The Academic Speaker Series brought Ambassador Walter Cutler to help bring some insight into The Middle East: Crisis, Conflict and Change. The program was at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, March 3 in Watkins Auditorium.

Speaking as “one who is out of uniform,” Ambassador Cutler came to campus to discuss some of the problems in the Middle East, as well as some things Americans to do to help solve these problems.

The problems discussed included our limited knowledge of Middle Eastern cultures and their limited knowledge of ours.

Ambassador Cutler suggested that Americans need to educate themselves on the culture of the Muslims and Arabs who inhabit the Middle East. They need to visit other countries and get to know people who live there.

Another way to gain knowledge of other cultures is to encourage the government to invigorate international exchange programs. He said the people who live in the Middle East also need to educate themselves about our people and culture.

According to Ambassador Cutler, most of the Muslim and Arabic people are very similar to Americans. They are loving, eager to improve and peaceful, and they abhor violence as much as we do. He believes that they have mixed feelings about Americans. They admire our freedoms and accomplishments in the arts and technology. But they are resentful and suspicious about our policies and role in the world. They don’t hate who we are, but they hate what we do and don’t do in the world.

“If left untended, these perceptions about the American people could breed more hostility and radicalism from people in the Middle East,” said Ambassador Cutler.

Ambassador Cutler believes our goal should be to minimize adverse reactions to our actions in the Middle East, not just getting rid of Saddam Hussein and weapons of mass destruction. This goal can be achieved by having a strong international coalition.

Another topic discussed by Ambassador Cutler was whether or not the government is doing the right thing by putting Iraq at the top of our list.

“We can’t let war with Iraq divert our attention from the war against terrorism,” said Ambassador Cutler.

He discussed several things that could be done to get rid of Saddam Hussein. The best of the bad options given was a coup by a group of people from within Iraq. This is a good option because it doesn’t require war, but it’s also bad because of the fact that we don’t know if the new group will be any better for the country than Saddam Hussein is.

Another option, although an unlikely one, is that Hussein will go into exile. Ambassador Cutler believes that Saddam Hussein is a survivor who will do anything to survive. There is an even smaller chance that Hussein will voluntarily disarm. Our best option is to continue issuing threats of force, so disarmament can continue.

“In conclusion, we must engage rather than recoil so that we will succeed in building a better and safer world,” said Ambassador Cutler.

Ambassador Cutler is a graduate of Wesleyan University and Fletcher School of International Law and Diplomacy. He has also served as research professor of diplomacy at Georgetown University. He is the only American to have served twice as ambassador to Saudi Arabia; he has also been ambassador to Tunisia and Zaire. Ambassador Cutler currently serves as director for the Meridian International Center. His appearance was co-sponsored by the Student Activities Council and the Office of Student Life.

The next speaker of the Academic Speaker Program will be Gail Charnley who will speak on Protecting the Children: Risk Assessment, Risk Management, and Children’s Environmental Health at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, March 24 in Watkins Auditorium.