In advancement of her recent book, "The Superpower Myth: The Use and Misuse of American Might," former United Nations (U.N.) Ambassador Nancy Soderberg said that the United States cannot accomplish its foreign policy goals without international backing.
Currently, Soderberg serves as the International Crisis Group's Vice President at the Group's New York branch.
Fletcher School Dean Stephen Bosworth introduced Soderberg, who has made appearances at a variety of universities, as well as on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
"What she has done with her life is what many students at the Fletcher School would aspire to," Bosworth said.
Soderberg's experience in domestic politics included working as the Foreign Policy advisor for the '92 Clinton/Gore campaign, as well as Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security under the Clinton Administration - the third-highest ranking official in the White House's National Security Council.
Soderberg has also worked internationally in the foreign service field in her current position. Her book, she said, is to make foreign policy accessible to those who are interested in the field, or would like to know more.
"It's also to show people what its like to work for the government in the realm of foreign policy, and encourage them to dedicate their life to the government," she said.
In discussion about foreign policy today, Soderberg's comments were in opposition to current United States President George W. Bush's foreign policy actions, and addressed the anti-American sentiment she felt is arising.
"Some of the decisions made over the last four years are making us less safe rather than more safe," she said. "Seven out of eight Arab countries consider a U.S. attack on their nation a serious threat."
The foreign policy decisions Soderberg chose to use as examples were primarily decisions that dealt with the UN or others that pushed the United States in the direction of unilateralism.
In response to the Bush administration's first term, Soderberg said that "the administration was blinded by the superpower myth, believing that we can bend the world to out will with military might."
The belief that "[the United States] can deal with terrorism, end nuclear development in rogue states and spread democracy without the U.N. just isn't right," she said.
Soderberg said that the U.S. government needs to make a shift in its foreign policy. "We must use military force as a last resort and we need to shift back toward U.N. diplomacy," she said.
Soderberg gave four test cases that she said are most vital to success of the U.S. government's foreign policy in the future: Arab Reform, the Middle East Peace Process, Non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, and the Developing World. She said that the government's actions with regard to these cases will determine the success of the Bush administration and how they will be recorded in history books.
In reference to the need for development and modernization in the Arab world, Soderberg presented some statistics.
"One in five Arabs live on less than two dollars per day," she said. "President Bush needs to send more than just a PR person to deal with Arab Reform."
On the issue of non-proliferation, Soderberg said she advocates a zero-tolerance policy on nuclear weapons. "It is dangerous for the U.S. to believe it can act without arms control," she said.
"North Korea, for the last four years, has had two distinct programs of nuclear creation going on," she said. Soderberg also gave the example of China suggesting that the United States get involved, emphasizing the foreign desire for U.S. involvement.
But, not all U.S. action for non-proliferation has gone astray.
"Iran is the one real area in which the administration has made a policy shift, and a shift for the [better]," Soderberg said. She said, however, that "the Age of Terrorism puts new demands on the Superpower and the U.S. can't go it alone, and thus a shift to the U.N. will be necessary."
In response to a question from a Fletcher student on what she meant by a "zero-tolerance policy" and how it could be realized, Soderberg said, "We need to get much more serious about how the black market works and how to shut it for the movement of weapons."
In what she said is the most challenging facet to foreign policy, Soderberg addressed her concerns regarding the Developing World.
"Immigration from Africa is up higher than during the slave trade," she said. Immigration from Africa is a predicament for both the European and African continents in particular, and "leads to a spread of HIV/AIDS," Soderberg said.
Soderberg said that the American general public believes that the U.S. government gives away a greater percentage of our GNP to Africa than it actually does: 0.15 percent of the United States' GNP is donated to the developing world in Africa.
According to Soderberg, the UN has drawn up a "Grand Bargain," which asks developed nations to donate a minimum of 0.7 percent of their GNPs to this cause, yet "the U.S. has yet to make donate such an amount," she said.
Soderberg finished her lecture with another request for the U.S. government to shift its foreign policy from a unilateral stance - which she said will not help with Bush's grandiose goals - to diplomacy through the U.N. and other multilateral institutions to prevent further conflict.
Soderberg's lecture was part of the Charles Francis Adams Lecture Series at the Fletcher School.
