Cleaning up messy policy
H.W. Brands speaks at St. Michael's on U.S. foreign policy

Jon Stewart| copy editor

H.W. Brands, Dickinson Allen Anderson Centennial Professor of History at the University of Texas, gave a guest lecture on U.S. foreign policy on Nov. 1 in the McCarthy Arts Center at St. Michael’s College to an audience of approximately 350 people.

Brands discussed his own views of non-intervention in foreign policy while alluding to the current Bush administration's policies with a historical perspective of past American leaders.

The nation’s past and current state

As the second lecture in the Peace and Justice Series, “For the Soul of the Nation: Rethinking the Role of the U.S. in the World,” Brands provided his critical perspective of the nation’s history and its connection to current foreign policy. 

H.W. Brands answered questions from the audience about America's role in foreign policy. Jon Stewart, photo

Laurie Gagne, director of the Edmundite Center for Peace and Justice, says that Brands argues two points of the nation’s moral mission.  She says that Brand’s response to President Bush’s policies and goals for the Middle East connect to the nation’s deep roots in intellectual history. 

There are "vindicators" who believe the government should choose to impose U.S. views and values of democracy abroad, Brands says.

While upholding moral grounds not stemming from greed, Brands argues that Bush truly believes in his policies for America, Gagne says.

However, Brands says there is also a point of view in which human rights, peace and non-intervention are essential to solve the problems of current U.S. foreign policy.  This point of view is referred to as “exemplarist" school of thought he says. 

“We should not impose our will on the world unless other countries want us to,” Brands says. “When we impose our own values, we corrupt the values at home.” 

Brands referred to specific examples in history in order to describe both the vindicator and exemplarist points of view.  Specifically, Brands referred to John Quincy Adams and his views of self-governance, liberty and independence to change the world in order to set up his main points about current U.S. foreign policy issues.

Brands says that Harry Truman is an example of the vindicator notion of foreign policy that has created U.S. foreign policy in the 20th century.  Truman insisted that the United States go abroad to enforce democracy with economic, military and political influence. 

“The tension that occurs between the exemplarists and the vindicators is what makes foreign policy so messy and we need to get foreign policy right at home,” Brands says.  “We live in a messy world and what happens in the world has an impact on all of us.” 

Bill Wilson, St. Michael’s provost, responded to Brands and he says that we must learn to live in history instead of rising above it.  Wilson used examples of Iraq, Vietnam and Soviet struggles to convey his points. 

The lecture concluded with questions from the audience directed towards Brands, which all related to foreign policy in the Middle East. Brands came to the conclusion that the United States is in a state where no outcome in Iraq will be beneficial. 

“Since this is a peace and justice series, we would like to have both,” Brands says.  “You have to choose between one or the other even though we would like to have them together.” 

Offering an alternative

Gagne, who happens to be Brands' sister, says that the series of guest speakers is important as it provides attendees with a critical perspective that offers solutions to U.S. foreign policy. 

“We need to think seriously in a post 9/11 world about our place in history,” Gagne says.  “Many people never wanted us to go into Iraq or Afghanistan, and people who aren’t happy with the Bush administration are looking for an alternative.”

Gagne says that in addition to the lecture offering an alternative perspective to the current policies of the Bush administration, it also gives the audience insight into the U.S. in a broad vision of what the world and its policies should be. 

“Often we focus on the immediate state of Iraq,” she says.  “This (the lecture) allows us to be helped by taking a step back and allow a historical view to shape moral understanding.” 

Brands touched on moral understanding through conveying what he calls America’s temptation of power.  By 1914, the U.S. thought that it could make the world safe for democracy, he says. 

“The U.S. is the sole superpower in the world and as long as we think we can change the world, there will be temptation,” Brands says.  “It has never been enough to say what is good for the U.S. and who cares about the rest of the world.  The U.S. has always cared.” 

Bringing Brands on campus

The fact that Brands and Gagne are siblings made it a bit easier to get the nationally known historian to campus, Gagne says. 

“He is a really great speaker and because he is my brother, we were able to get him because otherwise he would be way too expensive,” Gagne says.  He is giving the speech at St. Michael’s, and the next day he is speaking at the White House.” 

Dr. Bill Wilson, St. Michael's provost, responded to Brands about foreign policy before questions came from the audience. Jon Stewart, photo

Junior Emily Burnham attended the lecture because she is interested in U.S. foreign policy, she says.

“I really, took a lot from the lecture because of Brands' comparison of the exemplarists and vindicators,” Burnham says.  “I never really thought to think about foreign policy like that and I found his views to be very interesting. "

While the three Peace and Justice series lectures offer different views of foreign policy, Gagne says that Brands’ view is good for the series because his perspectives and arguments of U.S. foreign policy often contradict those of the first speaker of the series, William Schulz, former executive director of Amnesty International. 

“[the series] is offering an alternative to Bush’s mission in our role in the world,” Gagne says.  “Each speaker is has a different sense of that critical perspective.”