79 JFK AND BEYOND

Dean’s Conference
Decision 2004: What is at Stake at Home and Abroad?

On April 30 and May 1, the Kennedy School hosted a distinguished group of faculty members from the Kennedy School of Government, journalists, public intellectuals, and policymakers to lead discussions on the implications both at home and abroad of the possible outcomes of the 2004 elections. Speakers, panelists, and nearly 400 friends and alumni learned and debated topics such as Homeland Security: Do You Feel Safer?, The Media, Politics and Entertainment, National Security Policy: What Next?, and What Matters to This Country? (For an alumni perspective on this event, go to _______.)

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage told conference participants that the United States needs to accept its role as a predominant superpower and needs to project its leadership through international cooperation. He also downplayed criticism that the president’s foreign policy decisions are “unilateral.”

“I know there’s been a lot of talk about unilateralism in this administration, but behind that label you’ll see a different reality,” he said.