Barnett is getting the notice he deserves. This will give him an enormous jump in prestige.
The Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Memorial Lectureship in National Security Affairs
¦[subject header]"Nimitz Lecture, Berkeley," an email from Thomas G. Barnes, D.Phil., Professor of History & Law, Chair, Military Officers Education Committee, University of California at Berkeley, 22 September 2004.
This one came out of the blue to me. Never heard of the lectureship before, but knew of ones like it. Frankly, I was a bit flabbergasted to find out it was based at Berkeley, a response I imagine Dr. Barnes gets almost every year.
This is how he pitched it to me:
Dear Professor Barnett,
Usually, as has been my wont over the past fifteen years, I extend this invitation on a proper letterhead, so my apologies at the outset for my technological cutting-edge bad-mannered missive! But the Nimitz Lecture Committee (which is also the Military Officers Education Committee responsible for oversight of the ROTC programs on campus) either follows the old army rule of hurry-and-wait, or its flip side, do-it-yesterday. And we are late in inviting you to give the next annual Nimitz Memorial Lectures on National Security Affairs in the Spring semester 2005.
The Lectureship is an annual affair, bringing to Berkeley a distinguished scholar, soldier or sailor, diplomat, strategist, or official for a series of lectures on specific national security subjects or strategic matters generally. While so far we have been heavily weighted with military figures (five admirals USN ret., four generals and one colonel USA ret., two generals USMC ret.) along with two former service-secretaries (Navy and Air Force respectively), one Congressman, and five academics, that is not an unseemly emphasis given the honoree and his contribution to American defense and strategy. Moreover, this is not a “peace and conciliation” endowment, more concerned with plowshares than with swords. There are plenty of those about, “soft” strategy enterprises which, while admirable, demand the balance of “hard” strategy. Even if Berkeley seems a strange venue for such a concern.
The Committee was tremendously impressed by The Pentagon's New Map: War and Peace in the Twenty-First Century. I also watched you on C-Span, and I confess to remaining absolutely riveted during it. During the past few years those of us here with an interest in the subject have "felt around" strategic topics, learned much, but continue to lack an overarching view of where the military should go in the face of present perils and future threats. The Committee thinks you will be able to supply needed direction …
The rest of the email detailed the two big lectures required, plus a host of other meetings, dinners, sitting in with students at various venues, etc. In short, a pretty cool package from a fabulous university I've long admired, and who doesn't want to go to northern California in spring!
Plus, frankly, I'm a sucker for charmingly-written invitations, which gets me in trouble sometimes in terms of scheduling . . .
So I happily accepted the offer on the spot, replying almost instantly (the nice honorarium helped, I must confess, cause it ain't just daddy who needs a new pair of shoes now and then!). But frankly, it would have been hard to turn down even if all it came with was a lifetime membership in the ACLU (don't worry, my wife pays enough for two). Why? Just check out the list of past recipients (pulled off their site:
THE NIMITZ MEMORIAL LECTURESHIP IN NATIONAL SECURITY AFFAIRS
The following is a list of the distinguished military and civilian leaders who have spoken at previous Nimitz Lectureships since its inception.
1985 - Dr. Sam Huntington
1986 - Admiral Bobby Inman
1987 - Dr. Ed Luttwak
1988 - Dr. Hans Mark
1989 - Admiral Elmo Zumwalt
1990 - Admiral Thomas Moorer
1991 - Dr. John Lehman
1992 - General Fred Woerner
1993 - General John Galvin
1994 - Lieutenant General Bernard Trainor
1995 - The Honorable Tom Lantos
1996 - Colonel Harry Summers
1997 - Admiral Leighton Smith
1998 - Dr. Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Ph.D.
1999 - Lieutenant General Robert J. Gard, Jr., USA (Ret)
2000 - Admiral Charles Larson
2001 - General Anthony C. Zinni, USMC (Ret.)
2002 - Dr. Albert C. Pierce, Ph.D.
2003 - Mr. Max Boot
2004 - Major General Robert H. Scales, Jr. (Ret)
I will confess that I'm a little intimidated by the list (two of my former profs at Harvard—Nye even sat on my dissertation board), but since last year's recipient openly refers to my ideas as "crazy," I guess I'll fit in at Berkeley.
Here's the what the official site says about the lectureship:
The Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Memorial Lectureship annually brings to the University of California at Berkeley a distinguished scholar, professional military person or government official for a series of lectures on specific national security subjects. It provides a better and fuller understanding and awareness of national security concerns in the light of geopolitical balance, world economics, advanced technology, and other critical factors. Past guest lecturers have been Dr. Sam Huntington, Admiral Bobby Inman, Dr. Ed Luttwak, Dr. Hans Mark, Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt, Jr., Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, Dr. John F. Lehman, Jr., General Fred F. Woerner, General John R. Galvin, and Lt. General Bernard E. Trainor. The Lectureship series is normally held during the month of March. This time is filled with lectures, discussion groups and social functions, providing numerous opportunities for the lecturer to meet with students, midshipmen, and faculty as well as the public at large.
The Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Memorial Lecturship was established in 1983 to enhance the spirit of collegiality and sense of community to the University through the multi-disciplinary subject matter of national security affairs. An endowment has been set up through the support of the friends of the University, the Navy, and the general public to ensure continuation and growth of the Nimitz Lectureship, and establish a tradition of commitment toward the study of the political-strategic problems which our nation confronts in the contemporary world. The lectures commenced in 1985, and have covered a wide range of topics and subject matter from many different view points. Topics covered have included: "Strategic Considerations in Planning for the Twenty-First Century", "The Role of the Military in National Policy", "An Appraisal of the U.S. National Security Apparatus", "Economy and Military Security", "The Paradoxical Logic of Strategy", and "The Future of NATO".
The Nimitz Lectures provide the University community a tremendous academic experience, but that experience is not only limited to the Berkeley campus. The lectures are open to the public and free of charge. Additionally, the lectures are published to serve the worldwide academic community concerned with national and international affairs.
Again, hard to turn down, especially since my second "lecture" is already in the works.
But what I really like about this very nice honor is that it suggests pretty strongly that PNM is reaching a wide audience, which is why it's so important that I work hard on A Future Worth Creating to broaden that audience even further with an even more hopeful and forward-looking vision. |
