Former politician gives guest lecture

When retired Indiana congressman Lee Hamilton was introduced before his lecture, "Reflections on American Foreign Policy," the audience was noticeably impressed by his former job titles and accolades. But even more than Hamilton's past congressional positions, the mentioning of his induction to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame caught the most attention.\n"No matter what I do, I'll never exceed being a member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame," Hamilton said. \nHamilton delivered two lectures concerning American foreign policy Wednesday at the Indiana Memorial Union State Room and the IU Law School. The Chancellor's Forum Lecture Series sponsored his lectures.\nIn Hamilton's 34 years as a U.S. congressman he served as the chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Select Committee on Intelligence and the Joint Economic Committee. Hamilton -- who noted several times during his lecture that he prefers to see himself as a "statesman" rather than a "politician" -- is currently the director of the Center on Congress, located in Bloomington and the director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.\nHamilton commenced his lecture by dissecting the factors that make the United States the most powerful country in the world. In addition to being the supreme power of the military, Hamilton said the United States established its role as the world power through economic and cultural means as well.\n"Teenagers in other countries listen to American pop music, they watch American movies, and they drink Coca-Cola," he said. "Our way of life has carried over into their countries." \nHamilton went on to discuss that despite the role the United States holds as the dominant world power, Americans live in a world of chaos due to the resentment with which many foreign nations hold toward America.\n"There is a paradox to America's power," he said. "Never before have we been more powerful, and yet never before have we felt more vulnerable to other countries."\nAt the heart of his lecture, Hamilton stressed the importance of supplying diplomatic and financial aid to other countries in order to solidify stronger foreign relations. While Hamilton does not oppose military involvement, he said militant force alone cannot prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.\nHamilton went on to say that the genius of America's involvement in previous wars rested within our willingness to create coalitions with other nations in support of clear and common goals.\n"In order to resolve conflict, our leadership has to include more than military coalitions," he said. "It must include diplomatic, economic and legal coalitions as well."\nDuring a brief question and answer session after the lecture, Hamilton expressed his deep disappointment in the lack of action Congress has taken in the war with Iraq. Hamilton said Congress neglected its power of approving a war declaration and instead let the important decision rest upon the shoulders of President Bush.\n"Congress during the war has been embarrassing," he said. "The week we went to war, Congress was debating abortion. Where was Iraq?" \nThe 100-member audience consisted of a mix of Bloomington residents and IU students. P.A. Mack Jr., a former member of the IU board of trustees, said he found Hamilton's lecture interesting and thought provoking.\n"I thought he was really informative and made some interesting points," Mack said. "I think he is especially correct in saying that (the United States) needs to be more generous in handing out aid to other countries." \nWhile Hamilton said Americans have the right to be concerned about terrorism and to militarily defend themselves in periods of conflict, he stressed that the United States must strive for more effective leadership and work toward becoming an optimistic world power.\n"We must become a power that is concerned about and seeks to promote peace and freedom," Hamilton said.