Meeting of international minds
Congressmen, ambassadors, ABC anchor and students discuss global security and relations during forum
Ryan Schreiber
Issue date: 10/19/04 Section: News
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The event, which was held in the University Center multipurpose room, was one of 24 national events hosted by ABC News correspondents.
The People Speak is a non-partisan organization launched in 2003 that aims to jump-start dialogue around the country about the United States and its relations throughout the world.
More than 2,500 discussions have taken place within the past year, including the 24 marquee forums conducted on college campuses in the United States. ABC News volunteered their correspondents as moderators for the events and Lynn Sherr was given the duties for the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
"The good news is that this is not a presidential debate," Sherr said as she introduced the panelists for the evening.
"There are a few ground rules...you can only tell a joke if it is funny," she said.
Four dignitaries were present to share their views on "American Power and Global Security," the topic of the forum. They included Arthur Hughes, former U.S. Ambassador to Yemen; Donald Riegle, former U.S. Senator from Michigan; Mike Rogers, a U.S. Representative from Michigan and Frans van Daele, Belgium's ambassador to the United States.
Sherr, an ABC News correspondent, has reported for 20/20 and other national news programs since 1977. She started the dialogue with a question directed at the panel saying, "Are we as a nation more secure after 9/11?"
Arthur Hughes spoke up first.
"I think that being more secure depends directly upon the allies we rely on."
Each panelist took a turn explaining their viewpoint on the subject, including Riegle who seemed rather irked at the notion that our nation is more secure today.
"We are largely a country of immigrants...we've got sort of everybody," Riegle said.
"We're not nearly as safe as we need to be."
Rogers, the only Republican on the panel, seemed restless to respond to Riegle's comments.
"So much for the non-presidential debate," Rogers said.
At that point, Rogers' and Riegle's war of rhetoric was promptly halted by Sherr, who quickly moved onto the next topic.
She introduced the idea that the United States may sometimes jump into situations that are not needed. "What is the best way to export the power that we have?" Sherr asked.
Riegle wasted no time in posing a solution to the problem. "[We] have to lead by example...we have to be careful stewards of our many strengths...I don't think you can just do it with brute force," Riegle said.
The former Democratic U.S. Senator further expounded on his comments with a flurry of examples of mistakes that the Bush administration has made during its time in the White House.
Hughes then chipped in saying, "Everything has limits. Everything has costs."
"This is gonna be a long night for me, I can tell," Rogers said, drawing a rumble of laughs from the crowd.
After more discussion, Sherr posed her final question of the night, asking "Has the United States because of [the war in Iraq], lost legitimacy in Europe?"
Belgian Ambassador Frans van Daele said: "It's obvious [that is has]...but it's not going to stay like that forever...You need certain things to translate your strengths into leadership."
The final topic of the night dealt with power shifts in the world. China was used as an example, with its rise in population and advances in technology.
A question and answer period was opened up with the lines at the microphones resembling the lines at Cedar Point's Millennium Force.
Although every person did not make it to the microphone, topics such as troop morale and gas guzzlers were discussed.
Sherr ended the forum with a statement regarding the all-important upcoming weeks in the United States.
"Please vote."