On Tuesday, December 12, 2023, GraSPP hosted a lecture titled “History and Prospects of U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy” by Robert Zoellick, former President of the World Bank, former Deputy Secretary of State and U.S. Trade Representative.
Mr. Zoellick published a book titled America in the World: A History of U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy in 2020, and the Japanese version of his book appeared earlier this year. In this book, he argues that the quintessential nature of American diplomacy is its pragmatism, eschewing a dogma. Instead, he argues that there are five long-lasting “traditions” in American foreign policy: a North American focus, emphasis on trade and alliances, popular and Congressional support, and purposeful diplomacy. Drawing on his insights displayed in this book, he engaged in a dialogue with Ambassador Hisashi Owada, former President of the International Court of Justice, Professor Keisuke Iida, Dean of the Graduate School of Public Policy, and Professors Akio Takahara and Kaoru Iokibe of the Graduate Schools of Law and Politics to discuss American foreign policy from the perspectives of their respective fields of expertise with a focus on U.S.-Japan relations and the implications of the rise of China for the United States, Japan, and the rest of the world.
This event was the 92nd Public Policy Seminar co-sponsored by the Graduate School of Public Policy and the Iida Laboratory and was attended by about a hundred people.