Famed adviser to speak on campus

Larry Diamond has traveled the world to teach, lecture and conduct research. And when Diamond comes to Bloomington, he will share what he has learned, especially from his stint in Iraq as senior adviser of the Coalition Provisional Authority, an organization -- now dissolved -- that multiple countries set up to help with the democratization of Iraq. \nAt 6 p.m. Wednesday in the Whittenberger Auditorium, Diamond will present "America's Quest to Promote Democracy: The Iraq Disaster and the Promise of India." Free and open to the public, his lecture will kick off "The State of India's Democracy: The Journal of Democracy Conference," a two-day event sponsored by the IU India Studies Program and the Journal of Democracy, a publication in Washington, D.C., of which Diamond is the founder and co-editor.\nSumit Ganguly, director of the IU India Studies Program, said the relationship between Iraq and India is tenuous. However, Diamond's expertise in democratic development and governance made him the perfect choice as keynote speaker for this event. \n"Larry Diamond is one of the world's greatest authorities on democracy-building, and he has an ongoing interest in Indian democracy," Ganguly said. "Even if this was a conference on Nigeria, people would think of inviting him. He is one of these intellectuals whose work transcends the globe."\nGanguly said he expects Diamond to talk about the content of his latest best-selling book, "Squandered Victory: The American Occupation and the Bungled Effort to Bring Democracy to Iraq". Appointed in late 2003 to the CPA by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Diamond oversaw the attempted transition to an Iraqi democracy but returned to the United States disillusioned and critical of the American effort to rebuild Iraq. \n"I consider this quite a coup to get Larry here since he is in such high demand," Ganguly said. "His life is being pulled in every possible direction because of the sheer significance of his work, both as an academic and as someone who was recently a policy-maker in a highly sensitive position."\nAlthough his area of expertise is not in Middle Eastern affairs, Brian Shoup, who received his Ph.D. in political science from IU last year, said he is very interested in the topic of democratization in the Middle East.\n"First and foremost, this is the biggest foreign policy topic that is addressing people today," Shoup said. He added that many IU students will become business or political leaders and said he thinks it is incumbent upon them to have this knowledge.\nThe fact that Diamond is both a primary source and a renowned scholar makes this a unique opportunity for students to gain insight into an issue that is not always clearly explained.\n"We hear about a lot of stuff on the news, but we don't have a good understanding as to why these things are going on -- in terms of why it's so difficult for groups to get along -- and he can provide insight into those issues in a pretty accessible manner ... The guy has been on 'The Daily Show' a couple times, (so) he can play to a pretty wide audience," Shoup said.\nGanguly echoed this sentiment, calling Diamond a highly engaging speaker. He also encouraged all concerned U.S. citizens to read Diamond's book but said if they can't, attending Diamond's lecture is a great opportunity to learn about what Diamond considers one of the most critical political issues facing our country at this time.\n"People should literally flock to Whittenberger," he said. "This is one of the great joys of being at a major \nuniversity"