Janus Forum Brings Discussion Of Future President To Campus

BY MARIAH SCHLOSSMANN
Miami University journalism student

With the presidential election less than two weeks away, it is only fitting that Miami University’s 2016 Janus Forum centered around the foreign policy challenges that will face the next U.S. president.

Ambassador Wendy Sherman and Admiral James Stavridis were joined by Miami students, faculty and community members in the Armstrong Student Center Wilks Theater on Tuesday night to discuss these future challenges.

Sherman is a senior counselor at Albright Stonebridge Group and senior fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. She previously served as counselor for the State Department (1997-2001), special adviser to President Clinton and policy coordinator on North Korea, as well as Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs for the State Department.

Stavridis is dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He spent more than 30 years in the U.S. Navy where he rose to the rank of four-star admiral and became the longest serving combatant commander in recent U.S. history. He is a monthly columnist for TIME magazine and chief international security analyst for NBC News.

In their talk at Miami, Sherman and Stavridis discussed six challenges facing the next U.S. administration: The Islamic State, income inequality, Russia, China, North Korea and issues surrounding cyberspace.

Challenge of the Islamic State

The threat of the Islamic State is prevalent in the presidential race given the recent terrorist attacks in the United States and elsewhere.

Words such as “hideous” and “chaotic” were used to describe the Islamic State and the growth of its organization.

“I am a military officer who believes in political diplomacy, but I believe this is a situation in which the use of hard power is necessary,” said Stavridis.

Stavridis advocated keeping fewer troops on the ground and letting the Islamic State carry the brunt of putting soldiers on the ground while the U.S. provides support through intelligence (such as cyber warfare), and the arming of local and special armed forces.

Sherman said he wants fewer U.S. troops on the ground because “our presence when we are there is enormous, creating a feeling like we are almost occupying the country.”

Sherman also discussed the need for "soft power" in countering propaganda by the Islamic State.

“We need to get a handle on the propaganda that faces young men and women who feel like they want to join these groups because they have no one else,” said Sherman. “It’s focusing on work that is less about law enforcement and more about community building.”

American Discontent with Income Inequality

Sherman and Stavridis also addressed Americans' frustration with income inequality.

“It is no wonder that many people in our country feel frustrated,” said Sherman. “We have fallen behind and have yet to get ahead.”

Stavridis pointed out the humanitarian aspects of income inequality. “Insecurity and instability is magnified by the transparency in the world today because of the ability to see into the lives of others, and it’s a disenfranchisement of wealth in the world of the other half,” he said.

Nations and leadership

The next president will face enormous challenges in dealing with China, Russia and North Korea, the Janus Forum guests agreed.

“We need to confront where we must, but work together wherever we can,” said Stavridis.

Stavridis argued that the next president will face the biggest issues with North Korea and its leaders.

“Leadership matters,” he said. “And the leader of North Korea is young, highly unstable and unpredictable, was raised in a shark tank of a family, and is ruthlessly suppressing internal struggles.”

According to the intelligence community, North Koreans will have "deliverable nuclear weapons" by 2020. This means that they will not only have functioning nuclear weapons, but ones that will have the ability to reach the continental United States.

“Because of the instability of leadership coupled with nuclear weapons and the delivery system, this should be seen as the No. 1 tactical challenge our president faces,” said Stavridis.

Cyber issues in play

China, Russia and North Korea are all players in the last challenge discussed at Tuesday night’s forum: cyber issues.

North Korea launched a cyber attack on Sony Pictures after the movie called "The Interview" depicted leader Kim Jong Un in a manner he did not agree with. China has committed repeated attempts and realized some successes of pirating U.S. military information. And Russia has attacked the U.S. political process by exploiting emails.

This challenge is also personal to every single American who owns a smartphone, computer, laptop or similar technology.

“Think about that super computer you’re carrying around in your pocket and think about the intimate details of your personal life it’s carrying about you,” said Stavridis.

Sherman closed the forum’s discussion by stating the two things that any president will be asked by the American people: Who will keep me safe? And who will make sure I have a decent income so I can raise my family?

The Miami University Janus Forum is hosted once a semester, bringing together guests to discuss a topic of relevance to the student body.

Veronica Coyne, senior political science major at Miami, said the speakers advanced her knowledge of many foreign policy issues discussed in her classes.

“The Janus Forum provided real-life context for issues that are often mentioned with little context,” said Coyne.

The Janus Forum is a student-run organization that maintains a mission of fostering political discourse on campus. The event was moderated by senior Kristen Fowler, chair of the Executive Committee of the Janus Forum.

Photo: Ambassador Wendy Sherman and Admiral James Stavridis visit Miami for Wednesday's Janus Forum. -- Photo by Mariah Schlossmann