Two
GSPIA faculty members comment on whether President
Bush's State of the Union Address can fill political
and policy gaps.
Michael
Brenner, says, "President Bush's
Iraq quandary is only one part of a larger Middle
East challenge with profound implications for American
interests." The areas of concern include: Iraq 's
nuclear ambitions, a sharpening Sunni-Shiite split
across the region, a deadlocked Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, Lebanon 's descent into disorder, and the
strengthening of bitter anti-American sentiment. "Bush's
grand strategy saw success in Iraq as a way to cut
the Gordian knot--paving the way for resolution of
all these issues at one fell swoop," Brenner says.
"Therefore, our setback in Iraq (a condition that
is irretrievable under any reasonable scenario) jeopardizes
our stake in all those other conflicts," he adds.
"Now, the President must explain how the United States
can remedy the damage, since our all-or-nothing bet
on Iraq has been lost." Brenner's areas of research
include American foreign policy, international relations
theory, international political economy, and national
security; he is affiliated with the Center for Transatlantic
Relations in Washington , D.C.
Susan
Hansen, professor of political
science with joint appointments in Pitt's Program
in Women's Studies and Graduate School of Public and
International Affairs, says, "The big question is,
can Bush do what Clinton did in 1997, seizing control
of the agenda and public opinion despite facing a
hostile Congress?" Hansen has expertise in American
politics, economic policy, taxation, state and local
politics, and women and politics, including state
policies affecting women and the impact of women in
public office. She has written numerous articles in
academic journals, among them State and Local
Government Review, Journal of Politics, and Journal
of Peace and Change . A forthcoming book,
The Low-Wage Strategy for State Economic Development
(Georgetown University Press), analyzes
the impact of economic policy choices and labor regulations
on adaptation to globalization in the 50 states since
1970.
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