Professor Gwyn Prins, alliance research professor at the London School of Economics, began a panel discussion the night of Thursday Feb. 23 on anti-Americanism.
Prins began his talk in the ancient world when the Athenians, the great power of the time, took over the small island of Milos. Prins highlighted parallels in power dynamics that persist over centuries.
"The point is the powerful do what they can do, and the weak put up with what they have to put with," he said.
Prins discussed various sources of, and solutions to, the problem of anti-Americanism.
According to Prins, one source of the problem is that the current U.S. foreign policy "must have absolute control over what it perceives to be its security borders." He said that one way to dilute anti-American feelings would be to reduce dependence on foreign oil by moving towards more alternative energy sources.
Tufts History Professor Peter Winn spoke next, focusing on the history of anti-Americanism in Latin America. Hostility towards the U.S. is not just a "temporary reflex to one specific event," he said.
He urged the U.S. to reflect on its past interventions around the world and closed with a quote from George Santayana: "Those who cannot learn from the past are condemned to repeat it."
Political Science Professor Malik Mufti focused his attention on the Middle East. According to Mufti, fear is the force behind anti-Americanism in the region.
"[Iraqis] fear that Americans would stay there indefinitely," he said, noting that Iraqis do not necessarily support an immediate withdrawal of American troops and the potential further deterioration in security that could accompany this.
John Moore spoke next as a head official for IFES, a major democratic assistance organization. Moore questioned the "military approach to assistance development," favoring a humanitarian approach instead.
Senior Nora Elmarzouky, member of the EPIIC colloquium and an Egyptian-American, then discussed the findings of her research in Egypt. She interviewed over 40 Egyptians about their opinions of the U.S. and how these opinions were formed.
Every person she spoke to, Elmarzouky said, made a point to draw the distinction between "the American people and the American government." She found that U.S. foreign policy was "the main determinant for shaping opinions" towards the U.S.
Nathaniel Fick, former U.S. Marines captain, spoke about his experiences while stationed in Afghanistan. He highlighted the problematic fact that the first Americans that Afghans saw were soldiers, leaving a lasting impression of hostility.
According to Fick, increased diversity and know-how of military personnel could help address this problem. The military needs to employ people with more exposure to world cultures, he said, allowing for a better "public interface between the United States and the rest of the world."
Thomas E. Stocking, State Department visiting professor at the U.S. Military Academy, further discussed the idea that people around the world may not like America, but they like Americans.
"There's no better ambassador for America than other Americans," he said.
The panel was moderated by senior Stephan Vitvitsky and freshman Jason Hill.
