 |
Juilliard Hosts Former Ambassador Richard Murphy By SHARON BOGAS
As Leon Trotsky, one of the fathers of the 1917 Russian Revolution, once said, "You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you." These words, spoken more than 50 years ago, have gained new meaning for Americans due to the tragic events of September 11, 2001. For a country whose battles have, for the last half century, been fought exclusively overseas, 9/11 was a stark reminder that even events occurring across the globe can have serious repercussions here at home.
 |
| Richard W. Murphy spoke to students; Sharon Bogas is pictured on the right. (Photo by Sabrina Tanbara) |
|
In his visit to Juilliard on Monday, February 9, former Ambassador Richard W. Murphy gave students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to delve more deeply into issues concerning America's involvement in the Middle East over the past several decades. The event, sponsored by the Juilliard Current Affairs Society, was arranged with the assistance of cello faculty member Darrett Adkins, who is a family friend of Ambassador Murphy.Highlights of Ambassador Murphy's impressive service record include ambassadorships to Mauritania, the Philippines, Syria, and Saudi Arabia, and six years as assistant secretary of state for Near East and South Asian affairs under President Reagan. The ambassador has been a frequent commentator for NPR, CNN, BBC, and Fox News. He has also written for The New York Times and The Washington Post, among other journals. Currently, he is the Hasib J. Sabbagh Senior Fellow for the Middle East at the Council on Foreign Relations here in New York.The evening began with a short overview of challenges facing America in the region by Ambassador Murphy. Some of the issues touched on were Iraq, terrorism, oil, and the Arab-Israeli conflict. Then audience members had the opportunity to question the ambassador about specific issues of interest to them. Throughout the evening, Ambassador Murphy exhibited the qualities that undoubtedly make him the quintessential diplomat: poise, confidence, openness, and intelligence. Through his demeanor, he contributed to the event's easy atmosphere in which students felt free to participate, removing what could have been an uncomfortable barrier between an experienced senior official and political neophytes.Andrea Miller, a senior dance student, led off the questioning by asking about the evolving role of women in the Middle East. In Ambassador Murphy's response, he stressed the asymmetry of women's roles in various Middle Eastern countries. For instance, while women in the Islamic republic of Iran have made much progress in their quest for greater equality (led by 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi), women of Saudi Arabia still face extreme discrimination and restriction of basic human rights, enforced by the country's "religious police." As it turns out, Ms. Miller is no stranger to this topic. She has choreographed a new work focusing on themes of reconstruction in the Islamic world, with a special emphasis on the position of women, which will be performed as part of the Dance Division's Senior Production at Juilliard in April.Many of the students in attendance, if less overtly active in politics, still maintain a healthy interest in world events. Senior double bass student Sean O'Hara follows the news, mostly by reading The New York Times, and was particularly interested in what Ambassador Murphy had to say in response to clarinetist Kinan Azmeh's question about the apparent hypocrisy of the United States' relationship with Saddam Hussein's Iraq. America clearly favored Iraq in the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, providing economic as well as military aid to Saddam Hussein's regime, which was perceived to be the lesser of two evils. That position stands out in sharp relief against the background of Operation Desert Storm in 1991 and last year's war in Iraq. The ambassador's response was honest, as well as diplomatic. "I can't justify a double standard [in Iraq]," he said, "but I lived one. You don't always get a chance to live by your ideals."Mr. Azmeh pointed out that one often expects retired government officials to become more candid when they leave Washington. He appreciated the ambassador's directness in establishing the United States' primary interests in the region (the security of Israel and oil) at the outset of his presentation. Such a frank expression of policy leads to the possibility of interesting discussion, whether or not you agree with the premises.In the opinion of Spencer Topel, a composer here at Juilliard, it is vital for artists to follow current affairs because, even though they may at times feel alienated by their culture, they still have a responsibility, as voting members of society, to be well informed. Put another way by cellist Tomoko Fujita, it is impossible for an artist today to pretend to live in the vacuum of the past. Ambassador Murphy gave us a rare opportunity to catch a glimpse, right here at Juilliard, of the world of high-level international relations. The opportunity to discuss, assess, and critique statements of policy having to do with the Middle East was invaluable.Please stay tuned for more Juilliard Current Affairs Society events. For more information, please e-mail sab@juilliard.edu.Sharon Bogas is a master's degree candidate in cello.
|
