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THANKS, DAN FOR THAT GENEROUS INTRODUCTION. IT’S AN HONOR TO BE HERE WITH YOU, ESPECIALLY IN THE PLACE OF A DISTINGUISHED SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR LIKE JERRY GREENFIELD. I OUGHT TO GET A LIFETIME SUPPLY OF CHUBBY HUBBY FOR COVERING HIM AT THE LAST MINUTE LIKE THIS.

I WAS ESPECIALLY THRILLED TO COME HERE TODAY WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT MY DAUGHTER’S SCHOOL WAS ONE OF THE AWARDEES. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ONE THING TO LET DOWN PSU, BUT ANOTHER THING ENTIRELY TO MAKE MY NINE-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER ANGRY.

I’M NOT SURE WHAT JERRY HAD IN MIND, BUT I WANT TO TALK ABOUT CREATING A BETTER, SAFER WORLD BY CULTIVATING INFORMED GLOBAL CITIZENS HERE IN THE UNITED STATES. I HAVE SPENT A LIFETIME TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW BEST TO ENGAGE AMERICANS IN GLOBAL AFFAIRS, MOSTLY FROM A HUMANITARIAN PERSPECTIVE, AND IT’S HARD TO IMAGINE A GROUP OF PEOPLE BETTER POSITIONED TO INFLUENCE THIS PROCESS THAN THOSE OF YOU SEATED BEFORE ME.

AS UNIVERSITY FACULTY, ADMINISTRATORS, STUDENTS, AND COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS, YOU ARE IN A UNIQUE POSITION TO TURN ORDINARY AMERICANS INTO EXTRAORDINARY GLOBAL CITIZENS.

MY CHALLENGE TO YOU IS THIS: USE THE MASSIVE INFLUENCE OF YOUR RESEARCH, YOUR TEACHING, YOUR PEDAGOGICAL APPROACH, AND YOUR WISDOM TO MOBILIZE YOUNG PEOPLE, INFLUENCE PUBLIC POLICY AND CREATE GLOBAL CITIZENS.

PUSH GOVERNMENTS TO DO THE RIGHT THING ON GLOBAL ISSUES. EDUCATE PEOPLE ABOUT THE ROOT CAUSES OF GLOBAL INSTABILITY, EXTREMISM, AND TERRORISM. CATALYZE THEM TO GET INVOLVED AND – AS GANDHI SAID – TO BE THE CHANGE THEY WISH TO SEE IN THE WORLD.

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF UNIVERSITIES AND COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

HERE IN THE US, ACADEMICS, IN MY OPINION, HELP BRING SOME WISDOM AND MATURITY TO OUR GREATEST POLICY DEBATES – PRIVACY, BIOETHICS, USE OF FORCE – WHICH ARE UNDER CONSTANT THREAT FROM THE EXTREMIST LOUDMOUTHS ONE SEES ON CABLE NEWS PROGRAMS.

ON THE ISSUE OF DARFUR – WHERE I JUST SPENT A FEW WEEKS – UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES AND BROADER COMMUNITY ACTION HAVE ABSOLUTELY MADE THE DIFFERENCE IN GETTING THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION TO WALK ITS TALK AND START FINDING SOLUTIONS. THERE IS NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT US POLICY ON DARFUR HAS LEAPED FORWARD BECAUSE OF THIS ACTIVISM.

IT’S NOT JUST IN OUR SOCIETY THAT PEOPLE LIKE YOU MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE. COMMUNITY ACTIVISM IN NEPAL IS LITERALLY CREATING DEMOCRACY: AFTER SUSTAINED PROTESTS, THE KING HAS FINALLY AGREED TO SEAT A PARLIAMENT.

IT WORKS ACROSS BORDERS TOO. THE INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO BAN LANDMINES IS ONE OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL GRASSROOTS ORGANIZATIONS IN HISTORY, AN ENTERPRISE THAT WAS AT THE SAME TIME TRULY GRASSROOTS AND TRULY GLOBAL.

ONE COULD CLEARLY ARGUE THAT THERE HAS NEVER BEEN A MORE VITAL OR MORE PROPITIOUS TIME – GIVEN THE ISSUES AT STAKE – FOR CULTIVATING INFORMED GLOBAL CITIZENS…

BUT WHAT DO WE MEAN BY AN INFORMED GLOBAL CITIZEN? I’M BIASED, BUT TO MY MIND, A GLOBAL CITIZEN IS SOMEONE AWARE OF AMERICA’S UNIQUE ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY IN THE WORLD, AWARE OF THE GREAT IMPACT OUR GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESSES HAVE IN WORLD AFFAIRS, AWARE OF THE GREAT IMPACT THAT WORLD AFFAIRS HAS ON AMERICAN LIFE, AND IS ENGAGED IN INFLUENCING THIS RELATIONSHIP. A GLOBAL CITIZEN MAY NEVER LEAVE HIS FARM IN WISCONSIN OR HER CUL-DE-SAC OUTSIDE PHOENIX BUT WILL STILL RECOGNIZE HOW DEEPLY CONNECTED WE ARE TO ONE ANOTHER, BEYOND BOUNDARIES OF NATIONALITY, FAITH, AND RACE. THAT THE RICHEST OF COUNTRIES AND THE POOREST OF COUNTRIES ARE BOUND BY COMMON INTERESTS, SHARED NEEDS, AND LINKED DESTINIES… AND THAT WHAT HAPPENS TO THE POOREST CHILD IN THE POOREST COUNTRY CAN AFFECT THE RICHEST PERSON IN THE RICHEST COUNTRY.

THE REAL GLOBAL CHALLENGES

WHAT IS IT OUR GLOBAL CITIZENS NEED TO UNDERSTAND AND DEAL WITH? WHAT IS IT THAT YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES SHOULD EMPHASIZE IN YOUR TEACHING AND IN YOUR WORK?

LET ME STEP BACK FOR A MOMENT TO OFFER A FEW THOUGHTS ON THE CHALLENGES I SEE IN THE WORLD LOOKING THROUGH A HUMANITARIAN LENS.

IF YOU’VE WATCHED THE NEWS ON ANY GIVEN NIGHT SINCE SEPTEMBER 2001, YOU’D HAVE A CLEAR IMPRESSION THAT TERRORISM IS THE SINGLE GREATEST THREAT TO PEACE AND STABILITY IN THE WORLD. IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, THE UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT HAS SPENT HUNDREDS OF BILLIONS OF DOLLARS FIGHTING WHAT IT CALLS “THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR.” WE HAVE OPEN-ENDED MAJOR MILITARY OPERATIONS IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ.

ONE GETS THE FEELING THAT IF WE COULD JUST DEFEAT TERROR THE WORLD WOULD BE SAFE. WE ALL AGREE THAT TERRORISM POSES A SERIOUS THREAT, BUT I ALSO THINK IT IS DANGEROUSLY SIMPLISTIC TO VIEW GLOBAL CHALLENGES SOLELY OR EVEN PRIMARILY THROUGH THE TERRORISM LENS…

LOOKING THROUGH THE HUMANITARIAN LENS, THERE ARE SEVERAL MEGA FORCES SHAPING THE FUTURE, FORCES THAT WE ALL MUST UNDERSTAND – AND HELP THE REST OF THE WORLD UNDERSTAND – IF WE REALLY WANT TO SEE PEACE, RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND A BETTER, SAFER WORLD. THERE ARE FOUR MEGA FORCES I WANT TO HIGHLIGHT TODAY:

THE FIRST MEGA FORCE IS EXTREME GLOBAL POVERTY – DEFINED PRIMARILY AS THE 1.2 BILLION PEOPLE ON OUR PLANET WHO LIVE ON LESS THAN $1 PER DAY… OR THE 120 MILLION CHILDREN WHO NEVER GO TO SCHOOL… OR THE 42 MILLION PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV AND AIDS. THIS GROUP IS THE FOCUS OF THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGS), AND INCREASINGLY WE NEED TO MEASURE OUR IMPACT IN TERMS OF OUR CONTRIBUTION TO LIFTING THESE FOLKS OUT OF EXTREME POVERTY. GRINDING GLOBAL POVERTY IS AN AFFRONT TO OUR COMMON MORALITY. BUT BEYOND MORAL CONCERN, EXTREME POVERTY CREATES DESPAIR, HUMILIATION AND ANGER.

THE SECOND MEGA FORCE IS FAILED AND FAILING STATES. IF YOU LOOK AT THE SOURCES OF THE WORLD'S INSTABILITY OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, YOU WILL FIND FAILED OR FAILING STATES – THOSE COUNTRIES THAT LACK RESPONSIBLE GOVERNANCE, RULE OF LAW, ADEQUATE INTERNAL SECURITY, AND SECURE BORDERS. WHETHER HARBORING TERRORISTS OR DRUG BARONS, OR DEVELOPING WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION, FAILING STATES CONTINUE TO POSE SERIOUS THREATS TO OUR SHARED DESIRE FOR A BETTER, SAFER WORLD. RIGHT NOW, ABOUT 2 BILLION PEOPLE LIVE IN INSECURE AND FAILING STATES. WE NEED TO DIRECTLY ADDRESS THESE SPECIAL CHALLENGES AND PROVIDE A PATHWAY TO A MORE SECURE, SUSTAINABLE AND JUST FUTURE.

THE THIRD MEGA FORCE IS THE GROWING FORCE OF ISLAM. IT IS BIG AND IT IS GLOBAL. AND IT IS LITTLE UNDERSTOOD. THERE IS A BATTLE GOING ON FOR THE HEART AND SOUL OF ISLAM. THE OUTCOME OF THIS BATTLE COULD SHAPE OUR WORLD FOR A LONG TIME TO COME. WE CLEARLY NEED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT IS GOING ON IN ISLAM, WHY MORE POLITICAL AND MILITANT VERSIONS SEEM TO BE ASCENDING, AND WHY SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS OF THE YOUNG ISLAMIC DIASPORA, IN PARTICULAR, SEEM TO BE DRAWN TO MORE MILITANT VERSIONS. IF WE HUMANITARIANS, CIVIC ACTIVISTS, AND THOUGHT LEADERS ARE NOT ACTIVELY RELEVANT TO THIS FORCE, THEN WE RISK BECOMING IRRELEVANT.

THE FINAL MEGA FORCE IS CLIMATE CHANGE. HALF OF THE WORLD’S TROPICAL AND TEMPERATE FORESTS ARE GONE. HALF OF THE WETLANDS ARE GONE. SPECIES ARE DISAPPEARING AT RATES 100 TO 1000 TIMES FASTER THAN NORMAL. EARTH’S ICE FIELDS ARE MELTING. TOXIC CHEMICALS CAN BE FOUND IN EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US… ALDO LEOPOLD SAID: “A THING IS RIGHT WHEN IT TENDS TO PRESERVE THE INTEGRITY, STABILITY AND BEAUTY OF THE BIOTIC COMMUNITY.” INSOFAR AS HUMAN SOCIETIES ARE FUNDAMENTALLY DEPENDENT ON PROVISIONING BY NATURE’S ECOSYSTEMS (AS GUS SPETH REMINDS US), THEN WE HAD BETTER GET THIS LINKAGE RIGHT. BIOTIC RIGHTS AND THE RIGHTS OF FUTURE GENERATIONS ARE INEXTRICABLY LINKED.

IF WE DON’T UNDERSTAND AND ADDRESS THESE MEGA FORCES, WE CAN’T HOPE TO FULFILL OUR COMMON MISSION AS GLOBAL CITIZENS. IF WE AREN’T WORKING TOGETHER TO POSITIVELY IMPACT THESE FORCES, THEN WE MIGHT AS WELL BE REARRANGING THE DECK CHAIRS ON THE TITANIC. THESE ARE THE GLOBAL DYNAMICS WITH A MASSIVE INFLUENCE ON OUR DAILY LIVES. THESE FORCES ARE SHAPING OUR FUTURE.

TURNING BACK TO AMERICA

FINALLY, I WANT TO TURN US BACK TO AMERICA AND MAKE A SPECIAL PLEA. THESE TIMES CALL FOR BOLD ACTION. AND WHO IS BETTER POSITIONED TO PROVOKE AND LEAD THIS ACTION THAN THE COMMUNITY OF ACADEMIC AND CIVIC LEADERS IN THIS ROOM. YOU ARE THOUGHTFUL, PASSIONATE, AND PROGRESSIVE AND YOU KNOW THAT PARTY POLITICS AS USUAL WILL NOT WORK. . OUR OWN GOVERNMENT HAS COMMITTED US TO A WAR IN IRAQ THAT WAS JUSTIFIED BY FALSE ASSUMPTIONS AND MANIPULATED INFORMATION… AND PLANNED WITH NO SERIOUS THOUGHT TO WINNING THE PEACE. WHY ARE WE IN AMERICA NOT MORE OUTRAGED? THE COST OF THE WAR – IN DOLLARS, CASUALTIES, SUFFERING OF THE INNOCENT CIVILIANS AND OF BRAVE SOLDIERS – HAS EXCEEDED ALL PRE-WAR ESTIMATES. WHY AREN’T WE IN AMERICA MORE OUTRAGED? EVEN MORE, THE OPPORTUNITY COSTS OF HAVING SQUANDERED THE GLOBAL GOOD WILL WHICH EXISTED AFTER 9/11 ARE EVEN HIGHER. OUR GOVERNMENT CHOSE THE TERRORISM LENS WHEN IT SHOULD HAVE CHOSEN THE HUMANITARIAN LENS. WE COULD HAVE TRULY BUILT A BETTER AMERICA AND A BETTER WORLD. WHY AREN’T WE IN AMERICA MORE OUTRAGED?

AND, SADLY, AMERICA’S CLAIM TO MORAL LEADERSHIP – THANKS TO GITMO, ABU GHRAIB, AND “RENDITION FLIGHTS”– IS GREATLY DIMINISHED. THAT HAS PROFOUND IMPACT ON ALL OF US WHO UNDERSTAND HOW CRITICAL THE RIGHT KIND OF GLOBAL LEADERSHIP IS TO SOLVING THE MOST PRESSING GLOBAL CHALLENGES.

CS LEWIS SAID:

“OF ALL TYRANNIES, A TYRANNY SINCERELY EXERCISED FOR THE GOOD OF ITS VICTIMS MAY BE THE MOST OPPRESSIVE.”

SO MY CHALLENGE TO YOU THIS AFTERNOON IS THIS: FIND A WAY TO HELP US APPROPRIATELY EXPRESS THE OUTRAGE AND THEN TRANSFORM IT IN TO A MOVEMENT FOR THE GREATER GOOD.

THE CHINESE SAY THAT “CRISIS IS OPPORTUNITY RIDING A DANGEROUS WIND.” FIND THE OPPORTUNITY IN TODAY’S CRISIS BY DOING WHAT YOU DO BEST: EDUCATING AND MOBILIZING WE THE PEOPLE TO BE OUR BEST SELVES. REMIND US OF OUR NATION’S COMMITMENT TO HUMAN RIGHTS, AND OUR DEVOTION TO HUMAN DIGNITY.

USE YOUR RESEARCH, YOUR CURRICULUM, YOUR SERVICE LEARNING PARTNERSHIPS, AND YOUR ACTIVISM TO HELP OTHERS SEE THROUGH THE HUMANITARIAN LENS. WE BUILD A BETTER, SAFER WORLD BY ENDING EXTREME POVERTY. WE BUILD A BETTER, SAFER WORLD WHEN WE TRANSFORM FRAGILE STATES INTO MORE SECURE, SUSTAINABLE, AND JUST NATIONS. WE BUILD A BETTER, SAFER WORLD WHEN TOLERANCE AND MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING PREVAIL – ESPECIALLY TODAY WITH THE MUSLIM WORLD. WE BUILD A BETTER, SAFER WORLD WHEN WE CHANGE OUR POLITICS, OUR TECHNOLOGY AND OUR CONSUMPTION FOR A MORE SUSTAINABLE AND JUST PLANET. WE BUILD A BETTER, SAFER WORLD WHEN WE EDUCATE AND MOBILIZE TRUE GLOBAL CITIZENS.

THERE’S AN AFRICAN PROVERB, ONE THAT TRANSCENDS BORDERS AND BOUNDARIES, IDEOLOGIES, AND PHILOSOPHIES. IT REACHES AROUND THE WORLD, AND IT REACHES INTO THIS ROOM. IT GOES LIKE THIS:

“THE BEST TIME TO PLANT A TREE IS TWENTY YEARS AGO. THE NEXT BEST TIME IS NOW.”

SO LET’S GET TO IT.

THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR HAVING ME AND BEST OF LUCK.