Video facilitates cross-Atlantic debate

Video facilitates cross-Atlantic debate

by April Moore
Red and Black (University of Georgia)
10/15/04

Just two-and-a-half weeks before the presidential elections, American and European students gathered to discuss a contentious issue both at home and abroad -- U.S. foreign policy.

The discussion took place Thursday via videoconference between University students and members of the campus community at the Central European University (CEU) in Hungary.

The conference, organized by Americans for Informed Democracy, a nonpartisan educational group, is part of a series of discussions scheduled to take place between American universities and students in European and Muslim nations.

The discussion highlighted several points about U.S. foreign policy, including the promotion of democracy and what that meant to different people.

Imke Winzer, a CEU student from Germany, said she thought everyone involved in the discussion agreed democracy should be promoted, but their definitions of promotion were different.

Alexander Astrov, an Estonian-Russian professor of international relations at CEU, said he didn't like the wordage used to describe U.S. foreign involvement.

"I don't like the word 'promote,'" Astrov said. "It is just a euphemism for war."

Most people at the conference agreed, however, that promotion of democracy is not just a humanitarian issue, but one of global security as well.

Gene Kim, coordinator of AID, said the major point that participants disagreed about was the "tolerance for armed, forceful intervention."

Everyone has a different idea of how democracy should be "promoted," Kim said. It could mean anything from establishing trade with authoritarian regimes to increasing international travel to making American news available in foreign countries.

The war in Iraq and ally support for it was another topic that stirred debate.

Ethan Beck, a senior from Conyers, said he felt the decision to invade Iraq was based on economic, not political, factors for many countries -- specifically concerning oil in the Middle East.

"I think so many decisions are made based on money, not on promotion of democracy," Beck said.

Andrew O'Connell, a senior from Decatur, said he felt the pre-emptive strike in Iraq was done not to promote democracy, but to "secure other democratic nations in the Middle East."

The participants discussed how best to promote democracy in non-democratic nations.

Daniel Ambrus, a CEU student from Hungary, said the best way to approach non-democratic nations is to illustrate the benefits of democracy.

"Speak the language of material prosperity, of physical security," Ambrus said.

However, Ambrus said, many European nations oppose involvement in the Middle East, because they feel the U.S. doesn't follow through on its initiatives.

"There is a saying in Europe: 'The U.S. is cooking and expects other nations to do the dishes.'"

Despite disagreement, Peter Courtney, a senior from Alpharetta and event coordinator for AID, said he felt the conference was a positive thing.

"We wanted to exchange ideas and increase cross-cultural understanding," Courtney said. "I feel like we did."