Quo Vadis, U.S.A.?

Description

'The essential aim of the Fulbright program is to encourage people in all countries, and especially their political leaders [...] to develop a new manner of thinking about how to avoid war rather than to wage it'

J. William Fulbright

Sponsored by

The mission of the Fulbright Alumni e.V. is to work for education and mutual understanding in the spirit of Senator J. William Fulbright. His idea of "waging peace through mutual understanding" is more timely now than ever. While everybody agrees that terrorism must be eradicated, there are different views on the means to that end. Many Europeans are concerned about some of the approaches taken by the U.S. government since September 11, 2001. On the other hand, Europe is perceived as having difficulties in providing effective alternatives. A lot of that is probably misperceptions that can easily occur in an atmosphere as emotionally charged as the one after Sept. 11.

The first panel is a discussion with people involved in the decision-making processes, in order to better understand the U.S. position, and to help find alternatives to improve the situation on all sides. The topics to be discussed include:

• How to best combat terrorism? - Symptoms vs. causes
• To which extent are the Europeans up to the task?
• Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, Palestine, … - secondary areas of conflict?
• U.S.A. - The sole World Power?

The second panel will discuss how to improve the negative image of the U.S. in the Arab World, which provided the breeding ground for terrorism and hinders better US-Arab cooperation. Unfortunately the U.S. and Europe disagree over the Middle East, especially over Iraq. Therefore we would like to discuss the various (mis)perceptions of U.S. policies toward the Arab world and to identify possibilities for more cooperation.

We as Fulbrighters have all been hosted generously in the U.S., and so we are more affected by the events there. Our collective experience also puts us in a good position to improve the mutual understanding between Americans and Europeans, especially in the current situation.

We are inviting all former Fulbright scholars, as well as the American Fulbrighters currently in Germany and the vicinity.

Show your commitment to the Fulbright spirit by joining us in Berlin for a thought-provoking, constructive transatlantic exchange of ideas!