By April 9, 2004
With occasional bursts of French when unable to find the right phrase in English, former French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin yesterday delivered an assessment of the U.S.’s international presence. “The U.S. is not an empire, even if it is a dominant power,” Jospin told the over capacity crowd of over 500 people in Baker 200. Jospin contended that only an antidemocratic direct dominator of territories would fit the traditional definition of empire. Jospin’s speech, titled “The United States: Empire or Super Nation-State?,” was the keynote address to “A Critical Anatomy of American Empire,” a three-day conference co-sponsored by the Society for the Humanities and the Center for the Study of Economy and Society. Jospin argued that only an unlikely weakening of popular democratic sensitivites, a stronger executive branch, and an erosion of civil liberties could lead to empire, and only then if all happened simultaneously. The checks and balances in American government, along with the media and popular scrutiny, ensure this does not happen, Jospin said. Jospin’s quip that no traditional empire would elect its leader on a four-year basis drew audience laughs, as did his opening request to “forgive my ‘American,’ which is worse than my English.” If not an empire, the U.S. is a “mega-nation state” in an age that has seen serious debate and divided opinion over a purported decline in nation-state sovereignty, Jospin noted. This debate, however, has been nearly absent in the U.S., which “has not needed to give up autonomy to make its presence known,” Jospin said. But in important ways the U.S., “the Great Might”, is not almighty, Jospin said, citing dependence on foreign holders of the nation’s debt, and the international threat of terrorism. In an age that has seen the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, the world can be grateful that a democratic country, rather than a totalitarian regime, is the world’s foremost power, Jospin said. “I say that for anti-Americanists of every stripe,” he added. However, Jospin said he has noted alarming changes in the attitudes of U.S. elites. The Bush administration’s response to Sept. 11 has been to “only count on itself” and to adopt a “planetary Monroe doctrine” allowing for unilateral intervention, Jospin said. Such developments are a stark contrast to previous American achievements in multilateral politics, Jospin said, citing the U.S.’s role in establishing the United Nations at a time when other major powers were weakened by World War II. If it is willing to act unilaterally, the U.S. must accept that other nations will assert their sovereignty by scrutinizing American actions, rather than being “with the U.S. or against the U.S.” against terrorism, Jospin said, referring to President Bush’s 2002 State of the Union address. Now, “one could say that the U.S. thinks of policies in reaction to threats, not problems,” without awareness that global problems today will lead to tomorrow’s threats, Jospin said. For Jospin, then, the issue is not about the existence of U.S. might but what it does with its power. As an example, Jospin said he opposes any policy allowing the U.S. to pre-emptively conduct a military strike, as such a concept is “blurry and subjective” and “would set a bad precedent for a state less scrupulous” than the U.S. Instead, Jospin encouraged the U.S. to be “pre-emptive” in tackling issues such as the structure of international finance, drug trafficking, and AIDS. Prof. Brett de Bary, director of the Society for the Humanities, asked Jospin if he was too generous in his characterization of the U.S., as one common critique is that civil liberties have been weakened, and that the media is not an active watchdog of government. Jospin responded that he did not intend his speech to “give lessons to Americans,” but aimed to raise questions that would be best answered by Americans. “My first job was as a diplomat,” he added. Another audience member asked Jospin for his take on France’s recent decision to restrict the wearing of traditional Muslim headscarves. Jospin explained that such a decision would not be his approach, as he favored increased focus on resolving the situation through dialogue, but that the decision could only be understood as part of France’s unique secular heritage. On the reasons for involvement in Iraq, Jospin said he felt obliged to take the explanations offered by the U.S. and disagree with them. The desire to make a strong statement in the aftermath of Sept. 11 played a part in U.S. deliberations over invading Iraq, as did the deep impact of one of the few major attacks on American soil, Jospin said. The U.S.’s task remains immense and fraught with problems, Jospin said, and an acceptable exit strategy must “lower the stakes” and set modest goals to reach a transfer of power to the Iraqi people. Jospin’s lecture had one unexpected ocurrence: just as he began to speak, two students unfurled a large banner on which they had written the margin by which Jospin lost to right-wing anti-immigrant candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen in the first round of France’s 2002 presidential elections. “I thought it was a rather misplaced gesture [by the students], since they didn’t inform it by [later] posing an intelligent question,” said Dominick Lacapra, the Bryce and Edith M. Bowmar Professor of Humanistic Studies. The students holding the banner were seated in the balcony section and left during questions, according to Prof. Andrew Chignell, philosophy. “The people around [the banner] seemed to just kind of ignore it, or dissassociate themselves from it, leaning away [as if to say] ‘I’m not with these people,’ Chignell said. The conference will continue today at 2:30 p.m. and tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. in Goldwin Smith’s Hollis E. Cornell auditorium.Archived article by Dan Galindo Sun Senior Writer
By April 9, 2004
Ithaca is the number-one emerging city in the U.S., according to Cities Ranked & Rated: More Than 400 Metropolitan Areas Evaluated in the U.S. and Canada by Peter Sander and Bert Sperling. Of note is the book’s description of Ithaca, which opens with “Ithaca is most noted as home to Ivy League Cornell University.” Cities Ranked & Rated came out this past March 30. It defines an emerging area as one of the 45 cities designated by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget as a new Metropolitan Statistical Area, most of which are experiencing population growth. “We knew [the book] was coming out but we didn’t know what our ranking was going to be. We were delighted that we were ranked number one,” said Fred Bonn, director of public relations and membership at the Chamber of Commerce. Bonn explained how in deciding where to move people are starting to consider where they want to live first and then looking for a job in that area rather than just moving to where a job is offered. “We are benefiting from that paradigm shift,” Bonn said. Most prominent in Cities Ranked & Rated was Ithaca’s arts and culture ranking which was listed as 6 out of 10. This standing was far above every other emerging area, which all ranked three or below. The book defines arts and culture as a city’s museums, public radio and television stations, libraries, and live theater. Not surprisingly, Ithaca also stood out as number one in annual snowfall with a total of 107 inches. Second to Ithaca was Fairbanks, Ark. with a mere 67.8 inches. The book did state that one of Ithaca’s cons was its wet climate and states “the Lake Ontario-influenced, humid continental climate produces lots of snow and precipitation — almost one day in two on average year-round.” Other statistics included Ithaca’s unemployment rate which was one of the lowest at 2.9 percent, behind Harrisonburg, Va.’s 2.3 percent and Ames, Iowa’s 2.6 percent. “The number of quality of life issues that our chamber has worked on are being recognized,” Bonn said. Cities Ranked & Rated gave Ithaca a seven leisure rating which tied it with the number-two emerging city, Bend, Ore. The book described Ithaca as “attractive, activities are plentiful, and educational attainment is high. Additionally, the location, at the south end of Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes region, affords access to nearby outdoor recreation, interesting landscapes, and a number of wineries.” The book also listed Ithaca’s other con as isolation. “We are not isolated; over 60 percent of the population of the U.S. lives within an eight-hour drive of Ithaca,” Bonn said. He did explain that Ithaca has transportation challenges such as not being connected to the Interstate or having a multiple-carrier airport. Ithaca was second-highest in the percent of the population with four-year college degrees at 20.8 percent. Ranked number one was Ames, Iowa. Ithaca’s population growth rate was relatively small at 2.5 percent between 1990 and 2002. In reference to this population growth rate, Bonn said, “In our planning and in the counties planning, that trend is expected to continue.” The only other city to be ranked in New York State was Kingston, at number 27. Syracuse was also listed as a cultural bargain because of its moderate standard of living and high arts and culture score. When asked how Ithaca’s number-one ranking will affect the area, Bonn said, “In another few months we’ll be able to point to this and say we had an uptake of interest [from potential movers] either on our website or over the phone.”Archived article by asey Holmes Sun Staff Writer