US embassy cable - 03ROME1735

UNCLAS ROME 001735 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
SECSTATE FOR IIP/G/EUR (CSIEMONH); IIP/T/PS (JROSEPLATT, 
MSCANLIN); EUR/PPD (TPICKREL, DWHITMAN); EUR/WE (MTECKACH- 
BALL) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP PRC 
SUBJECT: EVALUATION OF U.S. SPEAKER KENNETH STEIN IN 
ITALY, TRACKER NUMBER 17700 
 
THIS CABLE FULFILLS THE SIMPLIFIED IIP REPORTING 
REQUIREMENTS FOR IIP-FUNDED U.S. SPEAKERS AS OUTLINED IN 
SECSTATE 59878. 
 
1. U.S. SPEAKER KENNETH STEIN (EMORY UNIVERSITY) 
    ADDRESSED KEY ITALIAN AUDIENCES IN MILAN, FLORENCE, ROME, 
NAPLES, PALERMO, CATANIA, AND MESSINA ON THE TOPIC "U.S. 
POLICY TOWARD THE MIDDLE EAST SINCE 9/11," MARCH 4-15, 
2003. DR. STEIN, PROFESSOR OF MIDDLE EASTERN HISTORY AND 
ISRAELI STUDIES AT EMORY UNIVERSITY SINCE 1977 AND FIRST 
DIRECTOR OF THE CARTER CENTER IN ATLANTA, ENGAGED 
SOMETIMES SKEPTICAL INTERLOCUTORS ON THE REASONS FOR AND 
PURPOSE OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION'S IRAQ POLICY, PLACING 
IT WITHIN THE BROAD CONTEXT OF U.S. FOREIGN POLICY IN THE 
MIDDLE EAST SINCE THE END OF THE COLD WAR. THE PROGRAM 
TOOK PLACE BEFORE THE MILITARY INTERVENTION IN IRAQ. 
 
2. AUDIENCES INCLUDED JOURNALISTS, FOREIGN POLICY 
EXPERTS, ITALIAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, AS WELL AS 
EUROPEAN AND ITALIAN ACADEMICS AND STUDENTS. DR. STEIN 
PRESENTED A BALANCED, ARTICULATE, AND DETAILED ANALYSIS 
OF U.S. POLICY TOWARDS IRAQ AND RESPONDED INCISIVELY TO 
THE HARD QUESTIONS THAT EUROPEANS IN GENERAL ARE ASKING 
ABOUT AMERICA'S MOTIVES AND INTENTIONS. HIS DIALOGUE WITH 
ITALIAN AUDIENCES PROVIDED OPINION LEADERS AND POLICY 
MAKERS WITH A DEEPER AND MORE SOPHISTICATED UNDERSTANDING 
OF U.S. MIDDLE EAST POLICY. INTERVIEWS WITH DR. STEIN 
APPEARED IN "CORRIERE DELLA SERA" OF MILAN, "IL MATTINO" 
OF NAPLES, ""GIORNALE DI SICILIA" OF PALERMO, "LA 
SICILIA" OF CATANIA, AND "GAZETTA DEL SUD" OF MESSINA. 
DR. STEIN WAS ALSO INTERVIEWED IN ROME BY NATIONAL 
ITALIAN RADIO (RAI). THE PROGRAM WAS FUNDED BY IIP AND 
EMBASSY ROME WITH NO NON-USG OR IN-COUNTRY FINANCIAL 
SUPPORT. VARIOUS ITALIAN INSTITUTIONS PROVIDED VENUES FOR 
DR. STEIN'S PRESENTATIONS. 
 
    3. DR. STEIN'S VISIT, ORGANIZED JOINTLY BY PA ROME, PA 
NAPLES/PALERMO, PA MILAN, AND CONGEN FLORENCE, FOCUSED ON 
U.S. POLICY IN THE MIDDLE EAST, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO 
IRAQ. THE PROGRAM ENGAGED A WIDE VARIETY OF ITALIAN 
OPINION LEADERS AND POLICY MAKERS IN DIALOGUE ON THE 
PRESSING ISSUE OF U.S. POLICY TOWARDS IRAQ. PROFESSOR 
STEIN'S DETAILED KNOWLEDGE OF HIS SUBJECT WAS IMPRESSIVE. 
HE PROVED TO BE AN EXCELLENT PRESENTER WHO SPOKE FLUENTLY 
AND AT LENGTH WITHOUT NOTES. HE EASILY AND QUICKLY 
TAILORED HIS PRESENTATION TO THE TIME AVAILABLE AND 
SEEMED PARTICULARLY ENERGIZED IN FRONT OF AUDIENCES THAT 
WERE SKEPTICAL AND EVEN HOSTILE TOWARDS USG MIDDLE EAST 
POLICY. HE RAPIDLY DEVELOPED AN EXCELLENT RAPPORT WITH 
THESE AUDIENCES AND PATIENTLY AND CLEARLY EXPLAINED THE 
RATIONAL FOR U.S. POLICY. HE EFFECTIVELY DEMOLISHED 
PATENTLY FALSE EXPLANATIONS OF U.S. PURPOSES (SUCH AS 
THOSE THAT ATTEMPTED TO INTERPRET USG ACTIONS AS EFFORTS 
TO SEIZE THE OIL RESOURCES OF IRAQ OR TO REDRAW THE MAP 
OF THE MIDDLE EAST IN FAVOR OF ISRAEL) AND ARTICULATELY 
LAID OUT THE TRUE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF U.S. POLICY (TO 
ELIMINATE WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION AND PREVENT THEM 
FROM FALLING INTO THE HANDS OF TERRORISTS). HE WAS NOT 
ALWAYS UNCRITICAL OF USG POLICY, BUT HE WAS FAIR AND EVEN- 
HANDED IN HIS PRESENTATIONS. HE THUS WAS ABLE TO WIN THE 
ATTENTION, RESPECT, AND UNDERSTANDING OF HIS AUDIENCES IN 
A WAY THAT AN OFFICIAL USG SPOKESPERSON MIGHT NOT HAVE 
BEEN ABLE TO DO. 
 
4. AS A RESULT OF DR. STEIN'S PROGRAM, KEY ITALIAN 
AUDIENCES GAINED CLEAR, BALANCED, AND ACCURATE KNOWLEDGE 
OF USG POLICY OBJECTIVES IN THE MIDDLE EAST, PARTICULARLY 
    IN IRAQ. DR. STEIN ALSO DEMONSTRATED A WILLINGNESS TO 
REMAIN IN TOUCH WITH KEY CONTACTS AFTER HIS RETURN TO THE 
U.S. TWO ADDITIONAL KEY RESULTS FROM HIS SOUTHERN LEG 
WERE HIS INVITATION FOR A PALERMO ACADEMIC TO PARTICIPATE 
IN AN EMORY UNIVERSITY CONFERENCE (SHE SUBSEQUENTLY DID) 
AND HIS OFFER TO WRITE MONTHLY ARTICLES ON MIDDLE EAST 
ISSUES FOR PLACEMENT IN SOUTHERN ITALIAN NEWSPAPERS.  WE 
HAVE ALREADY PLACED THE FIRST COLUMN IN SICILY'S "LA 
SICILIA" AND EXPECT TO RECEIVE AND PLACE OTHERS. 
 
5. THE QUALITY OF IIP SUPPORT FOR THIS VERY SUCCESSFUL 
PROGRAM WAS EXCELLENT. IIP'S JODY ROSE PLATT DID A SUPERB 
JOB IN ORGANIZING AND MANAGING THIS LOGISTICALLY 
COMPLICATED PROGRAM, WHICH BEGAN IN FRANCE AND CONTINUED 
IN SEVEN ITALIAN CITIES. MS. PLATT'S COLLEAGUES IN ITALY 
SALUTE HER AND THANK HER FOR AN OUTSTANDING AND HIGHLY 
SUCCESSFUL EFFORT. 
SEMBLER 
 
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	2003ROME01735 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED