Andrew Bacevich will Speak on "War and American Empire"

Media contact: Noelle Lemoine, communications assistant; tele: (413) 597-4277; email: [email protected]

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., February 24, 2003–Director of the Center for International Relations at Boston University, Andrew J. Bacevich, will speak on “War and American Empire” on Wednesday March 5, at 8 p.m. in Wege Auditorium, Thompson Chemistry, on the Williams College campus. This talk is one in a series of Gaudino Forums and is co-sponsored with the department of political science. Bacevich will extend his remarks on Thursday, March 6, at 11:20 a.m. in Griffin Hall, room 6 as part of the course “Terrorism & National Security.” Both events are open to the entire community.

“When it comes to America’s ongoing war to destroy al Qaeda and topple the Taliban, any outcome short of decisive victory is simply unacceptable,” said Bacevich. “But as President Bush and other members of his administration have repeatedly emphasized, the present conflict is not simply an isolated challenge to be confronted and overcome so that life can return to normal. There will be no such return. Colin Powell has rightly noted that, after just slightly more than a decade, the era that began with the fall of the Berlin Wall has ended. The events of September 11 plunged the United States into a menacing new age of insecurity, in which we are destined to live out our days.”

In his book “American Empire: The Realities and consequences of U.S. Diplomacy,” Bacevich interprets America as the new Rome, a political and military powerhouse that has emerged directly from the foreign policies of the last three administrations. Bacevich counts as his intellectual ancestors two long-neglected figures, Charles Beard and William Appleman Williams, both adroit intellectuals who saw the outlines of American empire before its actual emergence.

Bacevich teaches courses in U.S. foreign policy and security studies. He is also the author of “The Pentomic Era: The US Army between Korea and Vietnam” and the co-editor of “War Over Kosovo: Strategy and Policy in a Global Age.” His articles and reviews have appeared in avariety of publications including Foreign Affairs, the National Review, the Journal of Military History, Diplomatic History, the Wilson Quarterly, The National Interest, Commentary, First Things, The New Republic, and the Weekly Standard.

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Published February 24, 2003