Q&A: Richard Harknett

When Richard Harknett visited Vienna for two weeks in January, he had a full schedule that reflected his diverse roles at the university. The associate professor of political science and coordinator of McMicken's Diplomatic Academy, spoke at the United States Embassy Public Affairs Division, gave radio interviews, lectured at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, and met with foreign students from ten different countries to watch and discuss President Bush's inauguration He also began to promote the Charles Phelps Taft Research Center for which he serves as faculty chair. In the interview that follows he explains his activities and their implications for the college.

Q:

Some may not know much about the Diplomatic Academy, its origins, and its new links to McMicken College. Maybe you should begin with these.

A:

The roots of the DA date back to 1754 when Empress Maria Theresa created an academy to train diplomats. Over the past 250 years, in several different forms, the academy has maintained this mission as it has broadened its academic scope. In 2002, I served as Fulbright Professor, and we developed some programmatic links. Through our dual degree graduate program, DA students complete MA's in Vienna and PhD's in Cincinnati. We also deliver to young diplomats from the former Soviet Union a six-lecture series on US politics via video-conference from Cincinnati to Vienna. This is funded through Fulbright.

Q:

Could you provide an overview of current students and explain how they're recruited and selected?

A:

There are approximately 100 students from over 30 countries attending the DA. They earn post-baccalaureate degrees up to an MA. About a third plan on working in their respective governments, about fifty percent in regional or international organizations, and the rest in national government organizations and business. There is a highly competitive entrance exam, and while most courses are in English, students must also function in German and French.

Q:

In what capacity did you deliver your public address while in Vienna?

A:

Four years ago, the US Embassy in Vienna asked me to discuss the incoming Bush administration as well as the issue of missile defense for which I had done a Pentagon study during the Clinton Administration. Each year since I have returned to lecture at the DA, the US Embassy has sponsored some portion of my trip. This speech was set in the context of four years later looking at the second term of the Bush administration. They expected about 60 people but had 160 from over 30 different countries.

Q:

What were the basic points you made in your address, “Bush Foreign Policy: The Next Four Years”?

A:

I provided the audience with a conceptual frame in which to understand the key elements of Bush foreign policy. In this, my role was not to serve as proponent or critic, but rather help foreign diplomats and others come to their own assessments of the strengths and weaknesses of the policy. I argued that Bush is best understood not as a neo-conservative because he is a radical reformer. Thus I developed the notion of neo-traditionalism which draws on deep-seated roots of American foreign policy.

Q:

How was your approach received?

A:

In Europe, President Bush's policies are generally viewed through a negative emotional prism. My approach went over very well in that it stressed a way to understand the policy divorced from an assessment of whether you like or dislike the policy or the person.