 "Photo: Taylor Zajicek/Whitworthian")
Ryan Crocker, former Foreign Service officer, gave a lecture titled "A new foreign policy? Lessons from Iraq," on Wednesday, Oct. 21, in the Robinson Teaching Theatre. Crocker served as an ambassador to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan during his appointment of 30 years.
Students from Gonzaga Prep and other high schools, Whitworth students and faculty, and Spokane community members were in attendance.
Crocker was introduced by John Yoder, professor of political science.
Crocker began with a suggestion for students in the audience.
"The foreign service is hiring again," Crocker said. "I encourage students here today to take the Foreign Service exam."
Crocker stated it is worth thinking about challenges of foreign policy in America today.
Deeper challenges exist than those we often think about, he said.
One challenge to consider is that America's basic structure is fundamentally different from that of other nations.
"America was founded on set principles. The majority of other nations were not," he said.
Crocker asked the audience if they thought coldly calculated national interests were the only focus of American foreign policy. The promotion of universal principles, he said, is the true focus of foreign policy in the United States.
"Pricipals that are good for us should be good for everyone. Pricipals should not be limited in geography or time," Crocker said.
One argument, Crocker said, is that America has not only the opportunity but the obligation to see that people who live in despotic regimes have the same chances afforded to Americans.
Nothing, however, is easy if you are a superpower, Crocker said.
"This can be seen in the situation in Iraq," he said.
Crocker focused on three lessons from the U.S. involvement in Iraq. The first lesson, he said, is there are no easy choices.
"There are hard issues and hard challenges. There were in 1992, and there are today," he said.
The second lesson, Crocker said, is to be careful what you get into. Involvement in the Middle East is not as simplistic as it may sound.
Major actions and participation in the Middle East become a gift that keeps on giving for a very long period of time, Crocker said. Leaders should think long and hard before prompting regime changes in Iraq, Afghanistan, or other countries in the region, because consequences of involvement are far-reaching.
While Americans are primarily "forward-looking," Crocker said, citizens of other nations know the histories and narratives of their country.
"This influences how they view us, and how they view their own histories," he said.
Crocker said that as a member of the Foreign Service with a very busy schedule, he did not generally suffer from sleepless nights. In late 2002 and early 2003, however, he did have trouble sleeping.
"This was not because of what I knew would happen, but because of the totality of what I could not foresee," Crocker said.
The need for strategic patience, Crocker said, is the third lesson to be drawn from the current situation in Iraq.
At first, upon beginning a war in the Middle East, Americans may feel a false sense of elation.
"Our enemies are not organized to go after us, and we feel we've won. But that's not the case," he said.
It is consistent with Middle Eastern culture, he said, to allow American, British, French and other Western powers to invade.
"Their strategy is to work on [the Western powers] once they come in," Crocker said.
Certain U.S. polices in Iraq were based on an understanding of the strategy of Middle Easterners toward invading powers.
A little understood element of the surge ordered by former President George Bush at the end of 2006, Crocker said, was that instead of stepping back when pain began to escalate, we stepped forward.
While Americans may think the troops are going to be sent home soon, the war is not approaching an end stage.
"As much as we have seen of the Iraq war, it's just the beginning," Crocker said. "That's just not the way things work in the Middle East."
Contact Candace Pontoni at candace.pontoni@whitworthian.com.
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