Hi everyone,
I willl be making a speech on International Students Perspectives on US Foreign Policy in my University (in USA). It is going to be 3-4 minutes, after which there would be a Question answers sesssion. Any sugggestions on the way the speech should be prepared and what it should cover?
Tell them that US foreign policy is based on fighting the greater evil. It means that at times, we befriend lesser evils. Only when we finish off one, we go after the other.
Good luck in finishing off the evil in Iraq. The lesser evils might have to wait a while methinks.
That the yanks should stop collaborating with military dictators.
That the world should be thankful to America that we are fighting the scourge of islamic fundamentalism just like we fought the Nazis and communism. 
You missed out Vietnam Mats ;)
Yeah we also lost a lot of guys in WWII. 
Remember the gerater evil…shshshshs
any proper suggestions....
Islamabad,
After listening to Bush last night, his thrust was that the US intends on "Exporting Democracy", therefore a thoughtful question is, "Are there any buyers", or, " Does the market want Democracy".
This is really the synthesis of a number of themes. First, "exporting" has capitalist undertones, and the first question of "marketing any product" is, "is the market ready for my product?". Other questions could be "Is the product being effectively marketed to the customer?', as well as "Is the product packaged in a way that is palatable to the consumer".
The last part could be, "Should we have to force feed this product to unwilling consumers?"
You could take any postion on the questions above that suits you, but the analogy might be thought provoking.....
One of my other favorite essays appeared in the US Army War College magazine, and it questioned the past goals of US diplomacy. Specifically it argued that the US policy has focused on stability and maintaining the Status Quo. This is essentially what caused us to support dictators when perhaps we should not have… Thus a good speech could be crafted on stability vs change, what is best for the world, and what is best for the US. When should change be embraced, and the cost of change, vs. the costs of stability. I particulatrly like this paragraph…(note the date of the essay too).
The diplomats and decisionmakers of the United States believe, habitually and uncritically, that stability abroad is our most important strategic objective. They may insist, with fragile sincerity, that democracy and human rights are our international priorities–although our policymakers do not seem to understand the requirements of the first and refuse to meet the requirements of the second. The United States will go to war over economic threats, as in Desert Storm. At present, we are preoccupied with a crusade against terrorism, which is as worthy as it is difficult. But the consistent, pervasive goal of Washington’s foreign policy is stability. America’s finest values are sacrificed to keep bad governments in place, dysfunctional borders intact, and oppressed human beings well-behaved. In one of the greatest acts of self-betrayal in history, the nation that long was the catalyst of global change and which remains the beneficiary of international upheaval has made stability its diplomatic god.
http://carlisle-www.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/01winter/peters.htm
Thanks^
Islamabad,
You might present the speech in a way that includes information on how the people affected by U.S. foreign policies feel about the policies.
Good opportunity for the American students to hear views from the other side of the fence.
Or maybe just talk about how you really feel.
All this time, I thought you were in isloo.
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Imdad Ali: *
All this time, I thought you were in isloo.
[/QUOTE]
No.. I am in Amreeeka...:)
Hi Islamabad, which univeristy are you lecturing at?
One of the most important topics open for discussion is the U.S. Mid-East policy in which they have never been to concret about how they want to proceed, altough they sometimes do question isreals actions they never condem them and the latest aggreement by BUSH and Mr Sharon will only alienate the US in Muslim nations.
They need to start questioning why the hell they have given a free hand to the isrealis? and why the treat the Muslim States like dirt! However good their intentions, until they start putting pressure on Isreal the muslim world will only see america as the backer of Isreal and less as the Global Peace Keeper they would like to be seen as !