April 10, 2003

Contact:
Jennifer Meriam, Director (954) 262-5355
Mike Laderman, Associate Director, (954) 262-5354
Mara Kiffin, Coordinator, (954) 262-5350

Richard Holbrooke and Kati Marton Visit South Florida for NSU Forums

Nova Southeastern University concluded its NSU Forum Speakers Series with an interview discussion featuring former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Richard Holbrooke, and his wife, acclaimed journalist and author Kati Marton. The event, held at the Marriott Hotel in Boca Raton, was the first occasion the couple spoke together on the same stage.

Holbrooke, a former member of President Clinton's Cabinet, was the chief U.S. negotiator in the Dayton Peace Agreement that ended the Bosnian War in 1995; he received many awards and six Nobel Peace Prize nominations for his diplomacy. Holbrooke wrote a bestseller about the negotiations titled, “To End A War.”' Had Al Gore attained the Presidency, Richard Holbrooke would have been our current Secretary of State.

Marton has written for The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, NPR and PBS, The Times of London, The New Yorker and The New Republic, and also served as ABC's Bureau Chief in Bonn. The Hungarian-born journalist has written a number of books, including “The Polk Conspiracy: Murder and Cover-up in the Case of CBS News Correspondent George Polk”, which is presently being adapted into a feature film by Mel Gibson. Her latest book is “Hidden Power: Presidential Marriages That Shaped Our History”, a fascinating account of First Ladies' impact on our nation.

NSU Professor Tim Dixon moderated the discussion, and the main subject of the hour-long event was the Bush Administration's war against Iraq. Holbrooke made clear that though he supported the campaign to depose Saddam Hussein's brutal dictatorship, "...the diplomatic process that brought us to this point has not been our finest hour."

"It's the right war," Marton declared of the current conflict, "We've gone about it the wrong way. We have a great deal of repair work to do." She added, "I'm sad to tell you our image worldwide is one of an extremely bellicose and arrogant nation. I don't like having to watch my back as a traveling American." Marton called on the "exceedingly private" First Lady to make a fuller use of her role and thereby counter-balance her husband's belligerent stance. Marton humorously noted that Laura Bush "has friendlier relations with the English language" and is "a better communicator."

Holbrooke argued that America needs to strengthen the U.N., not weaken it, saying it has more often served U.S. interests than not. He remarked that though officials in the Bush Administration portray their dismissive attitude toward world opinion as conservative, they are in fact "radical". By contrast, the elder Bush was widely praised for his statesmanship during the first Gulf War, building a powerful coalition against Iraq. Significantly, he also won a U.N. resolution for war, which was one of only two (the first authorizing military intervention in Korea in 1950) ever granted by the world body.

Though certain of victory against the shrunken military of Iraq--now only a third of the force faced in Desert Storm--Holbrooke spoke with concern about the ultimate success of creating a democratic government in Iraq. He recalled that Iraq has existed as a nation for only 81 years, created out of several fractious peoples who have always been held together by coercive force. Holbrooke reminded the audience how Yugoslavia crumbled into chaos when Communist dictator Tito no longer kept its rival ethnicities under one rule.

During the close of the discussion, both speakers urged attendees to unite behind the men and women of the armed services as the war is fought and won, no matter how one may regard the policy they enforce. Marton declared, "We're going to win the war. But war is only as good as the peace that follows."

Reviewed by Devin Meriam