Last night, faculty members clashed over the topic of the United States as world arbiter.
The panel, sponsored by the Hillsdale College Student Veterans Association, consisted of Associate Professor of Politics John Grant, Associate Professor of Economics Charles Steele, and College Chaplain Peter Beckwith.
“It’s a fundamentally problematic issue,” president of the association senior Nathan Seither said. “What philosophy should animate us as a hegemonic power? When we look into recent events, we see some of the problems with that philosophy, namely ISIS. Yet, how have countries like Germany and Japan been successful?”
In a broader sense, the panel members considered the discussion an important way to gather perspectives.
“I always look forward to hearing how my colleagues in other departments approach things,” Steele said. “It’s a great way to learn.”
Grant said these kinds of discussions not only help the professors, but also the audience as well.
“I think panel discussions can be valuable because they give the audience the chance to hear a variety of informed perspectives on the same topic in one setting,” he said. “Ideally, this helps facilitate the pursuit of truth, which is the goal of any genuine liberal education.”
The central question of the panel came from discussions by the veterans at their monthly meeting, according to Mike Aavang, vice president of the association.
“We put it out there to the vets and we got a lot of good ideas,” he said. “Nate and I sat down and went through them all. We thought this particular topic had a lot of relevance to contemporary events. It felt like a fertile ground for discussion.”
Aavang also said this particular topic held importance for veterans of recent wars.
We have this whole generation of young veterans who are feeling disillusioned after the Iraq and Afghanistan wars because they saw all of the loss during the war and now it looks like it’s all for nothing,” he said. “Now, they’re wondering, ‘What the heck is going on here?’”
The discussion itself produced no major differences of opinion between the panel members, with all agreeing that America should not be a global arbiter. Each brought different perspectives on the issue, however.
“Maybe it’s not a good idea to let in people on a tourist visa to take one-way flying lessons,” Grant said, focusing on the particular problems that come with a porous border rather than intervening in foreign affairs.
“Take Japan and Germany. We obliterated those countries, and have sustained military operations within them for 70 plus years,” Beckwith said. “That’s not doable in every situation. Also, the use of combat for political purposes is a total failure. It failed in Vietnam, and it failed in Iraq and Afghanistan. When you go to war, let the warriors run it.”
Steele focused on the differences in societies and the institutions that arise from them.
“Do you really think that establishing the same formal institution in different societies will produce the same outcome? If you say no, then you agree with me. If you say yes, then I’ve got some nice tropical beachfront property in North Dakota to sell you.”
Aavang said the association plans to continue the panel discussions every semester. Aavang said he would like to see a greater connection between veterans and the college community.
“There’s a reason the college recruits veterans,” he said. “We’re extremely approachable, and we are more than happy to answer questions about the military or anything else. We want to be a resource for the college.”