Former politician, professor Sununu speaks at Tufts

After years spent gaining insight and experience on both state and federal politics, former New Hampshire Governor, White House Chief of Staff, and Dean of Tufts' School of Engineering John Sununu returned to the Hill last night to voice his opinions about American politics and the current world order.

He addressed the "cataclysmic" change in international relations after the fall of the Soviet Union and the need to recognize that change when formulating current US foreign policy.

Recalling his days as a mechanical engineering professor, Sununu said that "systems get stressed the most in transition." The most important transition in many lifetimes, in terms of international relations, Sununu said, was the collapse of the USSR.

According to Sununu, the fall of the Soviet Union signaled that a system of free markets, free enterprise, and capitalism was correct. "The debate was over," he said. Sununu also cited the increasing capitalist-leaning reforms of the Chinese government.

"I used to say the two places in the world where you couldn't find capitalism were Communist Cuba and the Congress of the United States," he quipped. "But '94 [1994's Republican-dominated Congress] took care of that."

In a post-Soviet world, Sununu said, "parties will have to decide how much they are willing to venture," fostering "constructive debate, but not creating domestic divisiveness, which is often dangerous." When the worldview was dominated by the USSR, "nobody broke ranks, it was too dangerous," he said.

Sununu criticized the press for "brainwashing" the public, calling such reporters as Dan Rather "biased and ignorant." According to Sununu, "The press has no idea how the system [the Constitution] functions." In his view, the Constitution allows for debate "until consensus and agreement, and the country moves on."

With experience as George H.W. Bush's Chief of Staff, Sununu also offered some thoughts about consensus-building in the United Nations. "I went into public life not caring much for the UN," Sununu said. In fact, he still views the UN as a "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval on things we have to do." However, Sununu said, repairing the current UN would be much easier than developing a new system.

The US had gone about things differently in seeking that approval for the invasion of Iraq, Sununu said. "I wish [the US] had been less clumsy in the process," he said. "You need a process that requires consensus, even more so since there were vetoes," Sununu told the audience. "You don't like going through the agony of building consensus, but you have to."

In Sununu's opinion, the failure of the US to gain allies in the UN was a result of "personal failures, rather than systemic," and he said that Colin Powell should have visited Turkey earlier than two weeks ago if he wanted its support.

Referring to the French opposition to the US-led war, Sununu joked, "If it was an important country, like Turkey or Jordan, we'd be really upset." On a serious note, he said that the lack of "instant unanimity" allowed Saddam Hussein to ignore the threat of war.

When an audience member asked about the prospect of US-led nation building in Iraq, Sununu addressed only a specific situation, and said that he was "not encouraged" by what he's seen. He was "petrified" that Iraq would be divided into a federation for different ethnic and religious groups, saying that such a thing may happen and "it may look like an accident." Rumors of a federated Iraq signify that the Department of Defense consists of "a bunch of loonies who have no idea what they're talking about," Sununu said.

Another audience member asked Sununu whether the current scene of world affairs was an "indictment" of the US as a superpower. "The US, in my opinion, reluctantly accepts this responsibility [of being a superpower]," Sununu said. "We've been asked to be the economic engine of the world."

Sununu told the audience that it was "nice to find a good excuse to come back and visit on campus," and that since these are "not the most common of times," it would also "not be the best time to be extremely partisan."

The speech was preceded by a small reception attended mostly by members of the Tufts Republicans and the Primary Source. At the reception, Sununu spoke of the 12-year leave of absence he took from the Engineering School before he was finally replaced.

One asked Sununu how he made the transition from academia to politics. Sununu told about the New Hampshire Senate primary where he came in second and later joined the primary winner's campaign. After leading the candidate to success, the New Hampshire Republican Party asked Sununu to run for governor. Despite thinking he "didn't have a chance," Sununu "woke up one morning and found [him]self elected."

Later, President Bush asked him to serve as Chief of Staff. "You don't turn a president down," he said. According to Sununu, "the reason the administration [of George H.W. Bush] pulled together was because they had a mad dog as chief of staff that made sure it happened."

Sununu resigned in 1990, amidst allegations that he had used government jets for personal travel. Since his resignation, Sununu has co-hosted CNN's Crossfire, served as a trustee of the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library, and headed JHS Associates, a New Hampshire engineering consulting firm. Sununu's son, also named John, was elected to the US Senate from New Hampshire in 2002.