Public responsible for foreign policy

By Constance Hilliard

Until the past week or so, I was deeply disturbed by political rumors that Vice President Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld were angling to rid the Bush administration of Secretary of State Colin Powell, one of the most adept and experienced diplomats of our times. But I've now changed my mind. Maybe it is indeed time for Powell to step down, to put some distance between himself and this White House, which simply may not deserve his singular talents or understand the gifts of perspective and balance he brings to our foreign-policy apparatus.

Powell, who favors international coalition-building and multilateral action, has made new allies for America. He has been the principal voice in this administration arguing against the long-term efficacy of military solutions either to the Palestinian-Israeli crisis or to our own "war on terrorism." Neither Rumsfeld nor Cheney possesses Powell's diplomatic skills or the larger worldview required to win friends among nations whose populations look different and think differently than they do.

Whatever the outcome of this political wrangling at the top, in a democracy it is the American public, not the president's advisers, that bears ultimate responsibility for the conduct of our foreign policy. If I have learned anything of enduring value from the 9/11 tragedy it is that, like it or not, we will almost certainly be held hostage to our foreign-policy failures. Hawkish posturing may entertain a certain political segment of the public. But it will not make the world a more peaceful place or our homeland more secure.

I've been disappointed to see many Americans retreat into mindless, Stars-and-Stripes jingoism rather than explore the foreign-policy issues exploding all around us. To make matters worse, the views the public does have are often measured by simpleton polls. Not surprisingly, for instance, a majority of Americans respond "yes" when asked: "Should Saddam Hussein be removed from office?" The results would be far different were the more realistic question asked: "Would you, as an American citizen, be willing to accept your fair share of the responsibility for the choice of a military over a political solution if war with Iraq led to that nation's disintegration into new rogue states, each with its own terrorist agenda and American civilians as its bull's-eye?"


Constance Hilliard is an associate history professor at the University of North Texas, Denton.