Politics on a global stage

People from many professions and walks of life packed Tech's Bill Moore Student Success Center last Tuesday, Aug. 29, to hear Ambassador John H. Kelly speak on the topic "America's Role in the World."

The lecture proved to be a popular one, creating an unanticipated demand that forced the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, which sponsored the event, to move the lecture from its original location in Tech Square to the roomier Student Success Center Ballroom.

Before the lecture began, the school provided attendees with a free lunch and time to socialize.

The attendees represented a wide variety of ages and types of affiliations with Tech.

Current graduate and undergraduate students chatted with alumni members dating back to the class of 1940 as well as with general members of the public who came out of interest to hear Ambassador Kelly speak.

Following an hour of socializing, the crowd was introduced to the ambassador.

Along with his lecture, Kelly prepared a PowerPoint presentation that outlined the wide range of points he made on issues such as homeland security, the Bush administration's plans for the spread of democracy and documents which outlined plans for the future and current events in which the United States has a vested interest.

The timing of the lecture proved particularly relevant, as Kelly pointed out.

The event took place on the one-year anniversary of the tragedy surrounding Hurricane Katrina. In a few days, it will be five years since the tragedy of Sept. 11. To add to the political importance, in the coming months representatives and senators from across the United States will be campaigning on issues involving the country's role in the world and homeland security.

Kelly began the lecture by addressing this significant timing along with many other points.

He covered topics that included immigration, domestic terrorism (referring to the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995) and foreign nuclear powers such as China, Taiwan and Iran.

Issues in the world economy, specifically the rising prices of oil, were also an issue of discussion.

The ambassador made it clear that when it comes to many of these issues, America is still vulnerable despite the numerous actions the Department of Homeland Security has taken.

In the portion of the lecture in which he took questions from the audience, Kelly, acknowledging his Republican tendencies, said that he "voted for President Bush in both elections" even though he does not agree with the actions the Bush administration has taken.

One of the most poignant discussions during the lecture was about whether or not it is the responsibility of Americans to spread democracy and alleviate suffering throughout the world.

"Consider the outburst of generosity [from the American government and the American military] after the tsunami hit the Indian Ocean almost a year and a half ago," Kelly said.

"An awful lot of Americans [regardless of their political beliefs] dug into their wallets and their life savings to contribute to the relief fund for tsunami victims," Kelly said.

The lecture was generally well received, although many students felt that Kelly did not curb his arguments about problems and the actions being taken to solve them in a partisan manner.

However, he was truly diplomatic in his presentation, stating what the facts of the situation were, what was currently being done and what it meant for the United States.

"The ambassador made some really significant remarks as far as political events and news releases...this was the first time I had heard that Bush said that a lot of the information was wrong leading up to the Iraq war," said Daniel Sullivan, a first-year Aerospace Engineering major.

"I think it was particularly interesting that Ambassador Kelly spoke about the NSS and our administration's view towards foreign policy... particularly that he pointed out that the Bush administration's view in 2001 was the view that we as Americans should not be nation builders; they completely reversed that because of 9/11 and when we went into Iraq," said Will Boyd, a first-year Physics major.

What attracted these three freshmen to hear Kelly speak? They were informed of the lecture by their honors political science professor, and rather than fishing for extra credit points, came because they were truly interested in the subject of the lecture. "I thought he made some really great points. Everything was really interesting; he brought up things in a way that I had never thought of," said Jennifer Duke, a first-year Management major.

"He handled everyone's questions very well, even when they completely opposed him," Duke said.

Today, Kelly is a prominent figure in the international community. He has a strong reputation for his ability to communicate complex, intelligent ideas about current events to a diverse audience. These abilities, along with his overall credentials, could explain the high turnout for his lecture.

In 1999, Kelly joined the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs International Strategy, Technology and Policy division as an adjunct senior research associate. He continues to work closely with Tech.

He is also a private consultant to multiple private security contractors.

Kelly received his undergraduate degree from Emory University, and even made comments during the lecture about being at odds with his two brothers, who attended Tech. "They said when I came here, that I had finally come to my senses," Kelly said, as he joked with the audience.

In 1989, George H. W. Bush nominated Kelly to take the position of Assistant Secretary of State, dealing primarily with matters in the near East and South Asia.