Zicklin Lecturer’s New Book Addresses Pandemic From Diverse Perspectives

America in the World, a collection of essays by policymakers from various political points of view, is normally published annually by the Foreign Policy Association, the nation’s oldest organization dedicated to citizen education in international affairs.

But not in 2020.

This year, says Noel Lateef, co-editor, Foreign Policy Association president, and a Zicklin lecturer who uses the book in his courses, the FPA published a special COVID-19 version as well as the regular 2020 edition. As part of the FPA’s annual Great Decisions briefing book, America in the World is used on 1,100 college campuses as well as by local community groups to promote awareness of global issues that affect our lives and livelihoods.

The pandemic is so serious it warranted a special edition, Lateef notes. “Millions of Americans have worked with the Foreign Policy Association to seek a more profound understanding of global challenges; to gather the facts that must underpin effective policies,” he says. “The purpose bringing us together has not been to impose a particular view but to consider and weigh many views.”  Lateef sat down for a Q&A with Zicklin News.

Zicklin News: How do you use America in the World in your Zicklin undergraduate honors course?

Professor Lateef: I like to bring to my class many perspectives. I do this by introducing the students to a diverse array of business leaders and scholars in person and through what they have written. Twelve members of the Stanford faculty contributed essays to America in the World 2020, as did scholars from Harvard, Yale, Columbia and NYU. Many outstanding leaders from government, the private sector and the nonprofit sector contributed to this publication, as well.

I’ll be using the new edition in the spring semester in my Zicklin undergraduate honors course. Over 500 discussion groups across the U.S. are already using it and the feedback has been very positive. 

ZN: How is the COVID-19 edition of the book different?

Lateef: The pandemic has linked domestic policy with global affairs to a degree almost hitherto unimagined. Actions taken by the Trump Administration and governments around the world to close their borders, quarantine their populations, and shut down their economies have dramatically affected the global economy.

According to World Bank forecasts, global output will shrink by 5.2% in 2020. That would represent the deepest recession since the Second World War, with the largest percentage of economies experiencing declines in per capita output since 1870. The world will be dealing with the effects of the pandemic for years to come, yet it already has had widespread diplomatic impact, not least in worsening U.S.-China relations and engendering calls in various countries to reshape global supply chains. The contributors to the book addressed these issues from multi-disciplinary perspectives.   

ZN: What do you hope students will learn from reading this book?

Lateef:  A recurring theme in my course is where one stands depends on where one sits. One has to understand where “the other” is coming from to negotiate a deal, assess a problem, or offer realistic policy prescriptions.

ZN: America in the World seems to come from a globalist perspective that is growing more controversial on both the left and the right. Could you talk about that?

Lateef: In some circles the pendulum has swung in the direction of isolationism but we live in an interdependent world and preparing young people to be at home in the world has never counted for more. Business leaders cannot begin to navigate the global economy without understanding world events.

ZN: What do you think of the idea – not a new one – that America’s influence worldwide is in decline?

Lateef: Just two decades ago, George H. W. Bush and Brent Scowcroft wrote in their book, A World Transformed: “The United States is mostly perceived as benign, without territorial ambitions, uncomfortable with exercising our considerable power. Among our most valuable contributions will be to engender predictability and stability in international relations…”

Today, with the rise of China, Russia’s resurgence, the global digital revolution, and the COVID-19 pandemic, America’s unipolar moment is a receding memory. As Joseph Nye stresses in his essay in America and the World 2020, American leadership is not the same as hegemony. The United States has always relied on a network of multilayered partnerships with allies.

High idealism is America’s greatest export. We must always strive at home and abroad to confer meaning upon the values enshrined in the Constitution.

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