America and the World: A History of U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy

Speakers: Hon. Robert Zoellick (Former World Bank President; US Trade Representative; and Deputy Secretary, Undersecretary, and Counselor to the US Department of State); with moderator Gen (Ret.) David Petraeus (Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency; Commander of the International Security Assistance Force; Commander, US Forces – Afghanistan; Commander, US Central Command; and Commanding General, Multi-National Force – Iraq)

Date: 15 October 2020

Speaker Session Summary

SMA hosted a conversation as a part of its SMA INSS/PRISM Speaker Series, featuring Hon. Robert Zoellick (Former World Bank President; US Trade Representative; and Deputy Secretary, Undersecretary, and Counselor to the US Department of State) and moderator Gen (Ret.) David Petraeus (Former Director of the Central Intelligence Agency; Commander of the International Security Assistance Force; Commander, US Forces – Afghanistan; Commander, US Central Command; and Commanding General, Multi-National Force – Iraq).

Mr. Zoellick began by discussing the overall message of his recently published book. The book stresses the importance of studying the history of US diplomacy and foreign policy in order to make better decisions in the future. He argued that there should be an emphasis on pragmatism to strategically determine the best ways to design and implement policies and also emphasized the importance of incorporating both strategic and tactical components into operational perspectives. Gen Petraeus agreed with these points and stressed the criticality of studying history in order to prepare for the future. Mr. Zoellick then pointed out that even small gestures can influence great people and events, emphasizing that they are important tools in effective diplomacy and leadership.

In his book, Mr. Zoellick uses a variety of important historical figures, such as Benjamin Franklin and Elihu Root, and events, such as the Revolutionary War and Civil War, in order to discern patterns that are useful in looking at future diplomacy and foreign policy. For example, he discussed how Alexander Hamilton was a key actor with a strategic outlook for the US and how critical that proved to be for American diplomacy. Mr. Zoellick drew historical context from numerous chapters in his book throughout the conversation, identifying scenarios and choices made in the past that he believes can influence present-day issues, such as arms control.

Gen Petraeus then stressed the importance of rebuilding the relationship between the government and technology firms (within Silicon Valley, in particular). He emphasized that large technology firms that are not interested in helping the US government, or more specifically, the Department of Defense, are not conducive to the government’s interests. This relationship used to be spectacular; however, it became quickly undermined by the revelations propagated by Edward Snowden, Gen Petraeus explained.

Mr. Zoellick then spoke about Lyndon B. Johnson and how to learn from defeat. He identified the various areas in which Johnson failed with respect to the Vietnam War, in particular. The first factor was the failure to recognize the power of recent history, or the failure to look at both the Korean War and World War II. In a crisis, it is critical to use past instances to pose and analyze new questions thoroughly, he stated. The second factor Mr. Zoellick identified was credibility. Credibility for nations is similar to reputations of individuals. Furthermore, presidential experience in the study of psychology can prove to be a useful tool in influencing others through policymaking. America’s faith in its military power is also a crucial factor—will the military start to become an overused general purpose tool, for example? In the case of Vietnam, this was a controversial issue. Combining military power with diplomacy is another important aspect of learning from defeat, Mr. Zoellick explained. They are not distinct. In other words, military power can have a deterrent effect without always requiring a nation to be on the offense. The last factor Mr. Zoellick presented was the failure of advisors. Presidential teams are significant from diplomacy and foreign policy perspectives. Johnson lacked a strong advisory team, and this ultimately led to a lack of thorough recommendations and assistance to the president. Gen Petraeus expanded on this point, offering personal anecdotes from his time in the government and highlighting the importance of providing presidents honest opinions and strategic thought.

Speaker Session Recording

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Briefing Materials

Biographies:

Robert B. Zoellick is Senior Advisor at Brunswick Group Geopolitical, an advisory service of Brunswick Group, and an Adjunct Professor and Senior Fellow at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Zoellick was the President of the World Bank Group from 2007-12, U.S. Trade Representative from 2001 to 2005, and Deputy Secretary of State from 2005 to 2006. From 1985 to 1993, Zoellick served as Counselor to the Secretary of the Treasury and Under Secretary of State, as well as White House Deputy Chief of Staff. He published, “America in the World : A History of US Diplomacy and Foreign Policy” in August 2020. 

Zoellick is a recipient of the Distinguished Service Award, the Department of State’s highest honor, the Alexander Hamilton Award of the Department of the Treasury, and the Medal for Distinguished Public Service of the Department of Defense. The German government awarded him the Knight Commander’s Cross for his achievements in the course of German unification. The Mexican and Chilean governments gave him their highest honors for non-citizens, the Aztec Eagle and the Order of Merit, for recognition of his work on free trade, development, and the environment. The Colombian government presented him with the Grand Cross (https://www.brunswickgroup.com/robert-zoellick-i6777/).

General David H. Petraeus (US Army, Ret.) is a Partner with the global investment firm KKR and Chairman of the KKR Global Institute, which he established in May 2013.  He is also a member of the boards of directors of Optiv and FirstStream, a venture investor in more than 15 startups, and engaged in a variety of academic endeavors.  

Prior to joining KKR, General Petraeus served over 37 years in the U.S. military, culminating his career with six consecutive commands, five of which were in combat, including command of coalition forces in Iraq during the Surge, command of U.S. Central Command, and command of coalition forces in Afghanistan.  

Following retirement from the military and after Senate confirmation by a vote of 94-0, he served as Director of the CIA during a period of significant achievements in the global war on terror, the establishment of important Agency digital initiatives, and significant investments in the Agency’s most important asset, its human capital. 

General Petraeus graduated with distinction from the U.S. Military Academy, and he is the only person in Army history to be the top graduate of both the demanding U.S. Army Ranger School course and the U.S. Army’s Command and General Staff College course.  He also earned a Ph.D. from Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs.  General Petraeus taught international relations and economics at the U.S. Military Academy in the mid-1980s, he was a Visiting Professor of Public Policy at the Honors College of the City University of New York from 2013 through 2016, and he was for 6 years a Judge Widney Professor at the University of Southern California and a Senior Fellow at Harvard University’s Belfer Center. 

He is currently a Visiting Fellow at Yale University’s Jackson Insitute, Co-Chairman of the Global Advisory Council of the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, Senior Vice President of the Royal United Services Institute, and a Member of the Trilateral Commission, as well as a member of the boards of the Atlantic Council, the Institute for the Study of War, and over a dozen veterans service organizations. 

Over the past 15 years, General Petraeus was named one of America’s 25 Best Leaders by U.S. News and World Report, a runner-up for Time magazine’s Person of the Year, the Daily Telegraph man of the year, a Time 100 selectee, Princeton University’s Madison Medalist, and one of Foreign Policy magazine’s top 100 public intellectuals in three different years.

General Petraeus has earned numerous honors, awards, and decorations, including four Defense Distinguished Service Medals, the Bronze Star Medal for Valor, two NATO Meritorious Service Medals, the Combat Action Badge, the Ranger Tab, and Master Parachutist and Air Assault Badges.  He has also been decorated by 13 foreign countries and is believed to be the only person who, while in uniform, threw out the first pitch of a World Series game and did the coin toss at a Super Bowl.

The SMA INSS/PRISM Speaker Series description and list of the other sessions in this series can be downloaded here.