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NOTE: The following remarks were given at the opening session of the 2004 West Coast Model Arab League held on campus April 16-17, 2004. Consul General Elmazariki, honored speakers, faculty advisors -- and above all, delegates -- welcome to San Francisco State University. For the third consecutive year we are proud to host the West Coast Model Arab League, and for the third consecutive year, I am pleased to join you at the opening session to express my appreciation of this project and to applaud you for being here. In these three years, the Middle East has remained an area of great concern around the globe. It is painful to see that peace is still elusive, war a tragically-expanded reality –- a situation for which this nation must hold itself in part responsible. The headlines are by turns frustrating, heart-breaking and horrifying. All of which makes me even more pleased and hopeful to see so many of you here today. Looking out on this audience, I see several hundred bright and dedicated students who are immersing themselves in the study of this region and its richly varied nations. During these three days, you will bring scholarship to life, as you take on the identity of a delegate from an Arab League nation. We need more like you -– tens of thousands more –- people who are sensitive to and educated about political, social, cultural and military issues that can no longer be called affairs of "the Arab world." They are now vital matters to a large part of our global society. The United States is often –- and justly –- criticized for its parochialism, its lack of real knowledge and understanding of the world beyond our borders. That is particularly dangerous in a nation as powerful as ours, and as ready to use that power on a world stage. It is people like you here today who provide an antidote –- and an alternative. Perhaps your fresh minds can approach these terribly troubling times in new ways, offering insights and perspectives that are not well reflected in our copious media accounts –- or in Washington. And even more important, after you graduate, I hope that some of you will elect to make international affairs your life’s work. Looking over the remarks I delivered last year and the year before, I noticed that each year I have told the group that "you could not be engaging in this exercise at a more critical time." Sadly, I say that again today. The spread of terrorism, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and repeated frustration of a process that will lead to an independent Palestinian state and the painful present and fragile future of Iraq all lend weight and urgency to the work you are here to do. As always, though, your agenda for the next three days is far-ranging and positive, delving into issues far more positive than those that we see so prominently on the evening news. All of us in this room are living though a critical moment in history, and we must remain awake for it. "Awake" means more than demonstrations or marches; it means seeking ways to affect the political process more directly –- perhaps by rallying behind political candidates who share our views, or working in our communities to build understanding and support for the views we espouse –- or, as you are doing here, deepening your understanding of the needs, issues, and possible future of a part of the world that touches even us, thousands of miles away. You are awake, and perhaps you will be able to awaken others. Those of us who hope to mediate political differences and effect positive change, need to recognize the humanity of those we might be tempted to describe as "enemies" -- the humanity of all members of the world community –- and their status as individuals, not embodiments of evil. That is the spirit in which I hope you –- and your real-world counterparts –- can find a way to proceed. I hope that between now and Sunday afternoon you will live out your roles in a way that makes this Model Arab League gathering a sustaining and healing place, a microcosm of what we would like the world to be. May you have a rewarding and productive experience in your time here. Thank you. |
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