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Former U.S. President George H.W. Bush Speaks at Tufts University
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Not even the bitter cold and a long line could deter thousands of
students, faculty, and guests from filing into the Gantcher Family
Sports and Convocation Center to hear former U.S. President George
H.W. Bush deliver the annual Issam M. Fares Lecture at Tufts
University. With the U.S. inching closer to war with Iraq, and anxiety at Tufts and across the country growing over the prospect of war, it was fitting that former president Bush gave a talk on his perspective about events unfolding in the Middle East. After all, it was Mr. Bush who initiated the 1991 Gulf War in which a coalition of nations led by the U.S. quickly expelled Iraq from Kuwait. Mr. Bush took to the podium before a standing ovation. Smiling often, he spoke for 30 minutes, offering an optimistic view of the Middle East. Not surprisingly, his lecture was interrupted a few times by anti-war protestors. When Mr. Bush stated that the Gulf War was fought to liberate Kuwait and not about securing oil, one lone voice shouted that Bush was a “liar.” The interruptions, however, did not faze the former president. He quickly disarmed the protestors with his wit and used the interruptions as opportunities to insert personal vignettes into the lecture.
He spoke of the “endless cycle of violence” and “heartbreaking suffering” that afflicts the Middle East. But declared that the twenty-first century holds the promise of peace. He referred to the Madrid Peace Conference as a profound experience in his life and proof that “hope can surmount hate in the Middle East.” Recalling the 1991 Gulf War, Mr. Bush defended his decision not to advance into Baghdad and oust dictator Saddam Hussein. Such an action, Mr. Bush stated, would have destabilized the “neighborhood” and risked derailing the peace process. He cited the Oslo Accords and the Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty as direct outcomes of America’s decision not to invade Baghdad. Shifting to the topic of Iraq, Mr. Bush declared that Saddam Hussein, yet again, “has crossed another line.” He labeled Hussein’s quest for weapons of mass destruction as “insane” and stated that America’s only goal in Iraq is disarmament as stipulated by UN resolutions. He added further that the U.S. seeks to protect the American people and our allies from the nuclear threat posed by Hussein’s regime. Mr. Bush emphasized that the U.S. does not have imperial ambitions in the Middle East. “Our goal is not regional hegemony,” he said. The former president strongly supported the hard line posture taken by the current administration toward Hussein, proclaiming that if the U.S. invades Iraq, war would be just. According to Mr. Bush, an urgent task facing the Bush administration, a task that becomes more critical as U.S. forces swell in preparation for an invasion, is to state clearly that the U.S. is not waging a war on Islam or Arab culture. He spoke of the need to bridge the gap of misunderstanding between West and East and called on Americans to reject the misinformed stereotypes of Arabs propagated by the media. Tolerance, Mr. Bush argued, is key to forging a common civilization characterized by peace, hope, diversity, and life without fear. Mr. Bush closed his lecture by sharing a personal and proud moment from his life: the election victories of his two sons, Jeb and George, in the races for governor in Florida and Texas. Mr. Bush rented a private jet to celebrate Jeb’s victory in Florida. Thousands of feet in the air, with the lights of Houston flickering in the distance, Bush turned to his wife Barbara and said, “This is the happiest day in my life.” But Barbara caught him and replied, “What about our wedding day?” Quickly realizing his mistake, this former leader of the free world corrected himself: “I mean, it is the second happiest day of my life.” The audience in Gantcher burst into laughter. On that humorous note, Mr. Bush urged the students in attendance to pursue a career in public service. “Public service,” he stressed, “is a noble calling.” The Issam M. Fares Lecture Series is held annually to further understanding of the issues facing the Middle East. Former president Bush opened the lecture series in 1994. Since its inception, the series has welcomed distinguished world leaders to Tufts including Margaret Thatcher, Valery Giscard d’Estaing, Colin Powell, and Former President, Bill Clinton. |
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2002 The Fletcher School, Tufts
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