posted 10/04/04

 

Critical Lectures in American Foreign Policy
Earth Institute lecture series takes a fresh look at U.S. role in the world

The American public is more divided than at any time in recent history over U.S. foreign policy, especially over the war in Iraq, but also the role of the United States in the United Nations, the dependency of the U.S. on Middle East oil, the U.S. role in the Israel-Palestine conflict, and other highly contested issues. The Critical Lectures on American Foreign Policy, sponsored by The Earth Institute at Columbia University, is a series of talks by highly distinguished scholars who have been in the forefront of challenging prevailing assumptions and conventional wisdom regarding U.S. foreign policy actions.

“With great perspicacity, and often in the face of strong public attack, these leading critics of U.S. foreign policy have anticipated the rising storm over U.S. actions in the world, and have challenged the simplistic assumptions underpinning U.S. policy choices. Time and again they warned that problems would worsen if the U.S. maintained its chosen course, and time and again they were proven right,” said Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute. “Given the foreign policy crisis now confronting the United States and the world, it is more urgent than ever for our community to hear these voices, and to engage with them and amongst ourselves in an intensive dialogue and debate over future U.S. choices.”

Following is the schedule and location for the three lectures:

Rashid Khalidi, Edward Said Professor of Arab Studies, Middle East Institute, Columbia University
Resurrecting Empire: American Policy in the Middle East
Monday, October 18, 6:00 p.m.
Journalism Building, Lecture Room*

Noam Chomsky, Institute Professor, Retired, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Illegal but Legitimate: A Dubious Doctrine for the Times
Tuesday, November 16, 1:00 p.m.
Faculty House, President’s Room*

Michael Klare, Five College Professor of Peace and World Security Studies
Blood and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences of America’s Growing Petroleum Dependency
Thursday, December 9, 6:00 p.m.
Faculty House, President’s Room*

*All lectures take place on Columbia University’s Morningside Campus. Enter at Broadway and 116th Street (Number 1 or 9 subway to 116th Street stop). Refreshments will be provided at each lecture. Please RSVP to events@ei.columbia.edu.

The Earth Institute at Columbia University is the world’s leading academic center for the integrated study of Earth, its environment, and society. The Earth Institute builds upon excellence in the core disciplines — earth sciences, biological sciences, engineering sciences, social sciences and health sciences — and stresses cross-disciplinary approaches to complex problems. Through its research, training and global partnerships, it mobilizes science and technology to advance sustainable development, while placing special emphasis on the needs of the world’s poor.