Where You Cloudy Read It First 21/5 THE TUFTS DAILY Est. 1980 VOLUME LXVII, NUMBER 27 MONDAY, MARCH 3, 2014 TUFTSDAILY.COM Deputy Secretary of State EPIIC The 29th Annual Norris and Margery Bendetson Education for Public Inquiry and gives keynote address International Citizenship (EPIIC) International Symposium, a five-day event sponsored by the Institute for Global Leadership (IGL), began last Wednesday. The symposium’s theme BY VICTORIA LEISTMAN Burns discussed why the Middle East was “The Future of the Middle East and North Africa” and featured international experts Daily Editorial Board still matters in American foreign policy — including keynote speaker Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns — discussing and how it is changing. He then outlined ongoing political, economic and social conflict in the regions. Deputy Secretary of State William J. elements of a positive American policy Burns delivered Friday’s keynote address agenda in the region. on America’s position in the Middle East to “It is a truism that America’s chief officially open this year’s EPIIC symposium. foreign policy challenge[s] are domestic Following an introduction from renewal, strengthening our homegrown Provost David Harris who thanked the capacity to compete [and] promote our event’s sponsors including the Bendetson interests and values around the world,” family, the Carnegie Endowment for he said. “We don’t have the luxury of International Peace and the board of pivoting away the Middle East, which the Institute for Global Leadership often has a nasty way of reminding us of (IGL), IGL Director Sherman Teichman its relevance.” acknowledged the work that made the Burns said that the second Arab awak- event possible. ening is about several different layers of “This evening is the product of an change, and that revolutions leave open extraordinary fusion, an intellectual col- spaces for extremists to take advantage laboration,” he said. “Our students are of. Those changes will come down to our core, they are our metric, our beat- the question of whether the Arab world ing heart.” will become one in which an old order is Dean of the Fletcher School Admiral replaced by democratic states or one in James Stavridis introduced Burns, which extremists emerge in leadership who has served in the foreign service roles, he said. for 32 years in positions that include “The United States has a powerful Ambassador to Russia and to Jordan. stake in that very complex competition “[His current position] speaks vol- and in shaping the careful long term umes about his professionalism, [his] strategy we’re enhancing the chances deep knowledge of the world and his for a new moderate order which best leadership,” Stravridis said. “He is end- protects our interests and reflects our NICK PFOSI / THE TUFTS DAILY lessly kind, thoughtful and leads by values,” he said. “What we need to con- Sherman Teichman, the IGL Director, awards Richard C. Jankowsky (AS ’95) with example in every case. You are in for an vey is a clear sense of what we stand the IGL Alumni Award during the EPIIC Cultural Evening. The award was given enormous treat tonight from America’s for, not just what we stand against — an in the Distler Performance Hall in the Granoff Music Center on Wednesday, Feb. leading diplomat.” agenda that offers a powerful antidote 26, the first day of the 2014 EPIIC Symposium: The Future of the Middle East and Burns began by explaining an impor- to extremists.” North Africa. tant lesson he learned during his service According to Burns, the best way to and work on Middle Eastern issues. promote that agenda is through a long- “The Middle East is a place where term, workable American strategy with pessimists seldom lack for company or three interconnected aspects: support validation, where skeptics hardly ever for pluralism and democratic change, R. Nicholas Burns: U.S. foreign see wrong,” he said. “It’s a place where economic opportunity and regional American policy makers often learn peace and security. humility the hard way.” Burns then briefly talked about Syria, policy extremely complex Burns said that change in the Middle Iran and the Israeli-Palestinian peace East is challenging to come by, and that process. He said that the United States BY SARAH ZHENG and Tunisia, Burns said, very few of the 22 it is often nonlinear, messy, cruel and cannot afford to pull back because, with Daily Editorial Board countries in the Middle East are better off unpredictable. persistence, it can make a difference in today in terms of stability than they were “I’ve learned that stability is not a the region. Sunday morning’s keynote address on three years ago. static phenomenon and that regimes “These are areas in which American “American Policy and the Arab Revolutions” Burns also spoke about the situations which do not offer their citizens a sense policy can make a difference and within featured R. Nicholas Burns, former Under in Syria and Iran, and what is currently of political dignity and economic pos- which we have a profound stake,” he Secretary of State for Political Affairs. unfolding in Ukraine. Active American sibility ultimately become brittle and said. “Our interests and credibility are Burns, a professor at Harvard University’s leadership is needed in Syria against break,” he said. at risk.” John F. Kennedy School of Government, President Bashar al-Assad and his regime’s stressed his respect for President Obama use of chemical weaponry, Burns said. and explained the difficult foreign policy “We can’t be the world’s policeman, but balance that he must maintain. when 9.3 million of the 22.4 million people “Obama is trying to juggle two compet- in Syria are refugees, it’s everyone’s con- ing American interests,” Burns said. “On cern,” Burns said. “It’s a problem that the one hand, he is continuing the great tradi- U.S. needs to turn and face.” tion of our foreign policy to support people Burns also complimented Obama for beyond our shores who want to struggle his work toward an interim nuclear agree- for freedom and democracy ... and trying ment with Iran, the first diplomatic talks to uphold what is the essence of American between the two nations in 34 years. foreign policy: democratic policy. On the “Our first impulse has to be diplomacy, other hand, the U.S. has a history of [play- not the use of force,” Burns said. “We need ing] a role in the Middle East and Obama to exhaust the use of diplomacy.” need[s] to secure the security interests of With regard to the unfolding situation in the U.S.” Ukraine, Burns said that it would be irra- Burns cited the contrast of the U.S. tional for the U.S. to employ military force support of the Egyptian uprising in Cairo’s against Putin, especially because America Tahrir Square, but the lack of support of has no security commitment to Ukraine. the protesters in Bahrain’s Pearl Square, “It would be catastrophic — it would as an example. He explained that while it be a war of two nuclear powers,” he said. appears the U.S. is acting hypocritically “There will be not a military counterpunch in its support for democratic uprisings, it to Putin’s land grab in Crimea.” is in the country’s best interest due to the However, he suggested that economic complex conflict in the Middle East. sanctions would likely be employed and “Many people thought that it was a that Obama should not attend the G8 hopeful time for the Arab people,” Burns summit scheduled to take place in June said. “We need to keep that image because in Sochi. when you think about our time now, we’re “It’s time to expel Russia from the G8,” really looking at a burning Middle East — Burns said. “We can’t have a country there there’s really no way else to put it.” who is abusing sovereignty and territorial NICK PFOSI / THE TUFTS DAILY With the possible exception of Morocco integrity of the other countries.” Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns delivers EPIIC’s friday evening keynote address. Inside this issue Today’s sections ‘Non-Stop’ stars Liam ‘Adventure Time’ attracts News 1 Op-Ed 9 Neeson in an archetyp- young and old audiences al role but falls apart alike through creative Features 4 Comics 10 thanks to poor script. comedic style. Arts & Living 5 Classifieds 11 Editorial | Op-Ed 8 Sports Back see ARTS, page 5 see ARTS, page 5 2 THE TUFTS DAILY NEWS Monday, March 3, 2014 Saturday: ‘Vying for Influence: Iran and Saudi Arabia’ A four-person panel on he said. Saturday morning, “Vying According to Vaez, both Iran for Influence: Iran and Saudi and Saudi Arabia tend to make Arabia,” discussed ongoing ten- decisions based on their fear of sions between the two nations as the other nation. well as the conflict’s underlying “In the eyes of the Iranians, causes, which panel members the Saudis are facilitators and agreed were not sectarian but collaborators of the American geopolitical in nature. power in the region designed 2014 EPIIC Colloquium to, [in the] best case scenario, member Ayesha Forbes, a encircle Iran and weaken it, and, junior, moderated the discus- [in the] worst case scenario, top- sion between panelists includ- ple the regime,” Vaez said. “The ing Associate Professor in the same fear factor applies to the Department of Arabic Language Saudis. They believe that America and Culture at Peking University is leaving the region ... and is Wu Bingbing, International going to allow Iran [a] free hand Crisis Group Senior Analyst for to pursue its hegemonic plans in Iran Ali Vaez, Senior Associate the region.” in the Middle East Program at Wehrey argued next that the the Carnegie Endowment for central geopolitical triangle did International Peace Frederic not include Iraq, but rather the NICK PFOSI / THE TUFTS DAILY Bernardo León, Special Representative for the Southern Mediterranean Region of the European Union Wehrey and President of the United States.