The Great Issues Committee of Saint Louis University hosted Ehud Barak, former Prime Minister of Israel, who spoke on Feb. 15 about the “Blueprint for Global Relations: A Macro Analysis of How National Politics, International Events, Terror and the Economy All Influence National and International Relations.”

Although Barak’s term as prime minister was one of the shortest of an Israeli Prime Minister (1999-2001), it was eventful: the withdrawal of Israeli defense from southern Lebanon, attempted peace negotiations with Palestinian National Authority and Syria and the passing of the Tal Law, which allowed all Haredi Jews to be exempt from service in the Israeli military. He also led Israel out of a drawn-out recession leading to overall economic development.

Prior to his term as prime minister, Barak served as the lieutenant general in the Israeli military-its highest position. He also served in the 1967 Six Day War, the 1973 Yom Kippur War and the 1982 Lebanon War.

Barak, along with President Clinton and others, attempted to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the Camp David 2000 Summit, but the summit failed.

Since his term as prime minister, Barak has been an adviser for the American company, Electronic Data Systems, and recently has gotten back into politics.

Many students, faculty, and the greater St. Louis community gathered to hear Barak’s speech on Feb. 15. He began by saying that political leaders of today must not only know about the domestic front, but also have a deep understanding of the history, culture and macroeconomics of the world.

“Terror has been part of our life for 40 years now,” Barak said. He said that more American soldiers in the streets of Iraq cause more of a problem than a solution. Barak brought up the point that, before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, all of the following developments, such as American force in the Middle East, would never have been imagined.

According to Barak, the war in Iraq is something that “America alone cannot win over the combined terror or nuclear proliferation.” He thinks that only a “collective and coherent” action with other leading countries, such as China and Russia, will allow the war to be successful.

“Most Israelis understand that the Middle East is a tough neighborhood. It’s not the Midwest,” Barak said as audience members chuckled.

Barak also said that “there is no way to do the job without considering a different relationship with [Iraq and Iran].”

Barak thinks that the Iranians are determined to become a completely nuclear-capable country, which he believes could make them a threat.

“At the end of the road, [nuclear weapons] will be in the hands of terrorist groups,” Barak said.

In dealing with Yasser Arafat for more than twenty years, Barak revealed his feelings of frustration with the former president of the Palestinian National Authority. Barak said, “Israel doesn’t see a readiness [to make peace] on the Palestinian side.” Barak’s feelings of frustration with Arafat stem from the inability of the two leaders to reach a peace negotiation.

In concluding his speech, Barak said “Israel will never, ever yield to terrorism. Period.” According to Barak, the 20th century was shaped by the emergence of fascism, Nazism and communism. Barak is hopeful of tranquility, equilibrium and “a new birth of freedom for people everywhere” in this century. Barak received a standing ovation at the end of his speech, followed by a question and answer session administered by the GIC.

One question an audience member asked was, “By requiring all Israeli citizens to serve in the Israeli military, do you think this affects the peace process?”

Barak answered, “No, it’s a part of our security …”

In answering questions about his views on Palestine, Barak said Israel fully recognizes the right of Palestinians to have their own state, but said that “their leaders are hounded by the idea of destroying Israel.” According to Barak, Israel waits for peaceful negotiation with Palestine.

Barak also said that “America’s economic and political support is important and symbolic.” The United States has the most important role in Middle Eastern affairs, according to Barak.

Rachel Ball, a Jewish student at SLU, agreed with Barak.

“We don’t think about our role in America-how important our role is to other nations like China,” Ball said.

Ball also thought the GIC’s selected questions were “worded awkwardly with a pro-Palestinian twist.” Ball thought Barak answered the questions with “confidence and clarity.”

Rabbi Hershey Novack, of Chabad on Campus, a local organization for Jewish college students, said “The premise of some of the questions seemed misinformed, but I’m glad that Barak was able to respond in an open forum.”

Ryan Walde, a student at SLU, said “Anytime SLU brings someone outside of our SLU world, it is an honor.”

Even though Walde thinks it was great that Barak came to SLU to speak, he does not think it is appropriate to only look at one side of the issue.

Walde said, “The United States’ unconditional support for the Israelis is hypocritical to the fundamentals of peace. If you support someone no matter what, then you can’t see the truth. No one is always right; we must listen to the voices of the weak, not suppress and fear them.”

Because Walde considers himself pro-peace and equality, he thinks Palestinians are suppressed because “they do not have equal rights, resources, opportunity or voice.”

Nina Puricelli, a student at SLU, said, “It was nice to hear a foreign person with some political standing actually spay good things about America and support us.”

Upcoming GIC speakers include Spike Lee on Feb. 27; Bob Woodward, the journalist who uncovered the Watergate scandal, on March 21; Shirin Edabi, Iranian Human Rights lawyer and Nobel Peace Prize winner, on April 12.