Camden Conference to focus on foreign policy

CAMDEN – Yes, the theme of this year’s Camden Conference is timely.

“Very timely, as usual,” said Tom Putnam, who serves on the board for the nonprofit international affairs conference.

“U.S. Foreign Policy for the 21st Century: Seeking a Balance?” is scheduled for Feb. 27-29 at the Camden Opera House. As is typical, the conference offers a series of community lectures and discussions in surrounding towns that serve as a warm-up for the main event.

The question mark in the conference title is key to understanding the approach speakers will take.

“We are at a major turning point in the evolution of world affairs,” according to the conference description. “The Cold War isn’t our guiding light any more. Nor, truthfully, is Sept. 11 – though it was an extraordinary wake-up call.”

The United States is now awake, the description continues, “and we need to consider the implications of being the most powerful nation in an unfair and uneven world where cooperation and confrontation don’t mix easily but both are essential elements of the foreign policy mix.”

In the past, U.S. foreign policy had as its premise protecting the economic and military interests of the country and its allies.

But with the rise of globalism – the topic of an earlier conference – the United States must decide how it wants the world to evolve, and, “What are our responsibilities to ourselves and our neighbors on this small planet? How do we seek a proper balance between shorter- and longer-term interests, or between domestic and international concerns?”

The conference will attempt to answer these questions, organizers hope.

The keynote speaker is Robert Kaplan, an acclaimed writer and correspondent for the Atlantic Monthly. Kaplan will speak at 8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27, in a session that is open to the public.

The Feb. 28 and 29 sessions require registration, though scholarships are available to students.

Speakers on Feb. 28 include Robert Oakley, a retired ambassador; Debora Spar, a professor at Harvard Business School; Frederick Barton, senior adviser with the international security program; Charles Kupchan, associate professor at Georgetown University; Gianni Riotta, a U.S. correspondent for Corriere della Sera; Judith Yaphe, a specialist in Middle East political analysis; and Murhaf Jouejati, a Syrian-born specialist on Middle East affairs and adjunct professor at George Washington University.

Feb. 29 discussion will be led by journalist-in-residence Don Oberdorfer, adjunct professor, School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

Among the events leading up to the conference are two seminars:

. “U.S. Foreign Policy for the 21st Century: What Would George Kennan Do?”: 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 13 and Jan. 20 at the Blue Hill Public Library, and 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Feb. 2, Feb. 9 and Feb. 16 at the library of the Deer Isle-Stonington Elementary School. Both seminars will be led by Bob Sargent. To register call Kurt Stoll at 374-5121, or visit www.colloquydowneast.org.

. “Superpower: Background of American Foreign Policy”: 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Jan. 15, Jan 22, Jan. 29 and Feb. 5, led by Ron Jarvella at the Hutchinson Center in Belfast.

Also planned are film discussions:

. “Looking For Answers,” a 55-minute Frontline production, at the Rockport Opera House on Jan. 13; at the Rockland Public Library on Jan. 29; at the Camden Public Library on Feb. 3; and at the Belfast Free Library on Feb. 9; all discussions and films are at 7 p.m.

. “Rethinking Freedom,” a 55-minute production from “NOW by Bill Moyers,” at the Rockport Opera House at noon Jan. 15; at the Rockland Public Library at 7 p.m. Jan. 29; at the Camden Public Library at 7 p.m. Feb. 5; and at the Belfast Free Library at 7 p.m. Feb. 11.

Speakers:

. Mac Deford at the Belfast Free Library at noon Feb. 5; at the Rockland Public Library at 7 p.m. Feb. 5; and at the Camden Public Library at noon Feb. 19.

Book discussions:

. “Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed The World,” by Margaret O. MacMillan; discussion led by Michael Simon at the Hutchinson Center in Belfast at 1 p.m. Jan. 21; and discussion led by Tom DeMarco at the Camden Public Library at 7 p.m. Feb. 12.

. “Warrior Politics,” by Robert Kaplan, and “The Paradox of American Power,” by Joseph Nye; discussions led by Paul Diamond at the Rockport Opera House at noon Feb. 5, and at the Belfast Free Library at 7 p.m. Feb. 19.

For information, go to: www.camdenconference.org.