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Show CampusNews Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011 Page 3 Foreign policy expert urges innovation Briefs Campus & Community BY KYLE STUBBS staff writer Walter Russell Mead, the James Clarke Chace professor of foreign affairs and humanities at Bard College spoke to students about American Grand Strategy and its future, giving students ideas of how they can participate in American foreign policy in the 21st century. "Grand strategy is how you decide what wars to fight or not fight," Mead said, "and by extension, what is your national vision? What are you trying to do in this world? What is important to you? How do you understand your vital interests and how do you go about trying to secure those interests in the world in which we live?" Mead said American Grand Strategy is the nation's hope and fears at the highest level. "What is our approach to getting more of what we do want and preventing or protecting ourselves from what we don't want?" he said. America's Grand Strategy is to shape the world to be more like Europe. The first reason for this is that Europe is peaceful, he said. While not everyone in Europe loves the U.S., and many countries compete with the U.S. economically, Europe is peaceful, he said. "Nobody in Europe is trying to attack us," Mead said. "The first and most basic fact of life is that nobody in Europe is trying to conquer the world." Increasing global prosperity to mirror Europe's would bring economic and trade benefits to the U.S., Mead said. In addition to the value of trade, wealthy countries provide competition, which helps American industries improve. The other benefit of increased prosperity is it encourages peace. "It is better for us if other countries are rich, rather than if they are poor. Rich countries are actually much less likely to decide that they want to come over and kill you," Mead said. "Rich coun- WALTER RUSSELL MEAD, an expert on U.S. foreign policy, stands outside the Eccles Conference Center after his public lecture Tuesday, Nov. 8. Mead lectured on American grand strategy in the 21st century." AMANDA DUNN photo tries are soft." Mead also said Europe is free — something that the U.S. would like to see replicated globally. He said European countries emerged from histories of monarchy, fascism and communism to become stable democratic nations. Mead said this grand strategy is possible, and most Americans he talks to agree with the idea while the majority in other parts of the world would like their country to be more like Europe. This grand strategy appeals to Americans from differing political views, he said, and the strategy is supported by both major political parties in different ways. "A grand strategy usually can be sung in more than one key. It is a melody that the different parties can sing in different keys," Mead said. Accomplishing this grand strategy has challenges. Mead said that some nations would like to be more like Europe and cannot figure out how. These failures lead to anger and breed antiAmericanism. He also says that there are some countries who are opposed to this grand strategy. "Just because we have a grand national strategy that feels good to us doesn't mean that other people are going to spontaneously start singing 'The Star-Spangled Banner' every time we walk into a room," Mead said. "The first and most important jobs we have are at home. The economic, social, and political revival of the United States at home is, I think, the first step towards success in grand strategy abroad in the 21st Century," he said. "Some of our basic institutions, practices and ideas are out of whack." Mead said the U.S. has to learn how to compete. America's advantage is that it's more flexible, entrepreneurial and open to change than many other societies. "America's greatest comparative advantage going forward is our flexibility, dynamism and love of innovation. We are willing to experiment with institutions. I think that professions like the law, medicine, and the university are going to need to be reinvented by your generation and rebuilt in ways that right now are hard to imagine," said Mead. Mead said he wanted to challenge students to move this strategy forward by innovating and changing aspects of these institutions through voting and allowing change. Travis Johnson, a sophomore majoring in law and constitutional studies said, "Students who want to become informed have the opportunity to listen to world class lecturers. You connect with a brilliant mind and someone with lots of experience, and come out knowing a lot more about the world and how it works." Mead's visit was arranged by The Project on Liberty and American Constitutionalism along with the Institute of Government and Politics. Anthony Peacock, director of "The Project on Liberty and American Constitutionalism" and professor in the political science department said, "I think Mead is a salutary voice because he defends what America stands for, and is willing to say that and explain why." - kstubbs88@gmail.com From Page 1 Focus of Occupy Logan movement national, potentially local tax policy and U.S. drug policy all illustrate elected officials abusing their power to promote their own interests. "It's become so pervasive that it's hard to find a section of our government, any sector that isn't infiltrated, that isn't so subversive somehow in corrupt usage of their elected power," Lanphear said. The movement is off to a slow start so far, Lanphear said, with only a few people coming to events. The group's Facebook and Twitter accounts, however, are growing, he said. "We're taking a grass roots approach to it, talking to people on an individual basis — getting names, numbers — trying to spread it by word of mouth." Right now that's our biggest goal," he said, "is to organize and form a membership base — kind of get people aware that we exist as an occupying movement here in Logan. Because it is a rather unique place for an occupying movement here in Logan." "So we want to get people to know that it is here," he continued, "and from that point, once we have a membership base of, you know — numbers, email addresses — start instituting programs to get people educated." Jerez said he plans to organize social events like potluck dinners and sign-making parties to accompany the group's protests. Lanphear said he's talking with USU organizations like Students for a Sensible Drug Policy and members of the LGBT community, as well as political groups on campus, to find people interested in joining. The movement also seeks to demonstrate that participants of the occupation movements are not what media portray them to be, Lanphear said. ii I think as we grow, we're definitely going to look a lot more at our local issues." — Zakk Lanphear, Occupy Logan participant "They basically portray us as hippies," he said. Instead, he said, the majority of participants in the occupation movements are average, ordinary citizens who are scared and looking for solutions. Jerez said the Occupy Logan movement is more targeted toward problems in federal government than local issues, though he said it wouldn't be a big leap for the movement to focus more locally. "For now it's mostly just national, federal issues," he said. "The problems that we have and that we're protesting about and talking about with the Occupy movement aren't really there on a local level. I mean, we don't have, you know, the controlling of the economy by corporations — the starting of wars over personal interests. Things like that don't happen in Logan, Utah." Lanphear said, "I think as we grow, we're definitely going to look a lot more at our local issues. Once we get a member base and start these political discussions we're going to see a lot more people voicing their concerns about Logan." Jerez said the group will hold an occupation at Walmart this Saturday. On the group's Facebook page, one member said he was disappointed with the amount of activity so far. "Since moving to Logan from Salt Lake, where there is an "active" occupy group, I've been sorely disappointed in the turn out for demonstrations, meetings or events. Granted, I do understand that it is Logan after all and we're doing what we can to educate and indoctrinate others, but every person who says they are a part of something should at least participate, a little bit, in my opinion," he said. So far, Lanphear said, the group has not encountered any problems with local police or city officials. - robmjepson@gmail.com From Page 1 Cann wins, voter turnout better than hoped for in N. Logan of nearly 5,000 registered North Logan voters. He said there was a 14 percent turnout for the primaries. "We came in at 22.5 percent of voters turning out," Bennett said. "So, I'm happy with that." Historically, there have been a handful of university faculty members have sat on local and state governments and Cann joins those ranks, winning what many said could have been "anybody's race." Bennett said from the primary to the general election, the results show what voters wanted after what started out as a tight race between the six candidates who moved on through the primary election. "Now when I teach my class on campaigns and elections," Cann said, "I'm not just telling them about other people's elections, I can tell them about mine." Cann, 34, a four-year resident of North Logan said he and his wife new shortly after they moved to Cache Valley this is where they wanted to "put down roots." He said his goal as a council member is to maintain the safety and pleasant family-friendly atmosphere the city has. "Already there are some significant issues on the agenda that need to be addressed," Cann said. "We've got some issues in terms of a potential boundary realignment with Logan, and I'm anxious to get involved with that." He said there are also various infrastructure needs around the city, and he is planning on being proactive in maintaining safety and security. "(I'll) make sure if we see threats or problems arising that we jump on those quickly," he said, "rather than waiting for it to become a big problem." After Cann's neighbor and North Logan Councilwoman Nancy Potter suggested Cann run for city government, he said he began to think about the possibility and decided to add his name to the ballot. Cann won the primary election along with five other candidates within a field of 11 other North Logan residents all vying for one of three open city council seats. In January the three newly elected council members will be sworn into office, but Cann said he'll be at the next meeting to continue his preparations as a North Logan council member. Cann said he and his family were happy to find out he won and learn his hard work paid off. He said it was nice to know the celebrating they did in the hours before votes were tallied was justified. - dan.whitney.smith@aggiemail.usu.edu USU pianists take first place Three piano students training in the USU department of music each won first place at the state of Utah Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Piano Performance Competition in Sandy, Utah, Oct. 15. Students from across the state competed in three levels of solo piano during the competition. The Utah division winners are all students of USU music professor Gary Amano. Brandon Lee, a USU graduate student majoring in piano performance, was awarded first place in the Steinway Young Artist Performance Competition. Trenton Chang, a USU Youth Conservatory student, won the Yamaha Junior Performance Competition. Another of Amano's piano students, Weiyi Le, won first place in the Yamaha Senior Performance Competition. "The last time all three Utah contestants made it to nationals was about 10 years ago," said Amano. "This is very exciting for the USU piano program and the Caine College of the Arts to see how far the students will go." The students were assessed by three out-of-state judges from Arizona, California and Nevada. Arthritis study seeks participants The Sports Medicine Research team at USU is looking for people to participate in the new Exercise and Arthritis Project that studies the effects of an aquatic exercise program for people with arthritis in the knee, hip or ankle. Dennis Dolny, head of the health, physical education and recreation department, directs the project. Along with associate Professor Eadric Bressel and research associate Jessica Wing, the team has developed a six-week training program using aquatic exercise. Using aquatic treadmills, jets and other underwater equipment, each participant will undergo extensive testing and physical training. Both Dolny and Bressel have prior experience working with aquatic therapy, so when funding was received from the National Swimming Pool Foundation to continue their research, this was the next step. The study is open to anyone who has been diagnosed with arthritis in the legs who feels they would benefit from the help. Participants must be between the ages of 50 and 80. They must also be in overall good health and capable of walking on a treadmill. The full experience will take 12 weeks. All testing and exercise sessions are free to the participant. Hank Bessembinder now visiting professor A professor long-recognized for financial market research that has led to key changes in trading on the New York Stock Exchange has agreed to become a Jon M. Huntsman Presidential Visiting Professor at USU. Hank Bessembinder is the A. Blaine Huntsman Chaired Presidential Professor at the Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah. He made the first of several visits to the School of Business Oct. 26. Bessembinder, who graduated from the School of Business in 1977 with a business major and an economics minor, now serves as managing editor or associate editor for three of the top four journals in his field. ClarifyCorrect The policy of The Utah Statesman is to correct any error made as soon as possible. If you find something you would like clarified or find in error, please contact the editor at 797-1742, statesman@aggiemail.usu.edu or come in to TSC 105. a Co mp iled from staff and media reports |