One final question. How would you advise students to prepare for the future in which they want to understand their country's foreign policy, whatever country they're from? Do you have any points of advice for them?
The key realization is to know that foreign policy is going to be a big part of their future lives, that the United States is integrated into the rest of the world in a way that is irreversible, that their welfare, their job chances, their whole lifestyles are going to be crucially dependent on how the United States interacts with the rest of the world, whatever they [live]. You can be a farmer in Nebraska, and you say, "Well, that's pretty cut off from the rest of the world." Not at all. Who is the main customer? China. The world is a tremendously integrated place.
The advice to students is to be very much alive to that fact, and that foreign policy is, on one hand, fairly accessible, because travel today is easy and getting out and about is an easy thing to do. On the other hand, there are some lessons you've got to learn. There's a bit of heavy lifting to be done here, which is understanding languages, foreign cultures, people. They're not all precisely like ordinary Americans. That is the rather broad brush advice that I would give, is that foreign policy is vital to their future welfare. Also, it's kind of fun as well.
Jonathan, on that note, I want to thank you very much for coming to Berkeley and being with us today. Thank you.
Great pleasure to talk to you, Harry.
And thank you very much for joining us for this Conversation with History.
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