Clinton on the world stage

...the changing nature of danger issues, moved the theoretical conviction confront, and his proposals to restructure in the world and consequently the need to about linkage to a new level of importance...

...there were several policy, but he has resisted isolationist ten- risk of new threats from the former Soviet sound reasons for this strategy-the pres- dencies within and outside his own party, republics...

...JANICE BROUN World War 11 by Enver Hoxha, has come to life again...

...and what is claimed for him by Christians ical approach to the story of Jesus, which These discoveries-entirely modern, tois that he was God's Son, one with God, would rather see resurrection as a tally historical-are important to biblical so that in seeing him we see the God who metaphor for any kind of desired recov- understanding...

...In Albania itself likely to intervene...

...The national security team that Clinton named is well known to policy specialists, but relatively unknown to the general public...

...That is the notion that Jews, agnostics-the one who existed his- seemed to know-would be better served we will know more about what really torically, apart from the claims made about by a deistic, Enlightenment-style Jesus, matters most about Jesus when we learn him, by himself (maybe or maybe not), by the moralistically inclined gentleman of more facts...

...mas Jefferson was among those who made we know more about the world in which To want to know more about this per- Jesus relevant by removing from the he lived, and the social and religious son historically is only natural for people Gospels anything which made Thomas framework within which he worked...

...The Islamic community council sev- beyond its control...

...response: first, a willingness to use muldomestic social policy, and quite untest- A refreshing aspect of Clinton's few for- tilateral institutions more extensively, with ed in the larger issues of foreign and de- eign policy speeches was his willingness U.S...

...and the personnel chosen for taking shape...

...In spite of his lack of foreign-policy background, it is likely that Clinton himself will provide the direction for policy, if not 6: 29 January 1993 Commonweal its detailed articulation...

...Another is that such archaeological There is an understandable fascination ers are encouraged to hope for...

...Aspin the cold war debate, but fit the world things are clear: the lineaments of a difhas systematically developed a view emerging from the double change of ferent international order are already with about reducing and restructuring the U.S...

...Warren Christopher, Les Aspin, Anthony Lake, Madeleine Albright, and Jim Woolsey have impressive executiveand legislative-branch experience...

...While the and Albania and bring the total of unwanted European refugees new Macedonian constitution recognizes as citizens only peo- to nearly 5 million...

...The Janice Broun, formerly Eastern European correspondentfor organization is demanding the return of Kosovo and jeo- News Network International, writes frequently on the Balkans pardizing the Albanian government's attempts to prevent a for Commonweal...

...Rational dialogue ness...

...the national security team...

...Today both the pressure of events and the power of ideas have eroded the status of sovereignty and noninhe presidential campaign the collapse of the Soviet Union and the tervention...

...In November four people The Macedonian government feels itself the victim of forces died in riots in Skopje...

...Here duce American and civilian casualties...

...These events are un- sovereignty will be challenged by extereign policy debate...

...of Bill Clinton, both the nation and the significant level of change at work in the This double dimension of change-in world know less about his approach to for- life of states and nations...

...If there is a major Balkan war, the EC must the militantly anti-Communist Balli Kombetar, crushed during bear much of the blame...

...Why bother yourself with this...

...U.S...

...world politics, but they should be seen in with both the logic of interdependence and Hence, as we approach the inauguration tandem with a less dramatic but no less claims of self-determination...

...Greece's NATO troops, at the ready along ple who have lived in the republic for fifteen years, thousands its mountainous northern border to repel a fictive Macedonmore refugees are now arriving in Macedonia: Albanians flee- ian invasion, will keep refugees out and might slice off Epirus, ing grinding poverty in adjacent Albania or oppression in southern Albania...

...and a taltional change in light of an understand- every secretary of state needs: the abid- ented core of people has been assembled ing of strategic changes in the world...

...larity versus a return to multipolarity ver- The changing structure of power, for exWhen he did speak about foreign pol- sus some more complex configuration ample, has radically diminished the threat icy, Clinton began with the recognition that (military bipolarity plus economic tripo- of nuclear war...

...economic problems and social ment was Clinton's support for democra- and the need to pursue tactics which "repolicy, but it would be unfair to describe cy as a U.S...

...Should ered relations with the Macedonian Orthodox church follow- this happen, 2 million Albanians could spill over into Macedonia ing the erection of crosses in mainly Muslim towns...

...The "historical Jesus" is the one we among other things, to make the gospel tion to at least some of the emphasis on can all try to agree about-Christians, comprehensible to Indians, who-he the historical Jesus...

...The deeper changes must challenges the U.S...

...and they would require a more complex Increasing interdependence will heighten His argument for linkage of these two do- matrix for pursuing the moral arguments, the role of economic policy as a compo- mains was that some issues, like trade, but the potential for doing so is evident both nent of foreign policy...

...great deal more of an intellectual and administration, but it certainly looks like If Clinton stays at the center, my guess moral framework for strategy and poli- his assessment of what is proposed and is that the intellectual framework for pol- cy than newspaper accounts have so far his careful judgment of how to proceed icy debate will be set by Aspin and Lake...

...We know more about Jesus, is, the Father who sent the Son and sends ery, or any form of enlightenment...

...He did this, But there is a most reasonable objectury...

...Throughout the campaign he one deducts the normal use of campaign eign policy issues quickly become an as- showed a clear awareness that a post-cold speeches to criticize one's opponent, three pect of domestic politics) is not original, war world meant an era of different danthemes can be discerned in the Clinton per- but the emphasis Clinton gave to it, and gers, not a transition to a world without spective: the role of foreign policy...

...Christians in Prilep Other powers should not stand idly by...

...case...

...No single mem- kind of overreaching policy position of team...

...could not be treated as purely foreign or in the Clinton speeches and in some perHow will the Clinton administration re- domestic, and that the strength of the sonnel choices he has already made...

...these two ideas have served, not without criticism, as the basic principles of international relations for over three centuries...

...You ac- shrine, can shift the ways in which we read cific time-"under Pontius Pilate," as the cept it or you deny it...

...The two key CLINTON ON THE WORLD STAGE ideas at stake here are sovereignty and nonSOME CLUES TO HIS PERSPECTIVE intervention...

...the perspectives bipolarity there is a vigorous, unsettled de- be understood and accounted for in polion foreign policy formed in the Clinton bate about the pattern of power which is cy planning, but most policies will address campaign...

...Beyond of the cold war...

...to protect its Muslims...

...may increase the likelihood of nuclear profairs...

...This "either/or" is the Gospel, and should: here we have a Nicene Creed makes a point of saying- not congenial to a certain sort of allegor- rabbi working a cure in a pagan place...

...But the end of the cold war change is the order of the day in world af- larity and political multipolarity...

...and the growing intensity of ic issues, while his accomplishments lay novation-conceptually and organiza- ethnic, fundamentalist, and separatist viin the international arena...

...torical detail reads back a very modem conCommonweal 29 January 1993: 7...

...the lic showed little interest and expressions of the altered landscape of old idea of state sovereignty clashes today the candidates obliged them...

...foreign policy objective...

...talents to policy formulation, but not of policy which were at the margins of All this is still speculative, but some clashing conceptions of the world...

...faces...

...Bulgaria, Macedonia's other neighbor, would whether from Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, the Serbian probably try to avoid involvement...

...His choice of people to fill out mestic policy, Clinton argued that the guments across the spectrum of policy the vision provides some insight of what to expect from a Clinton foreign policy...

...forces (essentially relying on ideas restructure the U.S...

...the spread of weapons of mass ident was clearly vulnerable on econom- and he has established a foundation for in- destruction...

...a distinctive view of the role of formilitary, but he has proposed organiza- Warren Christopher obviously has what eign policy has been articulated...

...In both his description of the millationship of moral values and political in fact, cuts across foreign and domestic itary challenges the United States must interests...

...A second dimension of change-deeper and more elusive than the polarities of power-involves J. Bryan Hehir changing conceptions of the basic principles of international order...

...Because of their different backgrounds and (somewhat) different views, there is no single theme which will easily describe them...

...us...

...it, through a real resurrection his follow- sumed...

...There is no way around this...

...He usually attributed the change to These speculations are fascinating, but liferation...

...Tho- and how to read the New Testament, when the Spirit to us...

...All of this could account for to relate moral values to issues of power nal restructuring of U.S...

...and the need for interfense policy...

...described...

...The bipolar order It is the background for more concrete isClinton administration will follow there which stood at the heart of the cold-war sues which signal and exemplify the end are three resources available: the global conflict has been swept away...

...WORLD WATCH they remain focused upon the distribution of power in the world...

...Clinton, by ex- tionally-for relating domestic and foreign olence...

...The the future function of military force-the ship of domestic and foreign policy...

...structure and substance outlined above...

...There has been a renewal of generations of Christians (certainly...

...In trying to assess the direction a of power in the world...

...Its greatest fear is war in Kosovo...

...One is interest in the "historical tinction has been made between the Jesus that research into the Dead Sea Scrolls and Jesus" recently, much of it of history and the Christ of faith...

...Kosovo, and Slav Muslims fleeing Bosnia...

...Christopher may not generate the ber of the security group stands out as the a Kissinger or a Brzezinski, but with a conceptual themes within the Clinton defining figure...

...Clinton's basic perspective can fairly be of Sam Nunn and Les Aspin), Clinton put Bill Clinton ran against George Bush described as giving priority to domestic the spotlight on the right questions: "the on domestic policy...

...John, for example, is not nearThe Life of a Mediterranean Jewish reign by enduring death and overcoming ly so Hellenistic as many scholars had asPeasant (HarperSan Francisco, 1991...

...That could bring it into a collision course Extremist, potentially violent Albanian irridentism is spread- with Serbia, fellow NATO power Greece, and even, if Yeltsin ing, demanding the unification of all Balkan Albanians- fell, Russia...

...spond...

...He then sketched two lines of perience and interest, was well versed in affairs...

...The substantive questions go to address ethnic conflict, human rights required that foreign and domestic poli- beyond democracy as a policy objective, abuses, and the threat of proliferation...

...A review of his campaign speech- American economy was in fact a precon- Before getting to the personnel queses reveals a perspective on foreign policy, dition for an effective foreign policy...

...the Judaism that was current at the time centered around the publi- People are threatened on both sides of of Jesus has revealed a much less monocation of John P. Meir's A this...

...the re- his creation of an "economic group" which, danger...

...The emphasis on factual hishis first followers (probably), by later Galilee...

...community is split between accepting the cabinet representa- clash with Serbia, being only too aware of its own military weaktion and boycotting participation in politics...

...Lake has thought clearly and will carry great weight with an activist They bring different interests and different creatively about several of the problems president...

...In the 1990s and beyond, was strikingly devoid of for- end of the cold war...

...While more interesting possibility is that the Clinton campaign exhibited promising criticizing Bush's separation of these two Clinton foreign policy team would be will- ideas and interests, but not a developed polrealms and the consequent neglect of do- ing to engage the values-power-interest ar- icy vision...

...forces, stressing the priority which Clinton promised to give and interest...

...If this is discoveries as the probability that the pool with the question: it is central to Christian true it changes the way our accustomed at Bethsaida at which Jesus cured a parateaching that a particular person, Jesus of world of life and death must be regard- lytic was a pagan, not a Jewish, healing Nazareth, was born and was killed at a spe- ed...

...A dis- There are several good reasons...

...is giving way to heated accusations...

...The analysts debate unipo- specific choices...

...this alters some of the ways Jesus (Doubleday, 1991), and John ly troubled: they can't stand the Christian in which we have to read Paul and the Dominic Crossan's The Historical Jesus: claim that someone has ended death's Gospels...

...The end of the both power and principles-is seldom adeign policy than would normally be the cold war yielded a change in the structure dressed directly in foreign-policy planning...

...The focal point of the argu- mobility, technological sophistication, to U.S...

...The people who have problems with lithic Judaism than had been traditionalMarginal Jew: Rethinking the Historical the Christ of faith are the more obvious- ly supposed...

...cy be seen as two sides of the same coin...

...The United States now looks Sandjack region, or Albania-into one state...

...they also embody a Clinton campaign theme of seeking to draw together different sectors of the Democratic party...

...We have been given "the Christ of faith" by an ongoing, THE CHRIST OF FAITH living tradition, whereas "the Christ of hisTHIS IS NOT A HISTORY QUIZ tory" is a secular concern, a worry for those who have rejected the belief in a presently living Christ from the start...

...the pub- doubtedly the most visible and concrete nal forces and by internal eruptions...

...again, neither the theme of pressing demo- In all these areas-the role of foreign During the campaign, Clinton set forth an cratic change nor the arguments made to policy, the ethical foundation of policy, and argument in principle about the relation- support it were original with Clinton...

...his position in these purely tactical terms...

...Lake ing trust of the president and the respect to fashion a policy for a changed and comes to the White House without the of the other key players on the security changing world...

...who live at the end of the twentieth cen- Jefferson uncomfortable...

...Turkey, the most stathreatened a blockade to prevent Bosnian Muslims from set- bilizing power in the Balkans, is ready to intervene militarily tling locally...

...If Highlighting the "linkage factor" (how for- tention...

...D OF SEVERAL MINDS John Garvey But there are believers who have a problem with the concern of those who care about the Jesus of history...

...tions, a final Clinton theme requires atbut not a detailed position on policies...

...The dissatisfaction with older Commonweal 29 January 1993: 5 ideas about sovereignty will create pres- growing interdependence of the world choices on security, economic, and humansures for multiple forms of intervention and the rising saliency of economic issues rights issues...