EVALUATION OF U.S. SPEAKER KENNETH STEIN IN

UNCLAS ROME 001735

SIPDIS


SECSTATE FOR IIP/G/EUR (CSIEMONH); IIP/T/PS (JROSEPLATT,
MSCANLIN); EUR/PPD (TPICKREL, DWHITMAN); EUR/WE (MTECKACH-
BALL)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP PRC
SUBJECT: EVALUATION OF U.S. SPEAKER KENNETH STEIN IN
ITALY, TRACKER NUMBER 17700

THIS CABLE FULFILLS THE SIMPLIFIED IIP REPORTING
REQUIREMENTS FOR IIP-FUNDED U.S. SPEAKERS AS OUTLINED IN
SECSTATE 59878.


1. U.S. SPEAKER KENNETH STEIN (EMORY UNIVERSITY)
ADDRESSED KEY ITALIAN AUDIENCES IN MILAN, FLORENCE, ROME,
NAPLES, PALERMO, CATANIA, AND MESSINA ON THE TOPIC "U.S.
POLICY TOWARD THE MIDDLE EAST SINCE 9/11," MARCH 4-15,

2003. DR. STEIN, PROFESSOR OF MIDDLE EASTERN HISTORY AND
ISRAELI STUDIES AT EMORY UNIVERSITY SINCE 1977 AND FIRST
DIRECTOR OF THE CARTER CENTER IN ATLANTA, ENGAGED
SOMETIMES SKEPTICAL INTERLOCUTORS ON THE REASONS FOR AND
PURPOSE OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION'S IRAQ POLICY, PLACING
IT WITHIN THE BROAD CONTEXT OF U.S. FOREIGN POLICY IN THE
MIDDLE EAST SINCE THE END OF THE COLD WAR. THE PROGRAM
TOOK PLACE BEFORE THE MILITARY INTERVENTION IN IRAQ.


2. AUDIENCES INCLUDED JOURNALISTS, FOREIGN POLICY
EXPERTS, ITALIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, AS WELL AS
EUROPEAN AND ITALIAN ACADEMICS AND STUDENTS. DR. STEIN
PRESENTED A BALANCED, ARTICULATE, AND DETAILED ANALYSIS
OF U.S. POLICY TOWARDS IRAQ AND RESPONDED INCISIVELY TO
THE HARD QUESTIONS THAT EUROPEANS IN GENERAL ARE ASKING
ABOUT AMERICA'S MOTIVES AND INTENTIONS. HIS DIALOGUE WITH
ITALIAN AUDIENCES PROVIDED OPINION LEADERS AND POLICY
MAKERS WITH A DEEPER AND MORE SOPHISTICATED UNDERSTANDING
OF U.S. MIDDLE EAST POLICY. INTERVIEWS WITH DR. STEIN
APPEARED IN "CORRIERE DELLA SERA" OF MILAN, "IL MATTINO"
OF NAPLES, ""GIORNALE DI SICILIA" OF PALERMO, "LA
SICILIA" OF CATANIA, AND "GAZETTA DEL SUD" OF MESSINA.
DR. STEIN WAS ALSO INTERVIEWED IN ROME BY NATIONAL
ITALIAN RADIO (RAI). THE PROGRAM WAS FUNDED BY IIP AND
EMBASSY ROME WITH NO NON-USG OR IN-COUNTRY FINANCIAL
SUPPORT. VARIOUS ITALIAN INSTITUTIONS PROVIDED VENUES FOR
DR. STEIN'S PRESENTATIONS.


3. DR. STEIN'S VISIT, ORGANIZED JOINTLY BY PA ROME, PA
NAPLES/PALERMO, PA MILAN, AND CONGEN FLORENCE, FOCUSED ON
U.S. POLICY IN THE MIDDLE EAST, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO
IRAQ. THE PROGRAM ENGAGED A WIDE VARIETY OF ITALIAN
OPINION LEADERS AND POLICY MAKERS IN DIALOGUE ON THE
PRESSING ISSUE OF U.S. POLICY TOWARDS IRAQ. PROFESSOR
STEIN'S DETAILED KNOWLEDGE OF HIS SUBJECT WAS IMPRESSIVE.
HE PROVED TO BE AN EXCELLENT PRESENTER WHO SPOKE FLUENTLY
AND AT LENGTH WITHOUT NOTES. HE EASILY AND QUICKLY
TAILORED HIS PRESENTATION TO THE TIME AVAILABLE AND
SEEMED PARTICULARLY ENERGIZED IN FRONT OF AUDIENCES THAT
WERE SKEPTICAL AND EVEN HOSTILE TOWARDS USG MIDDLE EAST
POLICY. HE RAPIDLY DEVELOPED AN EXCELLENT RAPPORT WITH
THESE AUDIENCES AND PATIENTLY AND CLEARLY EXPLAINED THE
RATIONAL FOR U.S. POLICY. HE EFFECTIVELY DEMOLISHED
PATENTLY FALSE EXPLANATIONS OF U.S. PURPOSES (SUCH AS
THOSE THAT ATTEMPTED TO INTERPRET USG ACTIONS AS EFFORTS
TO SEIZE THE OIL RESOURCES OF IRAQ OR TO REDRAW THE MAP
OF THE MIDDLE EAST IN FAVOR OF ISRAEL) AND ARTICULATELY
LAID OUT THE TRUE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF U.S. POLICY (TO
ELIMINATE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION AND PREVENT THEM
FROM FALLING INTO THE HANDS OF TERRORISTS). HE WAS NOT
ALWAYS UNCRITICAL OF USG POLICY, BUT HE WAS FAIR AND EVEN-
HANDED IN HIS PRESENTATIONS. HE THUS WAS ABLE TO WIN THE
ATTENTION, RESPECT, AND UNDERSTANDING OF HIS AUDIENCES IN
A WAY THAT AN OFFICIAL USG SPOKESPERSON MIGHT NOT HAVE
BEEN ABLE TO DO.


4. AS A RESULT OF DR. STEIN'S PROGRAM, KEY ITALIAN
AUDIENCES GAINED CLEAR, BALANCED, AND ACCURATE KNOWLEDGE
OF USG POLICY OBJECTIVES IN THE MIDDLE EAST, PARTICULARLY
IN IRAQ. DR. STEIN ALSO DEMONSTRATED A WILLINGNESS TO
REMAIN IN TOUCH WITH KEY CONTACTS AFTER HIS RETURN TO THE
U.S. TWO ADDITIONAL KEY RESULTS FROM HIS SOUTHERN LEG
WERE HIS INVITATION FOR A PALERMO ACADEMIC TO PARTICIPATE
IN AN EMORY UNIVERSITY CONFERENCE (SHE SUBSEQUENTLY DID)
AND HIS OFFER TO WRITE MONTHLY ARTICLES ON MIDDLE EAST
ISSUES FOR PLACEMENT IN SOUTHERN ITALIAN NEWSPAPERS. WE
HAVE ALREADY PLACED THE FIRST COLUMN IN SICILY'S "LA
SICILIA" AND EXPECT TO RECEIVE AND PLACE OTHERS.


5. THE QUALITY OF IIP SUPPORT FOR THIS VERY SUCCESSFUL
PROGRAM WAS EXCELLENT. IIP'S JODY ROSE PLATT DID A SUPERB
JOB IN ORGANIZING AND MANAGING THIS LOGISTICALLY
COMPLICATED PROGRAM, WHICH BEGAN IN FRANCE AND CONTINUED
IN SEVEN ITALIAN CITIES. MS. PLATT'S COLLEAGUES IN ITALY
SALUTE HER AND THANK HER FOR AN OUTSTANDING AND HIGHLY
SUCCESSFUL EFFORT.
SEMBLER

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2003ROME01735 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED