George Soros on the 'misuse of American power'

Billionaire international investor, philanthropist and author George Soros told a Duke audience Tuesday that United States involvement in Iraq has actually weakened the U.S.

The military is "bogged down in performing the duties of occupation, withdrawing behind barricades, and cannot project power even in Iraq," he said. Rather than dismissing flawed international institutions such as the United Nations, the United States should use its influence to strengthen them, he asserted.

Soros, chairman of Soros Fund Management LLC, as well as founder and chairman of the Open Society Institute (OSI), is known for his network of philanthropic foundations, and for his legendary success in international financial markets.

However, his current stint in the limelight stems from his political views. He is a vocal critic of the Bush Administration, has donated millions to political organizations such as MoveOn.org, and Tuesday repeated his intention to spend more to help persuade American voters to reject President George Bush in November. His latest book, The Bubble of America Supremacy: Correcting the Misuse of American Power, argues that the current U.S.

administration has based its foreign relations on unilateralism and military might rather than on principles of international law, and that this stance has proven ineffective.

In response to a student's pointed query about soft money's influence on American politics, Soros said his situation is different from that of special interest groups because "I'm not buying access." Although it is "desirable to reduce the influence of money" in U.S. politics, Soros said, he acknowledged his special status. "Most rich people have positions that don't allow them to speak out," Soros said. "I am privileged that I can."

Following Soros' remarks, a panel of Duke faculty discussed foreign policy issues and fielded questions from the audience. The panelists -- political science professors Peter Feaver and Robert Keohane, and Bruce Jentleson, director of the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy -- offered commentary on Soros' book and a range of responses to Soros' positions. Provost Peter Lange moderated the discussion.

More than 700 people came to hear Soros speak at the Bryan Center. Soros' daylong visit was co-sponsored by the Sanford Institute and the Duke Center for International Development, along with the Office of the Provost, the Center for International Studies' Program on Globalization, Equity and Democratic Governance, and the Kenan Institute for Ethics.

"Audio of the talk is available at http://www.pubpol.duke.edu/.