LIVEBLOG: Richard Haass at the IOP Forum

6:00: Meghan O’Sullivan, tonight’s moderator, introduces Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations.
6:07: “He has been, to me, and possibly to others, a mentor. You’ve been a source of inspiration, of learning, and of fun.”

6:13: Haass makes the point that we need to integrate the world in order to make real differences. We live in a world where many are reluctant to cooperate, but if you think    that restoration is important, we need to work together.
6:17: Meghan raises question of military intervention. “Lets talk about Libya. Do you think what we’ve seen in terms of America being there is going to be a model for future intervention?”
6:20: “I don’t think we can answer that question until years down the line, where we are able to look back and think about whether we’ve made the right decision.” -Haass
6:28: “What would you advise President Obama about the Middle East?” Haass states that we should create context about what we will do down the road, even if we can’t do it today. We have to make it public that we want to move towards peace in the Middle East. “I would cool it on the public record, and quickly get back to negotiations. Preconditions tend to be a bad idea. Too many people get focused on preconditions and worry less about where you go into negotiation, and more about where you come out.”
6:35: It is American to see things as a problem, and the next step is to figure out how to fix it. There’s an uncomfortable position in Pakistan, because there’s no greater gap than our conflicts and our interests. We have to accept that even if we’re friendly, Pakistan might not do everything that we want.
6:40: Touch on topic of everyday dilemmas of policy making, and how you can make policy in an administration that you disagree with.
6:42: “When you’re young, it shouldn’t matter. Rarely are you making high policy. What you really want to do is that you want to learn the ropes. You want to be ready to perform at higher levels if you are appointed later. Watch good people, and watch how they do it. Don’t insist on the perfect job or on the administration that you’ve always wanted.”
6:47: “When you go into government, you have to learn how to lose. You have to prepare to make your case, but just like in baseball, you’re going to lose as much as you win, and it’s exhausting.” -Haass
6:49: Open it up for Q&A
6:50: Question: The Arctic is warming for a whole variety of reasons. The US is not paying attention to this problem so much, so can you please address this issue.
6:51: Haass states that the Arctic is the new frontier. It’s a very interesting area because exploration and possibilities are opening up. The biggest mistake that the United States made is that we have constrained ourselves. However, the Arctic is unfolding in a fairly peaceful way.
6:54: “I think that the Arab Spring has made peace between Israel and Palestine more difficult.” –Haass
6:56: Question: Relates to integration. How has China played into the vision of Latin America breaking down? And why do we not often hear about Latin America?
7:00: Latin America is doing well, and that’s why we often don’t hear about it. Look at the economic growth rate, and the model that is Brazil and Chile. Latin America is not more integrated because of realities on both sides, and the absence of a trade policy. It’s the greatest integration tool we know. Latin America to some extent is integrating without us.
7:03: Question: How do you see the future of Ukraine integration in the European Union?
7:06: Political debate in Ukraine and lack of consensus. If there is consensus in Ukraine on integration, then we can start that process.
7:10: Question: Can you comment on US military policy in Sudan? Why are we not paying more attention to this humanitarian issue?
7: 12: “Foreign policy is hard. Sudan is a really hard case. It is specific, and it is difficult on steroids. I’m pleasantly surprised at how it’s going at this point. I never thought it would get this far, so the fact that it has reach a point of peaceful resolution is unexpected. Foreign policy does not have that much attention to begin with. We’re much more focused on issues at home, such as the economic crisis that’s going on. I think that greatly reduces the attention that’s given to humanitarian issues. The mainstream media’s not there.” –Haass
7:15: Richard addresses the qualities that the next generation of policy makers should have. “I want people who are well versed in History. I would want people to have local expertise on top of whatever historical knowledge they have. What makes you a good analyst now does not necessarily differ from what it was 20 years ago, and the preparation is pretty much the same. I worry that we are increasingly producing people who are not knowledgable about the world. Kids are emerging from high school or college with not enough knowledge about how to be good citizens.” –Haass
7:20: Closing remarks are made as people trickle out of the Kennedy school.